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Welcome to The Scientific Fly Angler
Naturally Curious
About The Scientific Fly Angler
Jason G. Freund
Welcome to my COVID project.
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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.
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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.
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Send me an e-mail if you have question, comments, ideas for posts, etc.
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Coldwater Fish Science in the Heart of the Driftless - 2025 Edition
This blog has given me a chance to share a bit about my "day job" and the activities of our Trout Unlimited chapter, the Coulee Region Chapter of Trout Unlimited . The annual coldwater fish science meeting our chapter co-hosts on the UW - La Crosse campus is maybe my favorite evening of the year and the marriage of the job that pays me and the one that does not - that of chapter president. The evening is an opportunity for our students to showcase their efforts and share t
Jason G. Freund
18 hours ago10 min read
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This is the End
Tomorrow will be the last The Scientific Fly Angler post.
Jason G. Freund
2 days ago3 min read
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Hoot Owl Restrictions for Muskellunge?
Hoot owl restrictions might make more sense for Muskellunge given their biology, more limited distribution, and their much lower population densities. And the ability to implement them - at least on rivers - might be easier.
Jason G. Freund
Nov 308 min read
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A Brief History of Glaciation in Wisconsin
This post follows a previous post on the bedrock geology of Wisconsin . Glaciation defines much of the geography of Wisconsin. Other than the Driftless Area - and even some of what we often call the Driftless Area - is covered with "glacial drift". Drift is simply material moved by glaciers. In this post, you will not see many references to the Driftless Area. Instead we will concentrate on the glacial features of the state. Glaciers are responsible for much of the state's
Jason G. Freund
Nov 168 min read
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A Brief Geologic History of Wisconsin
This post is a biologists attempt to write about the geology of Wisconsin.
Jason G. Freund
Nov 27 min read
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Exploring Wisconsin's Driftless Area: A Fly Angler's Guide
The Driftless Area covers about 24,000 square miles (over 15 million acres) and goes by a host of names - the Coulee Region, bluff lands or bluff country, the Paleozoic plateau, or a host of other names. The Driftless Area occurs because Lake Superior's depth along with the highlands between the Driftless Area and Lake Superior helped divert glaciers around this area. Although often treated as a rather homogeneous area, it is much more diverse than we often recognize.
Jason G. Freund
Oct 199 min read
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Fly Fishing is Expensive! Does it Have to be?
What you can / are willing to afford may not be what I or another person can / are able to afford. Some of us are "the Joneses", some try to keep up with them, others don't care to and many of us can't, even if we wanted to.
Jason G. Freund
Oct 58 min read
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The 2018 Floods - A Look Back and a Look Forward
While floods are certainly nothing new to the Driftless Area, the "big one" was 2018 if you lived in the Kickapoo and Coon Creek...
Jason G. Freund
Sep 2110 min read
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Drift Feeding in Salmonids and the Concept of "The Window"
The concept is simple, drift feeding fishes hold in a position that minimizes energy expenditure, yet maximizes energy intake. "The Window" is the volume of water from which drift-feeding fish can forage.
Jason G. Freund
Sep 78 min read
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Non-Native Trout Removal as a Management Tool for Native Trout Restoration
Kirk Olson , Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Senior Fisheries Biologist in La Crosse, and colleagues recent paper "Brook Trout...
Jason G. Freund
Aug 2411 min read
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Casting Heavy or Wind Resistant Flies, Multiple Flies, and Split Shot Rigs
We have all experienced some frustrations when trying to cast heavy and/or wind resistant flies. Here are some tips to help you make these casts.
Jason G. Freund
Aug 176 min read
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Conserving Native Brook Trout: Strategies to Combat Climate Change, Non-Native Species, and Habitat Loss
Brook Trout are declining in large parts of their native range due to a host of factors. Non-native trout (Larson and Moore 1985) - Brown...
Jason G. Freund
Aug 1013 min read
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Casting for Distance
Ok, let's get all the caveats out of the way. Yes, distance is often not the biggest concern for fly casters. Too many anglers bomb casts...
Jason G. Freund
Aug 39 min read
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Why we (Probably) don't need "Hoot Owl" restrictions in Wisconsin
If you are not familiar, "hoot owl" restrictions have been enacted in some Western states in response to low flows and warm river temperatures. "Hoot owl" laws restrict anglers from fishing during certain hours, typically from noon or early afternoon until midnight or the next morning. The idea is that in their large, freestone rivers, water temperatures reach their maximums in the mid to late afternoon and cool overnight, which allows for morning fishing.
Jason G. Freund
Jul 279 min read
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Beginner Fly Fishing - Casting Practice
If you are a new fly angler, you might want to read the Fly Casing 101 post first. Here, I'll try to keep it new and focused on how to...
Jason G. Freund
Jul 209 min read
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Unlocking the Secrets of Niches and How They Apply to Stream Fishes
Niches are about the most complex, yet seemingly simple idea that there is in ecology. First, there are two different ways we started to recognize niches - the Grinnellian and Eltonian niche. These two niche concepts were instrumental in today's view of what an ecological niche is.
Jason G. Freund
Jul 137 min read
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The Conservation-Industrial Complex and Agriculture in the Driftless Area
This is, in part, a review of Joshua Nygren's book, The State of Conservation but also a look at agriculture in the Driftless Area.
Jason G. Freund
Jul 69 min read
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My Favorite Tree: The Bur Oak
The Bur Oak is my favorite tree species. It is a loner, a survivor - though they were once much more common than they are today.
Jason G. Freund
Jun 294 min read
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Summer 2025 - Checking Stream Temperatures During a Heat Wave
These last couple of days have been warm ones and I was curious what was happening at the Jersey Valley Lake, the West Fork of the Kickapoo, and the Coon Creek watershed. This is my travels during the morning of June 22, 2025.
Jason G. Freund
Jun 226 min read
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Beavers - Friend or Foe?
Many have very strong feelings about beavers (Castor canadensis), on both sides of the issue - I don't. This post explores the positives and negatives of beavers and as you might expect, my summary is, "It depends".
Jason G. Freund
Jun 158 min read
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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
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