If you want great fly fishing on a great river, but without all the pressure of weekend crowds - try the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch outside Loveland, Colorado. It is a complete dude ranch. They have horseback riding, cozy individual cabins, a swimming pool, lodge, trophy trout ponds and more. Most fly fishermen will be interested in Sylvandale's private stretch of the Big Thompson river.
I was recently there for a private function, and was really impressed. The cabins are rustic, yet well appointed. There are picnic grounds, and for our event, the food was catered and there was a great country band. The staff is very professional and accommodating.
Included in the stay was fly fishing access to their private water. A staffer told me she had seen trout rising in the river, right in front of the restaurant. I donned my waders and set out. I didn't have my full selection of equipment and flies. I could have used one of the guides from the ranch, but decided to try it on my own. I used a large "hopper" above, with a mayfly emerger tied about 10 inches below the 'hopper.
Another man and his son were also going to fish, and were just entering the water near me. I didn't mind. there were plenty of places I wanted to try and I could have found a more remote spot, but I chose the easy place to start. The fish didn't seem to mind. A few minutes into fishing, I had a hit. I had cast in front of a large boulder, letting my fly drift through the hole. The only rod I had with me was a six-weight, and I was glad. The trout was big. He put up quite a fight. Since I was in a highly visible spot, a small gallery of people gathered along the bank to watch. I netted a good size rainbow. I did not have my hand-held scale to check his weight, nor a tape measure, but I estimated him to be close to 20 to 24 inches long and about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds. Not bad.
About then I noticed two things. More trout rising in front of a smaller boulder up stream, and dark clouds coming my way. It wasn't long before I heard the sound of thunder rolling through the canyon, and saw the flashes of rapidly approaching lightning. I got out of the water immediately and headed for cover. A few moments later the storm was upon us, and a gentle rain began to fall. I hung out on the deck of the lodge, watching the rain.
When the skies cleared about 30 minutes later - it was time for our diner event to begin and I had to stop fishing. I met Susan Jessup - the owner of the ranch - and we had a nice talk about its history and how it has stayed in her family over the years.
My experience was enough to definitely wet my appetite. If you want to fish their private stretch of river, you have to hire a guide at full price on your first visit - but then your next visits can be guide free and are 20 bucks. Not bad. By the way, the trout pond looked really fun too, and there is so much more river to check out. I will be back to Sylvan Dale some day.
You can check them out for yourself, by going to http://www.sylvandale.com/.
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