Salmonfly Patterns for The Colorado River: With the early arrival of spring to the Central Rocky Mountains, fly fishermen are anticipating an early salmonfly hatch on the upper Colorado River this year. If you are planning on fishing the upper Colorado’s epic salmonfly hatch this year, it is a good […]
Tips and Tricks
141 posts
In Part 1 of this blog, I talked about some of the basics for good housekeeping within your fly boxes. Here in Part 2, I am going to discuss two little tricks that have helped me to keep my bugs in order throughout several chaotic guiding seasons. It will take […]
When fishing for trout, good fly box organization is a must. A big part of what makes fly fishing for trout so challenging and rewarding is the wide variety of insects available. Also, the selective nature of the wild fish we are trying to catch. It is because of these […]
Besides the obvious choices of an entire fly shop’s worth of the newest, most technically advanced fly fishing gear, a shiny new drift boat and a month-long trip to New Zealand or the Bahamas, there are some very important things every angler secretly hopes for on their Christmas wish list. […]
Colorado is home to a unique salmon species called the Kokanee. For fly fishermen, these fish offer excellent and unique fall fishing opportunities. These landlocked salmon are close relatives to the Pacific sockeye salmon. They have a similar reproductive process that includes migrating upstream into moving water to spawn. This […]
Fall fly fishing tips in Colorado revolve around a few simple issues. When autumn sets and the leaves begin showing brighter colors, all trout respond to the cooler water temperatures and the typically low and clear river conditions. While the major summer hatches have diminished, with blue-wing olive mayflies and […]
Clients in my boat often ask me which floatant I think works best and why and fly fishing dry fly floatant is no exception. Every guide has their own answer, but most often it is some variation on the same theme. The most common practice is to use some wet […]
Tenkara (テンカラ) – What is it? I first heard of Tenkara fly fishing hidden in the pages of my favorite fly fishing rag this past winter, and even after reading about it, I still did not really get what it is. Then, when they asked me if I was interested […]
Float Fishing Benefits for Beginning Anglers Some beginner fly fishermen are hesitant to book a guided float trip thinking their lack of fly fishing experience may be a problem. As a professional fly fishing guide for the last twenty years that did both wade trips and float trips, the subject […]
Fly fishing the life cycle of the caddis hatch begins by realizing that the most important food source in western rivers is the caddis fly. They are a year-round food source with populations higher than mayflies and stoneflies in most streams. This includes the Eagle River and Roaring Fork River, […]
The month of May and June can be a challenging time for anglers. High winds, drastic temperature variances, and high water caused by sudden snow melt all combine to make fishing with a fly rod harder and more unpredictable. These tough conditions cause many fishermen put their rods away for […]
At Vail Valley Anglers, we are fortunate enough to have access to several rivers which provide fairly predictable insect emergences each summer. While the timing and intensity of these hatches may vary from year to year, each one brings it own unique fly fishing challenges and rewards. Now is the […]
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