In the fall a few years back I had the pleasure of meeting Rim Chung while working the counter at a dusty, overfilled fly shop in Denver. We chatted for a few moments while he looked over the walls of the shop’s tying department, and I handed him my business card as he left. Rim is a household name in fly-fishing and fly-tying circles. He invented some very effective commonly used fly patterns: the Plebby, Avatar and his best known, designed over 40 years ago, the RS2.

Rim reached out to me after Christmas, and we made a plan to spend a day fishing together, heading down to fish the Arkansas near Pueblo. That day I learned that Rim is not only a great fly tier and fun to hang out with, but he’s also an incredibly talented fisherman. Every time I looked over my shoulder, Rim was playing a fish. I spent a lot of the day observing his technique and admiring his singularly unique style, trying to pick up anything I could to adopt as my own. What stuck with me the most were the words that he spoke. “Fly fishing is all about location, location, location.”

Rim went on to explain that the first “location” is the section of river or lake that you plan to fish. A successful day on the water starts before you leave the house, by picking the best location to fish that particular day. The next “location” is the zone of feeding fish in a particular body of water that you will be fishing. The last “location” (and arguably the most important) is where you need to place the fly in order to drift it into the trout’s feeding lane. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it. To be effective on the water, you need to be in the right place at the right time with the right fly. It doesn’t just apply to real estate, folks. Pick those locations carefully.

This report is provided every week by Taylor Creek Fly Shops in Aspen and Basalt. Taylor Creek can be reached at (970) 927-4374 or taylorcreek.com.