6 days agoStill Extinct, Yellowfin Cutthroat Once Made it to Colorado’s Grand MesaIntroduction: We take cutthroat trout for granted. So many of us daydream about Pyramid Lake and the monstrous Lahontan Cutthroat trout, yet at one point in time these fish were nearly forgotten and considered extinct. Thanks to a lucky find in eastern Nevada, the Lahontan cutthroat were brought back from…History12 min read
Jun 13Shifting Baseline SyndromeShifting baselines are intergenerational changes in the way we perceive the state of our world. It’s no coincidence that your grandparents remember a different world than the one we are living in today… You’ve probably heard folks from the Silent and Baby Boomer generations say something like, “The fishing ain’t…Conservation5 min read
Jun 13Western Trout Rivers: A ProspectusAs we move out of winter into spring, lots of eyes take note of the snowpack outlook for the coming year. Out west, with years of lingering drought, and now reports of declining trout populations in the holy-waters of Montana, media coverage has put a keen eye towards climate change…Climate Change5 min read
Jun 3Lord of the Polar Shrimp (Fly Fishing)An unexpected pattern to be treasured by a Rocky Mountain trout angler. How many distinct fly patterns do you think exist today? When I was fresh to fly fishing, I used to put a little index card to reference the fly names matching the random assortment of hooks I carried…Fly Fishing5 min read
May 25From the Road: The Euro Litmus Test (Fly Fishing)We’re continuing our new series that looks back on some of our most exciting, odd and standout memories. All anglers love a good fish story right? It’s easy for western flyfishers to bash the euro-nymphing trend. I mean, we’re not the most welcoming crowd. A foreign method, touted as better…Fly Fishing5 min read
Apr 27The Mind of a Picky Trout: Crash CourseAre you familiar with Pavlov’s dog experiment? Pavlov showed that dogs could be conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell by associating a bell’s ring with food. After repeatedly feeding dogs after the sound of a dinner bell, dogs began drooling as soon as they heard the bell…Ecology11 min read
Apr 21Rethinking the 9' 5wtFollowing the events starting in March 2020, I quickly realized my fishing year would be different than normal. I capitalized by diving deep into learning more about European style fishing, including euronymphing, loch style tactics from the UK, and even trout spey. It didn’t take long to realize that while…Fly Fishing4 min read
Mar 25From The Road: Mudwrestling (Fly Fishing)We’re continuing our new series that looks back on some of our most exciting, odd and standout memories. All anglers love a good fish story right? I think you can tell from this picture, the whole scene was a mess. …Carp4 min read
Mar 11Myth-busting: The Barometric Pressure DebateFor as long as Due West Anglers has been writing articles, there have been two white-whale topics nagging us: the influences of moon phase and barometric pressure on fishing success. I’ve taken deep dives into literature on each topic, learned nothing conclusive, and tabled each topic repeatedly. But the time…Fishing11 min read
Mar 8No, Trout Aren’t LazyIt wouldn’t take an in-depth Google search to find an article proselytizing the laziness of trout. Maybe the articles are meant to guide anglers and newcomers on how best to find trout in rivers. “Look for the slowest water,” they say. More specifically, “Look for areas where trout can indulge…Trout3 min read
