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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

Can Smartphones Kill Trout? (Research Article)

Jason G. Freund

May 7
7 min

Can Smartphones Kill Trout? (Research Article)

The article was pretty eye opening in how we can can an effect on larger trout and is, at the very least, worthy of some thought.

400 views2 comments

Fly Fishing is a Blood Sport

Jason G. Freund

Apr 30
5 min

Fly Fishing is a Blood Sport

Many fly anglers have - or think they have - removed themselves from the blood part of the sport but fly fishing is a blood sport.

214 views0 comments

Fisheries Management Topics: Regulations

Jason G. Freund

Dec 12, 2022
9 min

Fisheries Management Topics: Regulations

Probably one of the most discussed and maybe most poorly understood fisheries management topics is that of regulations.

251 views5 comments

Stream Crowding - a (semi) scientific analysis

Jason G. Freund

Oct 10, 2022
7 min

Stream Crowding - a (semi) scientific analysis

Crowding is relative. My idea of stream crowding changes depending upon the situation (day of the week, location, etc.).

236 views6 comments

Exploiting the Resource and the Tragedy of the Commons

Jason G. Freund

Apr 25, 2022
6 min

Exploiting the Resource and the Tragedy of the Commons

We all exploit natural resources to some extent. The debate is always over how much exploitation we are willing to allow ourselves and other

131 views4 comments

How to get the most out of a guided trip

Jason G. Freund

Feb 28, 2022
8 min

How to get the most out of a guided trip

Earlier, I wrote a bit about whether or not to hire a guide, this post is digs a bit deeper into how to make the best of a guided trip.

120 views2 comments

Stages of Fly Fishing (or any outdoor pursuit)

Jason G. Freund

Dec 13, 2021
8 min

Stages of Fly Fishing (or any outdoor pursuit)

Fish the way you are having fun and makes you happy. Isn't that what it is all about?

152 views3 comments

The problems with stocked fish

Jason G. Freund

Jul 12, 2021
9 min

The problems with stocked fish

Instead of a more straight-forward narrative, I have a little story to tell around a project on West Virginia's Shavers Fork.

867 views0 comments

Fisheries Management Topics: Human Dimensions of Fisheries

Jason G. Freund

Jun 22, 2021
8 min

Fisheries Management Topics: Human Dimensions of Fisheries

On its face, it would seem that what anglers catch determines their satisfaction but it is not that simple.

58 views0 comments

Fishing Regulations - are they too complex?

Jason G. Freund

May 25, 2021
7 min

Fishing Regulations - are they too complex?

I think we can do away with the idea that trout regulations are any more complex than warm-water regulations and that people are not fishing

130 views0 comments

Opening Weekend, 2021

Jason G. Freund

May 3, 2021
3 min

Opening Weekend, 2021

The "catch and kill" opener is about as close trout fishing gets to deer camp. There is something compelling about the crazy opener.

114 views0 comments

How to Handle Fish

Jason G. Freund

Apr 23, 2021
3 min

How to Handle Fish

It really is not more difficult than that. Treat a fish like you would like to be treated if you lived in their world.

173 views0 comments

Fisheries Management Topics: Mortality

Jason G. Freund

Apr 6, 2021
8 min

Fisheries Management Topics: Mortality

Mortality - the word scientists give to the deaths of individuals - is not as simple as it might first look.

572 views4 comments

What is Fisheries Management?

Jason G. Freund

Feb 16, 2021
6 min

What is Fisheries Management?

Understanding people is so much more difficult than the biology part, near impossible I'd say. We are some messed up, complicated animals.

59 views4 comments

Wisconsin Trout Stamps: History and Future

Jason G. Freund

Feb 9, 2021
5 min

Wisconsin Trout Stamps: History and Future

Wisconsin's inland trout stamp program was created in a bold and nearly unprecedented action that continues to pay dividends today. 1977...

324 views0 comments

Politics and Fishing - The CAFO Example

Jason G. Freund

Jan 19, 2021
9 min

Politics and Fishing - The CAFO Example

You hate politics - I get it. That said, if you care about trout streams, politics are inescapable.

89 views1 comment

Fisheries Management Topics: Intro to Population Dynamics

Jason G. Freund

Jan 12, 2021
5 min

Fisheries Management Topics: Intro to Population Dynamics

Populations are incredibly complex as they are always changing - hence why we talk about population dynamics. The factors responsible for...

94 views0 comments

Technology and Fishing

Jason G. Freund

Dec 29, 2020
5 min

Technology and Fishing

As I sit around over the Holiday break with trout season not yet open and not a lot of safe ice around me - nor maybe the desire to be on...

68 views2 comments

Social Media and Fly Fishing: For better or worse?

Jason G. Freund

Nov 24, 2020
5 min

Social Media and Fly Fishing: For better or worse?

Like many, I am sure, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with social media. It is a pretty easy target these days. It has...

64 views2 comments

Density-Dependent and Density-Independent Population Regulation

Jason G. Freund

Oct 20, 2020
5 min

Density-Dependent and Density-Independent Population Regulation

Quite simply, there are things that alter population densities that are a function of the population's density and things that have an...

820 views0 comments

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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

jason.freund4@gmail.com

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