Sunday, June 26, 2022

Fly Fishing Big Thompson River: Lessons and Guiding

Today's Blog Post

We offer lessons and guide services on the Big Thompson River (BTR). 

The BTR is 78 miles long, and the headwaters begin in Rocky Mountain National Park.  The upper river flows east through Moraine Park to the town of Estes Park.  There it is held in Lake Estes, by Olympus Dam.  Below the dam, are the middle and lower sections (tailwater).  From lake Estes, and before joining the South Platte River, the river descends 1/2 mile in elevation through the mountains in the spectacular 25 mile BTR canyon.  Expect to see amazing scenery, wildlife (e.g., deer, elk, raptors, bighorn sheep), and catch wild trout.  Species: Brown, Rainbow, with fish up to 24", and the majority between 8"-14".  Fly Rods: 2wt-6wt.  In each section, the river structure varies, offering anglers the opportunity to swing flies downstream, nymph rocky structures, cast dry flies and dry-droppers.  On warm days, wet wading is best.  Season: Upper May - October, and 365 days in the middle and lower sections.  Lodging: Estes Park, Loveland, or camping.


Q: Is the middle and lower BTR any good?

A: Yes - all sections are good, and produce lots of healthy wild trout.  When the national park traffic is heavy, due to easy access, we target the middle and lower sections.  The middle and lower BTR offers easy access to dozens of locations, and makes for a great 3-6 hour day of fishing. 

Q: We might stay in Loveland or Estes Park - can we do a fly casting lesson one day, and then hire you to guide us the next day?

A: Yes.  We highly recommend the combination of fly casting lessons and guiding.  In fact, we can customize a fly fishing program for you, e.g. 1-2 hours casting instruction, followed by 2-6 hours of guiding (catching fish), on the same day or multiple days. 

Q: How long is a day of guiding and what are your prices?

A: We offer four, six, and eight hours per day.  Please see pricing information in the link below. 

Thank you for reading, and for more information on lessons and guiding: