This time of year marks a period of transition for Colorado anglers. As daylight hours steadily increase and water temperatures begin to warm, trout become more active and more aggressive. They will spread out from their typical winter lies to take advantage of high-calorie meals. Dry fly fishing opportunities will steadily increase as hatches of Blue Winged Olives and Midges become more prolific.

As temperatures gradually get cooler and the daylight hours get shorter, northern pike will emerge from their lethargic summer habits. Some of the best pike fishing is during the shoulder seasons, both spring and fall. 

Many of our mountain reservoirs are home to northern pike. And after spending the summer in deeper water, pike will return to hunt in shallow water during the fall months. As ambush predators, they can often be found near weed beds, submerged logs, rocks, and drop-offs. When fishing a streamer along these underwater structures, the aggressive strikes can feel electric!

With great water conditions, cooler weather and beautiful scenery, it’s hard to beat fall fishing. Here are 6 tips for fall fly fishing in Colorado.

This time of year we love fishing Colorado’s remote waters and high alpine lakes (check out this previous blog post about our favorite high country flies). Of course many of these backcountry pursuits are limited to fishing from shore. But lightweight, packable boats are a fun way to reach new water that rarely gets fished.

If you’ve ever fished a high country lake, you’ve probably spent time wishing you could cast to

risers out in the middle. Or wished you could fish the submerged logs or rocks that are just out

of reach.

As we pack for our next high alpine adventure, we thought we’d share some of our top confidence flies on these waters. When we’re loading our fly boxes for the high country, here are some of the patterns you can bet will be coming with us...

Summer is the time to leave your waders behind, and step into that clear, cold, Rocky Mountain water. We love wet wading season around here. It means exploring small creeks, alpine lakes and our favorite high-country waters. 

Wet wading simply means fishing wet, without the use of waders. There are many ways to approach wet wading. It can be as simple as shorts and a pair of sandals; or perhaps quick-dry pants and your favorite wading boots. Ask a handful of anglers how they approach wet wading and you’ll likely get a handful of different answers.

There might be more fly fishing opportunities closer to home than you think, right here in the Denver Metro area. We often meet anglers who are surprised to learn that they can find pike, bass, walleye, wiper, panfish and carp willing to eat a fly – all right here in town.

Whether your favorite river is experiencing runoff conditions, or if you simply want to enjoy some fishing close to home, these warmwater species are a ton of fun. Warmwater fish provide anglers with great opportunities during runoff season and throughout the summer.

It may be March, but if you’ve been in Colorado long, you know what lies ahead. You might call it second winter or fool’s spring, but there’s a high probability of schizophrenic weather for the next couple of months.

The good news is, the mix of warm days along with overcast days and snow flurries, creates some pretty darn good fly fishing. Trout begin to spread out and feed more actively this time of year. This pre-runoff period is a great time to be on the water.

Over the past few weeks, the Anglers All crew has been fishing some of our favorite Colorado tailwaters. Tactics have definitely shifted from fall to winter fly fishing. So we asked around the fly shop for the team’s best tips on how to approach tailwaters in the winter and where to begin. Here’s what they had to say…

Ready for a hot tip for fly fishing in the fall? Go do it! Seriously though, in many places throughout Colorado, it’s hard to beat fishing during the fall months. In addition to great water conditions, you’ll encounter cooler temperatures and spectacular scenery. The whole autumn experience is always worth a day on the water.

Anglers can encounter some excellent dry fly fishing this time of year. But as fall progresses, and major hatches begin to taper off, anglers may need to change strategies. Here are a few tips as we approach fall fishing:

According to Larkin, there are a few variables that may change your packing list from one trip to another – namely, the location, the time of year, and how long you plan on staying. Of course the shoulder seasons will require a bit more clothing. And a multi-day trip requires more gear and food than a short day trip.

But no matter when, where or how long you’ll be staying, there are some basic essentials that belong in your pack on any high country mission. To keep it simple, Larkin breaks those essentials down in to three basic categories – core fishing gear, apparel and accessories.

Colorado is home to an estimated 23,000 abandoned mines located on both public and private lands. Many of these mines and the tailings left behind have a negative impact on the environment and especially the local water drainages as they were often built in areas with year-round flowing water, or in areas with spring runoff events. Whether it was a product of the times, or simply the "make or break" philosophy of the miners in the late 1800’s in Colorado, clean up wasn’t exactly high on their priority list. As a result, hard minerals that are often concentrated in tailing piles can dump harmful waste into the watersheds below. Ultimately, that waste will make it all the way into the waters we all love to fish.

There is a myriad of reasons for wandering up into the mountains during the summer, but fly fishing high alpine lakes between 10,000' and 13,000' is one of our favorites.

One thing about these high country waters is that the fishing can seem all too easy one day, and then impossible the next. We’ve had some of our best fishing days on these waters. But we’ve also been skunked.

In this article, Larkin Wilson discusses fly fishing western mountain reservoirs during the fall months using streamers. We’ll break down a lake’s hot zones you should be on the lookout for, how to target predatory trout feeding in those zones, and the gear you’ll need in your arsenal to increase your odds of fooling a stillwater monster this fall.

In this video, Media Manager Larkin Wilson sheds some light on the current fishing conditions in popular areas in Colorado’s Front Range - James Peak Wilderness, Indian Peaks Wilderness, Mount Evans Wilderness, and Rocky Mountain National Park. Larkin goes over road/entry conditions, the behavior of the trout in lakes along the Continental Divide, productive fly patterns & rigs, and more.

There have been plenty of days where we’ve watched pretty cutthroat rise from the depths time after time, only to refuse every dry fly in our boxes. Other times, it seems like the trout will eat anything you throw at them. Glue a hook to a bottle of gink, chuck it out there and BOOM; a cruising brook trout will demolish it. The temperament of the resident fish in high mountain lakes is similar to that of the weather up there: completely unpredictable.

When summer takes hold in the Colorado high country, thousands of miles of small creeks open up to anglers all over the state. These small waters present the perfect opportunity to find a new fly fishing adventure and to get away from the crowds on major rivers.

If you’ve never taken a hike along one of Colorado’s many small creeks, what will you need to get started? Check out the first part in our video series on fly fishing creeks…

After fishing mostly tailwaters through the winter months, we always look forward to the ice melting from our favorite mountain reservoirs. Fishing to big, cruising trout in the shallows is always exciting. But if you’re new to fly fishing still water, it can be difficult to know where to begin.

In celebration of ice-off season, here are several tips and strategies to help get you started

Pre-runoff fishing brings equal parts opportunity and challenge. This time of year, conditions may be highly unpredictable and water levels can change throughout the day. But with a little bit of prep, this pre-runoff period can be an excellent time for anglers to be on the water.

As you prepare for a day of spring fishing, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Ready for summer yet? After the recent sub-zero temps here in the Denver area, we’re happy to begin planning summer adventures in the Colorado high country. And we have great trips to look forward to in 2021! The Anglers All travel program will include trips to the Gunnison Gorge and the Flat Tops Wilderness area.

This summer, we have opportunities for incredible fly fishing adventures right here in Colorado. Our team has the logistics, guides and gear you need to make it happen.

Even for new anglers, winter trout fishing on these challenging waters is absolutely within reach. Anglers All media manager, Davis James, put it this way: “The entomology and fly selection is actually very simple,” Davis recently said. “It’s just a matter of being prepared.”

It should come to no surprise that my favorite aspect of working in fly fishing, is actually going fly fishing. At Anglers All we take the retail side of the business, customer service and overall success of our clients very seriously. Equipping anglers far and wide with the right gear for their time spent on the water is what keeps us thriving. What keeps up going is our experience on the water, executing in our field of work. These on the water adventures reinforce our ability to assist each customer online and in-store and has done so for over 65 years. Earlier this month we hitched up the raft after work and drove west from Denver in search of good times, streamer eats and long drifts. The crew for this mission would be Jimmy Juliana, Rachel Therkildsen and myself, Davis James. To get the trip started right we stopped on our way up for a team dinner, then hit the road over the divide until we landed at our hotel for a good nights sleep.

We are fortunate to enjoy great year-round fishing on tailwaters throughout Colorado. We might be tying more flies over the next several months – but we’re definitely not putting away the fly rods. As cold weather takes hold, we will be transitioning to different tactics. One of the most important elements for late season fishing is getting your flies down deep, fast.

While trying not to sound too corny, confidence is an important part of fly fishing. Your mental attitude actually plays a role in your ability to catch fish. When you fish like you don’t believe you’ll catch fish, there’s a good chance you’ll meet a self-fulfilling prophecy. Unconfident fishing is lazy fishing – it’s half-hearted. Instead, fish like you KNOW you’ll

catch fish.

When we think about fishing midges, many of us default to tailwaters and winter fishing. But that pigeonhole doesn’t do this little fly justice. Midges are a critical year-round food source for trout in rivers, creeks and lakes alike. This summer and fall, show your midge box a little more love.

The High Country, for those willing to put themselves through the additional efforts, are rewarded with a landscape that can be simply described as magic. The High Country is where it all starts, the headwaters of our major rivers, the most pristine environments, where we are lucky to stand on the edge of an infinity pool and take it all in. Here

Some of the best fly fishing waters in Colorado are clustered together in different parts of the state and connected by beautiful mountain passes, creating perfect road trip opportunities. Over several days of fishing, it’s possible to hit half a dozen or more of the state’s best rivers and lakes.

Colorado is home to more than 40 designated wilderness areas, and scores of other alpine destinations that are scattered with lakes and lined with beautiful little trout streams. When mid summer temperatures take hold at lower elevations, there’s no better place to be than in the high country.

We love our home river on the South Platte. It’s popular for good reason. There’s potential for big fish and the fishing can be excellent. But let’s face it – even weekdays can be busy, let alone weekends. And while the fishing is good, it’s also very challenging, especially for new anglers. So what’s the alternative?

There might be more fly fishing opportunities closer to home than you think, right here in the Denver Metro area. We often meet anglers who are surprised to learn that they can find pike, bass, panfish, walleye and carp willing to eat a fly – all right here in town.

The Anglers All crew has been out on the water over the past several weeks, testing out new gear and putting some fish in the net.

On these recent outings, we’ve found ourselves fishing patterns at opposite ends of the spectrum. Either we’re catching fish on streamers. Or we’re doing work with small midges. And there’s not much in between.

He just couldn’t help himself. Santa had to try some of the fresh fly fishing gear that we had stashed under the tree. Have a look at some of Santa’s tested and approved holiday gifts:

Ready for a hot tip on fly fishing after Labor Day? Go do it! Seriously though, in many places throughout Colorado, it’s hard to beat September fishing. In addition to great water conditions, you’ll encounter cooler temperatures and spectacular scenery. The whole autumn experience is always worth a day on the water.

“Over the past 15 years, I haven’t missed a week of fishing because of runoff,” Anglers All manager Greg Garcia recently mentioned. “There are always opportunities to fish rivers here in Colorado.”

Is anyone else ready for summer? While the cold weather won’t seem to let go, we’re busy planning our summer fishing excursions. And we’ve been working hard to bring you some awesome backcountry fly fishing opportunities here in Colorado! Here’s a look at what we have on our summer travel calendar, right here in our back yard…