Aspen Outfitting Company - Gunnison River Salmonfly Hatch

A tributary of the mighty Colorado River, the Gunnison River is the fifth largest river in the state of Colorado. The Gunnison materializes at the confluence of the East and Taylor Rivers, just upstream from the town of Gunnison. The fly fishing on that upper stretch of the river can be fantastic, with unique opportunities such as a substantial (and somewhat mystifying) late-summer run of land-locked Salmon. The really fantastic fly fishing however, is lower down , below Blue Mesa Reservoir in the Gunnison Gorge.

This stretch has long been known to locals as the best fly fishing in the State, and possibly some of the best in North America. That claim is especially relevent during the Salmonfly hatch. The Salmonfly (Pteronarcys californica), is a giant stonelfy that hatches by the billions in the early summer. The river, especially during "THE hatch", is increasingly popular. However, this part of the Gunnison is managed by the BLM, and they have done a good job at regulating its use. Commercial trips are limited to only 2 launches per day, and private launches are limited because the put-in is sooo remote.

Salmonflies during the height of the hatch

Guide/Chef Doug in the foreground, Jared fishing in the Background

Due to the crazy amount of snow this winter, this spring has been a tricky one for fly fishing on Colorado's Western Slope. Lucky for me, (and the real reason for this post) I just got back from a dream-trip that materialized at the last-minute. The stars just happened to align. The Gunnison was running very high during the week that is usually reserved for the Salmonfly, so everything was pushed back. When the water finally came down, the local outfitter that we use for the Gunnison trip just happened to have a cancellation, and they put together a "Local's Trip". Karl Page, the head fly fishing guide here at Aspen Outfitting Company, and I were invited to attend. At one point, there were going to be 8 fishermen, but due to the last-minute scheduling, it turned out only 4 could make it. Below are a few pics of some pretty memorable fish...

Some Big Flies for the Salmonfly Hatch

You won't be using these Flys anywhere but the "Gunny"

The Author with a 'nice' brown caught on a Dry...

Karl Page (Left) and Jimmy Hancock (Right) with a chubby 19" Gunnison Bow

Your intrepid reporter with a Big-Boy Brown. NOTE: This was a two-hander!

Aspen Outfitting Company on Plum TV

Once again, Aspen Outfitting Company will be on Plum TV this summer!

I was fortunate to be invited for several appearances last summer, where I talked about our various outdoor activities, and we got fantastic response from our guests and friends here in Aspen. This year, in order to have a bit more of a predictable presence, we are working on providing a weekly fly fishing update for the great folks at Plum TV .

In fact, I just got back from the Aspen Pedestrian Mall, where I did my first interview of the summer with Brandon Blocker. I will post the video, or at least the link when they get it up. Until then, a brief discription...

Brandon and I discussed the unseasonably high water in the Roaring Fork River, and the impact it has had on the fly fishing up until now. The reality is of course somewhat less dramatic than what most people believe, and we have been having great success with sending our guided trips out on the upper stretches of the Roaring Fork. That said, the fly fishing opportunities have been available on somewhat of a wait-and-see basis. Of course, our private skeet range is not at all affected by high water, so we have been offering a fantastic alternative to fly fishing- Clay Target Shooting.

Below is one of the segments from last year. Take a look, and stay tuned for weekly updates all summer long!

http://aspen.plumtv.com/videos/jarrod_hollinger

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New Ugartechea AOC/SG coin-finish

Just a couple of quick images of the guns from the newest shipment from Ugartechea in Eibar, Spain. These guns are the first of the AOC/SG guns to come with a coin-finished action. As you can see from the pics, we are also offering prince of wales (semi-pistol) grips and semi-beavertail forends. More Pics when time warrants.

12ga. Westley Richards Drop-lock

12ga. Westley Richards Drop-lock

Just received a beautiful 12ga. Drop-lock by Westley Richards on consignment. Haven't established a price yet, but I wanted to post it ASAP. It is an exceptional gun, and we are proud to offer an english shotgun of this quality. Several more detailed pics below, starting with the engraving on the barrels and action, and then the forend and the barrel selector.

It sports what is known as a "doll's head" third-fastener

Partridge on the left side

Ruffed Grouse on the right side

The gun was made in Birmingham, England as #2 of a pair around 1910 for an outlet in New York. It has 2 1/2" Chambers proofed for 1 1/8oz. loads. It has 30" barrels and weighs 6lbs. 8oz.

A blackcock is engraved on the underside and a Setter on the trigger-guard

The forend is especially impressive, as it is inlaid with ebony

The selector for the mechanical single-trigger

Having a Blast with Aspen Outfitting Company

Sara and Carol do the 'Charlie's Angles' pose with Mt. Sopris in the background

A few weeks ago I posted about the trip that head-guide Karl Page and I took to Branson, MO. to get certified by the NSCA as Level I instructors. Since returning, both Karl and I have been spending quite a bit of time on the range. Each of us volunteered a day for the annual Elks Club RFVSA Disabled Vetrans shoot, and we've also been doing lots of instructing for guests of the St. Regis Resort, Aspen. Karl and I focus on the beginning shooters, while instructor Kory Krahl and my father Jon Hollinger work with the intermediate and advanced shooters.

The Author looking on as Sara blasts a clay

When I met mother/daughter team Sara and Carol, I knew that we were going to have a great day. Although it was pretty early on a Saturday morning, they were enthusiastic about getting started with the sport of Shotgun shooting. Our half-day shooting trip takes beginners from the foundations of shooting all the way through breaking targets from several challenging presentations. Carol had done some shooting when she was growing up, and Sara had never shot a shotgun before, so we started with the fundamentals. Our main priority at Aspen Outfitting Company is to promote respect for firearms and practice safety while shooting. So, before any cartridges were fired, I showed the ladies how the various style of shotguns worked, briefly introduced them to the concepts of ballistics, and demonstrated proper stance and gun-mount. Sara had lots of great questions, and it was apparent that they were fast learners.

I started the ladies shooting at the patterning board, a stationary target about 25 yards away. We tried several different guns in order to find the ones that fit properly, and in no time both Sara and Carol were consistant with their stance and mount, and were able to focus on and hit the target every time. It was time to move to the Skeet range.

We started shooting going-away targets that closely resembled shooting at the patterning board. When they were comfortable with that presentation and consistantly breaking targets, we moved to a more challenging station. By the end of the session, Carol and Sara were breaking difficult crossing targets proficiently, and were considering Shotgun shooting as their new favorite sport.

Carol poses with her new favorite gun

Costa Del Mar

I can see you Mr. Trout

Just got our first shipment of Costa Del Mar sunglasses in here at Aspen Outfitting Company. We have a great selection of frames, and we were lucky enough to get a variety of lenses, including their much-lauded 580 series. I already have a pair of WaveKillers with Blue Mirrored amber lenses (here I am modeling them), but they've got so many frame/lense combos to choose from that I might be tempted to invest in another pair.

Fishing the Roaring Fork

Roaring Fork River Brown Trout

As the weather warms up and spring arrives, the fishing continues to be excellent. The shop has been very busy the past couple of weeks, and now that off-season is upon us (lifts close tomorrow) I am getting a chance to do some trips that I've been wanting to do for a while. Sara Vandermeer has worked at the St. Regis for a couple of years. She has gone shooting with my father, and has always hinted that she would be interested to get out and try some fly fishing. Sara is heading back to New Zealand next week, so we decided to get her out on the river and show her what it is all about before she goes home. Sara's friends Steve and Michael were in town visiting, so I took them along with Sara and her room-mate Jacquie. The following pic is of the entire crew looking extremely attractive in their fishing gear.

The Crew

Jacquie, Jarrod and Sara

Jacquie with her Rainbow

Jacquie was the first one to hook up. She played and landed a nice Bow very proficiently. Although there has been some action on the surface recently, everyone in this group was pretty new to fishing, so we were working on roll casts, and fishing with little nymphs. The midge emergers seemed to be getting the most success, so after Jacquie got the above pic taken, and her Bow released, I changed Michael's fly and went up stream to see how Sara and Steve were doing.

Sara and her Brownie

Sara picked a little brown out of the riffles with a midge emerger, and I had to run downstream to help Michael net a fish pretty soon after that. The time had flown by, and we wanted to head a little further downvalley and try another spot, so we made our way back to the car. This was a great group, and we had lots of laughs in transit. Everyone was keen to get back in the river, so we didn't travel for too long.

The Author

The second part of the day was a little slower, as we were past the middle of the day. Although they hooked several fish, nobody was landing any, and I think that minds were turning to a beer at the Woody Creek Tavern. Finally, Michael handed me the rod and said that I should have a go. When guiding clients, it is our policy not to fish. There is always lots to do, and guests have a better experience when the focus is solidly on them. However, this was a group of friends and co-workers, so I abandoned my 'guide' demeanor and started fishing. I missed a couple of strikes, and then got a lucky hookup at the end of a drift. Sara got a couple of pics of me playing the fish (nice pose) and then of the fish itself. It was a nice-sized Brown. Once we had it in the net, everyone marveled at how yellow-gold he was. I think it was an older fish, but he was in pretty good shape, and we got him back in the water quickly.

Cat Cay, Bahamas

On the 15th of March I went to the Bahamas with my dad and little sister. We stayed with Tony Belcher on Cat Cay (traditionally pronounced 'key'). My dad has visited Tony several times, usually participating in blue-water fishing tourneys. For me, the big excitement leading up to the trip was the fact that we were going to get a chance to do some flats-fishing for bonefish. Below is the account of our travel day and first day on Cat, with posts concerning the rest of our adventure forthcoming...

03/15 - Dad and I left Aspen around 11:30AM pulling our trailer and raft. The drive down I-70 was pretty uneventful, and we proceeded directly to Downriver Equipment in friendly Wheatridge, CO. After speaking with Phil and Mike about our current frame, we decided to get an upgrade. We left the raft, and then headed north to Westminster, where we met my sister Jessica. We had a wonderful dinner at O's Steak and Seafood, where we met Robert Hall and tasted some of his great wine. We hit the sack early.

03/16 - Back to O's dining room for breakfast. The Westin Westminster is an awesome hotel, and the breakfast buffet was perfect. A quick drive out to DIA, and that is were the trouble started. The big storm in the northeast made the planes late arriving, and we had to re-schedule (in a very white-knuckle fashion) our flights. Dad and Jess went direct to Ft. Lauderdale, but I had to go to Charlotte, NC and then fly standby to meet them. We ordered pizza at 1:00AM and didn't get to bed until 3:00AM. They lost my luggage, including all my warm weather clothes AND my fly-reel (@#$&*!).

03/17 - The phone rang at 6:00AM, and I was completely lost... After we realized where we were, we booked it down to the lobby to catch a cab. The flight with Island Air was at 8:30AM, and we had some shopping to do... After breakfast and a quick stop at K Mart, we caught our flight. The majority of our first day was spent touring the island, catching up with Tony, and sampling some of the local cusine (and drinks!) at the famous Bu's Bar.

Self portrait inside of the plane from Ft. Lauderdale

First view of Gun Cay

First view of Cat Cay

The lovely Jessica Mae clearing customs

View of the beach from the pool

NSCA Level I certification

Got back on Monday from a few days in Branson, Missouri. Karl Page (our head fly fishing guide) and I went down there to expand our knowledge about the shooting sports. We drove about 15hrs. each way to attend a NSCA Level I instructors certification course. The course took place over 4 days at the Ozark Shooters complex in Walnut Shade, MO. We both learned a tremendous ammount about shooting instruction, and we both passed the examinations with flying colors. I have some pics and other items to post, and I'll put them up as soon as I get a chance.




ps- this new blogger that I have been forced to use is making it kinda hard to post pics but I'm sure that I'll get it figured out soon

Okay, the pics are up...

Bill Howell giving Karl and some of the other Instructor candidates tips.

Andy checking the position of Karl's eye over the rib after a

comb-height adjustment by Bill (Center).

Bill looking on as Tracy breaks a high incomer.

The classroom.

The whole crew (nice smile Jarrod!)

Winter Fly Fishing in Aspen

Blake McGhee with a beautiful Brown on the Roaring Fork

This winter has been awesome for Fly Fishing in the Roaring Fork Valley. The sunny days have kept the river free of flow-ice, and although the water level is low this time of year, the fish are abundant and active. Our typical trip over the last couple of months has been a 1/2 day trip (4 hours) in the middle of the day. Usually the guides will pick the guests up at our shop in the St. Regis Resort, Aspen at about 10AM and have them back at around 2PM. It has been pretty common to hook upwards of a dozen fish in this short amount of time, and fish that have been landed are large and healthy.

The above picture was taken at about 10AM by our head guide, Karl Page. The fisherman is Blake McGhee from Baton Rouge, LA. Karl modestly describes this one as 16", and goes on to say that it was dwarfed by the 'one that got away' just an hour or so later. Karl says that it was quite possibly the biggest Rainbow Trout that he has ever seen on the Roaring Fork, and that it threw the hook by tail-dancing across the river and then diving under the overhanging ice on the far side. Blake was very enthusiastic about his fishing trip, saying in an email:

"I can't say enough about the day I had . Of course the big one got away but we saw him . Otherwise , lots of nice browns and a about a 16" rain bown . What a day !!! I shall return . Beats the hell out of skiing anyday. Thanks Blake McGehee"

Western Colorado Shooting Preserve

Even after the season has ended, we continue to offer engaging shooting activites in a specatular setting. Because we offer shooting on a private preserve, you can hunt sporty birds well into the spring. A full-day trip includes a clay shooting tune-up, a fabulous lunch served at the hunting lodge, and hunting over pointing dogs with a knowledgeable and attentive guide.

Here I am with Mitzi, three quail and a pheasant, and it is almost February!

Hunting in Canada - Alberta and Eastern Ontario

A successful morning's duck shoot

Some of the most successful and exciting hunts that we produce every year take place north of the border, in Canada. We start by hunting ducks and Hungarian Partridge in Alberta, and later head to Ontario for Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock. Check out some of the awesome pics from Alberta this year!

Three old friends

Dad and Mac

Atlanta DU - Special Edition AOC/SG pair

The Atlanta DU .410cal & 28ga. pair

Today, we blog...
Yes, I am still alive. Alive and well! Although its been a while, and after a gap in posting as long this (several months) I probably don't have any faitful readers left, I will post again nonetheless. How about a little ketchup?
Today's entries are mainly about the trips Aspen Outfitting Company produced in November in Alberta, and Eastern Ontario. However, before heading north, we went south. Early in November, we sent my father, Jon, to the annual fundraising auction for the Atlanta chapter of Ducks Unlimited. We were asked by a long-time client to procure a special pair of our renowned AOC/SG side by side shotguns, and we were honored to. For the second year in a row, Aspen Outfitting Company helped to make the Atlanta fundraiser the biggest in the country.

"...that is a lovely shotgun miss"

Off-Season In Aspen

The Fall Colors have fallen

Now that it is almost the middle of October, things in Aspen are officially starting to slow down. The leaves are gone, and with them are the leaf people who come to see them. Today was a beautiful, almost summer-like fall day, and according to the weatherman there are more in store. The river is still fishing impeccably, and for all intents and purposes it is completely devoid of people. It is interesting then, that this is the time of year that Aspenites have traditionally chosen to vacate town. And until today, I just can't immagine why. When they go, they go to Moab for some mountainbiking, or the Yucatan for the beautiful Yucca (...I guess) or they return to the East coast or the Midwest to visit their worried families. All valid reasons (minus the Yucca-watching), but also a painfully beautiful time to leave. As I said, today I realized why they go - because they can! This is the first time since the beginning of June that many people have gotten more than a day or two off in a row. The work here is slow enough that it makes sense to leave.

Jarrod and Jon Cast and Blast in Colorado

Chris Dobbins' Family Ranch on the White River

My Dad and I took last Sunday off. It was the first time since the middle of the summer that neither of us had anything pressing to take care of, so we seized the opportunity to spend some time together. We stayed up late on Saturday packing, and we loaded into the truck before sunrise on Sunday and were heading down the Roaring Fork Valley before either of us had actually woken up. In Glenwood Springs we turned onto I-70 West, and in about an hour and a half later we were far, far away. I had gotten some criptic directions over the phone from our friend Chris Dobbins, including one snippet of instruction to "...go until the pavement ends and then turn right..." When it is an adventure getting there, you know that your destination is going to be interesting. My Dad's truck was completely full; two pointers, two shotguns, two flyrods, and a heap and pile of all the accessories that make such trips work. Extra clothes, lots of ammo and flies, and a couple of ugly straw hats to ensure that the pictures are memorable. The weather had been bad, drizzling and foggy for the entire drive, but we remained optimistic. We listened to some good fishing tunes to keep our mind free as the scenery went by. The drive was mainly silent, with the highlights provided by the intermittent Lyle Lovett tunes from several of my friend Cody's unbeatable country mixes. There is something that songs about cowboy bars, women and regrets does for an expectant outdoorsman. By the time we had made it to the South Fork of the White, we were ready for some walking. The first order of business was a Blue Grouse hunt. Although no one had hunted Blue's there, we had heard from our host that they were pleantiful. So many Blue Grouse hunts start in that very way, "...well, we see 'um all over the place when we are on our bike (or our horse, etc.)..." We hunted hard for two hours. Mac and Mitzi, the pair of Shorthairs, left no stone unturned. Unfortunately, due in our minds to the preceeding rain, the birds were not feeding in the pleantiful Choke Cherries and Service Berries, and we didn't see a feather. It is a distinct possibility that the birds were in the coniferous trees, sitting on branches close to the trunk in order to avoid the mositure (see pic below).

An Elusive Blue

When we got back from the hunt we put the dogs in the kennels, and went into the main house for lunch with Chris and his family. The building is log, and the interior is beautifully decorated with artifacts from days gone by. We ate in the warm and inviting kitchen, at a large round table, and after the fruitless morning hunt, it was nice to relax and chat in such a welcoming atmosphere.
When the dishes were done, I headed out to the truck and rigged my flyrod. The sun was starting to poke through the clouds, but it was still quite chilly, so I dressed warm. I put on the aforementioned ugly fishing hat, and looked around. Apparently I was missing something, because my dad was nowhere in sight. I finished getting geared-up (boots and waders) and went to see what was taking him so long. I found him still in the kitchen eating home-made apple pie. What a jerk! Julie, Chris' sister, kindly offered me a slice as well. My mind however, was now on the beautiful White River that I could hear through the screened porch, so I politely declined and snuck back outside.
The South Fork of the White River is a fantastic piece of water. The vast majority of the access is private, and some of this has unfortunately been 'troutscaped' for the benefit of the evil fishing ranches. Two of the most untouched and productive miles however run right through Chris' property, and as I walked out behind the main house, I could tell that I was in for a treat. The level was high for October, with a strong current running to the the very top of high water mark. The streambed was mainly free stones, but there was also a component of grayish sand, which made for the odd false hole.
I started by fishing a small streamer, but I quickly changed to a bead-head dropper trailing a large attractor nymph. The river was the perfect size that you could wade carefully to the middle, and then comfortably fish either side. It didn't take too long for me to find my comfort zone, and I casted contentedly for several minutes. Nothing doing. I looked back up the trail on the bank towards the house to see if my dad was done with dessert yet, and noticed that I had attracted an audience on the porch. With everyone just sitting there watching me fish, I had to catch something. I needed to make a change. Turning over some rocks though, I was at a loss as to what change to make. With no other options presenting themselves, I put on more weight. I was starting to sweat.
The first cast landed a little closer to the bank than I had wanted, and I felt my rig grind on the shallow rocks. I picked up my flys so as not to get hung up, and let them fall downstream behind me. The second cast was dead-on, and I lifted my rod tip in anticipation. About half-way through the drift, my line paused. I rolled my arm to the side, and gave a quick set. Half a moment of complete silence, and then the trout made itself apparent.
It ran upstream, directly into the fastest current, and then quickly changing direction shot back downstream to my right. I fought as well as I could, angling the beast back and forth, frantically searching for an eddy or some slow water. Eventually I realized that I would have to move with the current into some of the pocket water below. I needed to get it on the surface if I was ever going to get the fish close enough to use my net.
I started moving downstream, my mind split between keeping pressure on the fish and keeping my balance in the rapid current. Initially there had been shouts of encouragement from the porch audience, but now they were quiet and watching. It took some doing, but I finally got the fish to the surface. I didn't net on my first attempt, so I cranked a couple more times on my reel and reached again. My rod was bent almost in half, and I was intensely worried about my knot. Everything held, and as you can see, I netted a nice Rainbow.


It only looks like I am standing in really deep water, in all actuality, I am kneeling. I didn't have a tape, but after doing some calculations upon return to the shop, we guessed that this fish is somewhere around 18". Now, after looking at the pictures and thinking back, I gotta say that the fish seemed much bigger than that during our fight. I guess thats how it goes...
We kept fishing into the late afternoon, and it ended up being a wonderful day. On our way home, dad told me that when they were watching me and my fish, Chris told him that there had been a 24" Brown caught by his brother-in-law just a week or so before. I think that like me, Chris thought my respectable 18" Bow was something bigger too. I can't wait to go back!

Hunting in Aspen - Phesant and Partridge

The phesant and Partridge hunting has started and so far the trips are are going really very well. The pointers are just back from the trainer, and the weather is beautiful, and there really isn't any better way to spend some time outside in Western Colorado.

Hunting in Aspen - Opening of Dove a huge success

The reports are coming in, and by all accounts this year's dove opener was epic. Long time AOC clients Frank Ziska and Keith Withycombe popped by the shop on their way to lunch to let me know how things went. Both men wore the look for the successful hunter - somewhat tired, but also satisfied. I'll keep posting as more specifics are uncovered. I'd be willing to wager that there were several humorous happenings, and probably more than one case of early season rustiness.

The McGlinn Finale - Beautiful day with LARGE Rainbow

This is Kristin McGlinn with a Roaring Fork Rainbow. The McGlinns fished with me three days in a row, and this fish was definitely one of the nicest ones that we saw.

It took some serious work to get this fish to the net, but the above image is priceless. I actually fell in the water more than once trying to net the beast, but Kristin kept a tight line and eventually we prevailed.The McGlinns had never fly fished before, and in three days they both became very proficient at both dry fly and nymph fishing (not to mention wading - yikes!). It was a beautiful morning for their last day, and we look forward to seeing them next year.

Pic of me (Jarrod Patrick Hollinger) fishing in early summer... Nice Smile!

Where has the summer gone? Pics and memories from a season expired

I can't believe that my last post was almost three weeks ago. The fishing has been spectacular, with numerous big fish and lots of very memorable guests, and I have been so totally focused on the river that the summer has literally flown by. The first hunting starts in just three days (dove season on sept. 1), and I have to admit that I am having a hard time accepting the change. There has been a dramatic increase in shotgun sales, the purchase of ski passes and elk tags is on the to-do list, and I have spent recent days off hunting chantrelle mushrooms in the high-country. I guess that I had better just accept the change to Fall, and trade in my micro-baetis for some big, flashy streamers (a little inside terminology for the fly-fishers out there). In an attempt to find some summer closure, here are some of my favorite pics and memories from a season expired... Is this the guy from Dawson's Creek? No, this is Richard, one of the better young flyfishermen that I got to introduce to the hallowed waters of the Roaring Fork River. He was in Aspen with his friends Robert, Andrew and Owen. The boys had been fly fishing their way across the country, hitting Montana, Idaho, New Mexico and Colorado before turning East and finally heading back to school at Ole Miss. These lovely young ladies are Megan and Alexandria (Ally) Schwartz. The Schwartz family has been fishing with AOC for years, and Ally has been hooking rainbows like this one since she was as small as her cute little sister. Their brother Aaron was also catching trout with us that day. In addition to fly fishing, Aaron considers attending the Winter X-games one of his favorite things to do...These are the Boesky Brothers. I capitalize that phrase because these guys are a zany pair. They caught lots of fish, and also kissed lots of fish, and played pranks on eachother the whole trip. A couple of days after our trip, the Boesky Bros. went on a float trip on the lower Roaring Fork with our most popular float guide, Matthew Thomas. Matt is possibly the best float fisherman in the valley, and is very serious about catching big trout. I have a feeling that the fish kissing wasn't as popular with Matt. Looking forward to seing these guys again...