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The Scientific Fly Angler

Naturally Curious

Welcome to The Scientific Fly Angler

Naturally Curious

About The Scientific Fly Angler

Jason G. Freund

Welcome to my COVID project.

This page explores fly fishing and fly tying from an mostly - but not entirely - scientific point of view. Expect a random collection of fly tying, fish and stream ecology for the fly angler, and well, whatever I feel like posting at the time. From time to time, I will branch out from fly fishing into fisheries management and science.

This website and blog is for fun - not profit. I'm coming at you from Wisconsin's Driftless area but am hoping to interact with anglers from around the world. It is not necessarily a blog about Wisconsin but we are shaped by our experiences.

Send me an e-mail if you have question, comments, ideas for posts, etc.

STAY IN THE KNOW

Tying the Life Cycle: Stonefly

Jason G. Freund

Feb 13, 20236 min read

Aquatic macroinvertebrates

Tying the Life Cycle: Stonefly

Of the major aquatic insect taxa, stoneflies are the least important here in Wisconsin, however there are times and places where they shine.

1,790 views1 comment

Ridiculous Prices for Fancy Chicken Feathers (Cree)

Jason G. Freund

Feb 6, 20234 min read

Ridiculous Prices for Fancy Chicken Feathers (Cree)

I would never pay those crazy prices - but so long as others do, the prices will continue to be crazy - capitalism at its finest (and worst)

1,100 views3 comments

Tying the Life Cycle: Caddis

Jason G. Freund

Jan 30, 202310 min read

Tying the Life Cycle: Caddis

While mayflies get most of the attention from anglers, year in and year out, I catch more fish on caddis dry flies than on mayflies.

5,779 views0 comments

Tying the Life Cycle: Mayflies

Jason G. Freund

Jan 16, 202311 min read

Tying the Life Cycle: Mayflies

No insects are more associated with fly fishing than are the mayflies) so we will handle tying their life cycle first in this series.

4,212 views3 comments

Fly Fishing Fads - in praise of old flies and ways of fishing

Jason G. Freund

Jan 9, 20235 min read

Fly Fishing Fads - in praise of old flies and ways of fishing

This in NOT an anti-technology or anti-progress rant but more of a reminder that the old stuff still works.

613 views5 comments

Book Review: The History of Fly-Fishing in Fifty Flies

Jason G. Freund

Sep 23, 20227 min read

Book Review: The History of Fly-Fishing in Fifty Flies

Picking 50 flies to represent the history of fly fishing is certainly a daunting task. The author does an admirable job.

858 views0 comments

Crowdsourcing an In-the-Film Terrestrial

Jason G. Freund

Jun 13, 20226 min read

Crowdsourcing an In-the-Film Terrestrial

This my attempt at figuring out how to tie a summer / fall terrestrial for once the fish have become a bit more educated and picky.

285 views0 comments

The Fly Designs of San Marco

Jason G. Freund

May 30, 20227 min read

The Fly Designs of San Marco

Fair warning, this post is geekier than most I write but if you do choose to read on, you may learn an interesting bit of evolutionary bio.

162 views2 comments

Fly Tying to Save Money

Jason G. Freund

May 16, 202212 min read

Fly Tying to Save Money

Can you save money by tying your own flies instead of buying them? Absolutely! But what is the fun in that?

2,487 views1 comment

In Praise of Andrew Grillos' Hippie Stomper

Jason G. Freund

Feb 21, 20224 min read

In Praise of Andrew Grillos' Hippie Stomper

The Hippie Stomper is the perfect Driftless terrestrial, no exaggeration. It is as if it were created for the Driftless (it wasn't...)

2,999 views0 comments

Does the fly really matter?

Jason G. Freund

Feb 7, 20225 min read

Does the fly really matter?

I thought I might be the first to do the definitive study of "does the fly really matter" but it seems that a team of CRACKPOT investigators

619 views2 comments

Angling Entomology: Six Hatches for Wisconsin

Jason G. Freund

Nov 22, 202116 min read

Aquatic macroinvertebrates

Angling Entomology: Six Hatches for Wisconsin

There are certainly more than six hatches but to keep things simple, these are the hatches that I think are worth chasing in Wisconsin.

6,505 views0 comments

Angling Entomology: Life Cycles (A simplified guide to knowing the "bugs")

Jason G. Freund

Aug 30, 20219 min read

Angling Entomology: Life Cycles (A simplified guide to knowing the "bugs")

Understanding these stages, how insects transition between them, and for different hatches, which stages or transitions are important is key

8,571 views0 comments

To Dry and Dropper or Not?

Jason G. Freund

Apr 13, 20216 min read

To Dry and Dropper or Not?

Conventional wisdom states that "it is a 2-for-1" so you may as well fish the dropper...but it can be such a pain in the ass!

538 views3 comments

CDC and Elk (caddis pattern)

Jason G. Freund

Jan 28, 20215 min read

CDC and Elk (caddis pattern)

It was inevitable that I would eventually write this post. This feels a bit like my preaching the CDC and Elk gospel but there are some...

4,392 views1 comment

Flies of the Wolf River

Jason G. Freund

Jan 21, 20216 min read

Flies of the Wolf River

I hope this is a bit of what keeps the history of the Wolf River and its flies alive.

1,573 views3 comments

Tongue Depressor Fly

Jason G. Freund

Dec 12, 20205 min read

Tongue Depressor Fly

The Tongue Depressor is a fly pattern from Bill Sherer's We Tie It Fly Fishing Specialists. It is the fly angler's spoon - a great bass fly!

722 views2 comments

Fishing Rod

Contact

Thanks for your interest in The Scientific Fly Angler. For more information, feel free to get in touch and I will get back to you soon!

Driftless Area, WI

jason.freund4@gmail.com

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