Denver Trip

[Greggory DiSalvo]

Hi guys, Last I checked in, I was asking about poppers and nail polish.  Worked like a charm!

I am planning a kinda last minute trip to Denver late August into early September.  I am going with my lady friend so it should be a healthy mix of sightseeing, hiking, eating, and fishing.  I am pretty new to fly fishing, but seem to be able to catch fish with my poor mechanics, but my girlfriend is a true novice.  She has caught shad and bass, but doesn't have the casting down all that well.  I am thinking with our lack of experience, a guide would be great for putting us on fish, but also helping teach a bit.  I saw Dave Lovell was recommended and he seems willing to work with different skill levels.  Does anybody else have any experience in Denver with a guide?  Drift or wade trip?

I'd also like to do an overnight backpacking trip and it might be neat to hike to a lake to do some fishing.  Probably less of a chance here, but if anybody has any recommendations...

Thanks as always for helping make a somewhat daunting sport, a little easier!

Cheers,

Gregg

[Bryan Lanier]

Dave Lovell is a terrific guide! Used him on the South Platte a few years back.

Bryan

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[Yambag Nelson]

Go to rocky mountain national park and hike into one of the Alpine lakes and fish for cutthroats. The hike will be beautiful and you can get the fishing in as well. Better as an overnight but you can do them as a long day trip as well. Fish are small but relatively easy to catch.

[Richard Farino]

Denver’s a great town.  You have lots of opportunities within a few hours driving distance if you want decent trout fishing.  If you want to catch carp, the REI hole in town on the South Platte.  It’s not the cleanest of rivers.

Take a cab or drive to Old Town Arvada, and visit Charlie Craven at Charlie’s Fly Box.  You won’t find a more fly tying centric flyshop in the world.  If Charlie’s not there, the guys there are more than helpful at getting you onto decent fish on any of the local rivers.  They also run guide trips, and can get you info on the best lakes to hike into.

You can tell him I sent you.

R

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[Greggory DiSalvo]

Yambag, Thanks for the recommendation.  I am reading up on RMNP and also Indian Peaks.  Both seem great and I'd love to find an overnighter.  Do you prefer the lakes to the streams around them?  Both seem fun but I suppose the bigger fish are residents of the still water.

Richard, thanks for the suggestion on Charlie's fly box. I'm going to give them and Trouts a call tomorrow to discuss.  The pictures of the shop tell me I need to leave some extra room in my bags to carry back all my new materials!  This trip is quickly tunring into a fishing adventure....now to tell my girlfriend about this turn of events...


Thanks guys!

[Yambag Nelson]

I greatly preferred fishing the lakes as it was a chance to catch greenback cutthroats in a stunning location.  At that elevation the lakes are limited productivity wise and have such a relatively short season that the fish do not get very large.  The biggest I caught was 11 inches and most were 8-9.  From what I've been told 11 inches is a really good fish.  I'd have to go back and look up the name of the lake I fished but it was about a 4 mile hike in and had campsites nearby.  We camped overnight and then hiked out the next day. 

The only stream I fished in the park was the upper Colorado where it leaves the park on the west side.  I caught some nice brook trout (~13") that would have been prizes if I caught them in Shenandoah but were a disappointment to me as I was hoping for the native fish.  I didn't get a chance to fish the Thompson but the section in the park seemed popular, especially in the meadows.

Obviously there are some great rivers in Colorado but to me the rivers in the park itself were nothing that I hadn't seen before while the lakes were a totally unique experience.  

[Justin Schiavone]

Hey man I know a great guide if you head to the rocky national park. He's out of the shop y'all were discussing.

Also, if you want to find some cool lakes to fish check out the book, "lost lakes of Colorado". Along with valuable fishing information It provides gps coordinates and information on the hike in and out, and the camping. Lots of cool alpine lakes filled with greenbacks and sich.

I live south of Denver in Manitou but don't hesitate if you have any specific questions (especially for the south platt and ark), or want to more info on guides this way. Justin.m....@gmail.com

Tight lines,

Justin

[Greggory DiSalvo]

Justin, Picked up the book yesterday.  I've enjoyed flipping through it and am looking forward to spending more time with the book this weekend!  I am sure I will have more questions after getting through it.  Thanks for the recommendation.

Gregg