Andy manages Duranglers Flies and Supplies online store and web content. When he is not plugging away in the basement of Duranglers, he can be found in the shop talking weird flies, throwing spey casts for few fish, eating pizza, drinking coffee, painting, and raising a family in Southwest Colorado.
His fly fishing writings have been published on blogs such as the Daily Drake and Simms Wading Room.
The Other Obsession Fly fishing is an obsession itself, but with it comes another obsession that is just as contagious. By Maxwell Westheimer Before getting involved in the fly fishing industry through Duranglers in the Summer of 2016, I was under the impression that fly tying was difficult and time-consuming. I figured I could get…
Hump Day Motivation: Yeti Presents-The Devils We needed some midweek motivation, and I have a feeling you might have too. Here is the latest film from Yeti: The Devils. This video is a great reminder that finding remote fish in the solitude of the wilds can be had almost anywhere if you know where to…
Animas Lunch Report – 3/20/17 – Spring Lasted 4 Minutes It’s been a fairly busy past 3 months…which is how long it has been since my last Animas Lunch Report. Late winter fishing on the Animas was quite good. Spring fishing was pretty good too, at least all 4 minutes of spring that we had.…
DURANGLERS 2017 FLY FISHING FESTIVAL – March 31 & April 1, 2017 THE 2017 FLY FISHING SEASON IS HERE! GET PREPARED WITH NEW KNOWLEDGE, TECHNIQUES, AND GEAR. TWO DAYS OF FUN, EDUCATION, CLINICS, DEALS AND DEMOS WITH DURANGLERS AND OUR FLY FISHING INDUSTRY FRIENDS FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2017 Double Tree Hotel – Animas Room Social…
Colorado Flux – March 2017 Fly Fishing Report Shoulder season flux. 50 mile per hour winds one to 60’s and sunny the next. Crystal clear and cold waters to muddy high runners; conditions will be in flux every day. The constant change is the foundation of March in Colorado. If you are fishing this month,…
Sage Pulse and Motive Flash Fly Rod Sale The constant struggle of the working man who fly fishes tends to be purchasing new gear. It’s hard to drop a hefty chunk of change on new fly rods when you have bills to pay (and even a family to feed). Especially when you have a certain…
Valentine’s Weekend Sale This is it, the sale everyone asks about all year! You are probably thinking, “really, everyone asks about a Valentine’s sale?” Well…to be honest, no they don’t. We have never really done a Valentine’s sale in fact. BUT, what everyone DOES ask is “when are you guys going to be putting your…
Is it Spring Yet? – February 2017 Fly Fishing Report So here is the skinny: it’s been cold and it’s been snowy. Very snowy. Record breaking snowy in fact. Right now, most of Colorado is sitting at 160% of average snowpack…and most of that came this past January. That’s a lot of snow…and a lot of…
Animas Lunch Report – 1/27/17 – Hello Snow Snowpack percentages are hitting on the high side right now. High as in 150 to 200 percent of average in much of Colorado. That is double a normal year. We are rich in future trout habitat. Digging out our drift boat is top of the ‘to-do’ list…
Fly Tying: 3 Extremely Simple Caddis Patterns The old fly tying adage is always: “I got into fly tying to save money…but that didn’t happen”. It’s understandable, there is so much cool stuff out there and new flies to tie, it’s hard to save money. We really get it. We work at a fly shop…
The 2017 Fly Fishing Film Tour Stoke Reel The 2017 Fly Fishing Film tour is coming Saturday, April 1st. Mark it on your calendars and check out the stoke reel for this year’s lineup. Looks like it could be a good one Tickets now available in store for the discounted price of $14. Showings at…
A Fishy New Year – January 2017 Fly Fishing Report Typically, late December and early January see some of our coldest temperatures in Durango. We are talking 0-degree temps for 2-3 weeks, anchor ice, and slick roads. Right now…not so much. While we are seeing some great snow in the high country (pushing above average…
Fly Casting Double Haul – A How-to Video Do you have a saltwater trip planned for the winter and are concerned about busting out the big stick? Are you thinking of getting into the realm of fly fishing for pike? Or are you just wanting to become a more proficient caster at longer distances? Well,…
The Advent of Winter Fly Fishing – December Fishing Report It must be the temps that are keeping people off the river these days…because is certainly isn’t the fishing. It is hard to believe that absolutely NO ONE likes the idea of layering up and heading out into the wet and snow for a day…
Animas Lunch Report – 12/5/16 – Snapping Ice Fidgeting with small flies, threading tippet, twisting knots, plucking said flies from trout mouths, and snapping ice from fly rod guides. Fingers get worked the on the river in winter. The rest of the body just stands there, a roll cast here, a mend there; but the…
Animas Lunch Report – 12/2/16 – Winter Guide Special Hey you! We are now offering winter guide special rates to fish the best part of the day from now until the end of February. This is a perfect opportunity to take a break from your week of skiing, hit tie water, and catch some trout…
Animas Lunch Report – 11/30/16 – Hello Winter While not technically winter yet, it might as well be here in Durango. It went from 50’s and sunny last week to 0 degrees and snowing this week. Hello winter. So far, ice on the Animas has been kept to a minimum and fishing has been pretty good…
Flymen Repost: The messy fly tyer’s guide to organizing fly tying materials. Needing some help organizing your tying space? Check out the recent blog post from our friends over at Flymen Fishing Company: Where the heck is my bobbin? The messy fly tyer’s guide to organizing fly tying materials.
Open Fly Tying Night December 1st It might be a little last minute, but we are hosting our first 2016/17 season Open Fly Tying Night this Thursday. Come hang out, bring your tying gear and some suds. We will be tying, you should be too! December 1st, 6pm to 8pm – At Duranglers Flies and…
Black Friday. What does that actually mean for a small local fly shop? Are we discounting everything to INSANELY LOW prices? Well, no. To be honest, as a small business, we just cannot compete with the big box world of crazy discounts on mostly cheap “made in China” goods. However, we pride ourselves in…
Animas Lunch Report – 11/9/16 – Post-Election Hangover Cure Did last night’s election not turn out how you wanted? Or perhaps you are feeling the effects of a celebration party gone awry. Either way, you may be suffering the effects of a “Post-Election Hangover”. You know what will cure that right up? Probably water, or coffee,…
Duranglers Spey Clinic Recap This past Saturday saw our first ever Beginner’s Spey Clinic take place in Durango on the banks of our local Animas River. Attendance was better than expected (why not, it was a free event) and we were able to put a good number of spey and switch rods in everyone’s hands.…
New Additions to the Fly Tying Arsenal Here at the shop when it comes to flies, many people tend to lean towards the side of tradition. Even though we bring in new fly patterns every year, I bet you can guess which flies sell the most. The standards of course: Parachute Adams, Prince Nymphs, and…
Fall Simms Sale This is one of those things where we would say “act quick” or “while supplies last” or “run don’t walk”…but those are all cliche and overused idioms. Instead, we will just say: “We have Headwaters Gore-Tex waders on sale, our stock is running out quick”. Along with Headwaters waders, we also have…
Animas Lunch Report – 10/14/16 – The Swing of Fall It’s been nice out lately. Really nice. Almost t-shirt weather. It has been a great reprieve from the rains from a few weeks ago. This warmer fall weather has brought about some welcome sights on the Animas river in the past week. Namely, tricos, BWOs,…