Fly Fishing In Colorado With Guidebook Author Steven Schweitzer

When it comes to patrolling Colorado’s rivers and streams, few have as much personal insight as guidebook author Steven B. Schweitzer. He’s co-written a guide to Indian Peaks Wilderness Area with Michael Kruise, and authored a book on famed fishing destination Rocky Mountain National Park. Both books contain insider tips as indispensable as rod and reel to aspiring anglers.

Active Junky talked shop with Steven to get a bit more info on his guidebooks, his perspective on the scene and the best days of his fishing career. Pull on your waders and read on:

Active Junky: How has the fly-fishing culture changed in the last 10 years?

Steven Schweitzer: Since the early 2000’s, conservation groups, retailers and leading industry manufacturers have placed a renewed emphasis of increasing participation in fly fishing, particularly by conventional tackle anglers, women and children.   It is a long-time misnomer that fly fishing is complicated and “elitist,” ironically partly propagated by some within the industry.   Within the past decade, fly fishing has become more accessible to the general outdoor adventure-seeker, women and children.  More choices of high-quality gear at budget-friendly prices have emerged, along with low to no-cost education on “how-to,” breaking down many barriers to entry.  Social media and the emergence of short-films containing entertaining conservation messages have also helped fuel the awareness of saving free-flowing rivers from being dammed, or critical spawning watersheds from being altered forever by mining, or the revival of watersheds in near ruins due to industrialization.  Today, more than ever, the angler is not only able to catch fish on freely available public land, but also to help restore and protect the watersheds in which the fish need to thrive.

AJ:  Why is a guidebook a good idea?  Doesn't it take the fun of discovery out of the process?

SS: The contrary is true. A guidebook helps create personal discovery and adventure – hence why it is called a “guidebook,” it isn’t a “how-to” book. A well-written guidebook gives the reader all the tools necessary to plan a trip according to skill level and aspirations, without “kissing-n-telling” exactly where to fish and what rock to stand on when casting.  Without guides like A Fly Fishing Guide to Rocky Mountain National Park or A Fly Fishing Guide to Colorado’s Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, visitors not knowledgeable about the area have limited resources to plan a hike and a day of fly fishing in these two wonderful public areas in Colorado.  Trip planning with scant internet resources can be difficult. It is important to consider several factors when planning a day of fly fishing in the high country - it isn’t just isn’t about fishing. One must consider the difficulty of the trail (steepness, length, off-trail terrain, etc), what streams or lakes can be found along the trail, what kind of fish can be caught, if the waters are barren or not, what are the best fishing tactics for the destination waters, what to pack in a day pack or overnight backpack and most importantly, the safety factors to consider when fishing in high-altitude. With all of these tools packed in one book, the reader can plan their adventure to meet his own needs with accurate information and be safe along the way.  

AJ: Tell us about your most amazing day fishing in the past few

SS: It’s not often that I get to take 15 days away from the duties of life and purely concentrate on my own fly fishing adventure. In August of 2013, I did just that.  It was a DIY float trip in Alaska with a close fly fishing friend with whom I have fly fished all over the world with – this was our next adventure. We were dropped off 100 miles up-river via float plane and were picked up eight days later downstream. No guide.  No camp. No cook. No horses, just a rubber raft, two oars, gear and two fishermen. It was 100% primitive camping and self-sustenance along the Kwethluk River. Fishing was off-the-charts as expected for a destination such as this. Chinook, Kings, dolly varden, char, rainbows and grayling were caught at will, it seemed. We used articulated streamers, double-bunnies, eggs, dry flies and skittered mouse patterns.  Each tactic and fly combination was effective for a different species of fish.  We fished until our arms got tired each day. Given nearly 20 hours of daylight every day, we fished long and hard, barely making time each day to find a suitable river shoreline to set up camp and cook a warm meal. For those willing to live in the wilderness for a few days, fend for themselves and experience nature and wildlife by being part of it, this type of trip is hard to beat.