LEARNING THE WAYS OF LUTZ

Published by: Harlan Kimball 

While everyone thinks they know their local fly shop employee there's a lot that happens behind the fly bins that you probably dont know about. So, I thought it would be fitting to get out on the water with our local artist, fly tyer, bad-ass skier and all around good guy, Jacob Lutz.

Jacob has resided in Summit County for 9 years and has been with Cutthroat Anglers for the entirety of his life here. Whether it's dialing in our fly tying inventory, creating art or dishing out top notch fishing information, Jacob has a hand in everything we do here. 

Let's take a look at some of Jacob's skills off the river... 

I'm no artist, but I think this is what they call "good art." 

Jacob's art skills stem from his childhood and his family being art focused. His mother and aunt always encouraged him to draw as a kid and his father helped spark his love for the outdoors. He gets a lot of creativty from what he sees around him when he's fishing, skiing, and hiking. Jacob attended Virginia Tech which helped him dial in his graphic design and sketching skills. Keep an eye out for Jacob's new line of custom artwork for the 2021 season.

That'll fish...

So will this.

Jacob explained to me how he tied his first fly at 10 years old as a gift for his father. "It probably fell apart," Jacob said. "You'll tie a lot of ugly flies before they start to look nice. Use your local fly shop, the internet, and friends to help you improve." 

Alright, alright. On to the fishing... 

Jacob brought his fittingly named dog Albus... Wizardly vibes from this good boy. 

No idea where Jacob was taking us, but after hearing stories told at the shop it's usually best to follow Jacob and not question his ways. 

Scoping the run before rigging up. Jacob went with bread and butter for early winter fishing, baetis and midges.  

Jacob jumped into the run. 

Hop, skip, and a jump. Jacob hooked into a fiery one... 

Trying to keep it out of the fast water. 

A healthy specimen to start the day. The gray foam wing emerger was the first target of the day. 

A quick release and Jacob gets right back to it. 

 Another one wanting to go downstream. Jacob was hooking fish in the deeper, slower runs as well as in the tailouts. 

The gray foam wing emergery takes another victim. Both of these fish were caught by swinging this nymph through the end of the run to mimick a baetis or midge emerger. 

Moving on to newer, possibly better or worse water. I guess we'll find out...

 When water levels drop and temperatures decline its important to find the pools where fish will be podded up for the winter. 

A freshly deceased sculpin found while flipping rocks. 

Jacob found a small side channel that had some depth to it. 

A quick mend to get the drift dialed.

 Mr. Red Cheeks ate the gray Darth Baetis from Umpqua. 

The day ended as it started, a long stroll through the grass. 

That's all from us, so long!