Every great day of fly fishing starts with a great guide, and that’s exactly what you get with Gone Fishing Colorado. Our crew brings together a diverse group of anglers from across the country, each with their own story of how the water got hold of them and never let go. What they all have in common is a deep knowledge of the Roaring Fork Valley, a genuine passion for fly fishing, and the kind of laid-back, patient approach that makes a day on the river enjoyable whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned angler working on your technique. These aren’t just guides. They’re the people who fish these rivers on their days off, tie their own flies at the vise after dark, and think about what’s hatching before they go to sleep. When you book a trip with GFC, you’re in good hands.
Evan’s path to the Roaring Fork Valley is a good one. Born in New Orleans and raised in Nashville, he got his start chasing warm-water species the way a lot of Southern anglers do, bass, carp, and panfish, with more than a few trespassing incidents on golf course ponds in pursuit of big grass carp. His first float fishing experiences happened in canoes on bayous with ultralight spinning rods. When Evan moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 2012, he quickly discovered what the rest of us already knew: there’s no better way to spend a summer evening than drifting in a raft and throwing dry flies until the light disappears. After a few years in Aspen’s hospitality industry, he seized the opportunity in 2017 to turn that passion into a career, purchasing GFC and committing himself to helping clients from all over the world find their footing on these rivers. He has been doing exactly that ever since. When he’s not on the water, you’ll find Evan on a mountain bike, on a snowboard, or deep in the backcountry with a bow chasing elk. And when the right season rolls around, he trades the trout water for saltwater flats with a fly rod in hand.
Tyler has been holding a fly rod since he was six years old, learning to fish the legendary waters of the Catskills in New York alongside his father. He started float guiding at eighteen on the Deerfield River in Massachusetts, picking up real experience through his college years before making the move to Colorado and falling hard for the Roaring Fork Valley. When he’s not on the oars, he’s at the vise tying flies or back on the river studying the water he calls home. Tyler has a thoughtful perspective on why fly fishing resonates so deeply with so many people. He talks about it as something genuinely good for the mind and body, the fresh air, the physical demands, the way a day on the water has a way of putting everything else in its proper place. Even a tough day of fishing, he’ll tell you, tends to leave you better than you found you.
Carter came to us from Boston, Massachusetts, though you’d never know it from the accent. His father passed the fishing obsession down early, and Carter spent much of his time growing up in New Hampshire chasing lake trout, striped bass, brown trout, and rainbow trout across New England’s varied fisheries. Once he felt he’d mastered what the Northeast had to offer, he heard enough about Colorado to make the drive out and see it for himself. The Roaring Fork Valley converted him immediately. Carter fishes with a level of curiosity and dedication that sets him apart. Research and development might as well be his middle names. He has a knack for figuring out where fish are holding and what they’re eating, which makes him a genuinely effective angler. Pair that with a patient, outgoing personality and you’ve got the kind of guide who makes a day on the water feel like a good day regardless of what the fish decide to do.
Justin grew up on a peninsula just north of San Diego with the Pacific Ocean as his backyard and a kelp forest ecosystem to explore. His dad had him in the waves at age six and on deep-sea boats not long after, chasing tuna and halibut offshore. The ocean was his first love, and it shaped the way he sees water to this day. After studying accounting and finance at Chapman University, Justin took a road trip to the Rockies before starting his corporate career. The moment he laid eyes on the river systems of the Roaring Fork Valley, that plan quietly fell apart. He never left. Justin now lives in Carbondale and guides for GFC through the summer, then spends his winters working for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, doing hands-on conservation work to keep the local rivers as healthy as possible. His connection to the water runs deep in every sense. If you spend a day on the river with Justin, you’ll understand pretty quickly why the valley has a way of keeping people here.
Sam grew up on the New England coast casting flies at striped bass off the rock jetties of New Hampshire, a natural choice given that his father was an avid fly fisherman and spinning gear was never really part of the conversation. At sixteen he was transplanted to the trout streams of Pennsylvania, started working at a local fly shop, and picked up fly tying, which has been a constant ever since. He went on to study environmental engineering at San Diego State, then traded the board shorts for waders when he found his way to the Roaring Fork Valley. Sam has developed into both a skilled angler and a patient, talented teacher on the water. He’ll be the first to tell you that fishing alongside capable anglers is something he genuinely loves, but there’s a particular satisfaction he gets from helping someone hook, fight, and land their very first fish on a fly rod that never gets old. On his days off, he’s at the tying desk experimenting with new patterns or out chasing big brown trout with a streamer.
Cole’s fishing life started in the Midwest, picking off panfish and bass from farm ponds before a family trip out west at age twelve changed his perspective entirely. He picked up the fly rod and never really put it down. While studying engineering at the University of Wyoming, he fished the North Platte regularly and explored alpine lakes on weekends. After moving west, the spinning reel stayed home for good. Cole spent time fishing and working in New Mexico, getting to know the San Juan River well, though his real preference has always been for freestone rivers with their unpredictability and character. He’s an avid fly tier who takes particular pride in catching fish on patterns he’s tied himself. Ask Cole about fly fishing and he’ll describe it the way a lot of serious anglers do, as something closer to meditation than sport. When the season winds down, he’s out in the mountains glassing for mule deer or hunting waterfowl along the river with his labs.
Calvin grew up in western Pennsylvania throwing spin gear for bass and trout before picking up a fly rod at nine years old. From there it was small mountain streams and brook trout, with seasonal trips to the Lake Erie tributaries chasing lake-run rainbows and browns. When he eventually made his way to Colorado, he started exploring float fishing on rivers across the state and found his home water in the Roaring Fork. What drew him in was the diversity and abundance of insect life the river supports, the kind of varied hatch activity that rewards anglers who pay attention and keeps every season interesting. In the offseason you’ll find Calvin on the ski slopes or back at the vise, getting flies tied and ready well before the season starts.
Our guides would love to show you what makes the Roaring Fork Valley such a special place to fly fish. Whether you want a half day wade trip or a full day float, we’ll match you with the right guide and put together a trip you’ll want to repeat.
and we’ll help you figure out the best option for your group
