Journal
Explore The Journal
After years of journaling my days fly fishing the Greater Yellowstone region, I realized the value this information could bring other anglers. In the journal, I tell the story of my fishing trips and go into detail on what techniques worked for me. I detail the weather, water types, flies, and other important information that led to my success or failure. I go over what I learned from the trip and pose questions about what I left the water curious about.
2024 Summer Fishing Recap
You blink here in the Rocky Mountains, and autumn is upon us. Fall brings an end to the short summer fishing season we have in the Greater Yellowstone Region. We have already seen our first snowfall in the high country, the willows changing colors, and I heard my first elk bugle of the fall. This summer was another one for the books, though it came with some challenges. Warm water temperatures made it difficult
Overnight Float Trip on the Snake River
With the warm water temperatures in Southwest Montana, my friend Lane and I ventured to Eastern Idaho to find cold water and rising trout. We had a blast testing our skills on the Snake River. In this blog post, I detail the trip, what worked best for us, what I learned, and what I left the river curious about. Fishing The Snake River The Snake River is one of the West’s top trout fisheries. With
How I Am Fishing
It is mid-July, and we are coming off some of the most epic and sought-after weeks to fly fish in the Yellowstone Region. We have seen many of the famous hatches come and go on our rivers and are moving into the dog days of summer. So far, it is looking like it will be a hot one. I wanted to share how I prefer to fish this time of year. Lately, I have
Fishing a Backcountry Lake
Fishing a backcountry lake is one of the most unique experiences one can have in fly fishing. The time and effort that goes into these trips is often worth the solitude and beautiful views. My fiance and I went on our first summer hike to an alpine lake this July. It was an adventure that inspired me to recap our trip and what goes into fishing the backcountry. A backcountry fishing trip starts before
Spring Recap 2024
You rarely know what to expect when fishing the spring months in the Greater Yellowstone Region. Full of excitement for wet wading and dry flies, I catch myself pushing summer fishing during spring conditions. I fished a few watersheds before their prime this spring, which led to these trips failing to meet expectations. On the other hand, this spring brought some surprisingly good days for many fisheries. In this article, I share the ups and
Fishing On Ladders – Pyramid Lake Fishing Recap
I could never have imagined the fishing trips fly fishing would take me on when I first picked up a fly rod. Driving twelve hours to stand on a ladder and fish for the biggest cutthroat in the world was a trip I never saw coming. Since 2019, my friend Lane and I have traveled to Pyramid Lake to fish for the enormous cutthroat that inhabits its waters. Each trip comes with its own
More About Me
It has been about a year since I started The Curious Angler. The Curious Angler is a fly fishing blog where I share what I learn fishing in the Yellowstone region. I still can’t believe it, but a few people read and keep up with my articles and content. It means the world to me, and I have enjoyed the first year of The Curious Angler. With a year gone by, I wanted to
Winter Fishing Recap 2024
Winter fishing in the Yellowstone region is special. Little fishing pressure, happy trout, and snowy landscapes make it a peaceful time to fish the region. This winter was no different. In this article, I recap the winter fishing season from my perspective. I share my setup, what I learned, and what left me curious. Winter Fishing in Yellowstone 2024 In the fall fishing recap, I shared the epic dry fly days I experienced in November.
A Letter To My Future Self
To My Future Self, It is 6:40 am on February 10th, 2024. I’m sitting in a small cabin at the base of the Beartooth Mountains in Red Lodge, Montana. Kameron and I are spending the weekend snowshoeing and celebrating our ninth anniversary. It snowed six inches last night, and Kenai (our Siberian Husky) looks forward to a full day of playing in the snow. I got an urge to write a letter to you,
End of Year Blog Review (2023)
2023 was a crazy year in my life for many reasons. One of the best things to come out of this year was having the courage to start this blog, The Curious Angler. In this article, I go over the status of The Curious Angler, how I feel about it, and my goals going forward. I hope this gives you a better perspective on why I started it and my success measures. I greatly
Fly Tying the Green Drake (Part Two)
Fly Tying a Green Drake I am experimenting with a few green drake patterns before tying a drake box for the summer. This is part two of my series documenting my successes, failures, and learnings fly tying the green drake. Check out part one for my first round of patterns. I started out challenging myself with hair wing, tilt wing, and hackle stacker flies. It’ll take much more practice to get confident with
Favorite Fish of 2023
Favorite Fish of 2023 While the fish are just a part of what I enjoy about fly fishing, they do make days on the water more memorable. Between the friends on the water, beautiful sunrises, and nights on the vise, some memorable fish were caught this year. While scrolling through the pictures, it was hard to choose a select few that made this year unforgettable. Here are a few of my favorite fish of 2023