Author Archives: Mike Sherer

Hiring Fly Fishing Guides for 2019 Season

Are you looking to get into the fly fishing industry for the first time? Are you a knowledgeable angler but lacking guide experience? Are you an experienced guide looking to join the Front Range’s best team? Do you have what it takes to deliver excellent fly fishing service and instruction?

We are hiring professional fly fishing guides, both new to the profession and seasoned veterans alike, to join our Denver based operation. For those new to guiding we offer top-notch training and for those that have been in the industry you’ll quickly realize what an opportunity this is.

Our philosophy aims to deliver the finest customer service, friendliest smile, and best fly fishing instruction that the Front Range has to offer. This is a fantastic opportunity to make great money, meet awesome clients, and guide on Colorado’s beautiful waters.

Please email me your resume and why you’d be a good fit. Make sure that you include a phone number and email address so I can contact you immediately. Tight lines!

Mike@theflyfisher.com

847-612-4961

West Coast Steelhead and Salmon

I was lucky enough to go spend the Thanksgiving holiday out in the Puget Sound area of Washington State. When you think of the Pacific North West you think of salmon and steelhead.  Weeks priors to my trip I spent hours online researching where I could go catch some salmon and steelhead.  What I discovered is that almost every river in the the Puget Sounds area is either closed to salmon and steelhead or has a short limited season. It is horrible to think that this fishery has taken a horrible decline because of over fishing.  I think every fishery around the country to should consider what has happened to the PNW fisheries. We need to take care of our fisheries and practice safe catch and release so our future generations can enjoy what we have. Here is a little video about what has happened on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.

Musky on the Fly

Chasing muskies on the fly is something truly special. Many strive to catch the fish of 10,000 casts but not too many succeed. It is not for the faint of heart. As it involves casting huge flies all day with 10wt fly rods. Your fingers will be raw from stripping your line and your shoulders will be screaming from casting all day. But when that musky follows your fly up to the boat and eats it, thats what its all about. All the handwork and patients comes together and the lucky angler is rewarded with a fish of a lifetime. Check out the video below for some insight fishing for muskies.

Avoid Spawning Fish!

The colors are starting to change and the air is cooling off. This means Fall is here and brown trout are starting to spawn. As anglers we all get temped to target big fish in shallow water but please resist the urge to target these fish. Here is little video from Redington explaining this topic.

How Many Species of Fish have you Caught on the Fly?

Anglers across the wold achieve to catch as many species of fish on the fly as they can. This video about Jeff Currier is something special. Imagine catching over 400 species of fish on the fly? How many have you caught? Whats on the top of your list?

Fly Fishing takes us to some amazing places. I know we get caught up in the fish we are chasing but sometimes its the journey not the destination.

 

High Mountain Lakes Fly Fishing

Summer is a fantastic time to fish rivers and creeks but it also is the perfect time to strap on a backpack and explore some high mountain lakes. Colorado has a vast number of high alpine lakes loaded with trout.

I was lucky enough to have a few days off last week so fellow guide Reid Eakins and myself hit the road in search of high mountain cutthroats. What we have found is that the more remote you get, the better the fishing will be;  with this in mind, we ventured South down to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The plan was to spend 3 days in the backcountry fishing. With our packs loaded with fishing gear and the backpacking essentials (whiskey, of course), we hit the trails.

The first day we hiked 4.5 miles to our first destination. We set up camp in the early evening and fished well into the evening hours. Fish were rising but it was a challenge to figure out what they were eating. Finally, after switching several flies, Reid started picking fish up on a thin mint fly; they took the fly on a very slow retrieve. The next day, we hiked up to another lake looking for bigger cutthroats. We found fish to be eating scuds just below the surface on a very fast retrieve. After a long day of fishing and hiking we relaxed at our campsite sipping whiskey and sharing fish stories.

Backpacking and fishing go great together; it is a great opportunity to get away from the hustle of city life and explore what the Colorado mountains have to offer.

Give your local creeks or rivers a break and explore some high mountain lakes!

 

 

 

New Patagonia Wading Boots

Patagonia and Danner boots have collaborated to make a new wading boot unlike anything else on the market.  Patagonia is well known as one of the top manufactures of fly fishing gear and Danner is respected as one of the top boot manufactures in the world. I am very excited to try this boot when it comes out. Check out the video below for a sneak peak of this new wading boot.

When is too warm to fish for trout?

The guys over at Colorado Trout Unlimited produced this great chart showing when is a good time to fish for trout and when its just too hot. We have been experiencing very warm temperatures across the state and we have been seeing scary warm water temps. Please buy a thermometer if you don’t already have one and measure the water temperatures throughout the day. A great alternative is to hike up to a high mountain lake or chase some warm water species. Give the trout a break!