The Gunnison River is a remarkable fishery that flies under the radar of most anglers. Renowned for its surreal Green Drake hatch and immersive fall colors, the Lower Gunnison River also boasts some incredible spring fly-fishing opportunities. This is the perfect weekend fishing destination with the river running right through the town of Gunnison and [...]
We take pictures of the fish we catch because we want to share the moment with our family and brag to our fishing buddies. Instagram and Facebook, however, are regrettably full of photos of exhausted fish hauled limply onto the shore or held in the vise-like grip of grinning, oblivious anglers. The tragedy of [...]
A rosy cheeked rainbow caught by Nate K.The grainy footage was captured on our family’s shoulder-mounted Panasonic Camcorder, technology so old that its probably come back into style with the kids wearing tight jeans and ironic mustaches. Hopping next to a pond on that Smoky Mountain morning, a towheaded kid fills the frame as [...]
The question was first voiced several hundred years ago when the grandfather of fly fishing pulled the first roughly-tied fly from the jaws of his primitive vice and mused, “Now what is this fly supposed to imitate and when should I fish it?” Echoing across the centuries, this same question can still be heard [...]
It was a beautiful day on the lake. The kids were splashing happily in the shallows while dad lazily cast a dry fly from the dock with a cold beer close at hand. Little did they know that there was a menace lurking just beneath the surface of the water. Beady little eyes [...]
Photo by Mark Jessop of Troutfin Studio“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of 100 battles…” Sun Tzu, The Art of WarWhat is fly fishing if not a childlike game of war? We maneuver and position, count off our successful campaigns in [...]
(This article follows up the previous article titled “Do You See What I See”, published in April of 2014. For an introduction to understanding and exploiting trout vision, take a moment and check out the previous article at http://ascentflyfishing.com/blog/do-you-see-what-i-see/)The world of trout is constantly changing from month to month, and sometimes even from hour to [...]
(This article is a follow up to a previous article titled “Take a Moment and PAUSE” published first in July of 2016 and describing the 5 places around and in the river to identify what foods trout are most likely eating. If you haven’t read that article, take a moment to do so on [...]
“No man steps into the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.” Heraclitus 535 – 475 BC It is a quote that both excites and haunts me. Read one way, this quote can speak to the life-transforming power of the [...]
