Manitou Springs guide thrives in fly fishing community

By Kristian DePue

Joan Wulff is known among enthusiasts as the First Lady of Fly Fishing. Early in her life, she bested the boys in distance casting. And she has written numerous books on casting techniques. In her mid-90s, she is reportedly still angling.

Introducing fly-fishing guide Kaitlin Boyer – Wulff’s potential successor. The daughter of Montanans, Boyer and her poles reside in Manitou Springs — the eclectic, historic community just west of Colorado Springs. Boyer started fly fishing 12 years ago with her father, after moving back to the Centennial State following several years in the Pacific Northwest.

“I’m a tomboy and wanted to do everything that my dad and brother did,” says Boyer. “While I was gone in Oregon, my dad got really into fly fishing. He started teaching me on camping trips and by 2015, I was totally obsessed. It’s special to me, the connection that my dad and I have.”

In the spring of 2017, Kaitlin loaded her parent’s camper and spent the summer in Leadville, where she completed a college accredited certification in fly-fish guiding at Colorado Mountain College.

“This is Sarvis Creek Wilderness with a friend from Idaho. Her fly choice seemed questionable: a Chubby Chernobyl. I thought it wouldn't catch because of how obnoxious it was. Sure enough, she hooked this stunning rainbow trout. I was able to net it, we shared a good laugh, and now the Chubby Chernobyl is one of my favorite flies.” — Kaitlin Boyer

“I initially went to school for nursing but struggled, and started fishing as a way to relax,” Boyer says. “Eventually, I was skipping school to fish. People began requesting me to take them out — but with that, you need training.”

After an immersive six weeks, earning 13 college credits, Boyer became a certified guide and learned all things fly fishing, including aquatic entomology.

“Different rivers have varying species of aquatic insects, and those are what we’re imitating with our flies,” Boyer says. “In a tailwater, the bugs are going to be different than the ones in a freestone course. The bugs in freestone water are going to be bigger, like stoneflies and caddisflies; while in a tailwater live midges and mayflies.”

A tailwater is classified as a dam-controlled body of water. The flows of a freestone river fluctuate at the mercy of Mother Nature.

After graduating, Boyer obtained a job at Angler’s Covey, a fly-fishing shop in Colorado Springs. “I started working right away that summer in 2017,” Boyer says. “With Angler’s Covey, the places I guide are the South Platte River and the Arkansas tailwater below the Pueblo Reservoir.”

In 2020, she returned to her alma mater to teach at Colorado Mountain College. “Every May I go to Leadville to teach for six weeks,” Boyer says. She also took a job in the San Juan Mountains in Dunton, 25 miles southwest of Telluride. With both, Boyer is away from home from May into October.

Her clients enjoy the time spent on the water learning different techniques.

“I love the puzzle of fly fishing, and I find trout to be so ornately beautiful,” says Lindsay Jinkins, an anesthesiologist in Salt Lake City and a client of Boyers. “I was guided by Kaitlin at Dunton Hot Springs in June 2021. I felt really comfortable with a female guide and we easily built camaraderie.”

When asked why she loves fly fishing, Boyer talks about how relaxing it is.

“Fly fishing is very meditative, connects you with nature and brings about so much peace. You don’t think about your phone or about stuff going on — you just become one with the environment. The connection to the land is very soothing and healing.”
Kaitlin Boyer

“Fly fishing is very meditative, connects you with nature and brings about so much peace. You don’t think about your phone or about stuff going on — you just become one with the environment. The connection to the land is very soothing and healing.”

Most of the water that she guides is Gold Medal, so it’s mostly catch-and-release.

“The thing about fly fishers is that we’re conservationists — we care about the environment and the fish populations,” Boyer says. “Sometimes the water temperature is too high and we can’t fish because their mortality rate goes up with the temperature and it’s unethical.”

Boyer is patient and appreciates the opportunity to shape novices into skilled anglers.

“I like seeing people go from not knowing anything about fly fishing to catching a fish at the end of the day,” says Boyer. “Taking the information I am giving, implementing it and being successful — self-sufficient and really enjoying it.”

Another client is Chris McReynolds, founder of Southern Colorado Veterinary Internal Medicine.

“I initially met Kaitlin when her dog was sick, and I found out that she was a fly-fishing guide,” he says. “I’ve been fly fishing for over 30 years but always can learn more. I’ve been on four trips with Kaitlin over the last few years. What I like most about Kaitlin is her patience and infectious enthusiasm. She is so excited for the individual who catches their first trout on a fly or when one of us hooks into a trout of a lifetime. I will often see Kaitlin at a local fly shop and enjoy reliving stories of past trips or catching up on of our families, including our four-legged children.”

He agrees with Boyer on the meditative nature of the activity.

“Fly fishing, aside from the beauty, is my escape from the day-to-day grind,” McReynolds adds. “When fishing, I am focused on the water and my mind does not wander to all the things a routine day requires.”

Beyond fishing and guiding, Kaitlin Boyer is also a talented photographer, and you can follow her and her fly fishing adventures through her Instagram: @pixiek8

Born and raised in rural Indiana, Kristian DePue works as a contributing writer in Colorado Springs. In addition to writing, he enjoys travel, watching films, and a good cocktail.