Come on in to the shop and check out the new Sage One fly rod.   The Sage One is quickly developing a reputation as an easy casting rod with a huge sweet spot. Both new and experienced anglers will appreciate how easy it is to make accurate casts at any distance.  The One is a light, fast action fly rod, with a sensitivity that allows for increased feel.  A blend of power and finesse result in a revolutionary rod that is unmatched when it comes to accuracy and line control.    The One is available in a wide range of sizes from a three weight to a ten weight and has proven itself in demanding fresh and saltwater conditions.

This really  is a great Fly Rod and an improvement in Fly Rod technology!

Fall is here in the Southwest, the leaves are looking great, and we have received our first blast of snow in the high country.  Despite the recent snowfall many of our local waters are still fishing great!  The San Juan is flowing at a steady 500 cfs and is fishing well.  The fall is one of our favorite times of the year on the San Juan and there have been some great afternoon mayfly hatches resulting in some really productive dry fly fishing with small BWO patterns.  Nymph rigs with a mix of analids, midge pupa, and small mayfly nymphs have been a great choice on the Juan as well.  The Animas and The Piedra have both recovered from our rescent round of snowy, wet weather and are clear and at great flows for fall fishing.  On the Animas the fish have been suspended high in the water in the afternoon actively eating small mayfy emergers, small midge pupa, and we have even recently spotted Trico duns later in the morning.  Trico spinners have been a solid source of food for the Animas fish later in the day.  As always, streamers and buggers are a fun and effective way for fishing the Animas.  One of our favorite drainages, the Piedra, has been fishing well recently and a attractor dry with a attractor nymph as a dropper has been producing some nice browns and rainbows recently.  We are excited about the recent catch and release designation on the Piedra and it seems like the fish are healthy, colorful and happy this fall!

Thanks to the recent rains in late September the Animas, the Piedra and the high elevation creeks continue to have decent flows and are quite fishable.  The Piedra and creeks should fish well into late October and, possibly, November. Fish the creeks mid day when day time temps come up a bit. The Animas fishes well through the winter. Look for Blue Wing Olives for possible dry fly action and don’t forget that streamers can be very effective now as we see good numbers of aggressive Brown trout this time of year. As long as the warmer weather holds, hopper patterns with a dropper should continue to be a good strategy.  Also, skittering a dry muddler can be a good tactic.

The San Juan should continue to fish well through the fall with flows in the 500 to 750 cfs range.  As usual midges and blue winged olives are the bugs to mimic. Since the river is subject to flow changes from dam operations, call us for up to the minute info.

We will be scheduling fly tying classes to begin in early December. And, we continue to offer one hour casting and four hour dry land fishing clinics.  Contact us for options.

SALE! – Most of the 2011 LILLYPOND bags and totes and Selected Simms Waders and Boots, Cloudveil Wading Pants and Boots, Fishing Shirts (men’s and women’s summer wear) and selected Sage Rods (TCR, Z-Axis, Xi2), and Reels (4550).

Good summer rains have us going into fall with good flows on all of our local streams and rivers, some of which may be temporarily off.  On the Animas, hopper and hopper/dropper rigs are working well. We are also seeing some midge and small mayfly activity so nymphing small San Juan patterns might help find some of the better fish.  The high creeks are fishing great with dries but as the mornings get cooler it might take a bead head dropper early in the day. 

The San Juan Quality Water flows are about 900 cfs. The river is subject to flow changes from dam operations but expect flows between 500-900 cfs, call us for up to the minute info.  Water conditions are good and the fishing has been solid all summer.  As always, Durangler’s can supply all your needs for the San Juan including NM fishing licenses.

Glenn Tinnen continues to offer his Fly Fishing Clinics on an as needed basis.  Check in with the shop for cost and to schedule.

BIG SALE: Sage Z-Axis and Xi3 and Scott A3 rods.

                     Simms Freestone boots and Pursuit Sandals.

                     Much of our summer clothing.

Tight lines, from the guys and gals at Durangler’s.

Last Friday and Saturday (Aug 5 & 6) was the 15^th Annual Dos Mosca Fly Fishing Tournament.  It is a great fundraiser for our local Big Brothers Big Sisters and celebrates the Animas River, which runs through Durango.   The basic rules are each anglers gets two flies (Dos Mosca) each day, one dry and one wet.  If you lose your flies you are done for the day.  It is a great event with all participating anglers and guides enjoying the activities along with raising much-needed funds for BBBS.   Local angler David Temple (the guy with the fish) won big fish for the contest with this 23 ½ Brown.  Duranglers guide Rob Coddington was on the ores when this sweet Brown crushed a giant articulated Animas River Special.  Tight Lines,  TK

Well, the monsoons are active and the hot weather has abated somewhat.  As we go into August our area waters are holding up nicely and fishing well.  As our monsoon rains continue, we should see our waters fish well on through the month.  It’s terrestrial season so don’t be without hoppers, ants and beetle patterns.  Dry/dropper on the Animas and the Piedra and the occasional Slump Buster should be a good bet.  Attractor dries are the ticket for the high creeks.

The San Juan Quality Waters releases are holding steady at 500 cfs, but, of course, that is subject to change if the Animas flows drop low enough.   For the most part the river is fishing well with decent mayfly hatches at times.   As always, we strive to be your full service fly shop, so check with us for any flow changes and for suggestions on flies to use

SALE!  20% off remaining Sage Z-Axis fly rods; Scott A-3 fly rods and Simms fleece and layering.

The photo is of the Animas River on 7/25/11.  Tight Lines,TK

It’s the time of year we live for here at Duranglers, when all our local waters can fish great.  Currently flows and conditions are just about perfect on all our waters. The Animas, Dolores, Piedra, San Juan, Los Pinos, La Plata, Florida Rivers and more mountain streams than can be fished in a lifetime are all in the mix.  Yes things can chance from time to time with rain events etc. but if one option is out others will be in.   Here is Brian with a great stream fish from a guided trip two days ago.  Brain has been fishing with us for more than 15 years. 

Tight Lines, TK

We just finished our 2011 Rio Grande season (Mid June to Mid July) and it was a good one.  Great flows, water conditions and lots of Bugs.!!   Here is Ellen with a nice Rio Grande Rainbow and Duranglers guide Mark Engler.  Yes on a dry fly!!  It was a size 12 Para Madam X with a peacock body. Ellen is a great Angler and has been fishing the Rio Grande with Duranglers for more than two decades.

Tight Lines,  TK

Fish have been eating big ANTS and hoppers on the San Juan from the recent rains. Break out your favorite ant patters and some select hoppers and rip some lips with these big bugs and 5x leaders/tippet. The antfall on the Juan is an epic event. While they may continue to look up and eat ants and hoppers up top, expect the activity to taper off over the next couple of days. Stop by the shop for recommendations, get the latest information on our local waters, or to book a guided trip. Given the heavy snowpack and summer rains throughout the west, the four corners is home to perhaps the best fishing in the western states at this time. Here are a few photos of “Young Rob” getting his rod bent yesterday on the Juan..

Fishing during the high flows in the past few weeks proved to be reliable and fun this year. The flows are back down to 500 cfs as of Friday the 17th. The San Juan should continue to fish great as we move into the summer season and is a great option as flows on our surrounding rivers and streams settle into good fishing condition. Here is a photo from Thomas and Kyle’s day out last week. Stop through the shop for up to date fishing conditions and bug recommendations. Bend those rods!