Salomone: School’s out floats.
All across the valley, schools are letting out for the summer. It’s time to get your river mindset flowing. Summer is when memories are made that last a lifetime. An excellent summertime kick-off starts with...
Michael Salomone
Contributor
Michael Salomone has lived in the Eagle River valley since 1992. He started his professional guiding career in 2002 and currently guides for Vail Valley Anglers. He lives on the bank of the Eagle River with his wife, Lori, his youngest daughter, Ella and a yellow Labrador named Poppy. His published writing has appeared in Southwest Fly Fishing, Fly Rod & Reel, Eastern Fly Fishing, On the Fly, FlyLords, the Pointing Dog Journal, Upland Almanac, TROUT, American Fly Fishing, USA Today Hunt & Fish and Fly Fisherman magazines.
Recent Articles
Column | Salomone: GoPro Mountain Games’ fly fishing competition
Vail holds many world-class events but none stick out in the warmer months more than the GoPro Mountain Games, June 4-7. The outdoor recreation community revels in the sponsors, swag items and events, from off-the-ground...
Salomone: Bluegills, bass and big smiles
A recent visit home for my mother’s birthday gave me a chance to exercise my inner child while fly fishing in a variety of waters for bluegills and largemouth bass. For visitors to Vail, an...
Salomone: Game on.
Fly fishers fantasize about epic encounters with unimaginable hatches on famous waters. The most notable events fill books, adorn magazine covers and fuel dreams. With the Colorado River’s low water flows, salmonflies have already jumped...
Salomone: Caddis top to bottom coverage
Watching water temperature helps to determine when to fish certain insect imitations. If fly fishers haven’t seen the bugs, water temperature can still tell you they are there. With the way water temperatures have been...
Salomone: Urban angling opportunities
Even when you’re far from home waters, new fishing opportunities can surface at a moment’s notice. Urban angling opportunities exist everywhere. Frequent travels — around metropolitan Florida on the East Coast and southern California’s urban...
Column | Salomone: Use enough bead
On a recent float with Vail Valley Anglers guide Bryant Compton, he prompted us to anchor our nymph rig with a large, beaded, cranefly nymph. I looked at the massive bead that was tied on...
Salomone: Dry flies are on the menu
River water temperatures are rising. Aquatic insect activity fluctuates daily with the rise and fall in water temperature. Along with that increase is a rise in trout attention. Mayflies and caddis float downstream, tempting trout...
Salomone: 2 bugs — one is here, one is coming.
The river is reaching summer flow levels rapidly. Water temperatures are making a rise. Insect activity is producing stellar fly fishing. We may not see much of a runoff increase. Getting out on the river...
Salomone: Getting lost on three weight water
Hidden streams trickle along shadowed valleys up high. Some flow in plain sight. These are small water places filled with little fish. Pockets, riffles and runs beg for dry flies in the summer months. Sometimes...