On Thursday, April 9, the Cherry Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited will host Ron Belak for a presentation entitled Fly Fishing Colorado’s Backcountry: High Lakes and Small Streams. Ron will cover strategies for fishing these unique waters, fishery management, seasonal variability entomology and pattern selection. Ron has fished over 400 different high lakes in Colorado as well as dozens of other lakes elsewhere in the U.S. and Canadian Rockies, Alaska and Argentina.

Ron is the author of the book entitled Fly Fishing Colorado’s Backcountry.” It consists of over 40 how-to articles he published in Colorado Outdoors Magazine, the official publication of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, from 1994 through 2018. While aimed primarily at the backcountry angler, half of the articles in the book are applicable to fly fishing for trout anywhere. All articles were updated in 2018, and the book is illustrated with almost 450 color photos. Books will be available for sale and signing at the talk.

Educated as a scientist with degrees in geology and significant coursework in the biological sciences, he approaches fly fishing from an analytical perspective, trying to decide what strategies, techniques, equipment and patterns work and what is the scientific basis for why they work. Ron’s writing has also appeared in Fly Fisherman and American Angler. He is a frequent presenter at chapter meetings of Trout Unlimited and the Fly Fishing Show in Denver.