The Reminder We ALL Need When Fishing in the Spring

The other week I received a call from 5280 Magazine and they were wanting to speak to me about fishing Colorado's South Platte River in a section called Deckers. While this gold medal section of river is held with equal parts love and hate by most Colorado anglers and is likely unknown by those of you who do not live in Colorado, the phenomena that Covid 19 has brought to the South Platte is likely being mirrored on your home waters.

Last year the state of Colorado sold more than 100,000 more fishing licenses than the previous year and these new anglers are looking for somewhere to fish. While the magazine wanted to talk to me about my top flies and the hatches on this particular section of river, when asked if there was anything else I wanted to add to their article before signing off I took the conversation in a completely different direction. Together we need to guide and educate these new anglers!

The new generation of angler may not have grown up fly fishing and we need to use what opportunities are afforded us (this magazine article, the Ascent Fly Fishing shop and events, and every chance encounter along the river) to gently educate and encourage them to sustainable use of the resources and how to graciously share the water.

In addition to angling ethics and how to share the water we need to teach these new anglers how to ethically and sustainably fish during the spawn. We can't get angry at these new anglers for mishandling trout or wading through a redd if they have never been taught. So as we approach the spring spawn and a sport that is growing in popularity, please embrace the role of patient educator and role model. More often than not a gentle point made, some flies shared on the water, and the help adjusting an indicator will be well received and passed on down the river!