Aspen Misc.: Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Fly Fishing 101

On Monday, Gianetti’s Trout Creek Ranch in Carbondale hosted the first Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Fly Fishing 101 event. This was part of BHA’s Women in the Woods campaign, a program aimed at introducing women to out-of-doors sports that traditionally have been male oriented.

Presenters included entomologist Christina Medved, the director of Community Outreach for the Roaring Fork Conservancy; Kendall Bakich, CPW’s Aquatic Biologist for the Roaring Fork, Eagle and Middle Colorado watersheds; Lani Kitching, owner and guide from the local Proudline Guided Fishing company; Shannon Outing, accomplished photographer and fishing guide for Taylor Creek; and Bob Shettel, local representative for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.

Participants learned the details of the life cycle of the insects that trout feed on, general aquatic conservation and how to handle fish, how to assemble their equipment, and, of course, how to cast flies. All this was followed with several hours of actual fishing at the ponds and streams of the Trout Creek Ranch, with several of the participants hooking up some of the lunkers that populate Gianetti’s ponds and streams. With the success of this event, BHA plans to do it again next summer.