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DISTANCE FROM CRYSTAL FLY SHOP TO:

ASPEN                                                                  31 Miles          45 Minutes

BASALT (& FRYING PAN RIVER)               13 Miles           20 Minutes

GLENWOOD (& COLORADO RIVER)       13 Miles           15 Minutes

REDSTONE                                                         16 Miles           25 Minutes

ROARING FORK & CRYSTAL RIVERS      ½ Mile              5 Minutes

DIRECTIONS TO CRYSTAL FLY SHOP FROM UPVALLEY: (Aspen, Snowmass, Basalt):  Driving northwest (downvalley) on Highway 82, drive to the main entrance to Carbondale, which is the light at the intersection of Highways 82 and 133.  Take a left, and we are about a mile away in the City Market shopping center plaza at the lighted intersection of Main St. and 133.

DIRECTIONS TO CRYSTAL FLY SHOP FROM DOWNVALLEY: (Glenwood Springs, Denver):  Driving southeast (upvalley) on Highway 82, turn right at the main light for Carbondale, which is Highway 133.  We are about a mile away in the City Market shopping center plaza at the lighted intersection of Main St. and 133.

 

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            Guide Profiles 

All stories and accounts contained herein are fictitious and any similarities to any persons living or dead are purely coincidental.  The names and faces have been changed to protect the lives of the innocent...(and that includes the fish too!)

 


 

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HERE IS A LIST OF ACCOMMODATIONS IN AND NEAR CARBONDALE.  WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND STAYING UP THE CRYSTAL RIVER VALLEY AND IN REDSTONE BECAUSE OF THE SECLUSION AND OUTDOOR FEEL THESE PLACES OFFER. 

CRYSTAL RIVER VALLEY/REDSTONE:
Alpine and River Lodging 877-963-2701
Redstone properties--18 miles southwest of Carbondale
Amanda's Hideaway, Gamekeeper's Cottage, The River House

Avalanche Ranch (877) 963-9339
12863 Highway 133--13 miles southwest of Carbondale

BRB Crystal River Resort Cabins/Campground (800)-963-2341
7202 Highway 133--7 miles southwest of Carbondale

Crystal Dreams Bed & Breakfast and Spa 970-963-8240
475 Redstone Blvd.--18 miles southwest of Carbondale

Crystal Valley Manor 970-963-2365
215 Redstone Blvd.--18 miles southwest of Carbondale

Redstone Cliffs Lodge 877-963-2701
433 Redstone Blvd.--18 miles southwest of Carbondale

Redstone Inn, Historic Landmark 800-748-2524
82 Redstone Blvd.--18 miles southwest of Carbondale.  Private fishing access on the Preserve Property, and all inclusive lodging/fishing packages pricing with Crystal Fly Shop.

White River National Forest Campground-Redstone 1-877-444-6777--13 miles away

White River National Forest Campground-Bogan Flats (Marble) 1-800-280-2267 and 1-877-444-6777.  25 miles southwest of Carbondale

CARBONDALE ACCOMMODATIONS:

Ambiance Inn Bed & Breakfast   970-963-3597

66 N. 2nd St. Downtown Carbondale

Carbondale Days Inn (970) 963-9111
950 Cowen Drive, Intersection Hwy 82 and Hwy 133

Comfort Inn & Suites (970) 963-8880
920 Cowen Drive, Intersection Hwy 82 and Hwy 133

GLENWOOD SPRINGS:

 

WE HAVE PARTNERED UP WITH THE ANTLERS BEST WESTERN IN GLENWOOD, WHO IS OFFERING ROOMS FOR ONLY $70 (SUN-THURS) OR $80 (FRI-SAT) FROM SEPTEMBER THROUGH MAY 15TH, AND WE ARE DISCOUNTING OUR TRIP PRICES BY $20 FOR THEIR GUESTS.  WE WILL PICK YOU UP THERE IF YOU ARE FLOATING THE COLORADO!

 

Antlers Best Western 970-945-8535

171 West Sixth Street

 

 

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DAVID JOHNSON knew from a young age that fishing was the road to fame & fortune.   Since getting his start under mentor Roy Palm he has been guiding for 15 years--the last 6 as an outfitter, & 5 as a shop owner, with some 2000+ guide trips--and he sees that wealth coming to fruition every night when he walks up the steps into his rental house in Carbondale.  Living proof that fishing guides are overeducated, underachieving, maladjusted, escapist misfits, DJ dropped out of college with a high GPA after studying English Lit. in London his junior year, & has been dropping out with his guitar and fly rod ever since.   Never one to do anything half-assed, he has filled his surroundings with necessary trappings like a raft and driftboat, & unnecessary trappings like a fly shop & its fixtures, all to help himself & his clients escape from that dreary place known as the "real world".  He enjoys changing the scenery & mixing it up between float and wade trips, beginners & experts--because a guide isn't anything if they aren't versatile (except schizophrenic, of course).  When he grows up, he wants to be a big boy, & perhaps begin thinking about buying a place by the age of 40 (forget that now--too late),  & may some day publish his memoirs, "Red Letter Ravings--or How to Win Friends & Influence People with a Poison Pen".

           

 

 

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WOLF SCHEIBLBERG is a Colorado native with a rapidly growing reputation in the valley's fly fishing scene.  He has grown a loyal following of clients with a large number of request trips after only guiding in the valley for 5 years.  Simply put, Wolf knows how to connect with just about anyone--including the fish!  Last year Wolf added float guide to his resume, along with his uncanny ability to draw in bull moose while wade fishing the Pan.  When not guiding, he can often be found working in the shop and offering customers helpful advice--even when he's not on the clock.  Wolf's patience and concern are genuine, and he is a great teacher for those who are relatively new to the sport of waving a stick in a river.  He has proven himself on the waters of the Frying Pan (his favorite haunt), and also really enjoys wading the big Colorado between Glenwood and his home in Newcastle when the fishing's on down there.

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KEVIN HURLEY has been a fly fishing guide in the Roaring Fork Valley since 1994 and knows our waters intimately.  Kevin is equally at home on wade or float trips, Roaring Fork, Crystal, Frying Pan, or Colorado rivers, and is also a stillwater specialist who has honed his skills guiding many days up at the Bar ZX Ranch.  He is extremely patient and has come up with many of his own specialty fly patterns designed to mimic local hatches and fool Kevin's finned friends time and again.  Kevin has been involved with conservation efforts and regulatory meetings with the DOW and has advocated for closures of tributary streams during spawning seasons.  He guides float trips in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison during May and June, and is available in our valley during the rest of the year to guide you on the river or guide you to your dream riverfront property.  Kevin's real estate company, Gold Medal River Properties, specializes in riverfront homes and rentals for fishermen.

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GLENN MELUS (background) is a rarity in a valley full of great fishermen--he's a great fisherman who also has the patience, knowledge, and versatility to be a great guide and teacher to practically any level of client.  To watch Glenn pick apart a section of river and systematically catch every fish in it is to watch a talented artist at work.  He is not only a great guide to those more experienced anglers who share that same intensity--he is also a great mentor with an unassuming style who can scale things back to a beginner's pace and show anyone a great time.  After catching a few thousand fish out of other guy's boats, he finally picked up a drift boat and this year Glenn has added float guide to his resume.  A native of Maine, Glenn has fished extensively in many Eastern trout streams, throughout the Mountain West, and knows all our local waters intimately.  When he's not guiding or fishing, he's out chasing birds and training dogs with his wife Sue.

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MALLORY (MAL) BURKS has been a fishing guide in Colorado for over 11 years--and been a float guide with his DRE raft for the last 7 of those years.  He still takes wade trips as well as float, and is another on our roster who spends a lot of time in May and June guiding in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  He also spent a few years guiding down in Chile during a former life, so he is fluent in Spanish and also knows some Portuguese.  Mal has a lot of enhusiasm for the sport to share with his clients, and an extrensive knowledge of fly patterns guaranteed to create mayhem on the end of your leader!  His favorite local haunt is the Roaring Fork river, and he knows the hatch and feeding patterns intimately from Aspen all the way down to where it joins the mighty Colorado.  Mal is great with kids and adults, and eager to help you have a great time on the river.

 

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BRIAN SWEETERMAN has become a specialist in fishing the Roaring Fork river, and has developed an intimate knowledge of much of the water on the Fork between Carbondale and Aspen the past many years.  This year he bought a raft and is adding float guide to his repertoire.  Brian seems to be increasingly taking on the appearance of Cool Hand Luke, and certainly demonstrates a cool hand with his casting and instructional style.  Brian is equally comfortable with veterans and beginners, young and old--as his 8 year old son has taught him plenty about patience.  A former school teacher, Brian enjoys playing guitar when he's not chasing fish up and down the valley, and like many fishing guides, also teaches skiing in the winter and performs a dazzling array of odd jobs during offseasons.

 

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RYAN DAVIS is a very accomplished oarsman and another one of our float guides who spends most of June chasing the salmonfly hatch around the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  Ryan guides out of rafts and dories and has been float fishing the Roaring Fork and Colorado rivers since he was a wee lad.  Ryan spends his free time travelling to other Western rivers to float fish, or simply staying home and running crazy stretches of river like Shoshone Rapids for fun.  His knowledge of hatches and float fishing tactics has grown to be of equal stature as his rowing capabilities, and he is a great host for a day of floating down our local rivers.

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MATT RUSSELL is a rising star in the Colorado galaxy of fly fishing.  He grew up fishing in Glenwood Springs, and has spent most of his guiding career the past 6 years putting clients onto fish out of either his driftboat or raft locally on the Roaring Fork and Colorado, as well as doing many 3 day excursions in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison with Black Canyon Anglers.  His team finished 2nd in the local High Mountain Masters float fishing tournament a couple years back, and Matt recently finished in the number 1 slot for the extremely scentific Glenwood Post/Independent newspaper poll for "best fishing guide" (Matt's girlfriend has always believed strongly in "vote early, vote often").  Don't let Matt's youth fool you--he is a young gun who can show you a lot of tricks while showing you a good time.

 

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MERLE RODGERS has lived and guided in the Frying Pan Valley since time immemorial.  And yes, it is a documented fact, that Merle has indeed lived 5 full lives, which you will realize when you spend a day fishing with him and you hear of his many illustrious adventures here and abroad.  A walk wade specialist, Merle knows exactly where every 20 inch cutbow on the Frying Pan lives, as well as a few on the Roaring Fork, because that is the only thing his clients ever catch.  But seriously, Merle lives on the banks of the Frying Pan at Uncle Roy's place, and can tell you all about the saratella and every other obscure bug which frequents his world and needs to be a part of yours to catch fish there.

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ANDY WASILAWSKI--OR WAZ--as he's affectionately known--has been guiding off and on in the valley for over 12 years  He is an incredible blend of professional trout stalker, entertainer, encyclopedia, comedian, and teacher all wrapped up into one.  Andy is a wade fishing guide who is equally comfortable on the Roaring Fork or Frying Pan, with beginners or experts, adults or children.  He is the proud father of a 9 year old daughter and also teaches wilderness survival skills courses.  He might not only be able to show you some valuable mountain-man survival tricks while guiding you, but may also be able to suggest which of the hatching insects would provide you with the most protein if you need to supplement your diet.  And while Andy's outgoing, hilarious style is very entertaining and engaging, who also knows that your trip is about you and your guests and he is happy to accomodate any special requests you have for your day and what you would like to get out it.