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.
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
Fly Tying a Green Drake (Part One)
As the snow starts to fall here in Bozeman (finally), my mindset has shifted to the vise. While I get out on the water a few times in December, I usually spend more time on the vise as I visit family and reflect on my year fly fishing in Yellowstone country. I have had a fascination the last few weeks with big mayflies. After experiencing some unbelievable drake hatches this year, I can finally
Fall Fishing Recap 2023
What a beautiful fall we had here fishing in the Greater Yellowstone Region. As I write this during Thanksgiving week, we have no snow on the ground. This time last year the rivers were frozen and I was ice fishing. When I got out last weekend it was 50 degrees and the baetis hatch was strong. Funny how different it can be year to year. While I am looking forward to snow, I’m not complaining about
A Few Things I’m Grateful For
I’m feeling blessed this evening and thought I’d share a few of the many things I am grateful for in my life as Thanksgiving approaches. I’m grateful for wild trout in cold rivers. The people who are passionate about protecting our rivers and lakes. The many fly fishermen who have taught and grown this sport. I’m grateful to live in the Greater Yellowstone Region. The old truck that gets me river to river. The
Fall Dry Fly Fishing The Madison River
The conditions lined up perfectly for fall dry fly fishing the Madison river. I envisioned writing this article talking about big fish rising behind every rock. The weather called for air temperatures in the 40s, clouds, and light rain. Exactly what you want for fall dry fly fishing the Madison river. As many of our trips so often go, it didn’t go as expected. I fell for my high expectations. Though it’s hard to
Fishing Close To Home
We all look forward to those grand fishing trips we plan each year. The long weekends, camping, and nothing but a full day of fishing on the mind. I’ve gotten used to these trips over the years. Often driving hours to fish one of the many blue-ribbon trout streams in the general area. In doing this, I drive over many trout streams that are much closer to home. Funny how we fishermen do this, drive
Summer Fishing Recap 2023
What a bittersweet time of year. It is beautiful to see the leaves changing colors and feel the brisk morning air, though it means the end of another summer fishing season here in the Greater Yellowstone Region (GYE). I realized this last weekend when wet-wading in Yellowstone. The air temperature that morning was 37 degrees. I tend to stretch the wet-wading season out as long as I can, but I was shivering by mid-morning.
The Fish That Left Me Heartbroken
I have lost many fish in my young fly fishing journey. It is part of the hobby and adds to the challenge that I love so much about this sport. If you landed every fish you hooked, it wouldn’t be as fun. Because of this, I am relatively unphased when losing a fish. While I will always feel the instant disappointment when the weight lifts from the fly line, I am quick to laugh it
Dry Fly Heaven- Fishing the Green Drake Hatch
I arrived home late Monday night still on a high from an unforgettable trip. I was sore, tired, smelly, and challenged. The truck dirty, fly boxes empty, and a few new friends to share time on the water with. As I settled down slowly unpacking the mess, I realized I spaced brushing my teeth that morning. Funny how much we sacrifice in our life just to fool some trout with a few feathers. Many may
Spring Recap 2023
What a spring it was. Inconsistent weather, spring runoff, and unpredictable hatches. Sounds like a typical spring fishing season here in Montana. That’s not to say you can’t find fantastic fishing here in the Greater Yellowstone region. There is always something fishing in the area, it just takes some thinking out of the box. From spring snow storms to the first sight of big bugs, here is a review of my spring fishing in the