Podcast

PMDs, Caddis and Abundance on the Colorado River with Peter Stitcher (Ep. 194)

“I want people to break their dependency on the hatch chart and then the fly shop and really to gain the confidence to be observant. Just keep an open mind. Don’t get stuck tying flies on in the parking lot and sticking with them all day.”
Peter Stitcher

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Peter Stitcher, from Littleton, Colorado. Peter fell in love with fishing at age four in Knoxville, Tennessee. His teacher introduced him to tying flies in 5th grade to help keep him focussed and calm during school. His education went on from there to degrees in theology, counseling, and finally aquatic biology.

When Peter realized he spent all his free time on the water chasing trout, he finally recognized his future lay in fly fishing. Peter moved to Colorado, initially to manage private water, but soon discovered he wanted his own way to enjoy the connectedness he found on the river. He started his own fly shop out of his home, with the support of his wife and family. After 9.5 years, Peter moved his shop to a traditional space, opening Ascent Fly Fishing Fly Shop, where as an aquatic biologist, Peter finds joy in simplifying entomology for fly anglers.

We discuss:

The sections of the Colorado River
Emergers
Hatch charts
The river as a place of Abundance
PMD hatch and flies lifecycle
Caddis hatch and flies lifecycle

This conversation was a bit humbling. Peter’s knowledge of entomology is expansive and specific. In short, he knows his stuff. But he also knows what’s important for folks like me (and maybe you) to know. Peter breaks down the lifecycles of Caddis and PMDs in a way that makes it possible to understand other aquatic life. His motivation in sharing the information needed to be more independent and thoughtful in our understanding of bugs and fly selection, is rooted in his desire to help us connect more with the river as well as fish.

You can listen to the show on the podcast player below or anywhere that you enjoy podcasts. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I enjoyed talking with Peter.

VR,
Jason