About

Last Light Feathers is the work of Josh Gubits, a Montana naturalist and educator who blends the artistry of traditional Atlantic salmon and steelhead flies into wearable art.

Josh approaches each of his feather pieces with scientific precision and artistic intuition. His work bridges the technical discipline of traditional fly tying with attention to detail through deliberate feather, material and color selection.

Based in Whitefish, Montana, Josh creates each piece by hand at his tying bench, where the solitude of craftsmanship mirrors the stillness he finds on the water. Each piece reflects the naturalist's eye: feathers selected for their unique coloration and texture, composed into designs inspired by traditional salmon and steelhead tying techniques. His creative inspiration is derived from the moving waters in the coastal and Rocky Mountain west - the colors of the fading alpine glow of Northwest Montana. Every Last Light Feathers jewelry design is an original piece of wearable art. Each piece unique, distinctive, thoughtful and one-of-a-kind.

For over 25 years, Josh has spent countless hours at his tying vise immersed in the beauty, intricacy, and discipline of fly tying. Admiring the beauty of feathers, nourishing his soul through reading, tying and daydreaming of wild rivers when the harsh sub-zero winters of Montana have kept him indoors. Josh has spent most of his life on the water wandering the riverbanks between New Mexico and Montana. When Josh moved to Montana from New Mexico more than 20 years ago, he began working as a fly fishing guide while attending undergrad at the University of Montana. Post undergrad, Josh served as the Field Director for an organization that took thousands of students to local Missoula rivers to learn about aquatic bugs, stream ecology and fly fishing. Developing inner purpose by promoting stewardship through exposure to the magical places that make us feel whole. Rivers and all that they encompass. In 2009, Josh moved from Missoula to settle in beautiful Whitefish, Montana, where he went on to pursue a career as an environmental scientist with a local non-profit. There, he managed a contract for Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks and conducted research around local water quality issues. Josh collected and reported on water quality data for more than 60 lakes and rivers in 4 counties. In eight years of working in water quality, his appreciation for Montana's beauty deepened as did his clarity for greater purpose. In 2018, Josh decided to pursue an MA in science education and return to the world of teaching. Currently, Josh is a seventh grade biology teacher in the Flathead Valley. He shares his passion for water and ecology with his students, and coordinates fly tying and casting programs after school. He has spent the last 15 summers guiding educational programs in Glacier National Park. Josh finds peace in solitude. Creativity through art and design.