Natural History - Due West Anglers

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natural history

Fly fishing articles tagged with natural history

Still Extinct, Yellowfin Cutthroat Once Made it to Colorado’s Grand Mesa

natural history

Still Extinct, Yellowfin Cutthroat Once Made it to Colorado’s Grand Mesa

Work done by Mark Pizzimenti has uncovered more untold details about the history of the Yellowfin trout...

Stream Temperature Guide for optimal trout temperatures, and predicting macroinvertebrate hatch timing

An Angler's Guide to Stream Temperatures

Did you know that your thermometer can be useful to uncover all kinds of fly fishing clues? Bug hatches, fish preferences, fish behavior...

Flies displayed include: chubby chernobyl, clouser minnow, barr's meat whistle, popper, crazy charlie, and turneffe crab

behind the scenes

Behind the Scenes

Unveiling the creative process from idea to ink for Due West Angler's distinctive articles on fly fishing + science + conservation

Streamer fly fishing on the Animas River, Durango, Colorado

How to Match the Hatch with Streamers

Fly fishing: We all know about the bugs... but what about the baitfish?

Foggy view of the South Boulder Creek tailwater, taken while hiking and fly fishing

Tailstone Rivers: What Are They and How Do They Work?

how do tailwaters transform back into freestone rivers? (fly fishing)

pink pookie fly pattern, pink grasshopper fly pattern, pink hopper fly

grasshoppers Featured

Pink Grasshoppers Really Do Exist

In our never-ending quest to explain why unexpected colors work as fly patterns I found some insights in an unlikely place... the museum...

mysis tailwater fly fishing, mysis fly pattern

History of the Mysis Fishery: Gaffe to Gold Medal

Gather around the fire and let me tell you a fly fishing tale of how mysis ended up feeding fish well downstream from the intended destination.

First to America: Carp

First to America: Carp

Carp introduction in North America pre-dates brown trout introduction, and the hatchery propagation of rainbow trout

A beautiful Colorado River strain cutthroat, Pearl Lake, Colorado

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natural history Featured

The Story of the Cutthroat Trout Subspecies

This is the story of how Cutthroat trout spread across western North America and transformed into their distinct variations

View of the Arkansas River while fly fishing, Colorado

End of the Year Round Up: Best of 2022

We revisit the best of the best from 2022 slate of fly fishing articles.

cluster of mating Salmonfly adults from the Colorado River

The Case of the Missing Salmonflies

What happened to the salmonflies in this western stream? Are other streams headed for the same outcome?

cutthroat caught below Twin Lakes on the Arkansas River, Colorado

A Lesson From History: The Extinct Yellowfin Cutthroat

The Southern Rockies used to be home to multiple subspecies of cutthroat trout, including the Colorado River, Rio Grande, Greenback, Bonneville, recently rediscovered San Juan, and extinct Yellowfin cutthroat. You may well know about the recovery of the Greenbacks...