Due West Anglers (Fly Fishing)

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USGS Gauging Station on the Dream Stream, South Platte River, Colorado

Tracking the End of Runoff with Hydrographs

when to expect clear conditions after runoff?

fly fishing story about alpine trout, nighttime walleye, rip-rap, headlamps, clouser minnows, balanced leeches, and chasing fish

Story From The Road: Rip-Rap

A story tracing spring bites from alpine trout to nighttime walleye. Rip-rap, headlamps, and the alchemy of chasing fish on the fly

cutthroat caught below Twin Lakes on the Arkansas River, Colorado

cutthroat history

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...

Fly Fish Food perdiworm fly pattern, perdigon, san juan worm, euro nymphing, euronymphing, tightline nymphing fly pattern

weird flies that work

Weird Flies That Work: Perdiworm

Another weirdo that works great!

fly fishing hoppers, attractors, dry flies, royal wulff, chubby chernobyl, which colors work and why?

Paid-members only

Exploring LaFontaine's Color Theory of Attractors

this goes way beyond bright day, bright fly...

What is the best fly fishing pack? Sling pack vs backpack vs vest vs chest pack vs hip pack. Fly fishing pack shootout

Sling, Back, Vest, Waist: Which Pack is Best?

Picking a pack: the ultimate game of trade-offs

Home Waters

These days I'm watching seasons unfold on an algae mat, a place with no glamorized re-telling, no shadow casting, no-one haunted by these waters

When fly fishing for muskie, northern pike, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, are larger flies better for catching big fish?

Big Flies For Big Fish... right?

Big flies equals big fish, at least that's what we're all told. Is it actually true?

Fly fishing for Bonefish, Carp, Bass, Permit, Pike, Tarpon, they are all surprisingly connected

The Warmwater-Saltwater Connection

Can local warmwater fisheries help fortify the angling skills necessary for saltwater fly fishing?

left handed vs right handed fly fishing, how to get a good drift, dead drift success, fly casting, how to cast fly line

Lefty or Righty? It Affects Your Drift

Have you ever thought about how your casting arm affects your fly presentation?

fly fishing nymphs, dry flies, wet flies, streamers, fly fishing trout, atlantic salmon, steelhead

Protecting A Fishery With Ineffective Angling?

Why would you limit your fly fishing tactics to help the fish? Hear me out...

pfas impacts on water, wildlife, and people

The PFAS Saga Is Insane

pfas chemicals are nasty, so are the companies that made it

fly fishing with barry reynolds, the insect crisis oliver milman, umpqua jigged flashtail minnow, umpqua flashtail whistler

Offseason: 2 Reads & 2 Flies

Offseason selections for readers and tiers

land conservation, city paradox, urban development, sprawl

conservation concept

Conservation Concept: The City Paradox

how cities can support and invade wilderness

best flies for carp, fly fishing for carp, fly patterns for carp

Carp Flies Don't Have To Be Dull

Story From The Road: Good Guide / Bad Guide

Story From The Road: Good Guide / Bad Guide

a post-mortem ranging from the exceptionally good to the comically atrocious fly fishing guide

support small business, fly fishing news, fly fishing magazine, independent writing

due west insiders Featured

2025: Year of the Insiders

how to support the independent writing at Due West Anglers

Florida: fly fishing the beach at sunset for snook

essential reads

Best of 2024: Yearly Round-Up

Highlighting the essential reads from 2024's lineup of fly-fishing articles from the brains at DWA

Hot Bead Get Down Sow Jig Fly, Euronymph, euro nymph, tightline nymph, czech nymph, fly fishing

Are Trout Just Eating The Bead?

appropriate sunglasses make all the difference when fly fishing and sight fishing in cloudy conditions

Murphy's Law of Sight Fishing

finding a new pair of sunglasses for cloudy conditions

Trends in Fly Innovation

Trends in Fly Innovation

can we expect new innovations in fly patterns to continue forever?

fish pale pat's rubber legs fly patterns when fly fishing the stonefly molt

weird flies that work

The Stonefly Molt

Attractor dry flies, sparkle pupa, why do trout rise? Gary LaFontaine Dry Fly New Angles

trigger points Featured

Attracting Rises from Trout

Wisdom from a forgotten book: Why do trout rise to a dry fly? Exploring LaFontaine's lost ideas on attractors

swinging soft hackle for trout spey, fly patterns include hares ear, partridge, peacock, pheasant tail soft hackles

Why Swinging Soft Hackles Works

It might be the oldest trick in the trout fly fishers playbook. Yet many people still don’t really know why swinging soft hackles work. It's hardly a natural presentation...

Reviewing Sunray's NoKnot Kevlar EZ Back Cast fly line

Reviewing Sunray's New Fly Line With Kevlar Core

Notes from our first time out with the no stretch kevlar core of Sunray's new EZ Back Cast fly line