#8: Go Fly Fishing
Listen up boys! While your wives are out fabric shopping, the river is where it’s at! (Ladies, that doesn’t mean I’m discouraging you from going fishing too!) Unfortunately, the status of the Cache la Poudre River, one of NoCo’s most popular fly fishing rivers, is questionable right now because of the fire. But there are still plenty of excellent fishing opportunities! Don’t worry if you’ve never done it before – pictured above is Arcangelo Cella, my Italian best friend from Boston, who’d never fished a day in his life before vacationing with me in Colorado. He was a fly fishing pro in no time!
Keep in mind that if you’re over 16, you need to get a Colorado fishing license (available for 1 day, 5 days or more!). Do not fret – Sportsman’s Warehouse is just THREE MILES from the Ranch and is on your way to either The Big Thompson or St. Vrain Rivers (listed below). Sportsman’s Warehouse sells fishing licenses at their customer services counter: 1675 Rocky Mountain Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. As you get closer to the foothills, there are also several mom n’ pop type fishing shops that sell licenses.
Anyway, The Big Thompson River and St. Vrain Rivers are two of your best fishing options within reasonable driving distance of The Ranch:
The Big Thompson River (West of Loveland) is closest to The Ranch. The Big Thompson starts in Rocky Mountain National Park and flows into the Estes Park Dam. Once through the dam, it maneuvers through Big Thompson canyon down to Loveland. Check out this great blog on fishing The Big Thompson: http://coloradoflyfishingreports.blogspot.com/2011/05/big-thompson-river-colorado.html
The St. Vrain River (West of Lyons) is another very popular option. Check out this link for more information: http://www.coloradofishing.net/ft_ffish1.htm
Here are some helpful links on Fishing in Colorado:
http://wildlife.state.co.us/fishing/Pages/Fishing.aspx
And if you want to be a total geek (like my dad), check out the fishing reports before you go:
http://coloradofishing.net/reports.htm
Finally, let me recommend Jax Outdoor, a favorite of many Colorado outdoors-men & -women 
It has stores in Loveland and Fort Collins! This is also a great place for good quality Coloradoy food (elk jerky, buffalo jerky, deer jerky, steak rubs, CO based food products, etc.) and souvenirs if you’re interested.
