Ask most fly fishermen why they like the sport so much and many of them will tell you that it’s about the solitude. It’s about getting away from the rat race and connecting with nature. It’s about clearing your mind and having time to just think. However, as the sport has grown in popularity, the once secluded, peaceful rivers have become as crowded as a Home Depot checkout line with guys waiting all day to get the opportunity to fish the best holes. In addition to the crowds, over fishing has caused streams and rivers that were once teaming with trout to drop to just a few healthy fish per mile. Serious fishermen looking to find conditions like the old days have given up on over-fished public waters and standing shoulder-to-shoulder on crowded banks in favor of private lakes, streams and rivers.
Catering to serious sportsmen who see their time with nature as nothing short of spiritual, fly fishing clubs know they have a tall order to fill. Their members pay dues for much more than the opportunity to fish top-quality streams.
Beyond pristine waters, members of fly fishing clubs also seek dream fulfillment; the kind of day on the water that yields moment after moment of euphoria, excitement and enjoyment. The kind of day that finds them angling from sun up to sun down, never realizing that the day has slipped away. It’s an escape from the everyday grind.
What is the purpose of fly fishing clubs? In short, to create the penultimate fly fishing experience. At the end of the day, members never walk away thinking, “You know, that was a pretty good day out there.” They think, “Man. It’s going to be hard to top that,” and then the next day, they head out to the stream again… and top it.
With August here that means Trico’s. We’ve had all summer to get our game face on and now it’s time to see who’s ready. Trico’s are very small which makes trout super fussy and to master this hatch you must be at the top of your game. Are you ready? If not, that’s okay, we’re here to help. 
The Trico (genus Tricorythodes) is the smallest of the mayfly family usually a size 18-24. They hatch from late July through the month of August. They’re of the crawler type and live mostly in rivers and favor slow water that has silt covered bottoms. The nymphs are not important to trout but the duns and spinners are. Males have black bodies and thorax with clear wigs and the females have grayish or olive bodies with a black thorax and clear wings. Trico’s have 2 emergence’s a day. The males hatch in the evening and females hatch in the mornings. The males will spend the night hanging out in stream-side vegetation waiting for the females to emerge. The male trico will spend the night as duns and turn to spinners in the early mornings where females turn to spinners almost immediately after hatching. In the mornings the males wait around in the trees, shrubs, and grasses until the females hatch. As the females begin to emerge the males will join them and clouds of tricos begin to swarm looking like a cloud of smoke over the river. This event is where males and females fly around in great masses searching for their mate. After mating the females will head to the water to lay eggs as the males will just fall in the water and die. This creates a ridiculous amount of food for the trout to feed on.
During the hatch it’s usually best to fish a bigger dry fly that you can see such as a Parachute Adams, Lime Trude, or Royal Coachmen, and follow it with a trico spinner pattern. We really like to focus on the female spinners early in the hatch as the trout really key in on the egg laying females. Later in the morning when the females are all done the fish will switch and begin to key in on the spent males. Most of the time the males aren’t perfect spinners as they’re death is usually results in a crash landing. With that being said a black RS2 or a sunken trico will usually do the trick especially if the fish seem to be shying away from surface. To fish this hatch you must use a 9-12 ft 6-7X leader.
Here in North Park the Trico hatch is very good on all stretches of the North Platte. Our spinner falls are generally from 9am-noon and are best on days the wind is not blowing too hard. The best dry fly activity is during the spinner fall and the last hour of daylight each day.
A few flies we recommend are: Spinners #18-24 Poly Wing Trico Olive or Black, Organza Trico Spinner Olive or Black, CDC Trico Spinner Olive or Black. Duns: CDC Thorax Emerger Black, CDC Thorax Dun Black, Cannon’s Bunny Dun Trico Black….
Are you familiar with every boulder and every seam in your local river but you still find yourself yearning to fish those unknown, undiscovered spots just around the bend, those spots that are out of reach because they’re behind those “No Trespassing” signs?
Exclusivity. Solitude. A fishing experience unmatched by any other.
This is why private fly fishing clubs like The North Park Anglers exist: To provide the feeling of having spent hours fishing your own private trout stream surrounded by miles of serene views, no distractions or interruptions.
It’s just you, your rod, and a day on the water seemingly scripted straight from your wildest dreams.
Your membership in our private fly fishing club grants you private trout-fishing opportunities across 50 miles of rivers and streams and 7 lakes in North Park (Jackson County) Colorado from April 1 to October 31. Our stream-side cabins are within casting distance of the river. Our days begin 30 minutes before sunrise and end 30 minutes past sunset.
We keep our membership limit capped at 65, ensuring that your experience is everything you’d expect when you think of private fly fishing. Club members rave about the quality, the solitude and the privacy—the very reasons sportsmen like you vie to become a part of it.
It’s time to stop chasing that perfect day on the water; it’s waiting for you here at The North Park Anglers Fly Fishing Club.
If you’re like our other members, maybe it’s because you’re getting fed up with the increasing crowds that are taking over what used to be your pristine, quiet stretch of river. It’s fair enough. You’ve been fishing that hole for years. It feels like it’s yours. Then when you come around the bend and see that someone else is already there, it’s frustrating.
Or maybe you’re like some of our other members who have yearned to cross those “No Trespassing” signs that hang on the barbed-wire fences at the river’s edge. Have you always wondered what it looks like just around the curve. You’ve memorized every twist and turn of the river. You know where every submerged log is. You know where the eddies are during the spring runoff and where the fish congregate in the late summer months when the stream flows drop. But despite all of your familiarity with this river, you’ve never seen that portion that lies beyond the fence. That curiosity is killing you.
No matter what your reasons, most fly fishermen can agree on one thing, fishing pressure has caused many of the once-great rivers to lose their magic. Those areas that once held lunkers in those deep holes, now seem to be empty. Sportsmen in search of the fishing experience like they remember from years gone by are flocking to private fishing clubs because they know that that is the answer to all of their frustrations.
Members of fly fishing clubs stretch their angling muscles into new territory, abandoning over-crowded banks and over-fished waters for an atmosphere of tranquility and solitude. Are you ready?
Some fishing clubs are just that; fishing clubs. In Colorado, there are several clubs to choose from but not all of them can offer unique lodging opportunities that complete the total experience. Do you want to rough it in the wild? Are you needing to recharge and connect with nature? Then our rustic, stream side cabins might be perfect for you? These are a favorite for guys who are wanting to spend as much time on the water as possible, thanks to their location where you can practically cast from the doorway. These remote cabins are completely off the grid. Nothing connects you to the area like roughing it without electricity or running water. Be sure to bring a sleeping bag, cooking utensils, and food. Or maybe you’d like some basic “creature comforts.” We also have options that include a few extras like an outdoor deck with propane grill. It’s all about creating the experience you desire! And the good news is that members get exclusive access to our stream side cabins for up to 10 nights a year.
Or perhaps you’re part of a group that’s looking for a complete, all-inclusive lodging experience so you don’t have to bring anything but your personal items. The Buffalo Creek Lodge offers all of the amenities you’d expect from a high-end, deluxe fishing lodge including hearty meals, comfortable leather couches and a crackling fire in our giant stone fireplace — the old fashioned kind fueled with real logs from the forest.
To learn more about the various lodging options available to our members, please visit the membership section.
The recent weather has been a blessing to the North Park basin. As we head into the month of May we’re excited to boast a whopping 100% snow pack. This precipitation ensures a powerful run-off and scrub for the river bottoms. A good run-off will stimulate bug life and provide better habitat for everything living within the river systems, especially big wild trout. As die hard fly fishermen we lust for good water years knowing the good flow will be a healthy stimulate to our upcoming season providing many great days on the water. Looking at the snotel page which is the NOAA site for measuring snow-depth and snow/water equivalent, North Park is leading the state with the highest snow pack levels. Within our valley the Rawah Mountain range is leading the pack at a stunning 184% of normal. The Rawah range is located along the East rim of the park and supports the Michigan and Canadian rivers which are huge systems within our Fishing Club. Not far behind is Willow Creek pass at 130% of normal. Willow Creek pass is the Southern rim of the park and supports the Illinois river which is also a major fishery on club property. With all the great snow levels 2013 should be a great fishing season. Soon the sun will shine, bugs will hatch, and we’ll be blessed with feeding trout… We’ll see you soon!
As a member of one of the top private fly fishing clubs in Colorado, you just might sleep better at night knowing that you no longer have to exaggerate your fish tales.
Picture this:
A peaceful, sparkling stretch of river… no anglers in the water except for you… pristine, breath-taking views in every direction… thousands of trout per mile…and a thrilling euphoria that washes over you as you realize you’re, at last, living the dream you’ve played out in your head for decades. This is why you’ve dreamed of private fly fishing clubs. In Colorado, 65 lucky members can live out that dream and upgrade their fly fishing experience from “a good day fishing” to “the best day on the water in years.”
Gone are the days of feeling limited to and tied down by over-crowded, over-fished lakes that leave you longing for more. Isn’t it time to begin living your dream today?
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