Fly Fishing Discussions
Internet-Good or Bad For Fly Fishing?
Dec 21st
Note: This is simply a personal rant that I was thinking about last night and since this is my personal fishing journal, I decided to post it for others read and form their own optinions.
Over the past year I have really notice the influence the Internet has put on fly fishing…The once pure innocent past time has turned into a cyberspace monster, so to speak. So I post the question is it good or bad? Lets start with the good. 1. Information is everywhere and easy to find. One can learn different techniques, watch movies, and listen to podcasts. (There is an endless amount of knowledge) 2. Online forums can be very helpful and bring people together forming new friendships. 3. Can reach out to more for important conservation efforts and help unite the people. 4. Gives most men something to do when they should be working. 4. Opened the doors to international fly fishing and travel. Now the BAD 1. Sitting on the computer learning about fly fishing is more important to some than actually going out and learning first-hand on a river or lake. Creating the Lazy Age of Anglers 2. Fly Fishermen have turned into elitist idiots who don’t care about fly fishing, but only that they look and act the way the Internet crowd says they should. What happened to the days where you fly fished because you loved to fly fish? 3. Online forums in most cases are great, but there are a few people in each that ruin the experience for the other 90% that follow and would like to contribute but are too afraid to get be-littled by the forum “bullies” or the “in-crowd”. These bullies are a disgrace to fly fishing and symbolize why the Internet can do more damage than good. I just wish these people could see how much damage they have actually done for the fly fishing. (I personally wish they would all switch to bait fishing or somehow get locked out of each forum they ruin) 4. Fishing reports, hot spotting, whatever you want to call it. Posting something online can reach a lot more people than just telling your buddy. Some of the best fisheries in the state have been ruined to Internet posts. Simply put think before you post. 5. Taken away the surprise factor of fly fishing. I remember driving for hours in anticipation to what the fishing was going to be like at a far off river. Now there are water tables, forums, cameras at marinas and who’s knows what other crap they have made to take away the surprise factor. Everyone expects now to arrive to a location and catch as many fish as the last forum poster did. 5. Lastly it has changed the attitude of the sport. The Internet has allowed fly fishing to be transformed into something completely false. Its not about the art of fly fishing, its about the rage of fly fishing. Its not ok just to fish and enjoy a day on the river with friends and family, its about extreme locations and only fishing for the hardest fish and not sharing it with anyone else. To me these are some of the main reasons why I don’t like where the Internet is taking our sport. Simply put nothing needs to be done to make fly fishing cool. If you are a true fly fishermen you will understand what I mean…if not I think you might be looking for a long time.
Fly Fishing can’t be changed, only humans change.
Travis Gillespie
Utah’s Top Ten Fly Shops
Nov 12th
Unlike Island Park and West Yellowstone, where you can find a fly shop around every corner, Utah is home to a few top quality fly shops that specialize in great customer service and providing the gear we all want and need.
In no particular order here is a list of the 10 fly shops that I have found in my own and friends personal experience to be top notch. Side Note: There are plenty of other fly shops that also provide quality service that I am just not familiar with yet.
Fish Tech-SLC
6153 Highland Dr
Salt Lake City, UT 84121-2123
(801) 272-8808
Western Rivers Flyfisher -SLC
Phone: 800-545-4312, 801-521-6424
1071 East 900 South Salt Lake City, Ut 84105
Trout Creek Flies & Green River Outfitters-Dutch John
Hwy 191 & Little Hole Road
Mailing: PO Box 247
Dutch John, Utah, 84023
Phone: (435)885-3355
Micky Finns-Ogden
85 N Main St
Kaysville, UT 84037-1948
(801) 593-5557
More >
Watch Out Fish, He’s Coming Back
Aug 21st
So I haven’t done this in the past, but I think a cool new feature would be to have an anglers spot light post every once in a while. You know give props to exceptional fly fishermen that can teach use all a thing or two by their story.
So my first spot light is my little bro Jordan “The Scientist” Gillespie

Growing Up: Jordan grew up seasonally fishing Utah’s famous stillwaters (Berry, Fish Lake) with his grandfather and family. From an early age you knew that Jordan had something special when it came to fishing. Unlike most kids that had their dads do everything for them. Jordan didn’t want any help. He wanted to figure it out and do it himself. This also rang true as Jordan unlike the other kids his age spent countless childhood hours roaming the Utah Lake shoreline (only mins from where he grew up) catching giant catfish, bass, walleye and monstrous carp.

Stepping up a level: Similar to his introduction into regular fishing, Jordan was introduced to Fly Fishing at a very
young age. Learning and studying from his older siblings, Jordan quickly learned the secrets of fly fishing as well as tying his own flies, by the time he was 9 yrs old. Over the years of fishing with his older bros and older sis. Jordan learned to hold his own and like I
stated before he liked to do things his way and by himself. I don’t know what exactly what he thinks, but fly fishing to Jordan is more than just a social event, it is a time to learn and grow within himself. Jordan is always the first one ready and on the river. He prefers solitude over company and if you try to fish with him he will usually slip away and find another hole or out fish you until you have had enough and leave. But there are those rare occasions that he walks the river with you and is the best fishing partner around, pushing you to be better the whole way. (Trust me there is never any brotherly competition, not!)

Skills: Jordan is known as the small stream killer. There is no small stream that he hasn’t figured out or can’t. He is a
fanatic when it comes to using big ugly bugs and catching over sized fish with them. His favorite and most effective is a Mouse fished late at night. Apart from
big ugly bugs, he is one of the best big dry fly fishermen I have fished with. No matter the time of year he can entice a large trout (or White Fish) to rise after his trusty PMX. The last of many skills I could mention is his casting ability. Long or short, he can hit the perfect spot followed by an effective drift. His casting proves itself every time we are out on the drift boat. He catches 3 times more fish than everyone else using the same flies and he is sitting in the back! Plus he is one heck of a fish dog trainer
Trouphy Fish: 10 pound bow caught in UT, 8 pound Walleye, 25inch Tiger Trout, 24 inch Brown on the Green River caught on a dry fly, 23 inch Cutty on the SF.



Home Waters: Provo, Green, and all surrounding small streams (condo stream)

When not fishing:Hanging out with his dog Cash, Wakeboarding, golfing, softball, b-ball, hunting, 4 wheeling, hiking, and anything else outdoors.
Coming Back: For the past two years Jordan has been off in the corn fields of Iowa serving an LDS mission. That doesn’t exactly mean he hasn’t been able to fish or make new ff friends in the Midwest. On his days off he has been able fish local bass ponds catching LM bass, walleye, crappie, sunfish, and some nice carp. He even made a friend that helped him build his first fly rod and as a gift gave him a matching Pfueger Summit reel. Come next week he is going to be back putting a hurt on Utah’s trout, like he never left. He already has planned two days on the Provo and 4 days on the Green for the first week he is home. I think he is a little excited to be back in the Rockies…
Iowa Bass
Jords Custom Rod: “True Disciples Fish”


The Copper John is a popular and effective pattern has taken the fly fishing world by storm. This fly sinks quickly and can be used as a deep nymph or a dropper. Fish seem unable to resist the combination of color, flash, and realistic shape. it is best fished where mayflies or stoneflies are common and even works in certain lake situations. Most guides and serious anglers never enter the river without several sizes, colors, and variations of this pattern in the fly box.


Fly of the Week:
There our those times that you get something on you mind and its all you want to do and think about. With me it
happens all the time. I am a very passionate person when I get my mind wrap around a subject. About a month ago it was Green Drakes. They were the target and I was going to do anything to find them and imiate them. It first started with tying a whole new box of them, then I had gotten a tip from a friend to there current location and with a free Saturday I was now chasing them with my friend Hoss. The hunt didn’t go as planned, We didn’t see one Green Drake all day. But it was OK because during the chase we were able to witness a great PMD hatch, Caddis hatch, and Stone Fly hatch to fill the void. Best of all I was able to use some of the big drakes that I tied and they work as if the hatch was on fire.
I don’t know excatly what it is, but there is something special about being on a trout stream from 8am -9:30pm. You are tired, beat, hungry, and completely refresthed with the the things that you have seem and learned as the day changed. It was a great day…

