Wild Colorado Water & Trout.
Guided fly-fishing trips across the Front Range — South Platte tailwaters, Arkansas River drift-boat floats, the Dream Stream, and wild high-country creeks. We handle every detail. You show up ready.
One drift boat and a beat-up truck in 2012. Twelve years on, still the same idea — put good people on wild trout, and make the whole thing easy.
We guide the water we grew up on. The South Platte tailwaters below Cheesman and Eleven Mile, the Dream Stream between the reservoirs, the Arkansas River through the canyon, and the high creeks tucked into Pike National Forest — Cody and our team have fished this country for decades. We know which run holds fish when the flows come up, and where the trout sit when the water drops.
Everything is included so you don't have to think about logistics. Rods, reels, waders, flies, and terminal tackle on every trip. We help with your Colorado fishing license, meet you at the water, and rig you correctly for the day. You bring yourself and a willingness to learn — we handle the rest.
Guided Fly-Fishing Trips
Wade a tailwater at dawn, float the Arkansas in a drift boat, or chase trophy trout on the Dream Stream. Every trip includes your guide, premium gear, flies, and everything you need to focus on the fishing.
Year-Round Half-Day Wade Trip
$295fromFour hours on the water with a guide on the South Platte and local Front Range tailwaters. Perfect for a morning or afternoon — ideal for newer anglers, locals, and anyone short on time who still wants to catch wild trout.
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Apr–Oct Full-Day Float Trip
$525fromA full day in the drift boat covering miles of the Arkansas River — water you simply can't reach on foot. Two anglers per boat, streamside lunch included, and a guide on the oars putting you on the best runs all day.
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Summer–Fall Walk-&-Wade Wild Trout
$375fromHike into high-country creeks and pocket water for wild, willing trout in stunning Pike National Forest scenery. A full day of walking, casting, and small-stream tactics away from the crowds.
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Spring & Fall Dream Stream Trophy Trip
$450fromA full day chasing the big, migratory trout that run the Dream Stream and our blue-ribbon tailwaters. Technical sight-fishing for trophy rainbows, browns, and cutbows in spring and fall — the trip serious anglers come back for.
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Year-Round Beginner & Family Trips
$250fromNever held a fly rod? Bringing the kids? Our patient guides teach casting, knots, reading water, and the basics on gentle, fish-friendly water. The best first day on the river anyone could ask for.
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2–4 Days Multi-Day Colorado Getaway
$1,150fromA multi-day fly-fishing getaway across the Front Range — a float on the Arkansas, a wade on the South Platte, and a day on the Dream Stream, built around the best water for the season. Lodging guidance and a custom itinerary included.
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The South Platte at first light
Cheesman · Deckers · Dream Stream · Eleven Mile
We guide the rivers we grew up on.
The South Platte tailwaters below Cheesman and Eleven Mile, the Arkansas through the canyon, the high creeks tucked into Pike National Forest — we've fished this country for decades. We know which run holds fish when the flows come up, and where the trout sit when the water drops.
- ✓ Blue-ribbon tailwaters & Gold Medal float water
- ✓ Rods, reels, waders, flies — included on every trip
- ✓ Local knowledge that puts you on fish
The Dream Stream in the run
Spring & fall · trophy rainbows, browns & cutbows
Trophy tailwaters, dialed in.
When the spring and fall runs are on, big trout push out of the reservoirs and into the Dream Stream and our blue-ribbon tailwaters. Technical sight-fishing for genuinely large, wild rainbows and browns — and a guide who knows exactly which runs are holding them.
- ✓ Dream Stream & Cheesman Canyon trophy water
- ✓ Sight-fishing & fine-tippet tactics, taught as you go
- ✓ Spring & fall migration windows · catch-and-release
First fly rod? Perfect.
Patient, teaching-first guides · all gear sized to you
The best first day on the river.
Never held a fly rod? Bringing the kids? Our guides teach casting, knots, and how to read water on gentle, fish-friendly stretches — and most first-timers are catching trout by midday. Small groups, real one-on-one time, and a day they'll talk about for years.
"My kids had never fly fished and Cody was endlessly patient — both of them caught trout."
— Dana & Mike Restrepo, Family Beginner TripMeet Your Guides
A small, close-knit crew who live to fish this water — and want you to love it as much as they do.
Cody Raines
Founder & Head GuideCody has guided Colorado's Front Range for over 12 years — fly fishing the South Platte, the Dream Stream, and the Arkansas in every season. Licensed Colorado guide, certified Wilderness First Responder, and the guy who'll have you mending line right by lunch.
Lead Guide · Colorado Guide Service #OUT-3041Marisol Vega
Lead Guide & Tailwater SpecialistMarisol lives for technical tailwater fishing — sight-casting tiny midges to picky Cheesman trout and reading the Dream Stream like a book. If there's a trophy trout holding in a seam, she'll put you on it.
Certified WFR · 9 seasons guidingDale Whitcomb
Drift Boat Guide & OarsmanDale has rowed the Arkansas more days than he can count. Whether you're a first-timer or chasing a personal best, he'll put the boat exactly where you need it and net the fish that count.
Rowing & swiftwater certifiedHannah Pierce
Bookings & Trip CoordinatorHannah handles the schedule, matches you to the right guide and water, and answers the questions our 24/7 booking assistant can't. She's the reason your trip runs like clockwork.
What Our Anglers Say
5,200+ trips run across the Front Range. Here's what a few of our clients had to say.
"Booked a full-day float on the Arkansas with Dale and it was the best day of fishing I've ever had. He had us on fish from the first run, lunch on a gravel bar, and a 20-inch brown to end the day. Already rebooked for next year."
"Marisol put me on the biggest trout of my life on the Dream Stream — a hen rainbow that took twenty minutes to land. She read the water, picked the fly, and talked me through every cast. Worth every penny and then some."
"My kids had never fly fished and Cody was endlessly patient — casting lessons, easy water, both of them caught trout. The booking chat answered all my questions at 11pm the night before. Such a well-run outfit."
A booking assistant that never misses a lead.
Our guides are on the river and in the field — so an AI concierge answers for us around the clock. It handles seasons, rates, and availability even when no one's at a desk, captures the booking, and hands it to a real coordinator to confirm. No missed calls. No lost trips.
- ✓ Instant answers, day or night
- ✓ Seasons, rates & live availability
- ✓ Captures bookings while you sleep
- ✓ Then a real guide confirms every trip
Days Worth Remembering
Front Range water and wild trout — a glimpse of what your day with Tailwater Guide Co. looks like.
Front Range Tailwaters, Floats & Wild Creeks
Based in Colorado Springs, we run trips across the Front Range — from blue-ribbon tailwaters and the Dream Stream to Gold Medal float water and wild high-country creeks.
Frequently Asked
Licenses, gear, beginners, cancellations — the essentials.
Do I need a Colorado fishing license?
Do you provide gear, or should I bring my own?
What should I bring?
I've never fly fished — are beginners welcome?
What's your cancellation and weather policy?
How many anglers per guide or boat?
Ready for your day on the water?
Book your trip online in minutes, or ask our 24/7 booking assistant about seasons, rates, and open dates. Wild Colorado trout water is waiting.
Questions? Our 24/7 booking assistant answers instantly — even when our guides are on the water.