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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

Building on the Basic Woolly Bugger - Flies You Can Tie with Techniques You Learned from the Humble Woolly Bugger

Jason G. Freund

Mar 10, 20245 min read

Building on the Basic Woolly Bugger - Flies You Can Tie with Techniques You Learned from the Humble Woolly Bugger

Now that you have mastered the Woolly Bugger, there is a wide world of tying open to you! Here are some of patterns to try after the Bugger.

548 views0 comments

The Beauty in Simplicity: Why I Prefer Tying Flies I Don't Mind Losing

Jason G. Freund

Dec 17, 20236 min read

The Beauty in Simplicity: Why I Prefer Tying Flies I Don't Mind Losing

While I enjoy fly tying a lot and tie a lot more flies than I lose most years, I have a preference for flies I don't mind losing.

562 views4 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?

2,468 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...)

2,983 views0 comments

It's Fly Tying Season

Jason G. Freund

Dec 6, 20215 min read

It's Fly Tying Season

It is official! Fishing season is over and it is now tying season. Are you an organizer or a fly by the seat of your pants kind of tyer?

272 views3 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?

5,449 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.

1,566 views3 comments

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...

663 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!

719 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...

1,378 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...

2,919 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...

389 views0 comments

In Praise of Mentors

Jason G. Freund

Nov 10, 20206 min read

In Praise of Mentors

We should all be so fortunate to have or have had a great mentor. They make learning to fly fish so much easier and more fun. We should...

355 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...

533 views1 comment

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...

622 views0 comments

The Magic Minnow

Jason G. Freund

Sep 6, 20203 min read

The Magic Minnow

highlight the pattern because it is quite effective and fun to tie and being a Swedish pattern, many of anglers are unlikely to know it.

690 views0 comments

The Mangrove Muddler

Jason G. Freund

Aug 30, 20202 min read

The Mangrove Muddler

The images below are a Mangrove Muddler tied by George Close that has been sitting above my tying bench for a decade or better.

684 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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