It might be the craziest two days of fishing you ever experience. The Mile High 25 challenges anglers to try and catch, record, and release 25 different species of fish, on any public water throughout the state of Colorado.
It’s a two-day scavenger hunt across a wide range of waters, which may include long drives, crazy weather, and unpredictable outcomes. It pays to have a solid strategy and flexible backup plans.
This year, the 9th annual Mile High 25 fly fishing tournament will be held June 22-23. There’s still time to grab a partner and sign up!
We reached out to past participants, to ask for their advice on how to make the most of this wild fly fishing challenge. Check out what some of them had to say…
FROM JOSH GRAFFAM OF SCIENTIFIC ANGLERS & PREVIOUS MILE HIGH 25 WINNER:
Make a Plan
With so many species, it is nearly impossible to catch them all, so your best bet is to pick the ones you feel most confident in and plan around those. Once you have a list of fish you feel most confident in catching, start to create your map. Usually you will have 2 or 3 must go to spots, get those on your map, then try to understand where you want to start the day and where you want to finish the day. Make sure that you start and finish at a fishing spot. Organizing your spots in the correct order is critical so you are not back tracking. Find your longest drive and do that first thing in the morning or at night off the clock.
Let some go
Forget about some species. If you have never caught one or don’t have a good spot for some of the tougher fish, reprioritize them and focus on the ones you feel most confident in. Once you have picked the species that you feel best about and made a plan around those, then pick a few wild cards to go for with any extra time. You will need to work these tougher species into your plan but be careful not to spend too much time on them. Many people get stuck chasing one species and then don’t have enough time to catch the easier ones. That goes for some of the species you are confident about too. Sometimes those species don’t show up when and where you were hoping to find them. Let them go and move on. Both the yellow perch and the crappie have given me trouble in the past. I knew where to find them, but kept catching species I had already scored. That is the Mile High 25!
Have fun
Fishing any tournament can be stressful! There is a lot of excitement, lots of prep, time and pressure. The Mile High 25 is a blast, have fun with it! There is a lot of driving involved, be careful, and try not to speed(too much). Fishing for the different species is the whole point, work up to try to catch something you never have. Take it all in, the Mile High 25 will take you to watersheds and places you might have never visited. Take pictures, don’t be so focused on just catching and running.
FROM WILLIAM BUSSARD OF TEAM NIGHTCRAWLERS:
1. Take unwarranted risks. A hike through knee-deep snow to an alpine lake without a trail at 6:00 p.m. to find it completely iced over is worth it for the story. The triumph of the huge largemouth you caught that morning will fade in memory. But you will never forget that frigid death march to failure.
2. The Mile High 25 isn’t about winning. It’s about caffeine and bad decisions.
3. If you believe a species is a sure thing, the fly fishing gods will bring a blizzard.
Can’t freaking wait!!
FROM RICK MIKESELL OF TEAM RIVERSMITH:
Imagine experiencing the best wiper fishing of your life, with monster wiper crushing baitfish on every-other-cast. Then, having to reel up, leave, and drive an hour to catch a 4" perch. That's 25 On the Fly here in Colorado!
Despite gear malfunctions, roadside breakdowns, getting lost in Poudre Canyon and losing a huge lake trout seven inches from the net, 25 On the Fly is a unique and challenging tournament that forces you to think outside of the box from your normal fishing routine and may be the dictionary definition of Type-2 Fun.
I can’t wait for this year’s tournament!
FROM DOUG GARVEY, ONE OF THE TOURNAMENT FOUNDERS:
Drive more. Fish Less.
Have your spots for specific species dialed. Just because a lake/pond says there are multiple species to be caught there does not mean you should sit around and try to catch them all. This leads to a huge time suck. Go to where you know you can catch one or two species and then move on to the next spot where you know you can catch one or two species.
For example, ‘I know there is a clearing in the weeds at this one pond that I can consistently catch perch. I will give myself a 10-20 minute limit on that pond. Even though there are bass in it, I'd rather go where I can confidently catch a bass instead of trying to learn how to catch the bass in the pond where the perch are.’
Have your species spots locked down. Cast, catch, take a video and move on!
Do the long drives while you're off the clock.
If you plan to fish a spot that’s a long drive from most other spots, then do that drive in the evening when you are off the clock. That way, you don't burn the clock driving there and driving back.
Take the time to get good videos.
We have seen plenty of poorly taken videos in years past. A lot of times, it can hinder the judges from identifying the fish species. Take an extra second or two and get a good 'grip n grin' or a 'keep'em wet' video. This also gives you a fun account of the weekend's fun. Enjoy the weekend and document it. Tell your story!
FROM FRAN OF TEAM CANOPY FLY FISHING:
Last year, my daughter and I were one of the only all-female teams in the tournament, and we got a little competitive. We researched, we made an Excel Spreadsheet, stocked up on flies, and we had a plan.
A plan is a great idea until the pond you wanted to fish is closed, a huge thunderstorm pounds so hard you have to sit in your car, and the quick drive up the 14,000 foot mountain (to catch a rainbow – dumb) is teeming with slow-driving sightseeing tourists. What we learned, is that the best catches are the ones you didn’t expect in the places that didn’t make it onto the spreadsheet.
As cold-water fly fishers, we had so much fun exploring our local urban lakes. On that note, check park opening and closing hours. It’s adventurous to find a (legal) way past locked gates but it’s also a time waster. Speaking of waste…Remember to bring one of those trash picker-upper-grabber things ‘cuz it gets kinda gross out there and it’s good to leave it better than we find it. Speaking of picking up…pick up one of those laminated Colorado Parks and Wildlife fish identification cards. Otherwise, the judges are going to tell you that the baby grass carp you and your teammate went absolutely bonkers over is actually a creek chub. Speaking of chub…my waders are a little tighter than last year. Fish on and have fun!
FROM AARON WITZKE & JOSH BECKER OF THE SCUDS
Scud Pro Tips
- Sometimes cold brew coffee is the right early morning companion, and ordering food ahead from places along your route can maximize time on the water.
- Consider your team's marketing and equipment budget early in the year. Stickers ain't free.
- Scout as many locations as possible the week before the tournament to make sure they are accessible by something other than helicopter and fishable without an auger or machete.
- Be prepared to fish through all four seasons. Speaking from experience, it is possible to see a tornado and get snowed on the same day.
- Don't let the tournament rob you of pride of catching a personal best or a first for a species - even though it's not a smallmouth, that largemouth is huge and deserves celebration. I guess.
- Planning for next year's tournament starts at 3pm Sunday.
- We have a few principles that have guided us in the past: 1. The Quadruple F: Fun First, the Fish Follow 2. Don't leave fish to find fish unless they're the wrong fish.
The scribblings of a couple of madmen, or the Scud's MH25 plan?
FROM DELANEY CHAPMAN OF ANGLERS ALL DENVER
- Scout spots in advance and have audibles in the event those spots don't pan out. Run off and weather become a big factor day of the tournament
- Lakes and reservoirs are your friends! Each reservoir usually holds at least 6-7 species
- Spend one day for cold water species and one for warm water species
- Have caffeine handy you won't be getting a lot of sleep!
- Enjoy the time on the water and have a great weekend!
- DON’T LOSE THE FISH!
FIND A PARTNER AND MAKE A PLAN!
The goal is for each two-person team to catch and release as many different fish as possible from a list of 25 eligible species, and complete as many team challenges as possible in just two days on the water!
There is still time to find a partner and sign up!
Only teams pre-registered by June 14th will be guaranteed to receive the full swag bag of goodies from our sponsors, as well as a control item which must be visible in each video submission. We will have a great swag bag this year, so sign up early.
For the tournament schedule, rules, the list of 25 species, and more details, visit the Mile High 25 on the Fly website.
Best of luck to all the teams participating in this year’s event. We can’t wait to kick off the 9th annual event!