Fly Casting Lesson

Overview

Custom float fishing trips on the Gunnison River Gorge are fully guided for Fly Fishing.

It is a Catch & Release fishery with a fish count of over 7,000 Rainbow and Brown trout per mile, 1,000 of which are 14-35 inches. Gold Medal fisheries are 60 pounds of fish per acre and the Gunnison River has over 400 pounds per acre!

Accessible only by foot, it's a 1 mile hike into the Gorge! The day before your trip, Ed's Fly Shop will horse pack boats and gear into the Gorge. The Gunnison Gorge is a wilderness canyon for those who are willing to literally go the extra mile. With every step, the wilderness feeling deepens. The solitude and scenery found at the canyon floor make the Chucker Trail hike down worth every step.

A trip to the canyon floor requires a hike of one mile down a steep trail. Guests are expected to carry their personal gear in Ed's Fly Shop issued dry bag backpacks (3.3 cu.ft), provided by Ed's Fly Shop.

You can choose to add a horse to carry your bags to the launch at the bottom of the Gorge (NOTE: we must have your gear a few days before your trip in order to accommodate this).

Special regulations are in effect to protect the fishery which allows only one fish over 16″ and two under 12″ to be kept. Fly and lures only. We encourage everyone to catch and release. A valid Colorado fishing license is required.

We can set up the rafts or drift boats with 2 anglers per boat. Our professional guides will prepare your meals (lunch through lunch on multi-day trips) and set up the camp. There is easy access at the Gunnison Forks Park (our meeting location) and Ed's Fly Shop will return you to the same at the trip end.

The limited access and unique June ‘Stonefly Hatch’ makes these very exciting trip at special rates.

Important details:

Limited space (8) per trip
Minimum 2 Anglers per raft
Only one fish over 16″ and two under 12″ are allowed to be kept per special regulations
Catch & release encouraged
Flies only
You must purchase a valid Colorado fishing license - we will include a link in your confirmation email
Gratuities are not included in the trip cost

Let's Fish

Experience the wild and the solitude on the Gunnison

Food

The meals are planned with lots of fresh and hearty vegetables and salads. Gourmet selections for the delight of our guests throughout the journey. Your guides will be in charge of all preparations and they will amaze you with what comes out of those dutch ovens!

We can accommodate special diets with advance notice and the menu almost always suits the vegetarian.

Alcohol

Ed's Fly Shop will provide complimentary wine for dinners. You’re welcome to bring alcohol on multi-day expeditions, as long as it’s in unbreakable containers. Discretion in alcohol consumption during whitewater days is strongly advised. If you would like us to pick up a particular beer and bring it to the river, please advise and payment can be made for your purchase at the river put-in with your Trip Leader.

Getting There

The meeting place for this trip can be varied depends on your lodging arrangement. We recommend you staying in Montrose the night before the launch date and arrange your vehicles (if applicable) to be parked at the lodge. We have a few lodging recommendations so please ask one of our staff.

By Plane: Fly into Montrose, CO Airport (served by United, Continental, and America West) for pick up at lodge or airport.

By Car: Option 1: Take I-70 to Grand Junction then Hwy 550 South Bound to Montrose. Option 2: Take Hwy 50 into Montrose.

Gratuity

Gratuity is not included in your trip cost. While tipping is done at your discretion, tipping is one of the gauges we use in terms of customer satisfaction. If you are ever not satisfied, please let us know so that we can adjust our expeditions in the future.