Colorado Fly Fishing Guide Academy!

A while back I ran into Jon Easdon while picking up some goodies in the Covey and he let me know of a Guide School that the Covey was organizing. He asked if I would be interested and it was a no brainer. Absolutely!

Becoming a Colorado Fly Fishing Guide, especially for Angler's Covey has been a dream of mine since I was 12. Most of my Christmas lists around that time had nothing but gear from Angler's Covey. Christmas mornings consisted of lining up reels and casting (badly) in the backyard no matter what the weather was like.

Twenty some odd years later and this dream is very close to becoming a reality! Last week blew any expectations of a guide school that I had totally out of the water. I have to admit I was very nervous going into it. I had doubts if I had what it takes to guide along side some of the best guides in Colorado.

Enter Robert Younghanz and Neil Luehring. I've known Robert for a while and have taken one of his entomology classes. I knew Robert's teaching style going in and I knew we'd have a lot of fun during the week. I met Neil on the first evening of class and was immediately comfortable talking with him. He has a very calm teaching style and has a knack for explaining things that really connect the dots. Neil and Robert worked really well together.

What did I learn???? Where do I start... I can tell you that there is a huge difference between being a good fly fisher and teaching someone to fly fish. There are also a lot of other things you need to consider as far as the business aspect of guiding is concerned. We covered it all. From setting up an LLC to social media to safety and gear requirements. We heard from guides with 30 years experience and guides with 3 years experience. We learned about photography and things to keep in mind when guiding female clients. Flies, casting techniques, trip preparation, customer service, etc, etc... It was a TON of info.

I have GOT to FISH!

We hit Pueblo and Deckers on Saturday and got a good dose of entomology from Robert. We teamed up and did some role playing on the river guiding our fellow students. This was a really good way to work some kinks out before jumping in with a real client.

I'm pretty sure Robert and Neil knew we were chomping at the bit to wet a line after a week of talking fishing and a day of being on the river. They cut us loose at the end of the day for an hour of fishing and it was like the running of the bulls when we turned for the water! Robert mentioned a nice run that he liked just upstream and we were off. I think he did that on purpose :) My new buddy Bob took about three steps to the river and immediately started schooling us. Age errr.... I mean experience sure does pay off :) Love ya Bob!

By this time everyone knew each other pretty well and I have to say that it felt like a group of old fishing buddies. I was totally blown away by how awesome our group was. I'd go fishing with these guys any day. No egos or grandstanding. Everyone was very cool and we had a great time. So glad to make what I know are going to be some life long friends.

Lunch is served!

Before I knew it Sunday was upon us. I couldn't believe it. It was Saturday night around 9PM and I had to tie flies, get a lunch together, and pack for the next morning where we would be GUIDING A CLIENT!!!! What!!!!!???? So this is what being a guide is like :)

I think we were all nervous but I was a lot less nervous than I was before going through this class. I had a game plan. I knew how to approach different situations and how to describe certain techniques. I had a toolbox to use. This really did boost my confidence and we all know what confidence does when you're fishing. Same thing with guiding. Not being cocky but being confident. Big difference.

On top of the world

I met Eric riverside and we were off! Eric had never cast a fly rod before but was a very quick learner. He went from never casting to landing a trout in about an hour! His first ever trout on a fly rod. I can't tell you what that moment felt like. I'm not sure who was happier!

I can't imagine working towards this feeling as a way of living. It's a lot of hard work (yes it's not a day of fishing on the river). Reminds me of a Tom Petty lyric, "I don't mind workin but I'm scared to suffer". Guiding is  hard work. But good work with an absolutely HUGE payoff. Not talking about money. Seeing Eric learn to cast, control his line, set the hook, fight and land a fish was surreal. I've always known the tug is the drug but teaching someone else to find that kind of joy on the river is just as potent. I look forward to many years of chasing that moment down again and again.