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 […]
Fly Fishing Tips
137 posts
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 […]
Throughout a shift at the fly shop I often hear questions like: “What’s working?” and my answer varies throughout the day. Sometimes it’s a suggestion on fly selection or pretty often I will suggest: “Try fishing with two flies.” Followed by a blank stare from the customer, an awkward pause […]
Getting time out on the water amidst our bustling, busy lives can be somewhat of a struggle for some. Whether you’re a full time college student or working the 9-5 – we all have that fly fishing bug. A yearning to spend more time than we already do out on […]
There’s probably no such thing as a truly ‘easy’ fish, but some fish make themselves easier to catch than others. Some fish hold in obvious spots, while others hold in water that the angler may not think to fish at first glance. Reading the Water Many years ago now, I […]
European or “Euro” Nymphing is a versatile and extremely effective style of fishing that allows you to fish efficiently. You can achieve the depth required at a faster rate and stay incredibly connected to your flies throughout a drift. Euro Nymphing may sound like a “mystery” because it wasn’t originated […]
The major flex of run off has shown its strength and is now beginning to relinquish the high water patterns our rivers have been experiencing. As the volume in our rivers begins to diminish float fishing becomes a special way to fish. The water is at an enjoyable level to […]
I first came across the term “shoebox lie” in the weekly outdoors column of my hometown newspaper. The authors talked about picking trout out of small lies along the banks and behind small rocks. All anglers know that trout need a break from the current. But let’s think about that […]
Like most fly fishermen, most of my experience is in fishing rivers. However, all the FFTUSA events I have competed in have included at least one stillwater session. For this reason, I have had to put a lot of work in to improve my lake game. Here are my thoughts […]