Scott Spooner

The Western Slope chapter of Casting for Recovery (CR) hosted their annual retreat this past Sunday at the Redstone Inn on the Crystal River. The mission of CR is to enhance the lives of women...

We’ve seen it many times here at the shop: A new tyer tries to create super-complicated fly patterns right out of the gate, gets frustrated, and ultimately gives up. When meeting new fly tyers, we...

Whether you have never hired a guide or have utilized them for years, you will see marked differences in styles, attitudes, and experience levels. Many anglers can’t appreciate terrific fishing guides until they fish with...

Death, taxes, and leaky waders are certainties in this life, according to the late John Geirach. All waders, regardless of the brand or the cost, will eventually leak. With the thistles, thorns, barbed-wire fences, and brush...

While shopping for hard-to-find tying materials in Charlie’s Fly Box down in Arvada last week, I overheard shop guru Sam Wright utter “tailwater trout eat at the same restaurant every day” while recommending flies for...

Anglers can be a bit tough to shop for, as no two have the same preferences, philosophies, or approaches to this sport. Fly shops across the valley operate all year and can “hook up” the angler...

Ruby the River Dog, local fishing guide Shannon Outing, and a Roaring Fork River rainbow trout.

Jimmy D. Moore said it best: “Being able to read trout streams is just as valuable to a fly fisherman as the ability to read a defense is to a quarterback.” Now that our rivers...

Iron Fly Competition at the Tipsy Trout during a previous year.

An arial view of an ice jam release on the Roaring Fork River.