ArkAnglers

ArkAnglers began in 1995 when Rod Patch opened the first retail fly fishing operation in the upper Arkansas Valley, and it remains locally owned and operated. It runs two fly shops, one in Salida and one in Buena Vista, and describes its guide staff as the region’s largest and most experienced. The shops handle retail and gear rentals, and instruction is a formal part of the business through a Fly Fishing 101 course and a Float Fishing School. Bookings extend past the home river into South Park, where the South Platte Dream Stream and the callibaetis and damselfly fishing on Spinney Mountain Reservoir are seasonal draws and Antero Reservoir is worked roughly May through September, as well as high alpine lakes in the valley, area stillwaters and private water. The shop also played a part in the Gold Medal designation of the water it works.