Traveling to Breckenridge area Labor Day week. My wife and I want to take a guided fly fishing trip, but it seems as though most places want $200+ for a half day. Is there anywhere within a 2 hour drive of Breck that's got a better deal?

I don't have an answer for you, but why do you need a guided fly fishing trip? I'm not a fly fisher, but it seems like you go to local places that sell equipment, and they can give you ideas about what equipment to use and where to go.

As you might guess from my screen name, I am a fly fisherman. I've been on guided, and some non-guided, trips in many states and several different countries. Two hundred dollars for a half day is a pretty standard rate, and believe me, no guides are getting wealthy doing what they do.

If you seriously want to do some fishing, as opposed to simply splashing around in the stream amidst nice scenery, then you should hire a guide - especially if you only have a half day to devote to it. The guide will get you on the water and catching fish quickly. The do-it-yourself approach only works if you have several days and are prepared to waste the first few of them figuring out what's going on. I've been doing this for 40 years and have caught (and released) tens of thousands of trout and salmon - and I wouldn't consider fishing a new area without a guide, my time is too valuable. Guides also often have access to areas that would otherwise be off-limits due to private property issues.

If you want to explore options, go to the Fly Fisherman Magazine web site (www.flyshop.com) where you can drill down to a listing of guides for the area you're interested in. Don't forget that guides are always tipped, assuming competent service. I would say that $25 for a half day would be typical, more for service above and beyond.

Thanks for the advice. I do my fair share of fishing around home (Kansas City), but most of my trout experience is at Taneycomo in Branson--more of a lake than a river, so fly fishing isn't required to have a productive trip. Hence, I've never fly-fished in my life.
I'll check out flyshop.com and see what I can find.

Thanks again!

Good luck - I hope you have a great trip. I can't believe I forgot to mention the other best reason for hiring a guide - virtually all guides are also great teachers, and you'll learn more about fly-fishing in a half day with a guide than you'll learn in a year on your own - I still learn things from guides every day I'm on the water with one.

Tight lines.