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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

Native Brook and Non-Native Brown Trout: Towards a Better Understanding their Distributions

Jason G. Freund

Sep 3, 20235 min read

Native Brook and Non-Native Brown Trout: Towards a Better Understanding their Distributions

Remember the first day of school and how the first question of every first class was, "What did you do this summer?" Well, I did field work.

605 views0 comments

In Praise of Winter Fishing (sort of)

Jason G. Freund

Jan 23, 20238 min read

In Praise of...

In Praise of Winter Fishing (sort of)

I do not love winter fishing - but I am glad it is an option. It is a hit or miss affair that I have not figured out, but I'll keep trying.

240 views2 comments

Strike Indicators, sure it is marginally fly fishing, but here's what works...

Jason G. Freund

Sep 26, 20228 min read

Strike Indicators, sure it is marginally fly fishing, but here's what works...

I don't love fishing nymphs - nobody does - but it's a necessary evil so you might was well get (somewhat) proficient at it.

3,547 views2 comments

Nobody got into fly fishing to fish nymphs

Jason G. Freund

Sep 19, 20225 min read

Unpopular Opinions

Nobody got into fly fishing to fish nymphs

To paraphrase the great Hank Patterson, any idiot can nymph.

935 views4 comments

The When and Where of Fishing Terrestrial Flies

Jason G. Freund

Aug 15, 20229 min read

The When and Where of Fishing Terrestrial Flies

If I had to pick a month of days to fish for pure enjoyment and often a great challenge; it would be from mid-August through mid-September.

1,265 views5 comments

The fascinating sex lives of Bluegill

Jason G. Freund

Apr 18, 20226 min read

The fascinating sex lives of Bluegill

Alternative life history strategies is the fancy name for the fact that Bluegill "sex" is a pretty curious and fascinating thing.

4,079 views0 comments

Sources, Sinks, and Population Regulation: Neighborhoods, part II

Jason G. Freund

Mar 28, 20226 min read

Sources, Sinks, and Population Regulation: Neighborhoods, part II

This post is about how births, deaths, immigrants, and emigrants vary across the riverscape, which is where populations get more interesting

80 views0 comments

How Fish Sense Their World and What it Means for Fly Tying

Jason G. Freund

Feb 14, 20228 min read

How Fish Sense Their World and What it Means for Fly Tying

We can never truly understand what it is trout are thinking and how they sense the world - but there are some useful inferences we can make.

439 views0 comments

In Praise of Scuds

Jason G. Freund

Nov 1, 20215 min read

In Praise of Scuds

There is probably no more important aquatic invertebrate in the streams of the Driftless Area than scuds.

1,926 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

8,461 views0 comments

Fisheries Management Topics: r and K Selected Species and the Odd World of Fishes

Jason G. Freund

Aug 16, 20215 min read

Fisheries Management Topics: r and K Selected Species and the Odd World of Fishes

Biologists talk about the continuum from species that have the capacity to grow exceedingly quickly and those whose populations grow slowly.

2,051 views1 comment

The problems with stocked fish

Jason G. Freund

Jul 12, 20219 min read

The problems with stocked fish

Instead of a more straight-forward narrative, I have a little story to tell around a project on West Virginia's Shavers Fork.

2,096 views1 comment

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.

518 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!

533 views3 comments

Fish Bioenergetics and You

Jason G. Freund

Mar 23, 20218 min read

Fish Bioenergetics and You

Fish bioenergetics is a pretty simple idea - for fish, growth is limited by how much a fish eats and how much energy is used to "do stuff".

447 views1 comment

Optimal Foraging Theory and Fly Fishing

Jason G. Freund

Dec 8, 202010 min read

Optimal Foraging Theory and Fly Fishing

It is an "egg head" idea that is probably a lot more important to you and your fly fishing success than you know right now. Let's see if...

461 views0 comments

In Praise of Smallmouth Bass (and why they are not trout)

Jason G. Freund

Aug 9, 20207 min read

In Praise of Smallmouth Bass (and why they are not trout)

So many of us fly anglers got into fly fishing for the trout. Historically, that is where fly fishing got its start and when most people...

1,477 views0 comments

Aquatic insects in the spring, terrestrials in the Summertime

Jason G. Freund

Jul 9, 20203 min read

Aquatic insects in the spring, terrestrials in the Summertime

Experienced trout anglers know this idea well - in the spring and fall, aquatic insects are key. In the summer, terrestrials are key.

214 views3 comments

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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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