Colorado is known for its fly fishing, where anglers head to the state’s numerous streams and rivers in hopes of catching fish like trout and bass.
The Arkansas river, which runs through Pueblo, is a popular site for fly fishing in the region.
There are local organizations like Front Range Adventures who take people out to go fly fishing at different streams and rivers at no cost to them.
Anglers are required to have a permit by the state in order to go fishing in those areas.
For those interested in going fishing across Colorado, here are some tips on what to do in order to properly catch a fish.
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Make sure to come prepared
One tip for going out to fish is having the right preparations: come ready with the right equipment and know in advance the types of food fish eat so you know which bait to use.
Greg Guilfoil, who owns Front Range Adventures, said preparing to fish is like cooking, where you need to make sure you have the right ingredients in order for it to come out good.
“The time of year, insect activity and the entomology of the food of what the fish eat is really important,” he said.
Most streams in Colorado are protected by the state for people to catch and release fish and not for people who keep them.
The most important tips when going fly fishing is to find the fish, catch it and then release it back into the water.
Understanding fish behavior
Another main tip for going out fishing is to learn the behavior of the different types of fish in the rivers and streams.
Fish in streams are not all in one location. They are spread out across different parts, so people looking for fish should be ready to walk for miles or hundreds of feet.
The temperature of the water is another thing people should monitor before going out because it changes throughout the year.
“Read the water and read the river as you’re coming up to a stream and decide if its the right water in the first place,” Guilfoil said. “That’s based off cubic feet per second (CFS).”
Approaching fish
When looking for fish, one important tip to catch them is to get to them quietly. You want to be stealthy and not let the fish know you are in the area.
If the fish see people up at the surface, they will move to deeper waters and that will make it more difficult for people to catch them.
Fish often eat bugs they find floating in the water. Guilfoil said one tip to lure them toward you is to have some bait floating in the stream they can eat to catch them in time.
“You have a chance of catching a fish if it’s the right color and size,” he said.
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Chieftain Education Reporter Joe McQueen can be reached at jmcqueen@gannett.com or on Twitter @jmcqueennews
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