Written by: Hayden Byrd

Before we dive in, I’m Hayden Byrd, a passionate fly fishing enthusiast and avid backcountry packer. Throughout my 15+ years of fly fishing experience, I have explored the gorgeous wildernesses of Colorado and spectacular alpine regions around the state. Along the way, I have learned many valuable insights that could help you hold the Cutthroat Trout of your dreams... This article is intended to be a quick read and give baseline knowledge, feel free to contact me for more detailed information.

1.) Timing

In my opinion, timing is the number one factor of success in alpine fly fishing, period. The two times when fishing is the best are early Spring (May/June/July depending on elevation) and Fall (Late September/October depending on elevation). Higher-elevation lakes will experience a later Spring and fishing can start to heat up around late June, or July. As for lower-elevation lakes, they experience Spring earlier which can mean good fishing as early as late May, or early June. The same type of philosophy goes for Fall timing. It also can be dependent on factors such as local temperatures, sun exposure, inlet outlet flow, elevation, etc.

2.) Location

Looking at a map and choosing a random blue dot to fish is not always the best technique for finding fish. Doing your prior research can prove to be advantageous to your fishing journey. Looking at things like recent sampling/stocking reports if they are available can be a big help to know if fish live within the given lake. The worst thing you can do is pick a random lake without doing any research and hike up all the way up to find out it's not even stocked or sustains a population of fish. Other resources to look for might be depth, structure, inlet/outlet, elevation, and location. Finding this information can be tough but it exists. With that said, my best piece of advice is to put in the time and effort and fish as many lakes as you can, and success will follow.

3.) Fly Selection

Fly selection can be a crucial element in successful and unsuccessful fishing. Having a wide variety of aquatic insects to fish on the surface and subsurface is important. In my experience, I have caught a large portion of my fish subsurface on a two-fly indicator rig. Fishing flies such as chironomids and scuds have always seemed to be the hot ticket in most lakes. When fish are really picky, sometimes I’ll size down to small midge patterns to gain interest. When fish are looking up, mosquito patterns, terrestrials, and mayfly patterns seem to do the trick as well. Some of my favorite subsurface patterns include: Hunchback Scud(pink/tan/olive), Golden Nugget Chironomid, 3D Chironomid, Bling Midge, and Tak’s Crystal Chironomid.

By nailing down the right timing, doing your homework on location, and carrying the right fly selection, you’ll be well on your way to catching more Cutthroat Trout. With these three tips in your back pocket, you're setting yourself up for success in the high country. So, lace up your boots, grab your gear, and get out there—the Cutthroat are waiting! Tight lines!