- All trips include all equipment, snack on ½ days, and lunch on full days, drinks and knowledgeable professional guide.
- Trip prices do not include Colorado fishing license, flies, or guide gratuity
- Reservations required
- Cancellation Policy: We fish rain or shine. Cancellations with less than 24 hour notice will be charged 50% of the trip price. No shows will be charged full rate.
Fishing Licenses
We sell fishing licenses in the shop, cash or check only or you can purchase them online at www.wildlife.state.co.us
Private Property Laws
In Colorado landowners own the river bottom but not the water flowing over it, because of this boaters are allowed to float through private property as long as you do not touch the bottom, this includes hanging up on rocks and anchoring. There is no wade access through private property.
Guide Certification Program
The State of Colorado has requirements that must be met in order to guide any river trip commercially, this includes fishing and rafting.
33-32-105.5 Minimum Qualification of Guides
- Must be eighteen years of age or older. Shall possess a standard First Aid and CPR card and shall have had 50 hours of training on the river as a guide from a qualified guide instructor.
- Trip Leaders shall be eighteen years old or older, shall possess a First Aid and CPR card and shall have logged a total of at least five hundred river miles as a qualified guide.
- Guide Instructors shall be eighteen years old or older, shall possess a First Aid and CPR card, and shall have logged a total of at least fifteen hundred river miles of which at least seven hundred and fifty of these river miles shall have been logged while acting as a guide.
Guide Certification Program $2000 per person
Open to the public
Lodging available locally (not included in price)
Reservations required
Course available May 1st- June 15th
What To Bring List
- Hat and polarized sunglasses
- Fleece layers and raincoat
- Type III PFD with rescue knife (Whitewater rated high flotation)
- Thin leather gloves
- Waders and wading boots, no spikes
- Sunscreen, water bottle, lunch
- Pocket sized notebook and pen
Course Summary
We row five consecutive, ten hour days on three rivers.
Day 1
Paperwork, classroom time at the fly shop, rig boats, and float the Colorado River
Day 2
More classroom at the shop, and row a different section of the Colorado River.
Day 3
Roaring Fork River, good test to see what you have learned.
Day 4
Lower Eagle
Day 5
Graduation day, maybe, you have to get through a tough row on the upper Eagle. If you can row this section you row most any river.
You will also have to be signed off by your guide instructor on the following requirement:
- Rigging and maneuvering a vessel
- River currents, eddies and waves
- River hazards
- Types and causes of river rapids
- Scouting and running river rapids
- River rescue and emergency procedures
- Minimizing outdoor recreational resource impacts
- Proper fit, wearing and use of Personal Flotation Devices (PFD)
After completion and signed off on the minimum qualification form you are a guide. This qualifies you to work for a licensed river outfitter to do trips. Until you have logged your 500 river miles, you must always have a Trip Leader one the same section of river. You can use your River Certification to row commercially anywhere in the U.S.
You won't find a better course, geared to the fly fishing guide, we only use oars frames, no paddle assist. Our course is different from others offered in the area because we have a 2:1 ratio; most of the others have as many as 6 other trainees on one boat, not allowing for as much oar time. For ease of scheduling it is best if you pair yourself with someone, if you are single, you will be paired with another trainee, and we will do our best to coordinate schedules. We will also rotate instructors so you that may benefit from different prospective.
All or part of this operation is conducted on public lands under special permit from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Colorado Outfitter #1516
