July4 kicks off the summer in the Vail Valley with the start of the caddis hatch which makes us smile. Something else that makes us smile; KIDS! We have had the pleasure of guiding quite a few little ones these past weeks and we thought we would share some of our favorite kid fly fishing photos! The expressions say it all.
This photo is from last year, but an easy favorite. 
I asked them how many bites they had…. 
Part of being a guide is knowledge of the local flora and fauna. Right now we have wild strawberries flowering like crazy! It’s going to be a good year for on-the-river snacks. Did we mention they are free range, wild, organic and ALLLLL natural! Get ready!
The water is high, but it will go down. Learn to become an independent angler now! We have lowered our prices to $25 per person!!
Sunday sessions are on a rotating schedule. Come to one or come to all for sessions! Special discounts on gear and guided trips for all women who attend!
I will be offering Clinics from 3-6pm every Sunday this summer. Classes will be on a four week rotation- come to one or come to all! The classes are designed to help women become independent anglers! Learn everything from how to tie knots to how to pick your flies. Bring your questions and let’s have some fun!
Session 1: Rig your rod. Learn how to get set-up to go fish. I will cover everything from fly line to tippet choices. You will learn how to tie 3 basic knots that will get you fishing right away!
Session 2: Casting. Now that your set-up is beautiful, I will teach you how to cast successfully in a variety of situations. I will also cover where to cast as we take a peek into the behavior of trout.
Session 3: Entomology. Entomology is the scientific study of insects! Come learn how to choose your own flies and read the hatches! This is one of my favorites, don’t miss it!
Session 4: Fly Tying. This is designed to be an introduction to get you to tie your first fly. It is a right of passage to catch a fish with a personally tied fly, and you can do it!
Classes are $35 per person.
Advanced sign-up recommended for all classes!
Call the shop with questions and to sign-up! (970) 476-3296
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8baeLNNClM
Cooper & I had our first guided trip together for the year. The water is a little tricky this time of year, but the trout agreed to play today. We were happy that our instructions were not lost due to the language barrier! Insider information: San Juan worms were the hot item. Good Luck out there! 
Big Horned Sheep up on the hill. 
The warm days aren’t just great for skiing! Fishing is wonderful on these sunny spring days as the fish start to warm up. They are hungry from the winter and ready for you! Get out there before the run-off and enjoy some fine Colorado flyfishing!
Cooper & I have been happily doing some spring cleaning! We are very happy with a recent purchase to house all of our flies. We made it really fancy with the label maker! Sometimes it’s the little things. I threw in a pic of our rod rack from Cabela’s for some extra inspiration. Happy Spring! 
Here is a parallel that might make you uncomfortable. If you have ever done a casting competition, you probably could be a VERY decent ribbon twirler. That said, the GoPro games are now accepting applicants for the 2014 One Fly Casting Competition.
http://www.mountaingames.com/summer
My Aunt Nancy came all the way from St. Louis and watched me compete in 2012. Here is a video link if you want to know what it’s like: GoProComp
Late summer fishing means to me….
1.) Tiny-Ass flies.
•Those size 16 pheasant tails are a thing of the past. Try a little size 20 Juju Bateis in black to get some action.You probably better not mess around, just go size 22, and call it good. My husband ties a mean sparkle butt, I better go put an order in! Good thing his new glasses just came in the mail.
2.) Fishing from a cup.
• Look, I have been guiding for two and a half months NON-STOP. All the good flies are one of the 3 cups in my vest or in my pocket in a fourth “fancy” cup that has a magnet on the bottom. If you want to know what’s NOT working, look in my fly box.
3.) I am a salty pirate.
• I have my guide speech down to a science. This time of year it’s filled with LOTS of examples of what not to do based on what I have been seeing on the river. That hook set the other day that was so “good?” that my client ripped the eye out of the fish instead of catching it .. well you get the point. Bring your sense of humor! I love my job, and I love a little WTF? humor.
4.) wet-wading!
• My Dosha is on fire, and it’s time to cool off. NOTE: you may need to google dosha.
5.) I don’t have a phone.
• I was rocking the punishment phone for a while. A punishment phone is what comes after you drop your second i-phone in the river. Well, it’s late-summer and I fell in the river a few days ago, and there went the punishment phone along with my dreams of making it to my upgrade. What the heck, you can’t be good at everything. I’d rather be good at fishing.
This idea came to me on the river. Next time I can’t get a decent hook-set from someone.. I could have alternative measures! ZAP! FISH ON!
The man says,” we’ll just let it go.” ( no picture necessary )
A woman says,” awww. look at the cute little baby! It’s so tiny!” ( picture VERY necessary)
My favorite is when the man catches a small trout (on accident of course!) and the wife/girlfriend sees it and makes a BIG deal over how cute and tiny it is! #guidemoments
Katie Anderson wrote an article seen in the Winter 2014 issue of High Country Angler. Enjoy!
Click the link below to view the full High Country Angler Flip Book:
