Fly Fishing

Yesterday I posted a link to a post on An Austin Angler's Journal written by my friend Andy about our 2010 fly fishing trip on the Big Thompson River in Rocky Mountain National Park.   This reminded me that a while back I had written a post about this fly fishing trip and the guide we hired.   Check out each post if you're interested in fly fishing in Colorado and/or on the Big Thompson River.  

Andy's post is pretty good... and now I'd rather be fishing in Colorado as opposed to sitting in my office.  I'd also like to note that in 2011 we went back to the Big Thompson but didn't hire a guide.  Andy caught some trout; however, after my less successful attempts I decided that hiring a guide in the future would be money well spent.  

An Austin Angler's Journal: The Big Thompson

An Austin Angler's Journal: The Big Thompson: A buddy of mine and long time local angler, Andy Barclay, was kind enough to write up a piece on a past trip he had to Colorado. Andy is...

Outdoor: Fly Fishing

WDF Fly Fishing in the Big Thomson River

Recently, while going through my desk at Prism Risk Management, I found the business card of Mike Oatley, a fishing guide I recommended for fly fishing in Rocky Mountain National Park.  In August 2010, I went to Estes Park with a couple of friends and we hired Mr. Oatley as a guide (both for general fly fishing instruction as well as fish finding services).  I subsequently caught a couple of brook trout in the Big Thompson River.  In August 2011, we returned to the Big Thompson but this time decided to skip hiring a guide (not because we didn't like Mike, but probably because we were allocating the dinero for microbrew trips).  While my casting and fly equipment handling skills are much better than in 2010, I had no luck finding any fish.  Not even a flash or a rise.  I did, however, come across some guide trips while working the river.  They appeared to be having more success than me.  Next time I'm in Colorado, as a still novice fly fisherman, I'll be hiring a guide in order to work the local rivers and for advice on flies.