Fishing

Unique Fishing Opportunities at Mountain Sky Ranch

Mountain Sky Ranch offers an array of fishing oportunities in our beautiful Rocky Mountain Valley here in the shadows of Longs Peak and Rocky Mountain National Park. We are not a neon-sign lit you-catch-em pond by the side of a highway.  You can fish for a day, for an hour or for anything in between.  All fishing is be reservation only, and we maximize your experience by our knowledge of our fishery and your desires.  We are open from March through November for open water fishing, and ice conditions permitting, in January and February for ice fishing. 

The main pond on a beautiful fall morning - there are some very big ones in there.

Why should you come and fish with us? 

Probably the best reason is that fishing and fish management is our passion and has been a part of our professional lives for almost 40 years.  Mountain Sky’s founder and CEO, Dr. Dorband, has a PhD in Fisheries and Aquatic Ecology.  More importantly, he is a daily student of fish and fish management.  We raise most of the fish we stock in our fishing ponds, and stream (from Mountain Sky Aquaponics and Aquaculture systems), and we manage our fishing habitat continuously. We know what fish we have, and what you can expect to catch when you are here.

What Kinds of Fishing Experiences Could You Have?

If you have a thought about an experience you might want to have, you can probably have it here at the Ranch.  Here are some examples of the options:

  • Bring your kids (your own, grandkids, a birthday party, a boy scout troop) and show the how you can catch lots of fish of all sizes so that it is fun and that you are not sitting around waiting and being bored.  Kids learn to love fishing when they are catching fish.  After you catch them you can even grill them up to eat on a fire by the ponds with some smores and other delicious foods and drinks.  We will provide all of the gear, all you have to do is show up, dressed for Colorado weather. While at the ranch the kids might even want to hike, bike, play pasture golf, or other fun things.  You give us your thoughts and we will help develop a plan.
  • Learn to fly fish  or spin fish from professional guides that have many years of practical experience (Dr. Dorband and other of our staff).
  • Catch trophy trout and bass from our ponds that you can be proud of for a lifetime.
  • Compete in one of our ongoing competitions to win valuable prizes or bragging rights.
  • Plan a corporate or group event that involves fishing, pasture golfing, horseshoes, eating and drinking for example.  Let us help you customize something for your group.
  • Other creative ideas we are not even thinking of right now.

What Would All This Fun Cost?

Because what we offer is diverse and creative, some of the group events you might want to enjoy will need to be custom priced.  Contact us and we will give you a specific quote for your needs.  As a general rule, here are some pricing and rule guidelines.

Some great fly fishing around this area!

Rules (not inclusive)

  1. All fisherpersons who cannot swim or are under 5 years old must wear a lifejacket while fishing (we will provide). 
  2. You can fish in a belly boat or waders if your bring them.  Wading is allowed when requested.
  3. Fishing with flies, artificial lures and all types of bait is allowed.
  4. All trout over 12 inches must be caught and released if at all possible.  Dieing fish can be kept.  Use good discretion for this.
  5. All fish caught must be reported (approximate size and species).
  6. All bass must be caught and released.
  7. All other species caught can be kept.
  8. All Mountain Sky Agritourism guests must sign a waiver and release form.

Pricing Guidelines

  1. Group pricing is by the hour, half day or full day, and will be quoted depending on the services to be provided by the Ranch, but is generally about $60/hour, $200 per half day, or $350 per day.  Again we will quote you for specific desires.
  2. Kids fishing is approximately $15/hour and fish caught and kept are $7.00 per pound (most fish kept are about 1/2 pound or so).  There is no limit for kept fish.
  3. Fishing lessons or guided fishing is generally $100 for a half day and $175 for a full day and includes snacks and lunch for full day lessons.
  4. Fishing and combined other agritourism related activities are custom priced.
  5. Competitions are variable and we will be listing them on posts as they are applicable.

How Do I Find out More or Make a Reservation?

You can call us at 303-495-3705 and we will give you a quote for a desired option, or you can email us at wayne@ecolonomics.org or very soon we will have online reservations for you to use.  Remember no question is a bad question, and you can always come up to visit us (no reservations required) to see if we bite (we don’t!) and check our how cool this fishing might be.