Frying Pan Anglers – a full service fly fishing shop and outfitter based in Basalt Colorado which provides guided fly fishing trips on the frying pan river, roaring fork river, Colorado river and other rivers in the Basalt area. Frying Pan Anglers carries fly fishing equipment, with Hardy fly fishing equipment, and fly fishing supplies. It provides regular fishing reports and fly fishing reports for the frying pan river, the roaring fork river and Colorado river in our area. Frying Pan Anglers is the premier fly fishing and guided fly fishing outfitter for the best quality guides and fly fishing equipment. Frying Pan Anglers provides a range of fly fishing equipment including orvis, hardy, greys, lamson, ross, galvan, and bauer fly fishing reels. In addition it carries orvis helios fly rods, hardy, greys, GL Loomis, mystic echo and St Croix fly rods. It is your one stop fly fishing shop and fly fishing outfitter in the frying pan river area for guided float and wade fishing trips and tours. It hosts excellent fly fishing guides and fly fishing tours on the frying pan river and other local waters. The guides will provide excellent teaching and coaching for clients of Frying Pan Anglers.Frying Pan Anglers – a full service fly fishing shop and outfitter based in Basalt Colorado which provides guided fly fishing trips on the frying pan river, roaring fork river, Colorado river and other rivers in the Basalt area. Frying Pan Anglers carries fly fishing equipment, with Hardy fly fishing equipment, and fly fishing supplies. It provides regular fishing reports and fly fishing reports for the frying pan river, the roaring fork river and Colorado river in our area. Frying Pan Anglers is the premier fly fishing and guided fly fishing outfitter for the best quality guides and fly fishing equipment. Frying Pan Anglers provides a range of fly fishing equipment including orvis, hardy, greys, lamson, ross, galvan, and bauer fly fishing reels. In addition it carries orvis helios fly rods, hardy, greys, GL Loomis, mystic echo and St Croix fly rods. It is your one stop fly fishing shop and fly fishing outfitter in the frying pan river area for guided float and wade fishing trips and tours. It hosts excellent fly fishing guides and fly fishing tours on the frying pan river and other local waters. The guides will provide excellent teaching and coaching for clients of Frying Pan Anglers.


Aspen Fly fishing Guided Trips

cabins on the Frying Pan River

river flow report for the frying pan roaring fork and colorado rivers

Frying Pan River Roaring Fork River and Colorado River guided fishing trips

book a guided frying pan river guided fishing trip

frying pan river trout flies

photos of the frying pan river, roaring fork river and colorado rivers

topics and discussions of the frying pan roaring fork and colorado rivers

fishing equipment and supplies for colorado fishing

frying pan anglers


 
 
 
     



Fishing Report

For the Week ending 3rd April 2011


**********************************

What a change in the weather! Yesterday it was in the mid sixty degrees and windy. Today it is cold, snowing and 30 degrees. There were a lot of fishermen out on the river yesterday, particularly on the Roaring Fork around Basalt. The high winds and heat blew out the Crystal rendering the Fork below Carbondale unfishable while the Colorado was also dirty. So the big question is whether this cold snap will stop the melt in its tracks for a day or so. The forecast is for this to pass tonight with the temperatures back in the mid 40's tomorrow and the temperatures thereafter to remain above freezing over night for the rest of the week.

At lower elevations nothing will freeze tonight and this evening the Crystal was more colored than it was this morning. So on all reckoning the Fork is unlikely to be fishable below Carbondale and the Colorado will be similarly unworthy. So if you are coming up, and want to know the latest conditions give us a call at the shop. But more than likely, just plan to turn on to Highway 82 and come straight to Basalt where the best water will be available.

This past week saw some excellent fishing before the change. Mike floated the Fork and had some spectacular days. Have a look at this 26" fish his client caught. The fishing was excellent on the Fork up above Basalt. The Pan was also excellent. It is the last of the school holidays so one would expect the visitors to drop off a little now.

We have been working on the website for The San Juan Angler so take a look at the photos of the area around Durango and the excellent fishing which can be enjoyed there.

Ordinarily I am not given to being overly critical of certain fly fishing industry practices because it is just an enjoyable pastime which hopefully distracts us from every day existence. But I must say, on reading the latest Gear Guide from Fly Fish America, it is one of the most unashamedly appalling pieces of nonsense published for some time. Its just retarded.  So egregious are some of the omissions that any resemblance between this publication and any objective analysis is mere fantasy. It is laughable at best and quite sinister if one concludes that this pretense at objectivity is nothing more than a compilation of industry propaganda proffered by select and favored advertisers. Who knows?

Let me give just a couple of examples. Nowhere in any of the products referenced is there any mention of Hardy or Greys. Outrageous! How could any self respecting publication ignore the products of the most distinguished manufacturer in the history of fly fishing? Even an idiot wouldn't miss that. How can this possibly be?

Take the article on presentation rods. It is a joke. They have omitted 2 of the best presentation rods on the market. The Winston TMF and the Hardy "Stream". I fish dry flies 90% of the time 52 weeks a year. And 90% of that time I fish the Hardy "Stream" because it is in my view the best rod on the market for light presentation and tippet protection. It’s a 90% glass rod. I have fished with a number of the rods mentioned in the article to try them out and they are a joke compared to either the TMF or the Hardy "Stream". And the Stream retails for $375. Compare that to the overpriced and clunky Scott glass rod. It’s a joke. That's nothing better than a $50 lamiglas blank or a knockoff.

And for as for graphite, nothing comes close to the subtlety of the Winston TMF. For delicate presentation and tippet protection the TMF equals or even outperforms the Winston BIIT yet it is not even mentioned. Why not mention both Winston rods? The author has no difficulty mentioning 3 sage rods (including the redington) and 2 scott rods.

Sure. I am expressing my opinion as to the superiority of the TMF and the Stream, but the fact that they are not even mentioned is a joke.

It is interesting also that there is no mention of more aggressive fly rods. I wonder why? This year, the single most significant development in the whole of the fly fishing industry is the new Hardy Sinitrix product - the Zenith and the Pro Axis. It is amazing how other rod manufacturers are critical of Hardy's new rods. I have heard so much nonsense and misrepresentation that it smacks of desparation. Sinitrix is a gamechanger. Suffice to say, let the facts be the judge. View this video on Youtube. It is in German. But no mind, have a look at the test undertaken comparing the Hardy to an unnamed rod. For more information on the Hardy, have a look at the results of the "Shootout" on Yellowstone angler here. The Hardy came in first place blowing away the opposition by a massive margin! No-one came close. Yet nowhere is this mentioned in the 2011 Gear Guide. Why not?

Then look at the reels. Nowhere is mentioned a single Greys reel or a Hardy Reel. Why not? Dollar for dollar, Greys offer probably some of the best value on the market. I must say the new Orvis reels are very good value as well. Lamson and Galvan are also far in front of the competition. And even the 2 reels made on the other side of the world somewhere by Montana Fly Company are mentioned. Hendrix Outdoors make and sell more reels than Montana.  They don't get mentioned.  And nowhere is mentioned Hardy and Greys. To ignore them and mention Montana Fly Company or Cabelas renders the author of the article an unmitigated fool.

There are plenty of other glaring errors and omissions but by now if you have read this far, you might have divined my view. This nonsense does a complete disservice to the industry and to the fly fishing public. It is an utter disgrace. The authors of this rag should be ashamed of themselves. There is a good reason that this magazine is free.

Frying Pan

Current Flow: below the Dam 135cfs. (if you want more uptodate figures check out current readings on our "Links" page)


Another excellent week of fishing. On Saturday, as the threatened cold front blew in it was hard fishing in the high winds. Those who persisted had great results. Most fishermen sought protection in the narrowest parts of the valley where the trees provided some protection against the wind.

During the week there were excellent midge hatches and in the warmer weather some BWO's coming off. It appears that the current change will be done tomorrow and so in the coming week with a few cloudy days and the possibility of some rain with temperatures persisting in the 40's to 50's during the day, the fishing should be excellent.

Recommended Flies:  There is good fishing now on both midges and BWO's. The principal hatches are midges, but the BWO's are building in intensity.

The midges will come off during the day, particularly if it is sunny. So try WD-40's #20, red and black chironocones #20, brassies #18 - #22, midge larva patterns #18 - #22, copper johns #18 - #22, black polywings #18 - #22 and garcia's rojo midges # 18 - #22.

As they come off try the gray loopwing emergers #20 - #22, the FPA special emergers, biot emergers both with and without the trailing shuck and gray RS2's #18 - #22. In addition try dry patterns such as the z-wing real midge, suspended midge and any similar dry black and gray patterns in sizes from #20 through to #26, loopwing emergers #20 - #22 and FPA special emergers #20 - #26.

As the baetis begin to move about, try small nymphs such as pheasant tails and rs2's for variety. If the BWO's begin to come off parachute adams and BWO patterns #20 - #26 will work well. Try the parachute BWO and the thorax patterns.

Roaring Fork


 Current Flow: near Emma - 451cfs (if you want more uptodate figures check out current readings on our "Links" page).

Yesterday is was in the 60's with high winds. The Crystal has blown so unless we get a really cool change fast, the lower Fork will be done now as the run-off gathers pace. Today it is colder and as I write, a storm has blown in and there is a covering of snow on the ground with the wind blowing it sideways. A few trees have already come down along the road indicating the ferocity of the wind gusts. But it is not very cold. And the Crystal looks worse now than it did this morning. So with the temperatures unlikely to fall below freezing and to return to mid 40's to mid 50's over the next few days, the best bet would be to come up to Basalt and fish the Roaring Fork from there. At the moment the flow has jumped 100cfs in 24 hours, so if it holds there the water will clear. But if it keeps rising, it will color up further. So the best advice is to ring the shop and inquire as to the state of the lower Fork if you are on your way up.

Recommended Flies:  The best results now are nymphing deep with eggs, attractors such a princes and hare's ears, worms, stoneflies and small baetis nymphs.

If you are floating try streamers, particularly heavier flies with enough weight to get down quickly.


Colorado River

The Colorado has blown out. Don't bother stopping. Just turn onto HIghway 82 and come up to Basalt.

 

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