That top-notch fly fishing was just a cast away wasn’t lost on Erik Johnson and Frank Smethurst.
Johnson, along with fellow fly-fishing veteran and industry rep Smethurst, teamed up for the “Casting with Erik and Frank” portion of Saturday’s Duranglers Fly Fishing Festival at Santa Rita Park, near the banks of the Animas River.
As of mid-afternoon Saturday, dozens of festival-goers were trying their hand at casting fly-fishing rods in the park, with assistance from Johnson and Smethurst and area guides.
Fly fishing is their passion, so Johnson and Smethurst could be forgiven if, between working with novice casters and talking fly fishing with veteran anglers, their thoughts wafted like a lofty cast to the nearby river.
And they wouldn’t have been alone. Spencer Schreiber, a local guide, talked fly-fishing hot spots with festival-goers Peter and Louise Graham, who have a home on the Florida River and were looking to take advantage of that proximity to another good fishery by taking up fly fishing.
But while Schreiber was rattling off a number of river possibilities, he and others in the know at Santa Rita Park on Saturday were quick to point out that, this time of year, don’t forget the area’s “flat waters.”
“This is a time of year that, if someone is itching to fish and there aren’t moving-water options, the area lakes are starting to happen,” said Tom Knopick, co-owner of Duranglers, reeling off the names of several well-known area lakes, including Haviland and Vallecito. “Most people we see in the shop prefer moving water, but flat water is a great option this time of year.”
As fishing is continuous in Colorado – no specific, limited “seasons” – and because winter is a very slow time for fly fishing, this is when most anglers’ attention starts wandering toward the water, Knopick said. Hence, the timing of the annual festival, which is meant to embrace that feel for what is usually a short “season” – late spring through October or so, he said.
“Every part of Colorado may look at it a little differently,” Knopick said when asked what fly anglers were expecting this year in southwestern Colorado. “Our outlook is that we wish the snowpack was a little stronger than it is. Right now we’re sitting on about 54 percent of the average, which isn’t the best scenario. But we feel it has the potential to be a special fishing season. We’re just hoping for a little rain this spring to bridge us over to the summer monsoon season. If that happens, we’ll be fine.”
There are some who link flies and fly fishing with trout and trout only. But, of course, a fly rod can be used to fish most any species; there are a number of different fly rods on the market, depending on the size of the fish being sought. Photos of large northern pike caught from Vallecito on fly rods are plastered across a wall at Duranglers.
But for many, when it comes to fly fishing, it’s all about the moving-water experience.
“In the Durango area, you have fewer options in the spring and it’s difficult to predict (fishing success),” Knopick said. “Right now, with the little cool-down we’re having, and the river (water level) has dropped, the clarity is better and it’s a much better time to fish and be successful. But it’s a roller-coaster ride.”
Count the Grahams in. After the casting demo in the park, they came back to Duranglers for the final segment of the festival, then got outfitted to fly fish themselves.
Others did the same in what Knopick said was a good day in the store. A good day, period.
“In our fifth year, without question it was the best turnout we’ve ever had,” Knopick said. “One of our customers called and left a message: ‘The festival was great. It was very informative and enjoyable.’
“That’s what we were after.”
bpeterson@durangoherald.com