I have taken up fly fishing since I came here to Colorado and although frustrating at first, I have started to get the hang of it and I find it very relaxing. There is nothing in the world like being outside on a beautiful day, standing in the river, watching nature and looking up and seeing the canyon all around you. No matter where you go in Colorado it is beautiful - nothing like back home in Boston. I grew up in Keene, NH, and there were mountains and wildlife around there too, but nothing like what Colorado has. The highest mountain I had ever been up was Mt. Monadnock at about 3,000 ft - Denver is at 5,280 ft and most of the mountains here range from 9,000 - 14,000 ft.
The three books that I find essential for fishing Colorado are: Fly Fishing the South Platte River - An Angler's Guide by Roger Hill, Flyfisher's Guide to Colorado by Marty Bartholomew and Colorado Atlas & Gazeteer by DeLorme. Basically these books have helped me to learn to chose my bugs and to find those hidden fishing spots. The best piece of advice I can give any fisherman though is to ask other fishermen and the people at the local fly shop. The best site for learning how to tie flies is easily Charlie's Fly Box located in Arvada, CO. Charlie also is great to learn from and offers tons of good advise.
Well, so far the fly fishing has been pretty good, check out some of my older fly fishing trips:
---------------2003---------------
September 15, 2003 - Boxwood Gulch
---------------2001---------------
April 8, 2001 - Clear Creek - by Kermits
June 16, 2001 - South Platte River - Deckers/Trumbull
June 24, 2001 - Big Thompson River - below Olympia Dam
July 4, 2001 - South Platte River - Cheesman Canyon
July 8, 2001 - South Platte River - Waterton Canyon
July 28, 2001 - Blue River between Dillon and Green Mountain Reservior
August 4, 2001 - Mouth of the Blue River where it dumps into Dillon Reservior
August 11, 2001 - South Platte River - The Dream Stream - between Eleven Mile and Spinney Reserviors
August 19, 2001 - South Platte River - Deckers
September 1, 2001 - South Platte River - 1 mile north of Deckers
---------------2000---------------
July 9 - South Platte River - Deckers/Trumbull
July 13 - South Platte River - Waterton Canyon
July 18 - Blue River - Dillon
July 20 - South Platte River - Deckers/Trumbull/Oxyoke
July 27 - Bear Creek - Off Rt 74 in Idledale
July 28 - Clear Creek - Idaho Springs
July 31 - North Fork of the South Platte River - between Foxton & Longview
August 3 - Grand Lake, Colorado River (in Granby) & Clear Creek (in Idaho Springs)
August 15 - South Platte River, Trumbull
September 3- Fryingpan River, Basalt
September 10- South Platte River
September 16- Big Thompson River - Estes Park
October 15 - Clear Creek - by the Budweiser Plant
October 27 - Arkansas River - Buena Vista, CO
November 4 - South Platte River - Northern Sections
November 25 - Thanksgiving Fishing on the South Platte River
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