THE IRIDEUS The Newsletter of the Grizzly Peak Fly Fishers Based in Kensington, Serving the East Bay & Environs since 1982
Fly Fishing for Shad with Mike Folden
Focus on Flycasting
Featured February Speaker
By Todd Pond, Mark Likos & Alice Gillibert
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‘20 GPFF.ORG
CLUB MEETINGS 2727 Milvia St, Berkeley, CA Every second tuesday of February Every second wednesday starting March 2020 No meeting in July Social Hour - 6:30pm Business Meeting - 7:00pm
THE IRIDEUS - FEBRUARY 2020
FEATURES
Departments
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Fly fishing for Shad with Mike Folden
03 President’s Message
Focus on Flycasting
04 CALENDAR
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03 BOARD 05 CONSERvATION Conversation 07 NEWS, NOTES & RANDOM CASTS 09 Fishing Throwbacks 15 gone fishin’
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The president’s message By Brad Gee
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s you know Kensington’s renovation of the Youth Hut, our meeting place- our home really-for over a decade forced us to find another venue. At first we met at the Arlington Community Church across the street. The church charged us a few hundred dollars per meeting and the space was not well suited for our meetings. In response the Board searched for alternatives across the East Bay. After much effort by several Board members, Zachary Wong discovered that the Sports Basement in Berkeley offered community –based groups a meeting place on site. Our first meeting of the New Year was January 14 in the community room of the Sports Basement, 2727 Milvia in Berkeley. I love our new venue, formerly “Iceland” in South Berkeley. The space is comfortable and spacious (though the high ceilings retain a cool, airy feel, so bring a sweater or a hat). During our first meeting, shoppers in the main part of the store dropped by, asked who we are and what we do and then stayed to learn more; one person joined on the spot. The location is a natural new member magnet. Unlike the Youth Hut there is no kitchen so we cannot offer dinner, but no worries, there are shops galore, even famed Berkeley Bowl, within a few blocks. We will continue to offer beverages and snacks to encourage social time. And lastly, unbelievably there is ample parking! In Berkeley! I am not making that up—free parking in Berkeley! When I asked how much we needed to pay to rent the space I heard the magical word “NOTHING”. For a club like ours that is a big deal. Making the space available to outdoors and conservation groups is one way the Sports Basement supports the community. You can find our GPFF monthly meetings posted on the Berkeley Sports Basement online calendar. Check it out at: https://shop.sportsbasement.com/pages/calendar#start_ date=2020-02-04&view=month Please be sure to take a look at the News, Notes and Random Casts section of the Irideus. There we acknowledge the outstanding contributions of Dan Zimmerlin, Zachary Wong and Mark Likos to our club. There is also a note from Ed Beggs who reports he is on his way back to fishing health after surviving being hit by a car while riding his bicycle. Broken but unbowed. Welcome back Ed. Hope to see you at the Sports Basement for our February 11 meeting, our last 2nd Tuesday meeting before we switch back to the 2nd Wednesday of the month.
Executive Board OFFICERS
Brad Gee President
Eric Larson Secretary
Mike Lippman Treasurer
PROGRAM CHAIRS & BOARD MEMBERS
Josh Genser
Julie Haselden
Mark Likos
Douglas Hale
Dave Garfin
Zachary Wong
Program Chair
Education Chair Trout in the Classroom
Conservation Chair Newsletter Newsletter
NON-BOARD CHAIRS
Lee Hahn
Bob Marshak
Bob Fabini
Mike Leong
Webmaster
Membership
Librarian
Todd Pond
Membership
Outings Coordinator THE IRIDEUS
Douglas Hale Editor-In-Chief
Zachary Wong Asst. Editor
PHOTO CONTRUBITORS THIS MONTH Cover.............................................................. Zachary Wong Table of Contents...............................GPFF Member Album Calendar......................................................... Zachary Wong Conservation........................The New York Times, UC Davis News Notes & Random Casts................................ Edd Beggs Fishing Throwbacks..............................................Doug Hale Shad...................................................................Mike Folden Fly Casting.....................Archive.org, Florida State Archives ..... Phillips Glass Negative Collection Powerhouse Museum Gone Fishin’......................................................... Todd Pond Back Cover........................................................... Todd Pond
We are always looking for photos! Submit your photos to Zachary Wong at craigwong810@gmail.com or Doug Hale at drhale@gmail.com Your photo could be featured on next month’s cover, table of contents, Calendar or our Back Page
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Upcoming Events February 11
February GPFF meeting - Mike Folden, American River Shad
February 15
Eagle Canyon Trout Lakes
March 8
Fundamentals Casting Clinic
March 11
March GPFF meeting - Michael Malekos
March 28
Lower Yuba (UC Property)
Past Events January 20
MLK Jr. Shoreline - Conservation Outing
January 14
January GPFF meeting - Lance Gray
January 11
Winter Fishing on the Pit River
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C
onservation onversation
With Julie Ruth Haselden
Fly Fishing is the New Bird-Watching
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t’s the latest ‘old timey’ hobby to gain a dedicated new following!
Step aside, goat yoga. The chic way to unwind now is fly fishing.
That’s right. For some of the same reasons millennials recently flocked to birdwatching, fly fishing is gaining popularity with a younger set. For more information: Fly Fishing Is the New Bird-Watching
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Peter B. Moyle Fish Biologist and Conservationist Zoologist; Professor of biology; 2002— present Associate Director, Center for Watershed Science, University of California-Davis
Creek was basically a waterless gravel pit. There were no salmon. After decades of study, Moyle and the Putah Creek Council successfully sued the county and established better flows below Solano Dam. Thanks to Moyle, a strategic flow regime to attract fish was finally established in 2000 and almost immediately the creek responded. Nonnative species dropped off and native species began to increase. In 2013 Chinook salmon showed up for the first time in decades. Today, the university records 20,000 to 30,00 outmigrating smolts every year. In 2017 a record 1,700 adult salmon returned to the river. Moyes’ efforts on Putah Creek, the Klamath and the Delta are highlights in a lifetime of fisheries work. For a great pocast, check out: https://podcast.barbless.co/guest/petermoyle/
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or most modern-day fly fishers, the concept of catch-and-release is as familiar as the idea of hooking a fish on a fly rod. Back in the 1970s, though, it was an odd proposition. But a young fish biologist named Peter Moyle pushed the practice to balance conservation and recreation on a newly conserved stretch of California’s McCloud River. The idea stuck. The McCloud today is one of California’s most hallowed fly fishing streams. Moyle’s solution helped usher in a way of thinking about and handling native fish that today is second nature for nearly every fly angler out there. Putah Creek was once a healthy salmon stream and its upper reaches are still prime trout water. When Moyle landed in Davis in the early 1970s, the lower reach of Putah
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Endangered Winter-run Chinook Salmon Increase with Millions of Offspring Headed to Sea
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iologists have estimated that almost 3.8 million juvenile winter-run Chinook salmon headed down the Sacramento River toward the ocean this year. This is the most offspring in a decade for the highly endangered population. The rebounding numbers reflect the critical help of a conservation fish hatchery and balanced water management.
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News, Notes & Random Casts Club Honorees
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hree of our members were honored at the Christmas dinner for their contributions to the club. Dan Zimmerlin was recognized as the Outstanding Contributor. Dan is a master bamboo rod builder who for several years has donated one of his handmade rods to the club to raise funds. Zachary Wong was named Rookie of the Year. Zachary has done an exceptional job of restructuring and modernizing the graphics and layout of the Irideus. Mark Likos was named most Valuable Member. Mark is a tireless educational chairperson who promoted the Club at the Solano Stroll and the Alameda Fish Festival. Mark also established and leads the Foundational Seminars. Trout in the Classroom (TIC)
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he 2020 edition of TIC kicked off Saturday February 1 when our coaches picked up their aquariums—30 aquariums in all. Over 900 kids will directly participate in raising their trout in our aquariums. Though we have enough coaches for now if you would like to help let Dave Garfin degarfin@sonic.net know. There is always room for one more.
Monthly Fly Tying Session February 12, 2020 1062 Park Hills Rd. Berkeley
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oin fellow fly tiers 6:30 pm Wednesday February 12, at Linda Friedman’s house, 1062 Park Hills Rd, Berkeley. Sierra Trout Camp 2020 June 27-28, 2020 Truckee, CA
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et geared up for California’s premier fly fishing camp in Truckee, CA. Campers will learn all skills required to become fantastic fly fishers. This is not an overnight camp. It takes place at two private lakes donated for the day by Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitter and Matt Heron Fly Fishing. There is not a better place to catch fish. • • • •
June 27th-28th, 9am-5pm Ages 10-12 Limit 20 campers $150/camper
To sign your child up, please contact Lauren Herbine at lauren.herbine@tu.org. Reserve your child’s spot ASAP while there is still space.
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Tenkara Podcast
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ur own Luong Tam was interviewed by Cast and Spear about his approach to Tenkara fishing and rod design. Check out the podcast at https://castandspear.com/tenkaratanuki/ Vacillating?
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f you know someone who is considering taking up fly fishing, Jen Ripple’s article “5 Things you should know before you try Fly Fishing” might be just the encouragement they need to take the plunge. https://flip.it/431029 Bay Area Fly Fishers
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AFF is a relatively new group that meets at the Oakland Casting Ponds weekly and hosts trips. Ed Beggs thought that we might like to know more about these kindred spirits https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=JhCcE8v5rR0&t=8s
“I did not even know I had been hit by a car until I woke up in a hospital. My care was great at the trauma center. The rehabilitation center got me trained in maneuvering around in a wheelchair and transferring my body to various pieces of equipment. The left side of body got whacked real hard and left me with a fractured hip and broken left finger. There is also a chunk of skin missing on the back of my left shoulder and the tissue in the left shoulder has been mashed up but not broken or misaligned. So all this is terrible but it could have been worse. The care I am getting is embarrassing. I have never had so much attention. I’m at home now as I was discharged (December 2, 2019) from the Kaiser Foundation Rehabilitation Center in Vallejo. Currently a nurse comes to our home every 3 to 4 days to take my vitals and change the wound dressings. An occupational
Martin Luther King Coastal Cleanup
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BIG thank you to Loretta Strickland, Mark Likos & Gary Bard for stepping up, rolling up their sleeves and pitching in at this East Bay Regional Park District cleanup in Oakland off Doolittle Dr., on January 20th, MLK Holiday. Gary stayed with the group clearing and planting new trees and shrubs. Loretta moved onto the shoreline with Mark picking up the most disgusting trash that unfortunately accumulates with knucklehead park visitors. Ed Beggs is on his way Back!
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ome of you know that Ed Beggs was very badly injured in November when a car hit him on his bicycle. The good news is he is on the mend. His account follows.
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The Editorial staff at the Irideus continue to wish Ed a speedy recovery and we all hope to see him on the water again soon!
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therapist and a physical therapist also visit every 3 to 4 days. Soon these services will be phased out as I recover to a point of being safe on my own with my wife Vicki’s care. It is hard work for her to attend to my care. I keep telling her to let me be and to give herself a break. Anyway I had a very nice Christmas Holiday as my daughter and granddaughter traveled from PA and spent a bit over a week with us. My spirits are good and my fishing trip memories serve me well in looking forward and encourage me to do the prescribed exercises for recovery. I’m figuring mid-spring to get out and fish.
I do find being restricted to the first floor of the house, sleeping in the living room and shuttling around in the wheelchair has humbled me into another dimension of awareness. I read a lot. Through our living room window I watch the squirrels and birds that inhabit a tree whose limbs hang over my truck. They scamper and flit about and nibble the spiked seeds that create copious amounts of excrement that coat the vehicle. Love the entertainment. So I am good and hope you are good too. My best to all you GPFF members in the New Decade.”
FISHING THROWBACKS
This month’s throwback is a unique piece of artwork discovered in New Orleans by our editor-in-chief Doug Hale. A beautiful piece of 3D artwork made back in 1885 by Sallie Thomas Russ out of Fish Scales! It won first price at the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial in 1885.
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Fly Fishing for Shad with Mike Folden
GPFF February meeting FEB 11, 2020
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ur speaker at our February 11 meeting (6:30, 2727 Milvia Street, Berkeley) will be Mike Folden. Mike will introduce us fly fishing for shad. Mike Folden was born and raised in Northern California and introduced to fly fishing at a very young age by his grandfather, who was a guide. Mike continues to carry on his grandfather’s legacy proudly as he guides, instructs and shares his knowledge. Mike is an outgoing, energetic and
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talkative individual who relishes the opportunity to guide our local fisheries. So, whether it's Steelhead, Shad, Stripers or Trout, whether you are new to the sport or an avid fly angler, Mike believes it's all about the journey. He likes to approach the sport from the angle of keep it simple and fun. Whatever river or species you would like to fish and experience, Mike looks forward to working with you to create a memorable outdoor adventure.
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Focus on Fly Casting
The Key to Successful Fishing Articles by: Todd Pond, Mark Likos & Alice Gillibert
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Editor’s Note: One of the things I have heard for decades and on both coasts is some angler loudly proclaiming “I’m not a great caster but I CATCH FISH”. The implication being that good casters don’t. As Todd Pond points out in the next article nothing could be farther from the truth. Good casting is the key to successful fly fishing. We in the Bay Area we are blessed with world-class casters who are happy to share their knowledge. GPFF’s fly casting Clinic is scheduled for March 8 and monthly workshops begin again this March one hour before our meeting. Also beginning in March the Oakland Casting Club will offer free casting lessons (but you must sign up). Details follow Todd’s article. Why Focus on Casting? By Todd Pond
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n a snowy day in December, I was surprised to notice a large trout’s snout breaking the water. The trout was feeding on midges. I decided to cast my streamer to it in hopes of triggering a strike. I knew my fly
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would have to land two feet up stream and two feet from the spot where I saw the trout feeding. This would give the fly time to sink in the water column and put it in prime position for a strike. I fired off my cast and my streamer landed exactly where I needed it to be. As I was slowly stripping my line into position, POW, the fish nailed it and the battle was on. Ten minutes later, I netted one of the biggest trout I have ever caught, a male brown in full spawning colors. I was amazed. If my cast was off by 12 inches, I would have spooked the fish instead of netting it. Fortunately I had learned at the Oakland Casting Ponds that accurate casting is achievable with a little guidance, practice and patience. The roll cast and the overhead cast are the foundation of all other casts. Both are taught by GPFFers and the Oakland Casting Club. With some practice you will soon be able consistently to place a fly six inches from
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a target 35 feet away. You will also find that you can stay on the water longer because efficient casting saves your energy. Having mastered the overhead cast and the roll cast, you may want to learn some specialty casts. The good news is that most specialty casts are just embellishments and tweaks of the roll and overhead casts. Specialty casts are like special tools in a carpenter’s tool belt; they are utilized when the main cast cannot get the job done. There are several casts in a fly fisher’s tool vest. Specialty casts include the double haul, the single haul roll cast, the side arm cast, cross shoulder cast, the parachute cast, aerial mends, reach cast, pile cast, steeple cast, the up-and-out cast, under and over-power curve cast, C-pick up, the oval cast, the elliptical cast, and the bow and arrow cast. All of them are much easier to learn and done much better, if you start from a solid foundation. By far, the best tool in anyone’s fly vest, a tool which is weightless and does not take up any space, is the ability to cast well. One place to start on the road to being a good fly caster is the casting ponds at McCrea Park in Oakland. Nestled in between highway 13 and highway 580. It’s a beautiful park where the ponds are surrounded by redwoods, pines, and oak. My video https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=o5CRvy2Wcag gives you a good idea of what the facility is like…but nothing beats being there. On any given day, it’s guaranteed you will meet other fly anglers at the ponds. Many have won national and international flycasting competitions; these guys and gals know how to cast. Most of the time, the advanced casters offer guidance; their guidance was instrumental to developing my fly casting. Another resource is our club.
Grizzly Peak Fly Fishers is having a Fundamentals Casting Clinic March 8, 9am1pm, at the Oakland Casting Ponds. This event is open to club members and guests. In this clinic, we are going to focus on the basics, roll casting and the overhead cast. Although this sounds like a beginner’s class, it is not. It is for all levels, unless you have been trained by a national champion and have practiced a lot. Everyone will leave a better caster, with tighter loops, and better prepared for the 2020 fishing season. This will be a great event. At the end, we will play some basic casting games for prizes. It will be a fun morning. I am looking forward to improving my casting, too. Accurate casting is achievable with a little guidance, practice and patience. Improving the cast is a great asset to enrich a day on the water. Casting is fun, whether you are fly fishing on your favorite water, or taking advantage of the local casting ponds. Once you understand and develop good fundamentals, you are on your way to becoming a good caster. The reward is wading upstream firing off streamers or grasshopper patterns that consistently land within six inches of a trout hiding beneath an undercut bank. March Casting Practice with GPFF By Mark Likos
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arch will bring us back to longer days (clock change Sunday March 8th) and we will once again provide on-going ‘Casting’ support for our members an hour ahead of our regular monthly meeting. Fortunately, we have a grassy field one block north up Milvia St. only a minute or two from our meeting location at the Berkeley Sports Basement (2727 Milvia St., Berkeley.) We will have casting practice for any
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club member who wishes to participate. Measured targets will be placed at multiple intervals (much like you see at the Oakland casting ponds.) If you have time to grab your own rig to bring to practice, do so. If you come straight from work, no worries, I’ll have a few club rigs for you to use. Remember, casting is the only essential skill in fly fishing. Learn to tie flies, build your own rod, master aquatic entomology. All good but if you can’t cast, you can be an expert in those other skills and never catch a fish… Hope to see you on the grass an hour ahead of the club meeting!
Images from this article courtesy of Archive.org, Powerhouse Museum & Florida State Archives
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Free Casting Lessons With the Oakland Casting Club. By Alice Gillibert
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he Oakland Casting Club offers free public casting lessons on the 3rd Saturday of March, April, May, June and September. Lessons start at 10AM and typically last 1.5 to 2 hours. All lessons are held at McCrea Park in Oakland (Carson and Aliso Street, just off Highway 13). Check the OCC website (oaklandcastingclub.org) to see a map. Sign up (required) by emailing “Henry” at: (oaklandcasters@hotmail.com). Either bring your own fly fishing outfit, or borrow one of theirs.
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GONE FISHIN’ Reports From the Field A Lower Sac Drift/Float Trip Report By Mark Likos
average depth in this part of the river was just 6 ½ feet.
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I rigged a 9 ½’, 6 weight rod, reel & WF fly line with ~ 9 ½’ nymph indicator leader with graduated 4x, 5x & 6x tippet to three flies. (Indicator, 6 feet of 3x level mono to two AAA split-shot to 18” of 4x fluorocarbon tippet to the first fly (Pats Rubber Legs), to 18” of 5x fluorocarbon tippet to the second fly (pale red Egg Pattern), to 18” of 6x fluorocarbon tippet to the third fly (micro Mayfly). This is a typical rig for this time of year on the river; I used something similar on my wading trip. The Egg Pattern was the winning fly of the day, nailing nearly every fish. (8mm bead/egg trailing a #6 barbless hook).
ast December 15th, I posted an email to the Grizzly Peak membership describing my trip to Lower Sac. You may recall, I waded the river and had limited success. I went back Friday the 27th to float the Lower Sac. I went with a few anglers one of whom (my boat mate) was Elaina Genser, a 2018 GPFF Foundational Fly Fishing graduate. Our guide Ernie has been guiding for 31 years and he is still on the water 260 days a year. He was a great resource for the day. We went a little further down the river than I did on my earlier wading trip. We launched three boats at Anderson River Park at 10 am and worked the river down to Balls Ferry. We left the river there at 4 pm. Surprising to me, we were the only boats on the river. The day was cold, clear and sunny with water temp at 56°F. Flows were about 7000 cfm. By comparison flows were just under 5000 cfm when I waded the river a month earlier. Water clarity was good at around 8 feet. Although the water levels were up, the
My hopes were bolstered by my recollection of my Posse Grounds south to Bonnyview float-drift a year earlier. The fish in that section that day were big; our boat saw 19” to 23” all day. We were told the fish in the section of river we fished this trip would be smaller. Didn’t matter to me. I was excited to fish another part of the river, but they were right. All of the three boats took fish. The catch rate ranged from 1.5 per hour to maybe 3 per
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hour. There were plenty of missed grabs, but we all got better at setting the hook as the day wore on. I even managed to hook a good-sized sucker fish in its fin on a missed aggressive grab! If you have questions or comments about fishing the lower Sac contact me at mlikos@comcast.net
Stills captured from Todd’s video adventure on the Upper Sacramento Back Cover: Upper Sacramento by Todd Pond
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Fishing the Upper Sac: A Video Report By Todd Pond
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ust before the start of the New Year Todd Pond took advantage of a break in the weather to fish the upper Sac. He was anxious to try some new equipment and to experiment with video-making ideas. The fishing was slow but the scenery was world class as you will see in his video. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=4wUe8RvAGGA
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