West Central Colorado/Taylor River/Slate River/ Lake Irwin

June 11-27, 2026

Submitted by Bob Hassett.

After the Advanced Fly Fishing Skills for Western Waters, 6 days later I headed back to Colorado with my family for 2+ weeks of R&R in the Crested Butte area.  It was a good time to assess what I learned at the school a week earlier.

I was able to fish the Taylor River, Slate River, and Lake Irwin.

First stop was below the Taylor Dam in the Taylor River.  It was tough fishing with nymphs, so switched to streamers and what Nick Conklin had taught.  “Get in the middle of the river, you’re going after aggressive fish,  face downstream, cast left at 45 degrees, tip of rod IN THE WATER so no slack, swing back to center stream, cast right at 45 degrees and swing back to center,  THEN TAKE ONE STEP FORWARD, and repeat.”  After about 15 steps, BAM! The wrestling was on!  I ended up with a 21 inch rainbow.

Next stop was Lake Irwin (10,000 ft).  No drifting there, so Hopper Dropper was the choice in windy conditions.  Pat Dorsey had recommended slight stripping to provide some movement.  That resulted in a number of stocker sized rainbows.

The real surprise was the Slate River.  It was heavily used, so I didn’t expect much.  Pat Dorsey had taught how to use a single or double dry fly setup, and it did not disappoint.  There were quite a few fish that took these dry flies.  Watching some of the fish it seemed that they were so aggressive that they literally “missed” the fly on the take.  As you see in one of the pictures, there was a double on a pair of dry flies.

Jim Craig told us to look up when we’re out there, and that did not disappoint!

One final point they mentioned, catching fish “on the dangle” got you a “-2”.  No shortage of laughs!

I highly recommend that Advanced Fly Fishing Skills if they offer it again!