In this episode, Scott Watley brings together experts and enthusiasts to explore the current landscape of outdoor activities across Colorado. A key focus is on Austin Parr, who shares detailed fishing reports and crucial updates from Discount Fishing Tackle. The conversation also touches on pressing legislative actions that may affect local anglers, like the campaign against live minnow sales. As always, safety is paramount, so tune in for essential boat safety tips as summer fishing heats up. Stay informed and prepared with Sportsman of Colorado.
SPEAKER 06 :
Welcome to Sportsman of Colorado, Colorado’s premier outdoor radio show heard every Saturday afternoon on KLZ 560 with insights on hunting, fishing, archery, guns, and ammo from Colorado’s top outfitters featuring the industry’s leading experts on how to enhance your experience in the great outdoors. Now, here’s your host, Scott Watley.
SPEAKER 05 :
Welcome to Sportsman of Colorado. Thank you so much for being with us today. Hey, we’ve got a jam-packed show for you. It’s been a while since we’ve had Austin Parr with us, and that’s been my fault. And I tell you, Austin has been doing a great job. Discount Fishing Tackle has been with us since the very beginning, since we started Sportsman of Colorado. So we’re going to be visiting with Austin here. find out what’s new at the store there at discount fishing tackle and also get a fishing report from austin and we went over to our friends at the back country wilderness area in highlands ranch and uh mark and lindsay uh invited us over and they’ve got a partnership with a local gym rocky mountain strength and uh zach is going to join us and hey get you ready for the hunting season And they’re going to be doing a great deal here with an archery kickoff and strength training. And so, boy, I’m looking forward to visiting here with Zach and letting you hear all about their gym. It’s Rocky Mountain Strength once again. So, hey, always remember now, we’ve got our show here today, Saturdays 1 to 2. And then you can catch us on Sundays at 8 in the morning, 8 at night, and then the following Thursday at 9 a.m. So hopefully one of those four times will work out for you. But we are glad you are with us. And we are looking forward to a great show. So don’t go anywhere. Sportsman of Colorado is coming up next.
SPEAKER 13 :
Here’s why you need personal injury attorney Kevin Flesch on your side. He understands the way the jury thinks. In the context of a personal injury case, you’ve been hurt by someone else’s negligence. The idea is that you’re going to try to recover so that you can get back to where you were just prior to that incident occurring. What that really means from a jurist’s perspective is that you’re going to be asking them to award you money. So when we talk about fairness, we’re talking about six people that you don’t know. Those six people view the evidence and make a unanimous decision that will decide what the fair value is. When you’re the one who’s hurt, you have a good idea of what you think it’s worth. The question is, can you persuade those other individuals whom you don’t know and were witnesses to believe that’s what the case is worth? Kevin Flesch understands the way the jury thinks. Call now for a free consultation. 303-806-8886
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Would you like to get outdoors and enjoy a walk, hike, or other adventure with your dog, but worry your dog’s behavior in public could be a problem? If this sounds like you, the Hiking Hounds class at Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center might be just what your dog needs. Hey, this is Scott Whatley, and right now you can sign up for Hiking Hounds and get a 10% off discount through May 31st. This fun six-session class will explore local parks, dog-friendly stores, nearby trails, and more. Your dog will learn appropriate leash walking, walking at your side, staying on trails and walkways, better focus in distracting places, properly passing by other dogs and people, coming to you when called, and listening to you when you ask. Don’t keep your dog waiting for new adventures this summer. Just call 303-708-8050 and schedule your pet’s hiking hounds class today. That’s 303-708-8050. Visit them online at LoneTreeVet.com. Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center, it’s the place where my pets go.
SPEAKER 02 :
If you’re in the market for a new rifle for the big game season or a new shotgun for some doves or upland game birds, head on over to The Gun Room. Kevin Flesch here from Sportsman of Colorado, inviting you to visit Denver’s oldest gun dealer. And that’s The Gun Room at 1595 Carr Street in Lakewood. They offer buy, trade, consignment, transfers, and appraisals. And if you purchase a gun, we’ll cover your background check fee. It’s The Gun Room, 1595 Carr Street. Tell them Sportsman of Colorado sent you.
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SPEAKER 08 :
You’re listening to AM560 KLZ, your home station.
SPEAKER 05 :
Welcome to Sports from Colorado. Thank you so much for joining us today. Hey, it has been a while since our next guest has been with us, and that’s been totally my fault. Glad to welcome back Austin Parr, Discount Fishing Tackle. They are located at 2645 South Santa Fe. Austin Parr, how are you, my friend? I’m doing great, Scott. How are you? I’m good, man. I’m good. Dude, is it crazy to you or is it just me that you just wake up and like we’re almost to June, you know? Gosh.
SPEAKER 10 :
That’s it. Yeah, I mean, we’re moving into the heart of fishing season. We were just discussing all our turkeys a few weeks ago and all this.
SPEAKER 05 :
late post-spawn stuff and then you snap your finger and the walleyes really bite wow how cool is that we’ll get into some reports with you in a minute but hey i wanted to bring up something with you um you know needless to say this has been the the largest attack in so many ways uh if you take even prop 127 to now with all the things we’re seeing with guns and You know, of course, the fur ban thing, we won that and all. But let’s talk a minute. There was something about some minnows where they were wanting to outlaw that. So bring us up to speed on what you know about that and then kind of how we can just keep everybody educated of how this is moving along.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, so here’s a quick synopsis. So, of course, we’ve seen a lot of different ways that the attacks have come through various legislative actions. and voter initiatives. However, there is an out-of-country funded animal welfare group that is disguising themselves in the U.S. as an agency called Upstream Advocacy. And they are masquerading as an organization concerned with aquatic nuisance species, native fish species, and general aquatic well-being. Of course, as anglers, we’re all very concerned with this. But the parent company is one of the largest animal welfare anti-fishing groups around, and they’re out of the U.K. And what they’re attempting to do in New York, New Hampshire, and Colorado now is to outlaw the imports of live bait fish, which would essentially outlaw live minnow sales, period, in Colorado. And this particular effort is being done through what’s known as a citizen’s petition to the CPW Commission. And they are pushing this through internally with CPW and attempting to get the commission to then vote on something like this, circumventing the process of a voter initiative. Now, this is certainly concerning. It’s going to be going through an internal review with either an acceptance or they potentially could still not accept it as the commission, but the internal biologists will have a recommendation on this. And the sounds of it is that the recommendation is going to be a no from the various biologists. But that’s not the concern we have. The commission, who is appointed by the governor, has really historically voted only with CPW internal recommendations, maybe about 75% of the time right now. And there’s a bunch of animal welfare activists that are on the commission right now, And the big thing I’m trying to do, we don’t know when this is going to be heard. It sounds like it may be later in the year. But I’m wanting to make everyone aware of what’s going on. And certainly if you’re interested in this, contact me at the store or certainly just email the commission as well. They are asking for public input still on this. And ideally what we’re looking for is to eliminate this before it even goes to a vote. But we’ll see what happens. But this is just one of those things where it’s another attack here that I’m concerned with similar to 127, where you start with minnows and then all of a sudden go through a variety of other things. And this organization is also concerning for the fact that they were able to get several fly fishing guide services and shops to sign on to this. of which who’ve now all pulled their names after they found out who the funding is through. So it is another one of those pull the wool over your eyes type of deal.
SPEAKER 05 :
So there were some actual folks in shops that signed on to it initially?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yes, several guide services and several fly shops signed on to this. And After I discussed with them what was going on, they were going around the fly fishing show and the Sportsman’s Expo talking to these groups. And what they were saying is that they’re trying to keep live minnows out of the ecosystems that they guide with. And at the surface, that sounds very good. We don’t want to have invasive species and new species introduced to our waterways. But the thing that they neglected to mention is that live minnows are already illegal to fish with above 7,000 feet in elevation. and illegal on the entire western slope of Colorado. So all of our trout waters that they were concerned with protecting already are already protected by having the current laws already set in place.
SPEAKER 05 :
Austin Parr is our guest. It’s Discount Fishing Tackle. As I mentioned, they’re located at 2645 South Santa Fe. So, Austin, let’s do this. And just know, man, and I think you know this, but you’ve always got an open line here on this show. So as you see things, as you hear things, you know, you just let me know, man, and we’ll circle the wagons on this, so to speak, and try to keep everybody informed of what’s going on.
SPEAKER 10 :
And, you know, we always talk about how to contact me, but anybody who needs any additional information with this, I’m sending out emails out of my personal email, thewalleye93 at gmail.com. Feel free to shoot me a message on that. I can forward you all the information that we’re looking at, as well as the commissioner’s contact information, where we can voice our displeasure as another thing against the hunting and fishing community, of which I’m preaching this. But I think all of us really need to unite with this a lot more. We need to be having fly fishermen, conventional fishermen, Archery guys, upland guys, waterfowl guys, rifle guys, everybody involved all need to be concerned with all of it. It’s not just one thing where, you know, you’re concerned with your pheasant hunting and concerned with your fly fishing. Everything is interconnected right now, and we are continually on the attack. And somewhat a side note, but upon talking with one of our allies on the commission, his name’s Murphy Robinson, he was mentioning that in the next year and a half, he was unable to comment on what exactly we would be seeing but he said he was concerned with what he was hearing um from what the commission may be forced to hear so there’s some things uh that we all might want to be paying attention to and i’m not even sure 100 what those are yet but uh things coming
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, and I have spoken with him down at the Sportsman’s Day at the Capitol a few weeks back, and he has agreed to come on as a guest, too. So we will certainly be hopefully getting him on as often as we can as well. All right, so what’s happening at the store, man? Tell us what’s going on. Any new products you want to talk about?
SPEAKER 10 :
We’re getting to a point right now where our summertime bite is really getting going. So I’m fully stocked up on a whole host of those type of things. But if you’re a warm water angler to start with, as well as trout, but warm water right now, our walleye bites and bass bites are really starting to heat up at Chatfield, a little bit less so at Cherry Creek, but also at Pueblo and down to the southeast. So right now we’re seeing a really heavy bait bite in a lot of those places, which is definitely indicative of the time of year. And walleyes are very keyed in on a lot of aquatic insects right now, especially the chironomids. And when that happens, your leeches and crawlers are going to be really good, and that’s always a good thing around Memorial Day here. So we’re going to be really stocked up on that, as well as the various terminal tackle to be utilized with those type of things. And then, you know, we’ve had some great mountain trout bites, particularly up at Antero right now, seeing a lot of the same coronamids hatching up there, and the fly anglers are having good success there. But the conventional guys are also having great success on Tasmanian Devils, of which I have the best selection in the entire region, basically every color of those, as well as working tube jigs a lot faster throughout the water column. And my favorites are some of the two and a half inch get fits, and we can definitely get you set up on all of those right now too.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. You know, you mentioned Memorial Day, and I think about families that want to get out and fish, and some people have both, some people don’t. Let’s approach that both ways. For folks that may want to get out with some kids and do some fishing from shore, what are a few tips or things or places that you could recommend?
SPEAKER 10 :
As we’re starting to warm up here, we are seeing some decent warm water bites. So your local ponds with your bluegills and green sunfish are always a good bet for young kids. I like approaching those with just a basic weighted float with hanging a small piece of crawler down below. It’s about as simple as you can get, but very effective when it comes to those panfish. But another one that’s a pretty good one, whether you’re in a boat or you’re on the shore, if you’re looking to get away a little bit, southeastern Colorado has been fishing very well right now. John Martin and Adobe Creek Reservoirs are ones that I’m Steering quite a few folks, too, that are a little further away, you’re going to see a lot less pressure. And whether you’re a seasoned angler or looking to get someone into the sport of fishing, the crappie bite has been pretty off the chart down there. They’re starting to spawn, so you’re finding most of those fish in pretty shallow water, in five, six, seven feet of water. And when those fish are up spawning, I mean, it’s very easy to catch those. Everything from a little swim bait and a roadrunner jig to to a small little number four number five flicker shad you can have awesome success with that as well as going to john martin the walleye and saw guy bite has been really turning on those lakes are a little further south obviously than our metro bodies water so we’re seeing really good warmer water conditions and those saw guys are loaded up on the points on the north side of that lake and fishing them in a variety of ways from anything from a stand-up jig and a crawler or a leech, which is what I’ve been doing at Chatfield a lot. That’s been very successful. But also using swim baits like a walleye assassin or a kite tech, swim, just swim, just right up above the bottom. Those guys are a very good bet. And then blade baits also are going to be a good multi-species producer where you can pick up your crappies, your saw guys, as well as your stray white bass and wipers.
SPEAKER 05 :
Wow. Okay. Any other reports around that you want to talk about?
SPEAKER 10 :
You know, going up into the mountains right now, this is a good time of year as a fly angler to hit. Unfortunately, we’re a little lighter on snowpack than I’d like to see. So our rivers that would normally be blown out are fishing very well right now, which may be something to take advantage of earlier rather than later. We might be seeing some low water conditions that are harmful for the fish later on. But right now, we’re doing great. Arkansas river is flowing at about 800 down toward that Canyon city area, still flowing clear. And the fishing has been spectacular down there. A lot of good reports of some small streamers like woolly buggers and leeches, but there’s also been a lot of caddis and betas around. So nymphing those subsurface until you get a hatch later in the day has been super productive. And a couple of my guys from the shop have had really good days. I mean, 50, 60 fish days per person down there. And so that’s,
SPEAKER 05 :
fishing well and the same kind of thing goes on a lot of our freestone rivers up on uh you know the colorado and the roaring fork have been seeing some higher flows but not flows that are impeding good fishing all right so how much do you switch from like spring to summer and some of your different techniques and if you take some of the local things you fish a lot cherry creek and chatfield things like that um yeah different strategies so to speak
SPEAKER 10 :
So as far as this time of time frame, we’re starting to move into what I would be considering the summertime pattern. And from the earlier part in the post-spawn earlier spring, that is a time when you’re doing more trolling in some of the deeper basin areas. Right now is where I’m moving much shallower. Your active fish are all going to be in under 15 feet of water, and most times I’ve been finding fish in under 10 feet of water here for this whole last week so that’s been super super good so that uh you’re finding fish on my side imaging and then fishing to them with stand-up jigs and crawlers as well as leeches my favorite ones are the the nor are the fintech knuckleball jigs and i’m pitching them out and just barely creeping them along the bottom and i’m really actively targeting good schools of fish um in the shallow water areas it’s a little bit harder to pull bottom bouncers with with uh crawler harness style rigs and you can certainly get some fish on those but all my active fish have been much shallower so my long-winded answer is that i’m going much shallower and then doing more casting pitching my jigs and and pitching the bait but as we continue to get warmer that bite will continue to switch from the live bait into more of a reactionary fish based type uh presentation so the swim baits and the blade baits will be really good but many times you need your young of the year uh small bait fish to start hatching whether that be crappies or bluegill or shad having more of your natural targets in the the fishery will provide you with a lot more action rather than those fish now targeting in on some of the small insects where the leeches and the crawlers are going to do a lot better. But you’re going to do better on those secondary swim bait and blade bait presentation as we move into the middle part of June.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. Austin Parr is our guest once again. At Discount Fishing Tackle is the store, your one-stop shop for everything you need. I promise you that. It is 2645 South Santa Fe. And as Austin mentioned to staff there, hey, I usually call it infield experience. But on the water experience, you won’t find any guys better than there at Discount Fishing Tackle that will help you. And they’re always willing to help you and give you advice and help your fishing trips be more successful. So as far as on the water, I’m trying to get my thoughts here on boats and all. You know, safety is a big thing. Every year it seems like we see some big tragedies. A few tips for people that are maybe just now starting to get boats out on the water, especially in the weekend, a lot of people with boats. What are a few things that it seems like you see every year just to remind people of safety?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, especially when it comes to the smaller personal watercraft type options, whether it be a kayak or a paddleboard or a belly boat. I mean, the obvious answer is definitely life jackets at this point. Looking to have your life jacket on board and be wearing it is a very important thing. A lot of the deaths are coming from those type of crafts. But the other thing to really consider that I always talk about is making sure you’re familiar with your boat that you’re in and familiar with it in a variety of different weather conditions and being knowledgeable of what your current weather is going to be. You know, a day like we saw earlier in the week, like on Monday and Tuesday, where you have a lot of that wind out there. I mean, I was out on the water and it came up out of nowhere where we had good, clean, flat water early and it was forecast to do this, but then it did. And it came up with the big solid waves or my trolling motor was jumping up and cavitating out of the water and in my 21 foot lund i mean it’s not a big issue but if you’re in a smaller body or smaller boat on a larger body of water being able to know how to navigate those and hopefully get off the water in time is all things that i’m i’m definitely looking for and then also on a memorial day weekend here Be confident in your trailer backing and confident in your docking skills. There’s going to be a lot of people out there, and there already are a lot of people out there today here. But being able to quickly get on and off is going to really limit the stress levels on the boat ramp for not only yourself but others. Memorial Day weekend here may not be the best place to go learn how to back a trailer at the ramp. Going and doing that in the parking lot is a good thing.
SPEAKER 05 :
As you said that, I’ve got to imagine you have seen some of the most hilarious things that you could write a book on probably just on a boat ramp.
SPEAKER 10 :
Oh, yeah. I mean, and patience is the key there. I mean, there’s a lot of people that have a lot of experience, and there’s some people that don’t. So if you’re boating on Metro bodies of water this weekend, go into it with the knowledge that you may be seeing those things, and just don’t let it bother you, and don’t let it bother your day. You know, if you’re looking to get away, head on out to John Martin and Adobe Creek here this weekend. So that’s going to be a lot less people out there and a lot less frustrations.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, good deal. Now, I know you were telling me before you came on air here, man, your guided fishing trips you do, you’re pretty jammed up. But any kind of open times right now you might want to throw out and folks can give you a call?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, I mean, right now the majority of my openings are late summer and into the fall. So if folks are looking to learn how to tackle a lake with a lot of bait fish in it that normal presentations are going to be struggling, that’s the time of year to do that. And, I mean, this time that we’re fishing right now, it’s fantastic. I mean, we’re catching a lot of fish, but it’s a lot of times where a lot of folks are catching a lot of fish. So I always love those guide trips later where we can be focusing on techniques, to make you more successful on the water throughout an entire year rather than just the peak season.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yep, absolutely. 303-698-2550 is the number to discount fishing tackle. Once again, they’re located at 2645 South Santa Fe. When you go in, let them know you heard them here on. sportsman of colorado and we’d appreciate that as well austin i’m sorry it’s been as long as i got you on but we’ll do this more often and again keep us in uh in touch here on this mental issue and uh we’ll do everything we can to to help with that fight for sure my friend i appreciate it well we’re all in this boat together and absolutely all about having a good united front the the antis have an awesome united front and as sportsmen we need to do a better job Absolutely, we sure do. Austin Parr, thank you, buddy. Appreciate it.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thanks so much, Scott. Have a great weekend.
SPEAKER 05 :
All right, you as well. That’s Austin Parr, Discount Fishing Tackle. Get by and see him, 2645 South Santa Fe. Once again, mention you heard him here on the show, and we’d appreciate that. We’ve got to take a quick break, and we’ll be back with more right after this.
SPEAKER 01 :
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SPEAKER 05 :
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SPEAKER 04 :
Hey, Dan. You know, our jobs are pretty different. I’m a baseball announcer. You’re an attorney and a talk show host. Yeah, but we do have something in common. Really?
SPEAKER 03 :
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SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, definitely not your typical dealership. That’s so true, Jack. No high-pressure sales tactics. They respect your time. And when you have two jobs, that’s important. You know, I’d recommend Len Lyle Chevrolet to anyone. And with their low overhead, that means… Lower prices.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, we really do have something in common.
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SPEAKER 05 :
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SPEAKER 08 :
KLZ 560, your home station.
SPEAKER 05 :
Welcome back to Sportsman of Colorado. Again, thank you so much for joining us. Just a quick reminder now, you miss our live show on Saturdays 1 to 2. You can catch us twice on Sundays. That’s 8 a.m., 8 p.m. Then the following Thursday at 9 a.m. So hopefully one of those four times will work out for you. And if you miss that, you can catch our podcast, of course, on our website, sportsmanofcolorado.com or wherever you may listen to your podcast. All right. Hey, we are actually live from the world headquarters of the backcountry wilderness area here over in Highlands Ranch. And came over here to see our friends, Mark Giebel. And Mark’s been on the show here the last few times hogging the microphone. So he wanted Lindsay to come on the show today. So Lindsay McKissick is with us. And we’ve got a special guest with Lindsay. Thanks for having us over.
SPEAKER 07 :
Hey, thanks for coming.
SPEAKER 05 :
How are you?
SPEAKER 07 :
I’m good. It’s about summer.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, man, I’m telling you. We were just talking before we came on air. Man, this year has flown.
SPEAKER 07 :
It’s flown.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah. I’m going to have you bring that mic to you just a little bit. There you go. But it has. Yeah, time has just really flown by. This is a busy time for you guys.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, we kick off summer camp on Tuesday right after Memorial Day, so we’ll be having 120 kids out there every single weekday morning of the whole summer.
SPEAKER 1 :
120?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, come out and play in the woods all summer.
SPEAKER 05 :
And what ages?
SPEAKER 07 :
So we do everything actually from 3 to 13 for summer camp. So 3 to 6-year-olds doing wild roots. And then our 7 to 13-year-olds doing camp backcountry, nature, art, horse, and girls of the outdoors camps.
SPEAKER 05 :
Wow.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s so cool. I don’t know if we’ve ever really talked about how all this got started. We won’t take all the time today. But any quick little history snippet you can give us here for the backcountry?
SPEAKER 07 :
It’s evolved from being a small camp of a few kids out for half days in the summer all the way to now where we have, like I said, 120 kids out for full days. They’re out there from eight to four, spending their days out in the woods, doing nature education, having the childhood summer we all had and miss.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right, yeah.
SPEAKER 07 :
So getting them out to nature, getting their hands dirty, building forts.
SPEAKER 05 :
You know, a buddy and I, we were talking the other day about when I grew up, which was a very long time ago, you know, but you would go by parks, you would be in streets, and you couldn’t even drive down the street for kids out playing. You don’t see that today. No. I mean, and that’s a shame.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, and the benefit is that we can offer that for the Highlands Ranch community and beyond. So there’s still a few spots left if you want your kid to have that experience this summer.
SPEAKER 05 :
All right, cool. Hey, we’re going to be doing more shows here throughout the year with these folks. They’ve got a lot of great programs that go on. Of course, we get into the hunting area here a little bit later in the fall. But if you’re not familiar with the backcountry, you need to look it up, especially if you’re in Highlands Ranch, right? They do a great, great work. All right, Lindsey, we’ve got a special guest with us today. I’ll let you introduce him and then kind of tell about the partnership.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, so we’ve got Zach Patron here from Rocky Mountain Strength. He’s one of our Backcountry Backer corporate sponsors. So he’s with us, believes in the mission of our recreation, education, conservation, getting people outside so that they can turn into protectors of wild places like the Backcountry Wilderness Area. So he’s here to kind of talk to us about getting fit for the hunt season, which doesn’t start the day before the hunting season. Sure. No, it turns out.
SPEAKER 05 :
I walked around the block right before I went to go climb the mountain.
SPEAKER 07 :
Okay, good. And then some programs that he’s doing specifically in the backcountry wilderness area to get hunters ready.
SPEAKER 05 :
Zach, welcome to Sportswear Colorado.
SPEAKER 11 :
Thanks for having me on. I appreciate it. You bet. You bet. Tell us a little bit about your background, what got you into the fitness world. Yeah, so I actually have a business degree, so that’s helped with running of the business. But kind of my whole life, just, you know, grew up, born and raised in Colorado. So this is home, camping, hunting, fishing, growing up with my family, my kids. stepfather and my uncle and you know that side of the family’s hunted Colorado since they were kids as well so um I think I’ve been super blessed and lucky to you know get involved and learn from some of the best you know hunting at a young age so that’s been kind of part of just me you know in my life growing up in Colorado just loving the outdoors and then On the fitness side, you know, my dad was a big athlete and kind of had me in the gym since I was eight years old or so. And it’s just been kind of a natural progression on the fitness side and became a certified trainer 10, 12 years ago now. And kind of worked through the different types of gyms and ranks and, you know, finally started. Had the chance to open up my own gym and really brand it to what I believe in and what I want to help people with, which is, you know, mountain fitness and living the Colorado lifestyle. And with that, hunting is a big part of that lifestyle. And that’s something I really enjoy. Coaching is the hunting side of fitness and, you know, the programs that we have. Through backcountry wilderness area, it kind of, you know, is the cherry on top for what I’m able to do. Excited to run it each year, and it’s been amazing having that opportunity with them.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. So what type of folks come and see you? I mean, is it more guys your age? I mean, very few my age. Yeah.
SPEAKER 11 :
I mean, believe it or not, I wish I could say the gym was 99% hunters that are 30 years old that are there just kick ass every day. But we’re a general population gym of, you know, helping a mom that wants to carry her, you know, two year old on her back for a hike in Colorado. Okay. We’re here to help those people that want to ski till they’re 80 years old. And then really the big part is, you know, helping those hunters that can be as prepared for the mountains as they can. But our jam, Rocky Mountain Strength, is for anybody in Colorado, anybody that just loves the mountain lifestyle, really the overall Colorado lifestyle. And a lot of that has to deal with, you know, hiking, even the backcountry trails. It doesn’t have to be some crazy adventure in the mountains. We really focus on kind of prepping people for big mountain excursions, whether it’s 14ers or… you know big trail runs whether it’s ultra running um and then just your typical you know mom or dad that want to go on a hike with the kids and feel good and strong and you know carry their kid on their back and say yeah i’m trained for this i’m ready to roll type of thing cool yeah cool and you’re over by top golf yeah yep just off of havana right over right across from top golf you could hit a ball into our Front of our business if you tried hard enough.
SPEAKER 05 :
You must not have seen me play golf. I haven’t seen you out there yet. Hey, that’s 6855 South Havana Street, by the way, and it’s Rocky Mountain Strength. All right, so someone here has a show they want to come in. What does that initial assessment look like?
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, sure. Uh, obviously coming in, we give complimentary classes, um, a couple options for kind of intros, but we, we offer small group classes and that’s the main thing we do. We offer about 30 of those a week. So a full scheduled Monday through Saturday. And then we have personal training as well, which is the private side. Um, and then we are now working on actually a 2000 square foot expansion that opens in August and that’s going to include recovery center. So sauna, um, Cold Plunge will have a total of four physical therapists in the facility as well, which is a big part of dealing with injuries you may, you know, occur in the mountains or just everyday life as well. So we keep it really simple of coming in and checking out the facility, you know, trying to make you as comfortable as possible. And we want it to be a safe space as well where, you know, any age, any gender, you know, come on in and we’re going to make it a place for you. And that’s also really important to us as well is we want anybody and everybody to come in and also see a little bit more of, you know, things you can do in the mountains that maybe weren’t Thought you weren’t capable of. And that’s exciting for us as well as, you know, I want to help a hunter go get a big six by six bowl. But at the same time, I want to help somebody take their first steps on a trail for a simple hike and and to enjoy what Colorado has to offer. And I think that’s what’s so unique about Rocky Mountain strength is we’re not just a gym. We are a culture and a brand of you come in to work out, but we’re not there to just get stronger in the gym. It’s for actual use outside in the Colorado mountains, preferably. So it’s been really fun, and we just really stay authentic with what we know and what we do.
SPEAKER 05 :
All right. You know, it’s proven, whether you’re looking at weight loss, anything, doing it with a coach. Yep. about three times more successful on anything you look at, right? For sure, yep. And so talk about that a minute and kind of how do you pair up a coach with a person to try to figure out, you know, is this going to be a good fit for that person?
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, definitely. I think, you know, one of the first things is, like you said, having a coach, whether it is a small group coach or just a private trainer, is accountability. And there’s a lot of my clients that know somewhat what they’re doing and can work out on their own. But they can’t make it there on that time on their own. Right. And so that accountability part, I think, is one of the biggest things in fitness is staying accountable to yourself. But having that coach or that time slot that you sign up for that you can’t miss. Right. Coming in, kind of pairing it, it’s, you know, male, female. Do you prefer a male trainer? Do you prefer a female trainer? We have a great wide variety of different styles of trainers. You know, are you looking for something specific, like you want to get ready for a hunt? Well, that’s probably going to be, you know, with me. Are you looking for more of a return activity post-injury? We have trainers for that. And then we just kind of have the general population, right, trainer of somebody that doesn’t have any… big goals you could say but wants to learn how to work out how to lift kind of you know become part of a community as well and and that’s what’s really fun with what we have is you’re not just joining a gym you’re not just there to get fit is it’s the community aspect and you know a lot of that obviously has to also do with the backcountry wilderness area and how we can bring people together and and show them you know what colorado is all about you know, 10 minutes from our gym, too, which is so unique. So fun.
SPEAKER 05 :
Zach Patron is with us. He’s with Rocky Mountain Strength. And once again, in partnership with the Backcountry Wilderness Area, they’re located at 6855 South Havana Street. So if someone wanted to come over And just kind of check things out. Is that something that you can kind of greet them and walk them around, show them what’s up?
SPEAKER 11 :
Amazing studio manager that’s, you know, staffed up front for the most time. Tori, she’s there to walk you through, show you our facility, the small group side, the recovery room, the physical therapy. come in, sign up for a class, try one out first. We want to make sure it’s a place you really want to be and enjoy. So that’s important that you come in on us first and complimentary wise and see if it’s a good fit for you as well. We want this to be a place that you want to be. We’re not a gym that just has these memberships of reoccurring revenue where people aren’t coming in. We are calling you if you’re not there every two weeks. And that means a lot to us to make sure you’re getting in using your membership. And so I think we have that personal touch that’s a little different than maybe a big box gym where it’s just thousands of members, you know, and we want a community of people that want to be with each other and you know, enjoy being with each other and at the gym. We’re there to work hard, but at the same time, we’re there to have a good time and enjoy the time, you know, in the process of whatever you’re training for.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. You know, at the beginning of the year, everybody makes their New Year’s resolutions and all, join gyms, gym memberships skyrocket. And most studies show that I’ve looked at, by Super Bowl Sunday, they’re off. Yeah. I mean, really. And so… It’s a mindset, isn’t it, to just, if you just want to get healthy. And I tell people all the time, I do a few shows with doctors during our weekday show we do. And I tell them all the time, hey, now’s the time to take control of your health and wellness, so to speak. Because once you get diagnosed with diabetes or, you know, something else, type 2 diabetes, whatever, then that doctor is going to be controlling your health, right, and telling you what you need to do. So now’s the time just to get healthy, you know.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, I totally agree. And it’s interesting because going off of what you just said of that New Year’s resolution, we’re actually where you go post Super Bowl Sunday. So we don’t get this crazy influx. You know, it’s typically they’re going to go to that big box gym, the $10 a month membership, try it out on their own for two or three months, realize. I don’t have that accountability. I don’t know what I’m doing in there. Then our influx comes a little bit more in that March time timeline of post, you know, realizing, oh, I need some one on one help, maybe some private help or just getting into a class with that coach, that certified coach that’s there to help a group of us, but still giving me that one on one attention as well.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, because there are some people that like that class scene. Other people don’t. Right. For sure. And that’s what you kind of can tailor to fit everybody’s need and what they like. Exactly.
SPEAKER 11 :
You know, half my half my personal training clients don’t want to go take a class. They just want that two or three times a week, one on one with me. The other half will train with me once or twice a week and then go and take two or three classes at the same time as well. So. It’s kind of a mix of what you really prefer and also your schedule, you know, with how busy everybody is, like what you can fit in, when you can fit it in. To tell you the truth, I think everybody can find an hour to work out in the day no matter what, whether you have two kids, whether you’re older, whether you’re younger, you know. there’s time and there’s a way to take care of your health and fitness. And it’s not even, you know, just about the physical part, but the mental aspect of what working out does for you is beyond, you know, the main reason why I work out to feel good or look good. It’s that mental aspect. And I think in society that’s what’s missing is moving your body to then help, you know, that mental side more than anything.
SPEAKER 05 :
Is there a better time to set aside that time in the day? I mean, do you like – Some people like to be there 5 o’clock when a gym opens, you know, or 6 o’clock when a gym opens. Others like to go, I’ve seen, after work. And some people do it on a lunch hour. I mean. Yeah.
SPEAKER 11 :
Is there a better time to work out? You know, it’s really what works for your schedule, right? What you’re going to do, right?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 11 :
Like me personally, after I’ve had some calories in my day, some caffeine, I want to work out at 2 or 3, 4 p.m. if possible. You know, like that’s the best time for me to get the most out of my workout. But I’m also at the gym all day, so I can find those times midday where if you have your 9 to 5 or, you know, you’re an entrepreneur, have your own business, I think you just need to find that time that you can – can work out and get it in it’s it’s not about when you feel your best it’s you know being accountable to yourself and and just finding that time to do it 45 minutes half the time scott i get a 30 minute workout right that that was i just wrote down yeah time of workout that quick i wanted to ask you that because some people think i can’t go for two hours you don’t need to do two i prefer 6 30 minute to 45 minute workouts a week for myself rather than three hour and a half, you know, type of workouts. Like make it quick, efficient, effective. Our classes are 45 minutes to 50 minutes total, including a dynamic warmup, the actual workout and a cool down. So you’re getting all that in with instruction in 45 minutes walking out the door. wow and so i would rather have you come and doing you know four five days of those than three days of 90 minutes you know on your phone in between sets that type of thing just efficiency being effective um you know today i have an hour on my day um i’m gonna go and i’m gonna push the sled back you know up and down the turf carry some heavy weight keep it simple you know keep it effective And in 30 minutes, you know, I just trained for an elk hunt for myself personally. Right. And feel good about it and feel strong and, you know, did it in a safe manner where my body still feels good. I don’t need to be max back squatting. You know, I don’t need to do a lot of these max weight, max effort exercises. I need sustainability and I need to also keep fit. you know, maintenance to what, what I want to do personally, which most of the time for what we train for at our gym is, you know, maintenance and keeping strength for that continual year long of activity, right? We’re not there to max out bench press, max out your back squat or deadlift, you know, There’s times in the winter when we have a winter strength series that we are pushing heavier weights, but everything we do is trained around the season at our gym. So it’s winter strength, then you go into more of a spring endurance, summer sprint, and then the fall rebuild. So we phase everything off of how we’re using our body in Colorado within our programs as well.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. Again, if you’re just joining us, Zach Patron is with us. We are at the Backcountry Wilderness Area headquarters here in Highlands Ranch. His gym is Rocky Mountain Strength, 6855 South Havana Street. And, hey, when you go in, let them know you heard them here on Sportsman of Colorado. We’d appreciate that. And you can ask for Zach, and I’m sure he’d be glad to show you around. All right, let’s talk about memberships and what different types of memberships you have.
SPEAKER 11 :
Sure, yeah. So we have small group memberships, and that’s going to get you some small group classes. It could be a consultation with our physical therapist, recovery room options, open gym options. Those small group memberships vary from like an unlimited membership comes six days a week and small group classes come during open gym times if you want to do your own thing. use our physical therapists, get those consultations, see where you’re at, you know, biomarker wise. And then you got like a 12 times a month, which would be like three times a week. And then your eight times a month, twice a week. So it’s what fits in your schedule. Or if you enjoy being in the gym twice a week and trail running four days a week, how you can make that work. Every single person, no matter what, I don’t care who you are in this world needs the strength train consistently. Um, does it have to be your, your, your main thing three, four times a week? No, but at least twice a week, everybody needs to be lifting weights. I mean, there’s so many different reasons why, right? Women for the osteo wise, I mean, you know, people for the mental health wise, but strength training, you know, is what keeps me doing what I want to do as well in the mountains. So, um, We focus on four or five different classes at our gym. Small group classes, our main one is called Mountain Fit, right? So we train strength, balance, stability, endurance. That’s kind of our flagship of a class that’s unique to any other gym. And then we have strength class focusing on just lifting, push days, pull days, full body days. A conditioning class, which is just like it sounds, higher heart rate, metabolic training. It changes throughout, you know, winter session. We might be doing a lot more zone two, consistent fat burn. We’re now in summer. We’re on those treadmills doing 10 second sprint intervals, that type of thing. Just like you would be if you’re out and, you know, outdoors now moving a little bit faster. And then our last class is a HIIT class, which kind of… you know, intermediate, uh, hit high intensity interval training stuff. So that’s going to be a little bit more of a higher heart rate. So, um, we are a strength and conditioning gym first and foremost, and everything we do is based off of strength. Second part conditioning. Right. And what are the hours that you’re open? Yeah. Typically that our gym, depending on class times is open from 5.00 AM till six to 7.00 PM at night. Okay. So you’re All day long, you have to.
SPEAKER 05 :
No excuse. No excuse.
SPEAKER 11 :
That’s what I’m saying. You know, you have to have, we use an app. You have to go book your own class time and or you’re booking your trainer. So we are a private gym in the sense of it’s not just a come in and come out gym. You have to have specific times. that you are booked, you know, and that’s for safety. And it’s also for, you know, the attention that we want to make sure everybody’s getting. And, you know, as much as we want, as many members as we can get, we want, you know, a safe space. We want a place that’s available and big enough for everybody to utilize. And we are a private gym in the sense of, you know, there’s only so many people in that gym per hour. And that helps us, you know, foster the type of community we want and really just focus on each individual that comes in there sure so is it have you seen more success with people that work with a personal trainer and you know that’s just their program then doing it on their own even in your gym it’s a great question typically you can’t go wrong with having a personal trainer you know those are tailored exactly to you exactly your goals You know, there’s a day you didn’t get great sleep because you have young kids. Well, you know, we’re going to take your session back a little bit and keep your heart rate a little bit lower, that type of thing, right? Now, it’s kind of an interesting question because then we have people that come, you know, four or five days a week consistently in small group classes, you know, really focus on the program, whether it is trying to increase strength or staying in the zone two for a long run. And they see great results too, but consistency is the biggest thing on both sides of whether with your trainer or with your small group classes. So I think you can see great results on both. Typically with a trainer, I think it’s quicker results just because it is fine-tuned to just you. but we program our small group classes just like we would you know for a client in the sense of hitting all muscle groups and hitting you know the balance and stability and conditioning aspects that anybody you know as a human being should be working on do you get people in there that haven’t been to a gym in a long time or are there a lot of gym rats what we know as people that are already in really good shape and you kind of look at them and say why are you here yeah both um you know both and that’s that’s what’s cool is is our classes right you can be a you know a 21 year old you know first time person in the gym or a 50 year old that’s you know been in the gym and knows what we’re doing you know working out next to each other in the class you choosing your own weight you’re choosing your own pace right so every class is tailored to you specifically in this in this sense of you know you’re going at your pace you’re You’re going at your level of fitness at that time. And that’s what’s really cool is we have a wide variety of people in these classes. And really, people come for the community as well. So even a lot of these people that know what they’re doing, they just love being part of, you know, rocking on strength. And our coaches and our community is, you know, first and foremost, I think, one of the coolest things we have.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. Now on the hunting side, last few minutes here, but on the hunting side – You’ve got a program designed really for hunting. Correct. So kind of walk us through maybe what that looks like.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah. So it’s pretty much a nine-month program, right? Hunting season, we’re really not doing much. That’s what we train for. That’s the Super Bowl of our year. Sure. So starting in January through March, we have just back country hunting, strength and conditioning. And that’s not with the wilderness area, but that’s just at our gym where we’re building that foundation post hunting season, you know, kind of rebuilding, finding those imbalances, building that foundational strength. And then from there, we kind of start working into some outdoor activities, whether it’s a couple of one-off sessions at the archery range where we’re just kind of getting people together, getting that hunting community back together, shooting our bows a little bit. But really, you know, our biggest event of the year is with the Backcountry Wilderness Area, and that is our six-week bowhunter training camp. We’ve ran it, I think, for two years now. I think this is our third year. It’s grown substantially every year. I think this is going to be our next biggest year, which is exciting. This is a six-week program. This year, I think it’s going to be Tuesdays starting at 6 p.m. Last two weeks of July, all the way through August, we lead right up into the opener of archery season. Okay, so the last two weeks of July is when it starts. Yep, yep. And it’s a six-week program, 90-minute sessions. During that 90 minutes, I have a certified archery coach on the shooting side. I’m the strength and conditioning coach. So we kind of have different blocks of strength and conditioning out there in the fields at the archery range, which is super fun. So endurance runs, tire flips, heavy carries, weighted step-ups. things that you’re going to see, you know, while you’re hiking up in the high country. And then you’re then going over and shooting your bow with packs on, maybe it’s an elevated heart rate, working techniques, controlling your heart rate. I mean, as you know, Scott, like when you get that animal in front of you, you know, it’s a whole different deal. And so what can we do at least kind of get you into that feeling in that situation. So when you get to that point of a high heart rate, you can steady your bow, you know, maybe you can steady your rifle a little bit. That’s not the surprise, you know, point of, of that hunt is a high heart rate. Now I have to see what I can do with it.
SPEAKER 05 :
Wow. Cool. All right, Lindsay, how do people sign up? How they, get registered for this?
SPEAKER 07 :
So actually you do it through Zach. So everything is done through Rocky Mountain Strength. He gets all the registration.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 07 :
Wrangled.
SPEAKER 11 :
And the cost? I think cost this year is $350. Okay. And that includes six 90 minute sessions. Wow. Swag bags, things like that. Really kind of some open range time, you know, when I’m out there as well. So just fine tuning shooting skills with that too. all right that’s cool yeah and male female than anybody you know i think last year we had five females and we’re trying to really push that you know more than anything right now is more these female bow hunters and um it’s been really cool seeing a lot more females out there doing this and man i’m telling you what the female community over these last few years has really shown up a lot of different events and done really well i mean they shoot well they you know they’re in shape yeah stronger than most of the men out there yeah yeah
SPEAKER 12 :
No doubt.
SPEAKER 07 :
Also, I was going to say that our archery range season passes are on sale now. So if you’re getting ready to go to Zach’s program at the end of July and want to get out on the 3D range, get to our static range, come check things out. You can go to any HRCA recreation center and get a season pass now.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay. And you’ve got your, I’ll let you explain the range.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, so we have a range off Ron King Trail in Santa Fe, 6005 Ron King Trail. It has a 3D range and a static range that you can go out and practice, get your reps in. And it’s also just a beautiful place to go out and shoot archery. Sunup to sundown, 365 days a year.
SPEAKER 05 :
All right, cool. Well, Zach, thanks, man. Thank you, Scott. I appreciate it. It’s been great. Hey, maybe I can do a picture for you, that before the workout picture. I can be that picture, okay? We’ll see. Love that. We’ve got to get you there. All right, Lindsay, thanks for setting this up for us.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, you bet.
SPEAKER 05 :
It’s the backcountry wilderness area. Hey, you’re into archery. This is it. Starts the last couple of weeks of July. Get in touch with Zach at Rocky Mountain Strength, 6855 South Havana Street. Let them know you heard them here on Sportsman of Colorado. Thanks for being with us today. Hope you have a great rest of your weekend. Remember now, got replays on Sundays, 8 and 8, and then on the following Thursday at 9 a.m. Thanks for being with us. Hope you have a great rest of your weekend. Leave it right here on KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 12 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
