Guiding fly fishing trips has become the dream job I didn’t know I was looking for. I grew up in Summit County, the sixth generation of my family to live in Colorado.
After earning my Bachelor of Arts in journalism at CSU, I started collecting an interesting array of job locations, featuring a county jail, an accredited zoo and recently a middle school front office – all somehow leading me to the title of fishing guide in the heart of the Colorado Rockies.
I come from generations of anglers, including my mother, my grandfather and my great-grandparents. My great-grandmother was a storied angler in an era when women weren’t common to the streambed.
I cherish the few photos I have of her geared up with her lucky fishing hat, hip waders, creel and bamboo rod ready to cast into a favorite high willow creek in search of a rainbow trout.
I started fishing early on with my sisters in a stocked pond with a yellow Snoopy spin rod we shared. We enjoyed the competition to see who could cast the farthest as much as actually catching fish.
It wasn’t until college that I decided I wanted to try my hand at fly fishing. I can’t recall a specific reason why, but I asked for a rod for Christmas and Santa delivered.
It came with a VHS on casting basics, and my journey began.
I learned to tie on my own fly and gained a bit of freedom to explore the water while visiting family over in Taylor Park, where I fished the same small creeks and beaver ponds as my ancestors.
With the move to Chaffee County, I stumbled upon a notice about a Fly Fishing 101 class offered at ArkAnglers, taught by the one and only Stuart Andrews.
I took the class hoping to brush up on some skills, and realized quickly how much I still had yet to learn.
I spent more and more time on the water, discovering the Gold Medal waters of the Arkansas River, exploring local lakes and reservoirs, and falling in love with the pursuit of trout in our Rocky Mountain high country.
Time at home included the rabbit hole of YouTube and practicing knots and studying maps in preparation for the next trip to the water.
I’d spent a fair amount of time in the fly shop and reached out to Stuart about the possibility of trying my hand at guiding.
I wasn’t sure if I would like it or not – some folks tell you not to turn your hobby into a job. But with my school job I had my summers off and thought I would give it a try. If I didn’t like it, I’d find something else.
Stuart took me under his tutelage and the next step on my journey unfolded.
I shadowed several of ArkAnglers’ seasoned guides and then was assigned my first solo trip.
I knew that day I had found my calling. Each trip is its own adventure with a unique set of variables – the people I meet, the weather we experience, the behavior of the fish and the water we explore.
I love introducing folks to fly fishing for the first time, or supporting more experienced anglers reach their goals on the water.
One of the most important things I’ve learned from my own time on the water – and reinforced by my time as a guide – a day of fishing is rarely just about catching fish.
The rush of the connection made on the hookset might be what draws us to the water, but ultimately, a day of fishing offers us so much more.
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