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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

Project Terrestrial: To Foam or not to Foam (Part III)

Jason G. Freund

Jun 25, 20219 min read

Project Terrestrial: To Foam or not to Foam (Part III)

Foam is a great and versatile tying material that is particularly well-suited for high floating flies.

991 views0 comments

Project Terrestrial - Thoughts on Terrestrial Fly Patterns (Part II)

Jason G. Freund

Jun 11, 202110 min read

Project Terrestrial - Thoughts on Terrestrial Fly Patterns (Part II)

Don't overthink it - often when food is rather scarce, as it tends to be in streams in mid-summer, trout can not afford to be overly choosy.

516 views0 comments

There is No Substitute for Getting Out There

Jason G. Freund

May 18, 20217 min read

There is No Substitute for Getting Out There

There is no magic fly. There are no magic streams. Like anything in life, you get better at something the more you do it.

119 views1 comment

Project Terrestrial - Part I: Ants, Beetles, Hoppers, and Crickets, oh my!

Jason G. Freund

May 14, 20217 min read

Project Terrestrial - Part I: Ants, Beetles, Hoppers, and Crickets, oh my!

Why terrestrials? Aside from terrestrials being fun as can be? Do you really need more than that? OK - then let's dig into the why...

663 views0 comments

In Praise of Crane Flies

Jason G. Freund

Mar 30, 20216 min read

In Praise of Crane Flies

In my experiences in Wisconsin's Driftless Area, the crane flies are one of the most dependable and least understood hatches.

1,463 views2 comments

My Driftless Bakers Dozen Fly "Concepts"

Jason G. Freund

Mar 9, 20218 min read

My Driftless Bakers Dozen Fly "Concepts"

I figured I would do a Driftless Dozen as a conversation piece. These are my choices - at least when I wrote the article. What are yours?

5,403 views1 comment

Fly Fishing Books (Part I)

Jason G. Freund

Feb 23, 20219 min read

Fly Fishing Books (Part I)

I love books. Who isn't a sucker for a good book? I am particularly a total sucker for good books about fly fishing and fly tying. I have...

369 views2 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...

4,314 views1 comment

Most Memorable Days of Fishing

Jason G. Freund

Jan 5, 20216 min read

Most Memorable Days of Fishing

Fishing can be pretty fickle. There are great days - the ones that we will remember forever - in between a considerable number of average...

86 views0 comments

Exploring Fly Tying Materials: Deer, Elk, Caribou, Moose, and Pronghorn Hair

Jason G. Freund

Dec 22, 20207 min read

Exploring Fly Tying Materials: Deer, Elk, Caribou, Moose, and Pronghorn Hair

The hair of the deer family (Cervidae) and the rest of the Artiodactyla (even toed ungulates) are up there with chickens for providing...

2,306 views1 comment

Tying Scissors

Jason G. Freund

Dec 15, 20203 min read

Tying Scissors

A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to take what I wanted from my Great Uncle George Close's exceedingly diverse fly tying...

651 views1 comment

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!

711 views2 comments

Thunder Creek Minnows

Jason G. Freund

Dec 6, 20205 min read

Thunder Creek Minnows

Keith Fulsher's Thunder Creek Minnow is a fly with a Wisconsin origin that is fairly well known but I'd say much less known than the...

1,364 views2 comments

Exploring Fly Tying Materials - Marabou

Jason G. Freund

Dec 1, 20208 min read

Exploring Fly Tying Materials - Marabou

I feel like marabou is one of the most overlooked and underappreciated fly tying materials. Sure, it is great for woolly bugger tails but...

2,882 views0 comments

Exploring Tying Materials - Learning the Uses of Different Materials

Jason G. Freund

Nov 17, 20203 min read

Exploring Tying Materials - Learning the Uses of Different Materials

I think there is no more difficult part of learning to tie flies - and it is a continual learning process - than learning how different...

380 views0 comments

In Praise of Simple Flies

Jason G. Freund

Oct 30, 20204 min read

In Praise of Simple Flies

Without question, my favorite flies are simple ones. It's not that I have anything against the more complex ties - they can be fun to...

530 views1 comment

2020 - A Trout Season in Review

Jason G. Freund

Oct 27, 20206 min read

2020 - A Trout Season in Review

I know it's cliche but 2020 has been a year like no other. This trout season was like no other...However, the season ended better...

89 views0 comments

Styles of Flies: Realistic to Impressionistic and Everything In-Between

Jason G. Freund

Oct 9, 20205 min read

Styles of Flies: Realistic to Impressionistic and Everything In-Between

Basically, any imitation can look "a whole lot" like what we are trying to imitate or it can look vaguely "food-like". It can give a...

610 views0 comments

Part 5 - Project Clouser: Variation of the Clouser - Related Flies

Jason G. Freund

Oct 2, 20204 min read

Part 5 - Project Clouser: Variation of the Clouser - Related Flies

This is a most incomplete list of Clouser-like patterns but is more to give an idea of how the Clouser has evolved.

1,700 views0 comments

Part 4 - Project Clouser: Variations on the Original

Jason G. Freund

Sep 25, 20202 min read

Part 4 - Project Clouser: Variations on the Original

This one is mostly a "data drop" - lots of patterns and links to place you can do a bit of research on your own.

1,730 views0 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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