Every year, All Anglers Fly Shop hosts its 25 On The Fly tournament in our home state of Colorado. It’s one of the few fly fishing tournaments in the country and one that encourages anglers to get out and explore new water. The goal of the tournament is to catch the most species (of the 25 available) in a two-day competition. Teams are then awarded a score based on the species caught and additional points earned (i.e., largest fish).
This year, Flylords’ own Wills Donaldson, as well as Kayla Lockhart, represented Flylords. The challenge of the tournament is finding new water with different species than we would typically fish for. Trying and guessing what waterbodies hold what fish is a sure way to waste time, so we got creative. This is where onWater came into play. Using the tools in the app, we made a game plan, plotted our route, and took off to compete in 25 On The Fly. These are the five tips we used to find new species and catch more fish during the tournament.
1. Utilize onWater’s Species Layers
The first and arguably the most important onWater feature to utilize are the species layers. These layers allow anglers to turn on generalized layers of areas where a particular species can be found. While these layers won’t give you exact locations where fish are present, they will allow you to cross-reference them with waterbodies for scouting. Prior to the tournament, we scouted new fisheries using this feature to hopefully find some of the harder fish species to catch.
2. Talk to New Fly Shops in the Area
Regardless of whether you’re fishing this tournament or venturing to new areas, a fly shop is an exceptional resource. Ripe with local knowledge, the staff at fly shops can steer you in the right direction. That said, the shop is their livelihood, so it’s important to support them. If you’re asking about a certain species, buy some flies, leaders, and tippet that will help you catch that fish. You’ll not only have the proper gear, but chances are you’ll get better intel from the shop staff. If you’re new to an area, onWater can also help you find local fly shops.
3. Monitor the Weather, Water Temps, and Plan Accordingly
To be competitive in 25 On The Fly, you need to catch a lot of species. The biggest issue teams run into is finding those species in the allotted time. To get the most out of your time on the water, plan your stops with precision. The approach we took was to start early in the high country, knocking out a bunch of species in close proximity. This meant checking off as many trout species as possible before heading down to lower elevations.
These coldwater species are more likely to play early in the morning before water temperatures start to rise. In the afternoon, we switched to targeting warmwater species, hoping rising temps would mean more active fish. The onWater app can aid in planning your course with detailed elevation maps and weather forecasts. Monitor this info throughout your day on the water and adjust accordingly.
4. Know the Flows Before You Go
Just because a spot usually holds a fish doesn’t mean it’s in fishable condition. Flows, especially in Colorado, can change overnight. Factor in a heavy snow pack, and runoff could still be a factor in July. The onWater app allows anglers to monitor real-time flows through various USGS gauges directly in the app. You can cross-reference this with historical flows to get an idea of the status of the river prior to making the trek there.
5. Log Your Catches in the onWater Journal
Putting in the time to find new spots and different species can be a lengthy process. If your scouting and hard work pay off and you’re successful, you’ll want to bookmark that for later. The onWater app has a journal feature. Here, anglers can record exact locations, weather conditions, time, date, flies, and even photos. As you build out your log of spots, you can sort through them to make a game plan for a day of fishing, or in our case, 25 On The Fly.
Final Thoughts
The 25 On The Fly tournament was started to raise awareness around the other species Colorado has to offer. After fishing the tournament, it’s clear to see why. Using the onWater app as a tool, we were able to check off a few of these species from the list and make plans for future trips. So if you don’t see us on our local rivers this summer, there’s a good chance we’re on the road exploring everything Colorado has to offer.
Download onWater today and see for yourself how it will improve your fishing.
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