Here are some fundamental tips that every angler should look to abide by out on the river when your fly fishing from a raft or drift boat.
Colorado Rivers
107 posts
Slight surges in temperature have broken open miles of ice-covered water along the Eagle River. With the onset of Spring in the Vail Valley fly anglers have begun to crawl out of their arctic caves. Water temperatures have risen causing the first true emergence of mayflies, the Blue Wing Olive. […]
Should I set it? Blog by VVA Guide & Content Writer Andy Jackson Oftentimes I get the question: When should I set the hook? My answer, normally, is whenever you think it’s a fish. It takes a lot of experience and time on the water to be able to detect […]
“What a beautiful office you work in,” a client remarks to me as we are floating down the Colorado River. Like other fly fishing guides, we have all heard this remark from our clients. And I guess the client is right, fly fishing guides do work in the outdoors in beautiful scenery doing what they love,…
Michael “Sal” Salomone Approaching the river in winter can be an intimidating fly-fishing experience when the water is as clear as glass and slowing from freezing. However, it can be extremely productive if an angler is aware of the conditions and presents flies with focused intention. Vail Valley Anglers’ professional […]
Give the gift of guided fly fishing this winter. It might be the best kept secret but winter time fly fishing in the Vail Valley is really really good. The local water stays fishable throughout the year, providing anglers with fly fishing opportunities all the time. So after a morning […]
One of the most critical aspects of fly fishing and often one of the easiest to overlook is the fly line itself. Anglers regularly look to their fly rod for casting performance. When that falls short, they reach for the rod rack to alleviate their lack of proficiency. In reality […]
In the fly fishing world, typically we classify fish holding rivers/streams in three different categories, tailwaters, freestones, and spring creeks. So how do they differ and why should we care? Well, in fact, each classification is very different and typically supports different biology based on the amount of oxygen, vegetation, entomology […]
One fellow guide once said to me, “I don’t like streamer fishing because there’s not much to it. You don’t have to break down the entomology, read the water, crack that code that you normally have to when fishing dry flies or nymphs. You just chuck a heavy fly on […]
Whether it’s the aggressive takes, visual eats or an on average bigger fish being caught, fly fishing with streamers is by many a very enjoyable way to catch trout. By all means, streamer fishing is not necessarily the easiest technique to catch trout. The casting, line control, retrieving and setting can […]
If I asked you to name all four National Parks located in Colorado, could you do it? The first one is easy and by far the most popular. Rocky Mountain National Park. And then there’s the Great Sand Dunes. Again, pretty well known. But the third and fourth are a […]
Colorado, much like it’s neighboring states Wyoming and Utah is known for quality trout fly fishing. Most people that come to Colorado to experience fly fishing, go trout fishing. The rivers and lakes, for the most part, are chock-full of trout. In the local angling community, most of us start […]