Fly Fishing
Dedicated anglers make annual pilgrimages to the areas surrounding southern Colorado's Maytag Mountain Ranch, most notably the spectacular Arkansas River just minutes from the ranch land.
The River has the highest catch ratios of any river in Colorado and flows over 300 miles through the Sangre de Cristos. The most productive section is the 75 miles from Buena Vista to Canon City, which is in close proximity to the Ranch land. It is made up of beautiful pocket water, long pools, riffles and runs holding excellent populations of wild browns and rainbows.
Hatches on the Arkansas are superb. The caddis hatch that occurs in the spring is one of the most prolific in the West. Blinding numbers of these flies come off and cover the river. The feeding frenzy is legendary among anglers who return each year for this thrilling event. Blue–winged olives and pale morning duns are generally the most productive mayfly hatch in the spring. Golden stoneflies hatch during the river runoff period and streamers and nymphing work well year round.
Mountain lake fishing is an excellent alternative to the river, with an abundance of lakes, streams and beaver ponds yielding wary browns, cutthroat and brook trout. Guide services are world–class. ArkAnglers in Salida offers wade and float trips year round for the experienced and beginner fly–fisherman. Check them out, they're the best.
Fishing is also available right on the ranch. The ponds and streams on the ranch property are stocked with a good population of healthy rainbow, cutthroat, brook and brown trout and the streams are easy accessible by each home owner. To make it even more convenient the Ranch has fishing gear available for use in the Cookhouse.
