Jamie Roth Sharing the Passion
Jamie Roth is no stranger to the fishing opportunities in our Pikes Peak region. He fished Cheesman Canyon with his father when he was in middle school. Back then, he fished it with spinners and a spinning rod and reel – some lessons learned from his dad who was a shore angler back on the East Coast. Then, one day, Jamie was on Gill Trail that leads into Cheesman Canyon and parallels the river. From that vantage point above the river, Jamie watched a fly fisherman’s steady rhythm while casting. “I had to try that.”
Jamie served in the Army right out of high school, and then returned to Colorado Springs when he retired from that military service. His work in the Army, first as “a radio guy” then as a network developer, continued on in the private sector for 14 years or so. But he had this urge to pursue his fly fishing passion on a more full-time basis. The step that helped him make that move (along with his wife, Alicia’s, support and encouragement of his teen daughters, McKensy and Madison) was to participate in the first Colorado Fly Fishing Guide Academy offered through Angler’s Covey May 2015.
The Guide Academy was “an awesome experience with a great group of guys.” Prior to the Academy, Jamie had taken friends out fly fishing where he realized he enjoyed teaching people about this great adventure. He says the Academy helped him define a philosophy as he grows as a guide. “I want clients to enjoy being out in the environment, out on the river. It should be low pressure – this isn’t a competition or a race.”
One thing he learned from the experienced guides was that he had to adjust his definition of success. “Your definition of success and the client’s definition of success may be two very different things.”
When Jamie is not guiding, you can find him in the shop or teaching one of the classes offered at the shop. In addition to our Orvis 101 and 201 classes that serve as the foundation, Jamie teaches the streamer class and the new Reading the Water class. He also writes about fly fishing on Jamie’s Fly Fishing Journal.
About five years ago, Jamie made the commitment to refine and hone his streamer fishing skills. He’d head out to the river with just his streamer rod. It brought back memories of fishing Cheesman with his dad and fooling fish with spinners. And that day when he spotted the fly fisherman from Gill Trail – and set him on a trail of his own to share this fly fishing adventure with others.