Downtown, downtown … Ghillies is now downtown!
After six years in business, Ghillies is on the move. Our new location is 117 S. Nevada Ave., in the Kitchen Design Specialist building, between Colorado Ave. on the north and the Goodyear tire store to the south.
Why the move? ... Good question. The simple answer is we believe we can better serve our customer base from the new location. Being downtown, it’s centrally located. The new store has plenty of free, off-street parking, and also will be in easy walking distance from downtown businesses, offices, restaurants and other attractions.
The new location is a convenient stop along the way for fishermen heading to waters west on Highway 24, and with nearby access to Interstate 25, also to the south and north. It’s also a logical staging point for guided fishing trips, so don’t be surprised to see some additional guide-service tie-ins in the future.
Hardy Zenith Sintrix Fly Rod
Winner Yellowstone Anglers
Best
5wt Fly Rod 'Shoot Out'
Hardy SINTRIX™ fly fishing rods are the best rods we have ever produced. They are beautifully balanced, lightweight with crisp clean actions that provide both superb casting and fish playing characteristics. They are also phenomenally strong thanks to the revolutionary nature of our new SINTRIX™ material.
JUAN
RAMIREZ
Fly Tying Lessons
Ghillies 10-part series of winter fly tying classes will begin
on Nov. 18, with expert tier and veteran instructor Juan Ramirez
conducting a session on working with hair. The class will run 6:30
p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and cost $25. All materials and equipment will
be provided, but students are welcome to bring their own vises
and tying tools. Call the shop at 531-5413 to reserve a spot.
Future classes will include working with foam, tying the Copper
John, tying attractor patterns, tying the RS-2 family, streamers,
South Platte River patterns, Arkansas River patterns, still-water
patterns and techniques and tips for tying better flies.
Each class may be taken independent of the others.
Eight-class packages are available for $150.
Hot
Product
Fly Box
Ghillies
Price: $10.99
This
fly box is the ideal place to store all those secret weapons
before, during and after a fishing trip. Made from strong
and light ABS plastic, the GS fly box is small enough to
fit easily in fly vest or tackle box. Capable of holding close
to
400 flies, more than enough patterns for a day's fishing.
- Holds 396 flies
- Very high quality 'slit foam'
- Free swinging middle leaf
- Strong and lightweight ABS plastic
South
Platte River, Elevenmile Canyon: Recent flows have been around 100 cubic
feet per second, a good volume in the winter. The canyon is cold! Warm
days are the time to fish, but wait until sun has penetrated the canyon
and is on the water. The upper end has plenty of open water; varying
degrees of ice have been evident in the lower portions. Snow on the ground
can make access to some portions of the river difficult and potentially
dangerous. Tiny midge patterns such as Black Beauties, Rojos, Mercuries
and Brassies produce the best results. Fine leader tippets and strike
indicators that can detect subtle wintertime takes by fish are standard
equipment. Finding precisely the right amount of weight on the leader
to drift the flies at the proper level can be the key to success.
South Plate River, Dream Stream: Recent flows have been around 100 cfs.
Ice has been evident along the lower portions, but the upper end has
open water. Though the upper parking area is unavailable with the seasonal
closure of Spinney Mountain Reservoir, anglers can walk in from below.
Midges and occasionally scuds are the most effective winter patterns.
Fishing has been only fair at best, and relatively few fishermen have
been on the water.
South Platte River, Deckers area: Flows have been steady at 128 cfs.
Though midges still can take some trout, fishing has been slow. Cheesman
Canyon has plenty of open water, but ice on the trail and snow along
the banks are likely.
Arkansas River, Pueblo: Flows have been around 62 cfs. Fishing has been
fairly good, but expect lots of company on any given day. Some spurts
of surface activity have been reported, and midges always are a good
bet this time of year. Floating nymphs have been productive, and when
surface activity is not evident, San Juan worms and Woolly Buggers have
taken fish. Fishermen are encouraged to try some of the lower portions
of river, away from the main parking areas, which are less crowded but
hold some decent-sized rainbows.
Arkansas River, upper: Recent flows have been around 242 cfs at Granite
and 436 cfs at Wellsville. Cold air settled into the valley during the
holidays and fishing has been slow. A warming trend could move trout
into the feeding lanes near their winter holes for some early afternoon
activity. Midges and a variety of nymphs might produce some activity.
Expect some shelf ice along shaded portions of the river.