Colorado Fly Fishing Photographer

Fly Fishing the Big Thompson River

If you’re a fly fisherman living in or visiting the Denver/Boulder area, then you’re a happy person. The diverse river access within 30 minutes to a couple hours is incredible. A couple weeks ago I was out shooting on a stunning section of the Big Thompson River outside of Loveland, Colorado with a couple guides from Front Range Anglers - John Brown and Charlie Schaefer. Both really solid guys and extremely talented/knowledgable about everything fly fishing. If you’re in need of a guide, give their shop a call. They’ll take good care of you.

The day we went out was their day off, so they were checking out a particular section of the Big Thompson to see how it was fishing, to know whether or not it was worth bringing clients there. As things turned out, the river was fishing great! John and Charlie both got into a lot of trout, with a handful of them around or above 20 inches. Some really beautiful specimens. Even the “smaller” trout they netted would be a big win for most people. Any day on a river is fun, but it’s always extra special when you get a mix of weather, fall color, and the fish are hungry. We did some hiking up and down the stretch which presented a lot of different water with some incredible backdrops that made for great photography, but there was a lot of learning to be had too, just by watching them fish. They were both euro nymphing the entire time, using one fly - a mop or an egg. It’s amazing what you can soak in if you just sit and watch. I’ve only been back in Colorado a few months now and still have to pinch myself every time I’m on a river. I love it here so much.

Click HERE to check out more of my fly fishing photography and contact me directly to inquire about prints - rob@robhammerphotography.com

Colorado Fly Fishing Photography

Fly fishing guides on the Big Thompson River

Fly Fishing in fall color in Colorado

Fall fly fishing in Colorado

Fly fishing the Big Thompson River

Rainbow trout jumping out of the river

Netting a Rainbow Trout on the Big Thompson River

John Brown of Front Range Anglers having a laugh during a day on the river

Fly fishing guides from Front Range Anglers

Looking for trout on the Big Thompson River

Tree roots growing out of a rock

Charlie Schaefer netting a trout on the Big Thompson River outside Loveland, Colorado

A beautiful Rainbow Trout

Fall colors in the river in Colorado

Hardy fly rod and reel

One handed

Netting a large Rainbow Trout

A fly fisherman smiles while holding a trophy Rainbow trout
Fly fisherman on the Big Thompson River in Colorado - Black and White Photography

Big Thompson River Fly Fishing

Setting the hook

A proper bend in the rod

Won’t forget this one

Charlie Schaefer - Front Range Anglers

The big ones put up a good fight

Textbook Rainbow Trout

Moving up river

Fly Fishing the Big Thompson River surrounded by fall color in Colorado

Alaska Fly Fishing Photography

Alaska Fly Fishing - Drake Magazine

Fly Fishing Photography - Adventure - Culture

Another post about personal projects…….

If you’re a fly fisherman then you know The Drake for it’s exceptional photography and writing. So I’m very proud to say that this article you see from the latest issue contains not just my photographs but my words as well. A first for me. Beyond that I’m also grateful that the article is about my friend Zach Benson - an Alaskan fly fishing guide, hunter, duck decoy artist, father, and New York State Trooper. It would be hard to find something more satisfying than hanging out with a friend in Alaska and turning that experience into something like a magazine article, ad campaign, image license, etc. As my career goes on though, this type of thing has become a huge focus. Using my passion/skill as a means to help people I care about. People that deserve it. People as passionate about their craft as I am about mine. For many years I got paid to photograph famous athletes, which is really cool as a young photographer looking to make a name for himself. Then as time goes on you realize it’s all bullshit. And most of the time clients want to create boring images that will do nothing but sell a boring product. That’s not to say there aren’t some really great brands out there that are fun to shoot with. For the most part though, nobody wants to take any chances. They want to play it safe. I don’t know what the Drake’s circulation is? Minuscule when compared to that of a company with reach like the Nike’s of the world. Still though, I’d rather shoot this stuff 8 days a week. And just for the record, The Drake didn’t hire me to shoot this story on Zach. It was a self assigned project that I pitched to them and they bit. No pun intended.

Long live the personal project.

Click here to see more of my fly fishing photography