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. 

Winter fishing in Montana

Winter Fishing Recap 2025

We made it! Another frigid winter is behind us here in Yellowstone country. The end of winter doesn’t mean the snow stops falling, but it does mean spring hatches are soon to come. I am beyond excited for spring fishing, with many trips to plan and not enough time.   Before we jump into spring, I briefly recap what this winter of fishing looked like and highlight how I found success, what I learned, and

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Stonefly hatch

Dwindling Hatches

As a young angler who enjoys matching the hatch to fool trout, I have traveled to fish the West’s most famous insect hatches. This includes the pale morning dun hatch on the Missouri River, the salmonfly hatch on the South Fork of the Snake, caddis on the Madison River, callibaetis on Hebgen Lake, and everything in between.   I remember my first time fishing the famous Green Drake hatch on the Henry’s Fork in Idaho.

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Summer fly fishing

Worth The Wait

Here in Bozeman, this week’s low temperatures are well below zero, and the highs are in the single digits. A successful morning is when my truck turns over, and the crack in the windshield has yet to move across my line of vision. Not to mention, the few feet of snow on the ground make spring feel so far away.   I never appreciated the change in seasons before moving to Montana. This could be

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Match The Hatch Fly Box

Match The Hatch Fly Box

If you’re anything like me, you love having a complete and organized fly box going into the fishing season.   Dreaming of warm days when bugs are hatching and trout are rising, I have been working on a “match the hatch” box this winter. I am filling it with flies to imitate the many hatches we see in the Greater Yellowstone fisheries. Whether it be green drakes, pmds, golden stones, or caddis, I want a

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Glare on the river when fishing dry flies

Dark Dry Flies In Low Light Conditions

If you are fishing dry flies, you want to be able to see the fly. Seeing a trout rise to our fly is what we all dream about. If you can’t see your fly, you miss out on the pinnacle of this pursuit.   Many dry flies are tied with white, pink, or orange indicators to help the angler see the fly on the water. On many days, these flies are easy to see and

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Fly fishing in Montana

End Of Year Blog Review (2024)

The Curious Angler is still around after another year. What another fun, challenging, and memorable year running this fly fishing blog. Thank you to all who follow along; it means the world to me. In this article, I share an update on the blog and my plans for the future 2024 Blog Review The Curious Angler is a fly fishing blog documenting my journey fishing in the Yellowstone Region. I share what I learn along

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Fall fishing for brown trout.

Fall Fishing Recap 2024

If you have read my content over the last few months, you may know by now that fall is my favorite season to fish in the Yellowstone Region. The hillsides fill with yellow and orange hues, migratory fish move through the river systems, and bull elk come down from the high country. This fall was no different, as I experienced unbelievable fishing and breathtaking views. In this blog post, I recap this fall fishing season,

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Nick, The Author of The Curious Angler

Why The Curious Angler?

Recently, I was asked to answer some questions about The Curious Angler for a media company in the fly fishing space. I enjoyed the piece and thought it would be a great read for those who follow along. I go into why I started the blog, what my goals are, and what I enjoy most about running the blog. I hope you enjoy this piece and it provides some clarity around The Curious Angler. Thanks

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My Greatest Catch

This past weekend was the best and most memorable weekend of my young life. No, not because of the sunrise on the river, empty fishing access site, or streamer-eating brown trout. But because I married Kameron, the woman of my dreams, and our loving family and friends came together to celebrate the start of our married life.    I know this is a fly fishing blog, and my marriage may not seem to be related.

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Small Stream Fly fishing

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

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Overnight float trip on the Snake River

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.  /*! elementor – v3.23.0 – 05-08-2024 */ .elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=”.svg”]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block} /*! elementor – v3.23.0

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Fishing the Madison River

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

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