Fly Fishing - Crested Butte, CO

Taylor River Fly Fishing

Fly Fishing Photography - Colorado

Sometimes you think the sun is going to help with the cold and on certain days is does. For all the rest of the days, it’s easiest to just accept the fact that you won’t feel your hands again until you get back to the truck. At which point you’ll need to put a koozie around your beer just so they don’t get any worse. Thankfully this wasn’t one of those. It’s only the middle of October but that doesn’t matter. If you spend time in the mountains then you know an early summer morning can feel oddly similar to winter. It’s got to be part of that whole love/hate thing.

It’s safe to assume that most western fly fisherman, in the beginning at least, are only concentrated on the rainbow trout. It’s put up on a pedestal. The trophy. The goal. Won’t deny having those same feelings, but that’s all changed over time, as everything does. Now, in my opinion, brown trout are king. Their colors and markings are really special.Now, In the name of transparency this isn’t my fish, but my friend caught it while I was shooting. Which means I was sort of catching it vicariously through him. That’s the only way I’ve found to calm the urge to set the camera down and replace it with a fly rod. It’s a vicious cycle that I’m trying to be at peace with. On the scale of problems, it’s a good one to have. Snowboarding is the only thing I do that absolutely won’t involve a camera unless it’s the one on my phone. Fly fishing on the other hand is a constant battle.

Good times on the Taylor River that day.

Click here to see more of my Fly Fishing photography

Fly Fishing the Taylor River

The beautiful markings of a brown trout

Fly Fishing Photography - 11 Mile Canyon - South Platte River

11 Mile Canyon Fly Fishing Photography on Colorado's South Platte River

The South Platte River has no shortage of famous stretches of water, but 11 Mile Canyon has always felt a little different to me.

Maybe it's the granite walls. Maybe it's the winding road that follows the river through the canyon. Or maybe it's because the farther you move away from the parking areas, the easier it becomes to forget how close you actually are to Denver.

These photographs were made during several days spent fishing, camping, and exploring the canyon with friends. Rather than focusing on fish counts or fishing reports, the goal was to document the experience that keeps people returning to places like this year after year.

Fly fishing road trip in a classic Bronco

Why 11 Mile Canyon Is One of Colorado's Most Photogenic Fly Fishing Destinations

Located below Eleven Mile Reservoir near Lake George, Colorado, this stretch of the South Platte River combines clear water, enormous granite boulders, steep canyon walls, and healthy trout populations.

The result is a landscape that feels uniquely Colorado.

For photographers, the canyon offers something different around every bend. Early morning light reflects off the cliffs, afternoon thunderstorms build over the ridges, and the river constantly changes character as it moves through the canyon.

It's the kind of place where you can spend an entire day with a camera and never make a cast.

A fly fisherman prepares his gear standing next to a classic Ford Bronco

Fly Fishing the South Platte River Beyond the Crowds

One of the best things about 11 Mile Canyon is that the experience changes dramatically depending on how far you're willing to walk.

The areas closest to the road are popular for good reason. Access is easy and the fishing can be excellent.

But some of my favorite photographs have come from the less-traveled sections where the canyon narrows, the crowds disappear, and the only sounds are moving water and wind through the pines.

Those stretches feel more like backcountry fishing than a roadside destination.

Scenic Colorado fly fishing on the South Platte River in 11 Mile Canyon

Black and white photograph of a fly fisherman in 11 Mile Canyon with storm clouds building in the distance

Camping and Fly Fishing in 11 Mile Canyon

Many anglers visit the canyon for a day trip, but staying overnight changes the pace entirely.

Spillway Campground offers easy access to the river and makes it possible to fish the morning and evening windows without spending hours driving.

The best moments often happen outside the fishing itself.

Coffee before sunrise.

Rigging rods beside camp with frozen fingers.

Afternoon rainstorms rolling through the canyon.

Drinking beer with friends around a fire after a long day on the water.

Those moments are every bit as important to the story as the fish.

Take a break on the South Platte River

Fly fisherman on a scenic section of the South Platte River in 11 Mile Canyon, Colorado

Photographing the Culture of Fly Fishing

One reason I've continued photographing fly fishing for so many years is that the sport extends far beyond the act of catching trout.

Road trips.

No cell service.

Off the grid camping.

Stories.

The unknown and unexpected.

Places like 11 Mile Canyon provide the backdrop, but the people and culture surrounding the sport are what continue to draw me back.

Fly fisherman walking through a tunnel in 11 Mile Canyon, Colorado

Netting a trout on the South Platte River

Part of a Larger Colorado Fly Fishing Photography Project

These images are part of an ongoing body of work documenting fly fishing across Colorado and the American West.

Additional locations include:

• Rocky Mountain National Park

• Cheesman Canyon

• Black Canyon of the Gunnison

• Clear Creek

• Colorado River

Each river has its own character, but the goal remains the same: documenting real anglers in real places rather than staged outdoor imagery.

Black and white photograph of a fly fisherman netting a trout on the South Platte River

Boulder hopping in 11 Mile Canyon

Fly Fishing Photography Prints and Licensing

Many of the photographs from 11 Mile Canyon are available as fine art prints for homes, offices, lodges, and fly fishing enthusiasts.

View the collection of fly fishing prints

The collection is also available for editorial and commercial licensing for outdoor brands, publications, tourism organizations, and advertising agencies.

For print or licensing inquiries, contact me directly at rob@robhammerphotography.com.

Early morning fly fishing in 11 Mile Canyon

Afternoon rainstorm in Colorado

End of the fishing day - 11 Mile Canyon

Fly Fishing the Owens River

Owens River Fly Fishing

Mammoth Lakes, California - Winter

Some time over the past couple months has been spent archiving my library of images which is a hell of a process. Sorta seems like moving houses in that you have no idea how many stuff you’ve accumulated over the years until it’s necessary to move it. Archiving my library is daunting but necessary. Should have been doing it all along. A lesson I’ve learned during this process is how easy it is to forget about images once they sit on hard drives for a certain period of time. Life goes on. You get busy. Commercial shooting and other paying projects get put on the front burner. So now I’m faced with having to archive 10+ years of imagery onto a separate site that will allow the images to be licensed instead of collecting dust on a shelf. That aside, it brings a lot of joy to see images from trips past that I haven’t looked at since they happened. Also brings the thought of travel to the forefront and what COVID has done to the possibility of doing it at all. Internationally at least.

The images you see here are from a camping trip last year to Lone Pine, CA in the Alabama Hills. On the way out we hit the Owens River briefly to see if there were any trout hanging out in a particular section we’d never been to. Turns out, there weren’t……

Click HERE for an archive of fly fishing imagery which will is still a work in progress and always will be as my library continues to grow.

Fly Fishing in the Eastern Sierra

Owens River Fly Fishing

Winter fly fishing on the Owens River

Fly fishing the Owens River

Winter fly fishing in the Eastern Sierra