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Fly-fishing community active in Rock County

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Fly fishing

Janesville's Arlan Hilgendorf is one of the many fly-tying and fly-fishing enthusiasts in Janesville and the surrounding area.

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JANESVILLE — Sitting at his fly-tying deck, Arlan Hilgendorf leaned forward, squinted his eyes and steadied his hands as he wrapped red thread around a fishing hook.

He shined a lamp over the hook pinched in a vise and then wound turkey feathers into his thread.

Hilgendorf was tying a wooly bugger, a fly pattern that mimics a leach or minnow. The streamer fly can be used in fast or slow water, murky or clear streams. Trout love it.

"Guys accuse me of tying more flies than a fly shop," Hilgendorf, 69, said. "It's the satisfaction of tying a fly and catching a fish on it. The fact that you tied the fly yourself makes it more rewarding."

Hilgendorf is one of hundreds of fly-tying and fly-fishing enthusiasts in Janesville and the surrounding area. About 220 people belong to the Blackhawk Trout Unlimited chapter.

They fish in the famous trout streams in southwestern Wisconsin's Driftless Area, but they also float flies in the Rock River and other nearby streams.

In the winter, they tie. They knot flies to match insects they've seen on the river. They imitate patterns from books or magazines. And they create original flies.

They're made with colorful threads, peacock feathers, rabbit fur, foam, rubber legs and sometimes copper wire.

Dan Boggs, 36, Janesville, has been tying since he was 12. He learned from two Janesville residents.

He tied flies every day for a year after learning.

"I literally would wake up and tie before school, and I would tie after school," Boggs said.

Tying flies was a way to save money, he said, and it was a creative outlet.

"I've always said fly tying was my artistic output," Boggs said. "It is my one form of artistic expression."

He used to spin fish on the Rock River, but he has been fly-fishing since he learned the trade.

"I still like to spin fish for walleyes, but other than that, it's all fly-fishing," Boggs said.

Fly-fishing is a great outdoor activity, he said.

"I think the more time you spend with Mother Nature, she gives you a gift," he said. "You get rejuvenated being outside, doing something you really love doing."

And the sport is challenging, he said.

It requires the combination of choosing the right fly, shooting the proper cast and finding the perfect spot in the water, Boggs said.

Don Studt, 68, Janesville, has been fly-fishing since the late 1970s. He also ties flies.

"I was always fascinated by the fly rod," he said. "I got in to it with bluegill fishing...then I got into trout fishing."

Studt's love for the sport grew to a point where it occupies much of his time. He travels across the country to fish in the nation's best rivers. It's his passion.

"The feel of the fly rod is way different than the spinning rod," Studt said. "It's just the feel of the rod that you get in your hand and the feel of the fish when you catch them."

He has taught fly tying to children as young as 8 years old. He once taught a beautician.

"I always tell people, ‘If you can tie your shoes, I can teach you to tie flies,'" Studt said. "It takes a little while to learn, but once you learn it, it's very interesting."

Jim Erickson, 48, Janesville, has been fly-fishing on and off since he was 13.

"It combines two of my most favorite activities: hunting and fishing," he said. "You actually hunt these fish."

Fly-fishing is a way for him to relax and forget about the stress of everyday life.

"When I'm fishing, everything else melts away," Erickson said. "You're so focused on what you're doing."

In Hilgendorf's basement, he has hundreds of flies he has tied. He creates dozens a year, giving away many.

"This is almost a recreation in itself," he said. "I'll sit down here at night and I'll tie flies, and I might not ever even use it. It'll just sit in my box."