Guide Services

Guide Services

Our program’s location varies by season and is subject to small adjustments surrounding water conditions, but this is a good general guide to the where and when:

Summer

From mid-June until early October, we return to where it all started in Basalt, Colorado.  We can be found at the Taylor Creek Fly Shop, on the banks of the Frying Pan River.  All trips here are run through the shop, as they hold the Colorado Outfitter’s License #1942.  We do float and wade trips on the nearby Roaring Fork and Colorado Rivers, as well as wade only trips on the Frying Pan.  Hike in/high mountain lake trips are also available for Brook Trout and Cutthroats.  Taylor Creek is Colorado’s oldest and largest guide service, and is certainly one of the most respected in the country.

Fall

October brings the beginning of our migratory species Great Lakes program.  The first stop is always Michigan, where we combine fly fishing certain Lake Michigan tributaries with a few Notre Dame home games.  Here, Chinook Salmon runs provide great fishing, not only for fresh Kings, but as well for Brown Trout and Steelhead who feast on the plethora of eggs that end up in the drift.  Most of the largest resident Brown Trout are caught anywhere we go are caught at this juncture.  By November, we are well into our stride for Lake Erie Steelhead.  Folly’s End Campground provides our base camp, and we are there until the weather chases us out, generally in January.  For a lot more information on our fall program, please consult our brochure found here.  

Winter

Beginning in February, we shift our attention to the South, and to the incredible fisheries of the South Holston and Watauga rivers of eastern Tennessee.  The two are undeniably the greatest trout rivers that I have ever encountered east of the Mississippi.  Wild brown trout dominate, and both rivers have more fish per mile than any other rivers in the eastern U.S.  The weather at this time of year is generally mild, and daily hatches of Midges, Blue-Winged Olives, and even occasional Sulphurs provide fantastic fishing.  Dry fly fishing is common through the winter, and fishing pressure is very light.  This is the ultimate cure for cabin fever for the northern trout bum.

Spring

By April, our versatility shines through.  Spring brings opportunities for great fishing in a number of venues, the timing of each often being determined by water and weather conditions.  An early thaw for Lake Erie brings amazing Steelhead runs in Ohio and Pennsylvania.  Trout fishing begins all over Pennsylvania and in New York’s Catskills.  Mayfly hatches go bananas all over the northeast in May and June.  We can be found in a number of venues during the spring, so it is best to check in with us and see what we are up to.  One day we may be in Erie guiding steelhead, and the next floating the Little Juniata for the Grannom Caddis hatch!