HC 67 Box 2, Marble Canyon, AZ 86036
Lee's Ferry Anglers has occupied its singular post at Marble Canyon, Arizona, since 1988, serving what many serious trout anglers consider one of the most extraordinary tailwater fisheries on Earth. The Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam at Lee's Ferry — a 15-mile stretch before the canyon narrows into the Marble Canyon of Grand Canyon — holds an extraordinary density of massive rainbow trout sustained by the cold, clear, algae-rich flows from the depths of Lake Powell. Fish in the 3- to 10-pound range are routine; fish exceeding 20 pounds are caught every season. In a landscape of soaring red canyon walls and stark desert silence, it produces fishing that bears no resemblance to anything else in North America.
The shop is staffed by guides and anglers who have spent their careers on this one stretch of river, accumulating the specialized knowledge that the Lee's Ferry fishery demands — precise midge and annelid presentations, specific tippet weights, an understanding of the dam's daily release schedules and their downstream effects on feeding behavior. The guide program is among the most respected in the Southwest, with seasoned professionals who've spent thousands of days reading the Colorado's gin-clear currents. Lee's Ferry Anglers stocks the full complement of gear, flies, licenses, and equipment needed to fish here, along with the Cliff Dwellers Lodge and camping facilities managed in coordination with the shop. This is a destination unto itself, and the shop is the essential gateway to it.
“I've fly fished in Montana, Idaho, New Zealand, and Patagonia, and the Colorado at Lee's Ferry is unlike any of them. The fish are enormous — our guide hooked us up with a 24-inch rainbow within an hour and it ran downstream for 80 yards before we could turn it. The guides here have been fishing this specific 15-mile stretch for decades and they know every seam, every feeding lane, every midge emergence sequence. This is a once-in-a-career fishing experience. The shop itself is incredibly well-stocked with everything you could possibly need for the fishery. Absolutely worth the drive from anywhere.”
“Our guide Terry was extraordinary. He'd fished the Lee's Ferry section for 22 years and knew the river the way most people know their own backyard. He had us on fish from the first drift and kept us there all day. We landed fourteen rainbows, the largest going 8 pounds on a size 20 San Juan worm. The canyon scenery is surreal — vertical orange sandstone walls 500 feet above you. There's nowhere else like it.”
“Lee's Ferry Anglers has been delivering world-class guided trips for 35 years and it shows. The organization is flawless — everything from the pre-trip briefing to the post-trip debrief is professional and thoughtful. The guides are exceptional. Don't come here expecting typical trout stream fishing. This is a big-water, big-fish, highly technical tailwater with a learning curve that the guides will compress dramatically. I've done three trips here and landed 30-pound-class fish on the third. Patient, meticulous, and endlessly rewarding.”
