Greetings AWOL family!
Well...the temperatures are beginning to drop. As I look high on the mountains I am beginning to see the first yellowing colors of the high altitude aspen as they prepare for their final show of the year. Soon, the cottonwood trees adorning the banks of rivers such as the Rio Grande, Pecos, Rio Chama, and many more will be accompanying the aspen in their golden transformation as the Autumn season breaks upon us. Its time to say goodbye to the high summer heat, and welcome in the seasonal hoodies, pumpkin spiced everything...and most importantly....GREAT FISHING!!!
HAPPENING THIS MONTH
October Monthly Meetup- Saturday the 15th
This month AWOL Head Guide and Program Director Ryan Stodgell has something special in store for everyone. We are going to be transitioning back to the upper Rio Grande in the Taos area. Fishing up there has been great with the temperature drops, and we are looking forward to returning to New Mexico's most iconic waterway. We are planning for another Gorge hike-in day trip. We will keep you informed as to the meeting location as the date approaches.
VETERANS! You wont want to miss this one. Rio Grande gorge hike in trips lead to EPIC fishing, and Ryan has the keys to the Rio. Be sure to head over to the website and get signed up today, or click the link below.
WELCOMING A NEW STAFF GUIDE
Please join us in welcoming a new staff guide to our ranks!!! We are grateful to have Vidal with Uncivilized Outdoorsman coming on our professional Guide staff.
This incredible young man is well on his way in life. Along with guiding the New Mexico waters for years now, Vidal is the owner at The Uncivilized Outdoorsman, a local clothing and apparel company homegrown right here in New Mexico. Vidal is also currently completing his Masters Degree at the University of New Mexico.
Vidal has a calm, keen and skilled style to guiding fisherman. We take pride in selecting only the finest guides in the state, who's skills, style and temperament on the water match the experience we want to give our Veterans. Vidal fits that strict bill exactly. We are so excited and thankful to have him teaching our Veterans. Head over to his website and swoop up some nice apparel for your next outing, and get with him on our next Monthly Meetup! https://www.theuncivilizedoutdoorsman.com/
WE ARE LOOKING FOR CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP!!!
Are you a business owner!? Do you know someone who is!?!? GREAT!! Send them our way. AWOL Angler is looking for corporate sponsorship for the 2023 season to support our Veteran Fly Fishing Programs.
We have thankfully experienced rapid and sustained growth in the years post covid, and we are ready to expand our programs even further. AWOL Angler is a 501(c)3 Non Profit Organization and can issue federally exempt tax donation receipts. As we draw the fiscal year to a close, please spread the word to your local business' and help us continue to provide this excellent mental health service.
SEPTEMBER MONTHLY MEETUP WAS "OFF THE HOOK"---see what I did there!?!
In September, we hosted our Monthly Meetup in the Jemez mountains, teaching late summer high country small stream fishing. We were honored to once again have our Partner Organization, Patriot Anglers, out for the event.
Together, our organizations put 16 Veterans on the high country waters, fishing three separate watersheds and coming in touch with three species of trout...Rainbow, Brown, and the elusive Rio Grande Cutthroat.
Late season rains kept the water levels nice and high for us, as well as dropping the temperature of the water a few crucial degrees.
Two of AWOL's long time participants, Noah and Serge were kind enough to cook everyone up a nice hot lunch. Elk, Burgers, chips...the whole 9, sealing off the end of our day.
WES' TIPS FOR THE FALL SEASON
Autumnal equinox has occurred here in New Mexico!!! It’s no secret fall is my favorite season.
Fall fishing affords some beautiful and unique opportunities to find fish. The cottonwood trees turn from a deep green to a radiant gold, the sunshine almost illuminating them in the background as you walk riverside in places like the Rio Grande, or the Rio Chama.
The heat starts to come off and cooler mornings prevail. This is good juju for good fishing.
When I think fall…I think brown trout. This is a unique season affording more opportunities to
come in contact with bigger, hearty Brown trout as they move around in the cooler waters.
Fall means backing away a bit from the high country delicate “dry/dropper” rigs of summer and settling into your nymphing season.
Double nymph rigs offering bigger stonefly and crane fly patterns with smaller caddis and mayfly nymphs underneath are going to get you in touch with fish. As the season moves on and colder temperatures come down, you’ll be switching to smaller midges and the like.
Be sure to drop by your local fly shops. Pick up a dozen flies, shake some hands with local pros and ask about the recent flows and conditions on your rivers.
We have some great shops here in New Mexico.
For our Albuquerque folks https://lospinosflyshop.com/
Santa Fe https://www.thereellife.com/
Taos https://taosflyshop.com/flyguide/main
BONUS STUFF
Exciting news AWOL family. We will be launching a new blog series in the next couple of months. Keep your eyes open for this awesome new content.
As always we would like to extend our deepest thanks to our donors. We are a community built, operated and funded Non Profit Organization. We could not do this important work without YOU!! Your contributions have put over 60 Veterans on the water with us this year...60 lives impacted thanks to your support.
If you would like to help support Veteran Mental Health, follow the link below to donate to AWOL Angler. Every dollar counts.
Thank you everyone, hope to see you on the water this Fall season.
Wes Dyer
Founder/Executive Director
wes@awolangler.org
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