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Angles Sports guides locals through fly fishing waters

Guided fly fishing tours available for all levels of skill

Some days are better for fishing than others along the river running through Moraine Park, nestled in Rocky Mountain National Park. This is only one of the places Angles Sports ventures out with its new guided fly fishing tours.

Setting out early in the morning, Ryan Kazee led a small guided tour along the Big Thompson River in Rocky Mountain National Park. The temperature for the day began around 60 F, which left the water cool and “just how the fish like it,” Kazee said. While the group was eager to dip poles into the water, the fish could be seen lazing about the clear, clean water. 

Gaining a steady 2% increase each year since 2007, fly fishing has attracted over seven million Americans to the  recreational sport, according to a 2020 special joint report on fishing by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation and Outdoor Foundation. Of all the fishing activities available, fly fishing has had the highest percentage of first time participants since 2019 with at 17% gain, 22% being female. 

Seeing an opportunity during COVID, Kazee and co-owner Mat Burditt decided to take the plunge and offer tours from their Longmont store, a plan long in the making, according to Kazee.

The duo began offering tours and classes to anglers of all skill levels, from the person just looking for a new adventure, an aspiring angler or for experts looking for private waters to fish. 

On a tour last week, Kazee brought waders, boots, flies, a rod and a reel — included in the tour price. As the group doaned the apparel, Kazee set up expectations. 

“Have you seen the movie A River Runs Through It? Well, forget about what you saw, we will not be casting like that today,” he said.

For this group of first-time anglers, Kazee was determined to show them a simple form of fly fishing by allowing the water and the weight of the line to do most of the work, creating a more natural movement. 

Anglers learned that fish face into the current and when the water is clear, they can see people approaching. Kazee taught that it is best to sneak up on the fish and cast upstream, allowing the fly to float by naturally before casting again.

Throughout the entire process, Kazee was mindful of what the fish were doing, saying there is a science to fly fishing and it is about getting into the mindset of the fish. Kazee began looking to nature to provide clues about what the fish might be eating. 

Using the information taught in the entomology or Match the Hatch class at the store, Kazee identified several insects buzzing about the water and shared why he was choosing the new flies for the lines. 

“It’s about matching the hatch. The hatch are the bugs hatching in the water. These are what the fish are after. If you match what you see, you increase your chances of catching a fish,” Kazee said. 

Only one lucky angler was able to snag a fish, although many fish played with the various flies Kazee tied to the line. All fish caught on the guided tours are catch and release, keeping with Angles goal to protect the environment as much as possible, Kazee said. 

For Kazee and other guides of the new guides fly fishing tours, being mindful of the environment is important, Kazee said as he bent to pick up trash along the banks of the rushing river. This mindfulness includes leaving all aspects of the river as it was found including how and where anglers enter the water.

“We want to keep the rivers and fish healthy for future generations. We are careful of how we enter the water because this is where the fish live and survive, this is their ecosystem,” Kazee said.