|
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. 
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!)
|
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
|
|
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".
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
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.
|
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. |
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.
|
|
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.
|
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. |
|
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. |
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. |
