Once Pat Dorsey gets going with this book thing, there’s no stopping himmuch to the delight, and benefit, of Western fly-fishermen.
Dorsey, arguably the leading trout guide in the region, waited until his 43rd birthday to start spilling out in print all he had learned in a lifetime of intense angling.
It seems only months ago that he produced “A Fly Fisher’s Guide to the South Platte River,” which instantly became the classic work on the river treasured most by Colorado anglers.
Actually, that work was produced three years ago, giving the suddenly prolific author time to add a nifty DVD and get the idea for another book.
“Fly Fishing Tailwaters: Tactics and Patterns for Year-Round Waters,” is notable because no one else thought to do one in large format, despite the growing popularity of those trout-filled places below dams.
For all his sudden success, Dorsey disclaims wordsmith gifts, bestowing literary praise on his editor, Jay Nichols. Ever humble, he also heaps thanks on various experts who roam home rivers across the West. The result is a book that is readable, authoritative, lovely and, above all, much desired.
“Tailwaters have gotten so much tougher over the past 20 years,” Dorsey says in laying out the rationale for detailing all the things that make this so. “We have pressured waters and so much tougher fish.”
He also might have added the trials caused by greater fluctuations in the release from dams, a condition also caused by this population explosion, only in a different way.
For that, Dorsey offers a tonic he applies virtually every day of his life, at least for those many rivers that flow through Colorado.
“I call WaterTalk (a phone-in service that tells up-to-the-hour flows on most rivers) and start putting my game plan together. I talk to my client and find out his goals and expectations,” says Dorsey, whose job as guide director for the Blue Quill Angler shop in Evergreen keeps him on the water most days of the year.
That strategy almost certainly includes a selection of small flies, an assortment tailored to the season and the flow.
“If you’re going to be successful day in, day out, you’re going to be fishing size 20 flies and smaller,” he advises. “Our rivers are different almost every time you go there. It takes a lot of study. Never assume you’re going to catch fish. I love that part of the puzzle.”
While most of his expertise is centered on his guide spots and the rivers of Colorado, he adds layers of knowledge by traveling during whatever turns out to be his offseason.
“These other Western tailwaters become a playground for me.”
He ticks off the Green, San Juan, North Platte at Gray Reef, Big Horn. You’ll find all or pieces of these streams scattered throughout the book where they add nuance to the greater lesson: the mixing towers on the Green, the spillover at Elevenmile Dam on the South Platte, the deep bottom release on the Blue, fluctuations on hydropower dams like the Colorado at Lee’s Ferry, where the flow may vary 10,000 cubic feet per second in a day.
“I’ve taken lessons from all these rivers. It’s a lot of fun to visit these tailwaters and catch fish under a wide range of conditions.”
You’ll find all the lessons and at least part of the fun right there in the book.
Charlie Meyers: 303-291-1609 or cmeyers@denverpost.com
Book signing
Pat Dorsey will appear at the Blue Quill Angler noon-2 p.m. Aug. 22 for a signing and discussion of his new book. The address is 1532 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen, phone 303-674-4700.
