Mini Hoppers


Hunting Stands and Thunderstorms…

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A bittersweet day in the field found me scoping out my hunting stand for the upcoming turkey/deer archery season. The day was bittersweet because I know that with archery season comes the new school year. So while this week I am setting up a ground blind thinking about water and food sources for my quarry, […]

The Arizona Wanderings Shop

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It is finally here. Thanks to the hard work of my brother, Joel Smith, over at J. Sumner Designs, the Arizona Wanderings Shop is up and running. Along with the standard Arizona Wanderings T-shirt and signature Mini-Hopper flies, my new Hunting Gambel’s Quail E-book is also available for purchase. Hunting Gambel’s Quail is a beginner’s […]

Arizona Fly Fishing: Summertime Small Streams (Part 2)

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I woke to the beauty of the Arizona sun, rising across the canyon and beaming light into  every corner of the forest. Breakfast rivaled dinner from the night, and the eggs, hash browns, homemade breads and coffee provided us with plenty of energy to break down camp and get things under way. The morning started […]

Arizona Fly Fishing – Summertime Small Stream (Part 1)

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There is something about the sound of heavy tires crunching over a dirt road on the way to an ice-cold creek. Anticipation was running high as I had not fished these streams for over a month, and I was worried what condition the Arizona summer had put them in. Gear was sorted on the tailgate […]

Fly Fishing New York: Adirondack Small Stream

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A normal vacation morning finds me awake with the sun heading to a small stream while my wife sleeps till noon. Much to my surprise and delight, Michelle wanted to tag along one morning while I fished one of the priceless brook trout streams not 15 minutes from the house. We hit the water for […]

Fly Fishing New York: The AuSable River

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I truly have been blessed this summer with tons of fishing all over the country. After my trip to Oregon and Alaska, Michelle and I had a day or two in Arizona before we hopped back on a plane and headed back to New York and Pennsylvania for a couple of weeks to see my […]

Arizona Wanderings: Wall of Fame

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Over the past 6 months, much to the surprise of my wife and myself, my flies and t-shirts have been finding their way all across the county and even across the oceans. In honor of some of those who have been rocking the mini-hoppers and Arizona Wanderings t-shirts, this post is for you. First, Greg […]

Denali Arctic Grayling…

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After an unbelievable week in Bend, Oregon chasing big rainbows on the Deschutes and Crooked Rivers, I woke early to catch a flight to Anchorage to meet up with my wife and in-laws for a 10-day land/ocean cruise. I knew that this was a rare occasion to be in this part of the country, so […]