Family Fishing Derby 2026
Event Date: June 6th, 2026. Check-in begins at 3:30pm. Derby starts at 5:00 pm
Event Address: Pond at Parque de Vida, Cortez - Behind the Rec Center
Look for our Dolores River Anglers Flag for the check-in table
Register at this link
Derby Rules:
All participants must register before the event and by June 4th. Only individuals who have pre-registered can take part in the derby. Ages 4+
All hook barbs must be crimped. Pliers to crimp hooks will be available for use at check-in
All fish caught must be kept by the angler. A volunteer cleaner will be at the event to assist with harvesting
Must be present to claim prizes
Free fishing weekend. No license required!
Please use your best sportsmanship. This event is for fun and the youth. Any individual who is not following the rules or being disrespectful to others will be asked to leave.
Check- in begins at 3:30 at the pavilion. Lines drop at 5pm
Fly Casting Competition
How to Enter:
Sign up at the link
The registration will ask if you will pay cash or Venmo. Cash can be brought that same day.
Please check-in near the Pavillion at 1:50PM. Look for the Dolores River Anglers flag!
We need at least 20 people to have this event.
If the event is cancelled due to numbers of participants, you will receive a full refund of your money.
Learn to Cast a Fly Rod + bugs/knots
This is a free course put on by the Dolores River Anglers!
Your child will learn how to cast a fly rod, about bugs and about knots specific to fly-fishing. We hope to encourage more youth to learn how fun fly-fishing is. This class is in the morning at 10:45AM near the pavilion behind the Rec Center in Cortez. Look for the Dolores River Anglers flag to check in!
Adults (17+), it is never too late to learn how to fly fish! We have incredibly knowledgeable instructors who have years of experience from fishing in Montana to Colorado to New Zealand. Whether you've never picked up a fly rod or you're looking for advice on perfecting your cast, we have the perfect instructor for you. This class is at 9:30AM near the pavilion behind the Rec Center in Cortez. Look for the Dolores River Anglers flag to check in!
January Chapter Meeting
Please join us for guest speaker Kade Jackson, CPW aquatic/fisheries biologist for our chapter!
2025 Holiday Party
Our annual holiday party and white elephant gift exchange will be on Monday December 1st at 6:30 pm. The venue for the party this year will be the Wildedge Brewing Collective in Cortez. Please bring $10 for food, a fishing or cold water fisheries inspired gift valuing no more than $25 (or a gently used gift of fair value in need of some love) and we also encourage all chapter members to bring their significant other to join in on the fun!
March Chapter Meeting
This is our annual TU chapter business meeting followed by officer elections. As one of the smaller TU chapters in Colorado we need all the help we can get to keep things going in Cortez and the annual business meeting is a great time to step up! Board member terms are for 3 years, officer positions are for 2 years. Both officer and non officer seats are available. If this is of interest to you please attend the meeting on 3/24 or send an email to dra145tu@gmail.com
Things kick off with the pizza/salad meet and greet at 6:30 pm followed by the presentation at 7:00 pm. Please bring a $10 dotation for the food. Following the business meeting and elections there will be a presentation on “Where to Fish on the Dolores River”. We’ll cover all of the publicly accessible water on the Dolores River and its tributaries.
SuperFly Night
Back for another year is the DRA SuperFly night! Come watch and learn as our tiers show you how they create their must have patterns for the Dolores and other local waters.
January Chapter Meeting
Come join us for our first meeting of 2025! With the theme of conservation Duncan Rose will once again be presenting on the year that was for the Upper Dolores River Watershed.