The Guides
Who you fish with
Guide · 30 years fly fishing, 8 guiding
Cole Atchley
Cole Atchley has been fly fishing for 30 years, specializing in dry fly and backcountry technique.
He grew up fishing in southern Colorado, where his grandparents owned a lodge on the Conejos River — one of the most challenging rivers in the state to fish, and the water that taught him how to read picky, selective fish.
That upbringing shaped how he guides today — patient, technical, and focused on water where presentation matters more than volume.
At a glance
- Fly fishing
- 30 years
- Guiding
- 8 years
- Specialties
- Dry fly, backcountry fly fishing
- Guiding area
- Colorado Front Range
- Specialty trips
- Conejos River
- Favorite fish
- Rio Grande cutthroat trout
Licensed and covered
- Liability insurance carried
- Current first aid and CPR certification
- USFS special-use permits — Pike and Rio Grande National Forests
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife permits for state wildlife areas
Full seasonal availability is posted ahead of each season.
Guide
Brad Pitchford
Brad grew up in Oklahoma, where his grandfather taught him to fly fish — and a good deal more than casting: to slow down, respect the outdoors, and value the time spent on the water.
That start turned into a lifelong pull toward rivers and open country. Eventually he and his wife left what was familiar behind and moved to Colorado for the life they had always talked about.
Fly fishing still ties him back to those early mornings with his grandpa.