Summit Daily File Photo
On Saturday and Sunday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife invites state-resident and non-resident anglers of all ages to participate in the agency’s annual Free Fishing Weekend.
Also this season, CPW is operating a “Take A Friend Fishing” contest. As part of the contest, entrants submit a photo and brief story of time on the water with a first-time angler. CPW says submissions will be judged by “their ability to inspire.”
Contest rules stipulate the mentor and mentee must be at least 21 years of age, contest participants must follow all applicable Colorado fishing regulations, the mentor must have had a Colorado fishing license before the start of the contest and mentees must have obtained their first-ever fishing license in 2018 or 2019.
CPW this season has also launched a pair of new fishing apps, the CPW Fishing app and the Match a Hatch app. The agency says the CPW Fishing app can help anglers discover new fishing locations, help them to learn new skills, stay on top of the latest regulations, fishing conditions and stocking reports, and journal fishing experiences. The app also helps anglers to discover and search more than 1,300 fishing destinations across the state. Within the app, anglers can view a location’s popularity, ease of access, which fish species are present, stream gauges and more.
Anglers can also use the app to journal their days on the water and their catches. The agency says the app can even place an angler’s catch locations on the app’s map. The app also features a fish identification guide to help anglers learn about the state’s fish species.
CPW’s Match A Hatch app is designed to help fly fishermen identify the flies that are hatching in Colorado each month and to find an appropriate artificial fly to use to fish. When using the app, CPW says an angler can simply tap on one of the riverfly images within the app that looks closest to what you see on the river to learn more about that fly.
Both apps are available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play. Enter the Take A Friend Fishing contest here.