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 […]
Fly Fishing Tips
132 posts
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 […]
Things started on a Monday evening. I read a post about a new Fly Fishing company from Boulder, Colorado named Riversmith. The Riversmith Company is producing a line of roof-top rod racks called River Quivers. Intrigued, I poured into all the information I could find. Two days later, a Vail […]
Across Colorado, the crisp night air of autumn causes anglers to break out high collared fleeces and streamer boxes full of heavy, articulated offerings that move big trout and even bigger pike. The cooling atmosphere brings aggressive Northern Pike into the shallow water bays of numerous Colorado reservoirs to feed […]
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 […]
Who doesn’t love late summer fly fishing when we can tie on a giant size 6 hopper pattern only to watch a big fish race out of a cut bank and suck down your fly? On the local rivers here in Colorado we see grasshoppers throughout the riparian zones starting […]
As the PMD hatch peters off, my buddy informs me that he’s having success with his Top Secret Midge rig. I fumble through three fly boxes and finally locate a lonely size 22 in that pattern. A little annoyed, I scour the boxes a second time. I know I have […]
Golden Stoneflies are the most abundant larger stonefly hatch that we have here in the west. Golden’s thrive in both freestone and tailwater fisheries. While the presence of golden’s are an indicator of good river health, the bugs don’t need as pristine conditions like their distant cousins the Salmon Flies. […]
Part 1: Why this adventure is right for you… Part 2: Time to gear up! By now, you hopefully have the itch to try backpack fly fishing. And with all the gear essentials laid out, there are only a few more key pieces to the preparation puzzle. You may be […]
A day spent teaching young kids how to fly fish insures the future of our beloved pastime. Vail Valley Anglers believes in supporting the future of our fly fishing activities. We support local young anglers as shop ambassadors and provide some helpful suggestions for teaching kids to fly fish. To […]