We are pleased to officially announce that Minturn Anglers and Colorado Skies have merged as one to be Colorado’s Fly Shop! Come by and meet the entire crew during our Small business Saturday BBQ all Day November 30th! There have been some questions as to what will change and if the people you have come to know and trust in both business will stay.  The answer is a yes! The only change will be more trip offerings, destination trips & locations with friendly staff you know you can trust! We are still deciding on keeping both shops current names or naming them both the same.  We certainly welcome your input, but until we come to a decision just know we are the same shop! To better answer some of these questions here is what the owner of Colorado Skies and Matt Sprecher (own of Minturn Anglers) have to say about the merge.  Matt Sprecher’s Thoughts & Comments…. This merger is monumental in a lot of ways.  For me, it’s a chance to work with the guys at Colorado Skies to help expose the Denver fly fishing community to the things we have been up to in Minturn. If you want to learn how to row a boat, we have a guide staff to teach you.  If you want to take your wife or significant other on a special trip that you are sure to both enjoy try our “Cast and Taste Trip.” If you are feeling adventurous, and hate driving…try our Wyoming Fly In Trip.  If you want your kids to learn how to fly fish, send them to our Kid’s Fly Fishing Camp.  Interested in being a fly fishing guide, take our guide school! The list goes on about the truly unique fly fishing trips and experiences we offer that go well beyond the norm of what everyone else is doing. I also look forward to providing the front range with some accurate information about what is actually going on in our local rivers. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had customers from Denver come in and show us the flies they were recommended by front range shops for one of our local waters.  I’m not trying to bash any Denver area shop, but it’s hard to make a fly recommendation for the Eagle River if you have not fished the Eagle in a year and don’t know that caddis are hatching but fish are eating the masking hatch of PMDs at the moment.  By having a shop in Denver in constant with our Vail location, I can promise you the best source of information if you’re heading our way will be through our store in Parker. Aside from introducing you all to Minturn Anglers, I also look forward to building off of what Colorado Skies has already done.  Their fly tying videos, fishing schools, free weekend clinics and active involvement in the Denver fly fishing community is something we have always wanted to participate in.  Now we have that chance, and I am extremely optimistic at what is to come of this merger! -Matt

The Colorado Skies Outfitters Thoughts & Comments…

First off, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all of our customers and clients at Colorado Skies who have been loyal and have kept us in business for five years!  There have also been a number of key employees from the beginning that got us here and I’ll never be able to fully thank you all.

What I have come to learn about the fly fishing business is that we are all essentially selling the same stuff, and what really adds value is not the product but the people involved that add the value.  I’ve been very fortunate to have some great guys work for us and I hope all of our customers have benefited as a result.   My brother Mike,  who helped me open the store a day after graduating from college.  James Spicer, you’re forever a friend for helping take Colorado Skies to the next level.  Ty Clifton, I never would have known what a spey rod was if it weren’t for you.  Brandon Soucie, the most talented angler I have ever met who has taught me more than I can remember and constantly drives me to be better. Frank Smethurst, thank you for always reminding me of why I’m doing this and that fishing always comes first.  Erin Hale, the customer service and relationships you have built will be and continues to be forever valued. This merger has been a long work in progress, and I can’t tell you how excited I am for what is to come.  Through college, I worked as a guide in the Vail Valley and was always blown away by the quality of fishing and that 99% of the people I was guiding were from out of state.  This made me realize that there is a serious disconnect between our states fly fishing destinations and the Denver fly fishing community.  It seams like we have guide services in the mountains, and we have fly shops in Denver that sell retail gear.  Until now, there has never been a fly shop that does both.  The goal in merging was to bridge the large gap of knowledge and services between our fly fishing destinations, and where the majority of our state’s anglers live. This merger could have happened with a lot of shops, but I have always admired what Minturn Anglers has done and what they are all about. It starts with their rule #1 “Just be nice to people!”  It seams simple enough, but so hard for so many shops to actually do. I remember guiding trips for Minturn Anglers in there first year of business, when there was just a couple flies in the bin, and watching current owner Matt Sprecher bust his tail off setting up booths at the Vail & Minturn farmers market to scratch up any business he could find. The store & guide service was built from that blue collar mentality of hard work, friendliness and thinking outside the box.  As a result, they have emerged as the most successful guide services in the Vail Valley. Moving forward, I will still be guiding plenty of trips on the North Platte and floating the Colorado River through the summer months.   I will also be actively involved in making sure our stores website remains up-to-date and full of new and useful information.  With a pool of over 30 quality guides, I look forward to getting everybody involved in making tying videos, writing blogs and helping our combined guide staffs better share their knowledge and passion for fly fishing with you!  It’s going to be a great ride and I look forward to having you all on board! – Denver fly shop manager and ex-owner.