Rivers - Due West Anglers

Improving the Salmonfly Dry Fly

We walk through tying a modified 64 Impala fly pattern and clarify how to customize this recipe to match the hatch beyond the original

Cutthroat trout from Eleven Mile Canyon on the South Platte River, does fly fishing impact trout behavior?

from the road

Story From the Road: Third Time Makes the Pattern?

Usually great stories start with full cars, open roads, and rigged rods, but this one starts different. This one starts with an internet troll.

Fly fishing the Uncompahgre River, Colorado

private waters

Let's Talk about Private Waters

The comparison of fishing pressured public waters to private regulated-access waters is enlightening for anyone interested in fish behavior.

Eleven Mile Canyon stretch of the South Platte, Colorado, how do trout respond to fishing pressure?

Members only

fish behavior

The Science of Rest: Trout Get Burnout Too

Do fish remember being caught? And how long would it take to reset the timid behavior of previously hooked fish throughout an entire fishery?

Wading and fly fishing the Gunnison River, Colorado, tactics for fly fishing rivers with low trout density

Members only

behavior Featured

Tips for Streams with Low Fish Density

Lets take a look at how we approach rivers based on fish density and discuss what fishing rivers with fewer fish per mile have to offer

that compass is pointing the wrong direction...

exploring

Frontiers in Angling

Let's take a look at those new fisheries, and how anglers can uncover new and unexplored frontiers in angling

sculpzilla fly pattern, fly fishing Montana, streamer fishing

Members only

sculpin Featured

Phantom Sculpins of the South Platte

Why would a trout eat a sculpin fly in a river without sculpin?

Miracle Mile Fly Fishing, double tailwater, tailwater fly fishing, Dream Stream, Land of the Giants, Montana

tailwaters Featured

The Double Tailwater Phenomenon

"Tailwater" is almost a mythical word in Western fly fishing. What about double tailwaters?

Members only

conservation Featured

The Warmwater-Coldwater Connection

Let's take a look at the surprising way that warmwater can support coldwater fisheries

safety

The Three Unforgivable Sins of Safe Wading

Stay safe when wading by avoiding these unforgivable sins.

Members only

conservation concept

Conservation Concept: Artificial Boundaries

Borders are everywhere. Not only natural but also artificial borders. The two don't always play nice...

winter fly fishing the Arkansas River Tailwater in Pueblo, Colorado

secret season

Winter Fly Fishing: Protect the Tippet

Protect that tippet at all costs

A beautiful Colorado River strain cutthroat, Pearl Lake, Colorado

Paid-members only

cutthroat 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

Winter fly fishing the Pueblo Tailwater, Colorado

Members only

secret season Featured

Winter Nymphing: The Dropshot Rig

Fly fishing for winter trout is all about low and slow. Implement the dropshot rig to nymph more effectively with midges and bwos during the secret season. These tactics work great whether euro-nymphing or indicator nymphing.

catch and release rainbow trout fly fishing

technical trout

Catch More Trout with These Articles

Fly fishing: Let's discuss everything from approaching the water, to rigging, flies, and dealing with picky trout.

Fly fishing Redband Trout from River X, Oregon

steelhead

The Weird Biology of Half-Pounder Steelhead

Fly fishing: Let's take a look at the weird biology of half-pounder Steelhead

terrestrials

Silver Linings Fly Box: Grasshoppers and Drought

Fly fishing: There is one interesting byproduct of the drought that could serve to favor trout anglers when fishing hoppers

climate change

Western Trout Rivers: An Angler's Prospectus

Fly fishing: Out west, with years of lingering drought, and now reports of declining trout populations in the holy-waters of Montana...

Rivers

At The Crack of Noon

The early bird gets the worm right? Consider this a night-owls manifesto

behavior

Sibling Rivalry? Behavioral Differences When Browns and Rainbows Share a Stream

Rainbow Trout vs Brown Trout , the Ultimate Battle

fly tying

Weird Flies That Work: Super-X

Fly tying: Developed for the South Fork of the Snake River below Palisades Reservoir in Southeastern Idaho, the Super-X kind of has a cult following

nymphing the South Platte at Deckers, Colorado

fly rod

Rethinking the 9' 5wt Fly Rod

Are longer rods going to replace the 9ft 5wt?

caddisfly

Net Spinning Samaritans

Recent findings now reinforce what LaFontaine first introduced—caddisflies are more important than we first thought!

Rivers

Key to Restoring the Middle Blue River to Gold Medal Status might be Phosphorus

How will the middle Blue River return it's Gold Medal status? It starts with an experiment to add a usual pollutant back to the stream.

Euro-nymphing the South Platte, Waterton Canyon, Colorado

rigging

Tippet Rings: Rigging with a Secret Weapon

If you're fly fishing rig has multiple flies, a tippet ring unlocks the opportunity for both flies to move naturally.