Colorado Fly Fishing Guides
Choosing Colorado Fly Fishing
Guides or Outfitters
Colorado has some excellent fly fishing guides and outfitters. Many of these Colorado Fly Fishing Guides or Colorado Outfitters have grown up fly fishing Colorado streams and rivers all their lives.
A fly fishing trip supervised by an experienced Colorado Fly Fishing Guide can be a dream trip. A qualified Colorado Fly Fishing Guide will offer instruction in casting, stream entomology, present suggestions on what fly to use for the water you are fishing, tie your fly on and supply a gourmet lunch too.
Choosing a Colorado Fly Fishing Guide
1. Personal Recommendations -- One of the best starting points to choosing Colorado Fly Fishing Guides is a personal recommendation. Either a recommendation from someone who has used the fly fishing guides you are considering. Or a recommendation from a fly fishing shop you trust. (i.e. Testimonials)
2. Website -- Another item is to look at the Colorado fly fishing guides website, if they have one. Most will have a site by now. Look for:
- Personal recommendations or testimonials on the website.
- The official Colorado Outfitters and Guides License Number.
- Number of years the fly fishing Colorado guides service has been in operation
- Any biographical information on the Colorado fly fishing guides themselves. This kind of data is interesting and can help make your Fly Fishing Colorado Trip a dream trip.
- Any policies regarding deposits, bookings, refunds, liabilities of the guide service, liability of the person hiring the service, copies of the Office of Colorado Outfitters and Guides Contract and so on should be available on the site.
3. Bond, License and Insurance -- A Colorado Outfitter / Colorado Guides service is required to be bonded, licensed and insured. Be sure to get information concerning the amounts and types of coverage for the fly fishing guides service. Also the companies providing the bonding and insurance services for the fishing guide you are considering..
4. Local Better Business Bureau -- You might want to also check with the local better business bureau for any complaints about the Fly Fishing Colorado Guides Service you are interested in hiring.
In Colorado, the Office of Outfitters Registration in the Department of Regulatory Agencies is responsible for registering all Colorado Outfitters. This includes both Colorado Fly Fishing Guides and hunting types of outfitters.
From the Outfitters Registration Statute:
1. Outfitters must provide written contracts to their clients, and the contracts must be signed by both the outfitter and client. Section 12-55.5-109(1), C.R.S. (individual outfitters use their own signatures. Partnerships and Corporations must be signed by a responsible partner or corporate officer.)
2. Outfitter contracts must include all of the following information: Section 12-55.5-190(1), C.R.S.
a. Types of services to be provided (This needs to be descriptive, i.e. fully guided hunt, drop camp only what species, fishing instruction only, etc.);
b. Dates of service (Should be specific dates, i.e. October 12-17, not simply "third season.");
c. Transportation arrangements (Should include transportation of individuals from a specific location to a specific location, i.e. from the Grand Junction airport to the trailhead or base camp. Should also include arrangements for transporting equipment, supplies of wildlife to and from the hunt location. Even if no transportation will be provided, contract should indicate "N/A");
d. Cost of the services;
e. Ratio of clients to guides (Even if the service is for a "drop camp" only and there will be no guides, the contract must indicate that there are no guides);
f. The outfitter's policy regarding cancellation of the contract and refund of any deposit.
3. No action may be maintained by an outfitter for breach of a contract or agreement to provide outfitting services or for the recovery of compensation for services rendered under such contract or agreement if the outfitter has failed to comply with the provisions of this article. Section 12-55.5-109(2), C.R.S.
4. Any written contract provided pursuant to this section shall also contain a written statement that pursuant to Section 12-55.5-105(1)(c) and (1)(d) outfitters are bonded and required to possess the minimum level of liability insurance and that the activities of outfitters are regulated by the Director of the Division of Registrations in the Department of Regulatory Agencies. Section 12-5.5-109(3), C.R.S.
FROM THE RULES AND REGULATIONS:
1. A written contract as defined in Section 12-55.5.109, C.R.S., shall be provided to the client within thirty (30) days of receipt and acceptance of a deposit from the client. Rule D-8.
2. Any deposit made by a client who is not accepted must be returned within thirty (30) days. Rule D-8.
3. For any contract executed on or after January 1, 2001, in addition to the basic refund policy language, the contract shall include language which defines the refund policy when the prospective client does not draw the required license or tag for the species he is negotiating to hunt, and shall specify the location or locations of the actual hunt using game management units assigned by the Division of Wildlife. Rule D-8.
Outfitter / Client Model Contract The model contract is in Word format and is compatible with Word 97 and later versions. If you need the sample in plain text format, please contact the Office of Colorado Outfitters at 303-894-7778.
Fly Fishing Colorado Guides -- Front Range
Fly Fishing Colorado Guides -- West Slope
