To fly fish Colorado's famous rivers, you need to know which flies to use. This can be a tricky question that can only be addressed by knowing which area of Colorado you are going to fish and what time of the year your fly fishing excursion is planned for.
Fly fishing in Colorado can be varied and the flies you use will vary also. You will find yourself bass fishing on the eastern plains, trout fishing in the mountains, and fly fishing for pike in the reservoirs. Not only that, each type of angling you do in Colorado will demand flies that are dependent upon the terrain and time of the year.
The purpose of a fly is to trick an unsuspecting fish into biting down on that tempting bait. Fly fishing flies seek to mimic an actual insect or larvae, an ant, another small fish or small worm. To the human eye, however, most flies look like anything but a real insect. The fact that people don't buy into the real look of flies doesn't matter as long as the fish do.
The angler will find two varieties of fly fishing flies: Wet and dry flies. Wet flies are designed to sink under the water's surface. To accomplish this both the fly itself and the hook on which it is placed are heavy. Think of things that would live below the water or would die and then sink into the water when thinking wet flies. Grubs, larvae, fish eggs and small fish would be the appropriate models for this style of fly.
Dry flies are meant to float on the water. They are light and so are their hooks. Dry flies would appear to be insects that would light on the water such as dragonflies or larvae and grubs that have come to the surface to hatch. To make the best use of dry flies, the angler must understand hatch cycles and which flies are hatching on a particular day and causing a feeding frenzy.
Understanding how fly fishing flies should be used can't be nearly that easy or they would not have fascinated fly fishermen for decades. Wet flies can divided into nymphs (flies in their larval stage which imitate less active, stream bottom and sub surface life) and streamers (sub surface minnows and other life that would be darting around). While the streamers may catch more eyes from fellow anglers, many fly fishers think that nymph flies actually catch more fish. However, even this knowledge is only scratching the surface of what you need to know about flies.
Since the function of a fly is to help an angler reel in a fish, fly fishers try to use a fly that imitates something common to both the location of the stream and the time of year the stream is being fished. In order to do this fly fisher people consult local Colorado hatch tables to ascertain which fly patterns stand a chance. Thus, an expert fly fisher will have specific flies to use in different Colorado locations and in different months of the year.
While fly fishing in Colorado, you will find that Caddisflies, Mayflies, Midges, and Stoneflies are the most popular, both in the nymph and dry fly forms. Hatches of these vary around the state and throughout the seasons. Most Colorado fly fishermen find that nymphs are the best for bringing in the fish if you're not sure of the current hatch.
Insect hatches usually begin in March and run through November. It's best to use an aquarium dip-net to capture the sub-surface nymphs, larvae, and duns plus the hatching insects on the surface to know what the trout are feeding on. The insect populations will vary by river, elevation, and time of the year.
A basic understanding of the Rocky Mountain insects and their fly imitations will make your Colorado fly fishing experience more rewarding. Whatever time of the year you happen to be fishing in Colorado, take the time to investigate and examine the foods available to the local trout. This will help you select the best fly imitation to use and increase your chances of hooking trout.
The novice fly fisher is be best advised to seek the assistance of a knowledgeable local fly fishing shop. Visit a store in the Colorado region you will be fishing and congenially ask what's hitting. You'll find that all Colorado fly fishing shops will provide a myriad of advice. Keep a book of recommended flies and supplement with your own research and actual experience. In only a few years, a beginner will be discussing bloodworms, stone nymphs, Adams flies, turkey quills, and hares ears like a pro.
When you think of fly fishing, think Colorado. Decide on the time of the year that you will be fly fishing this great state. Buy a few books that tell you about the yearly Colorado fly hatches. Within a few days of each hatch, you will need nymphs and grubs of the prevailing fly hatch. Then when the feeding frenzy begins, you will need the dry flies of the hatch, as the real thing comes off the water's surface. That's what it's really all about when thinking fly fishing flies for your Colorado fly fishing vacation.
