The fishing season has started in earnest now. River flows and weather may vary, but the bugs are moving and the fish are starting to get more interested. That keeps me busy, so this will be 3 reports in one.

Report 1: Last Saturday, I was one of a half dozen instructor-guides who taught 3 sessions in a day-long flyfishing clinic for women. It was held at a rustic-deluxe dude ranch with 2 miles of a beautifully sculpted Rocky Mountain stream full of fat hog rainbow trout. It was a perfect midge and BWO kind of day - fog and occasional snow flurries. By the afternoon session most ladies were more interested in fishing than instruction, so the fish got a sampling of sticker-infested insects.

Report 2: Yesterday, we 2 went north of the nearest town to get away from the murky water and caddis-seeking crowds further south. We found lots of hungry browns and a couple nice rainbows willing to dance with our flies. The water was clear, and we had the place completely to ourselves. That is an increasingly rare pleasure these days, one we greatly appreciated. The afternoon was capped off by a nice BWO hatch. It won't be long until the predominant hatch will be rafts, kayaks and their touristy passengers on much of this river.

Report 3: Today, 4 of us set off to the south in search of the leading wave of emerging Brachycentrus caddis. The caddis were there, daring us to inhale, but the fish seemed oblivious to it all. It's interesting to me that trout will get so keyed in on the slender, delicate BWO mayfly that they will completely ignore the first day or 2 of the much more substantial meal that caddis flies offer. Maybe habits die hard, even with fish. At any rate, the twitching, skittering caddis finally drew some attention, causing their own demise while giving the flyfishers great pleasure in fooling a few finned ones with imitations of form and flitter.

The news of caddis spreads more rapidly than the hatch itself, populating the river with urban anglers in search of dry fly fishing nirvana. It's good for me that the next several days take me out of the combat zone to guiding on private water.

More news after the impending caddis chaos.

A big spring storm came rolling through Colorado yesterday. I was supposed to take a trip out today, but the spring storm and cold scared off the client. So now I'm indoors keeping warm.

Here in the central Colorado Mountains, we didn't get all that much snow, but the wind is blowing. Now, wind is not news. Here at the foot of the Continental Divide we get lots - I mean LOTS - of wind. So much wind that us superstitious flyfishers avoid even saying the word "wind" during those rare calm days, as though merely uttering the word will invoke it. We refer to it simply as the "W". Sometimes that's even enough to cause a breeze.

That means I'm indoors finding other things to do. One of my tasks was to set up my Amazon affiliate links for the Flyfishcafe.com website. My intention was to link to flyfishing books. Instead of the general category, Amazon displayed a list of flyfishing books. I was amused to scan down the list and find, in order, these two titles:

Flyfishing for Bonefish. OK, fishing for bonefish is great fun. Won't use that one, though. Next.-

Flyfishing for Dummies. Now there's something I've never tried. Dummies. Are those in saltwater or freshwater? Do I use dry flies, nymphs, streamers? Maybe those will all work. I know there are some dummies in Colorado. Probably everywhere for that matter. I just never thought of fishing for them.

Maybe that's what I should fish for in the 40 mph wind.

Welcome to the Flyfish Cafe. Flyfishing is the main course. Side dishes include stories of fishing and related travels, photos, people, places and, of course, flies and fish. I will include fishing reports from wherever I've been fishing or exploring most recently. Dessert would be hearing your adventures and suggestions from the places we visit.

A bit about me, the main author: I'm a Colorado native. My grandmother and dad were avid hikers, fishers and campers. Daddy taught me to flyfish, among other methods. My passion is fishing in moving water, just like my dad.

The last several years have kept me primarily on the Arkansas River in Colorado as a guide. While that has been a great experience - hey, I've got an easy commute and a beautiful office! - it has kept me from fishing other areas I love, or exploring new waters. This summer I am going to remedy that by taking a sabbatical from guiding. My new spouse (!) and I are going to head north and west of here, camping, flyfishing and exploring. This will be my journal for the journey.

You are invited to join us ---- virtually, of course.