Vail GoPro Mountain Games Yeti Catch Wars Test Fly Fishing Skills

Andy Trewhitt, a guide with Vail Valley Anglers, spent his morning measuring a Colorado River brown trout. He wasn’t just checking the length; he was verifying that the hook was set correctly inside the fish’s mouth, that the tail wasn’t pinched, and that the fish was caught strictly from a boat. It’s a specific, bureaucratic kind of stress. You’re fighting class III-IV whitewater, you’re rowing, and you’re waiting for a judge to confirm your catch counts.

That’s the reality of the Yeti Catch Wars, the fly fishing centerpiece of the GoPro Mountain Games, which runs June 4-7 in Vail.

We talk about the Mountain Games as if they’re just a big party with sponsors and swag. And they are. There’s rock climbing, slacklining, and even a canine big air competition that makes you smile. But the Catch Wars place competitive fly fishing in a spotlight that’s far more demanding than the typical angler expects. It’s not a leisurely drift down a calm creek. It’s a high-stakes, two-person team event held in the Pumphouse section of the upper Colorado River, and the margin for error is razor-thin.

"The competition water is not for the beginner," Salomone notes. "River safety personnel do not exist on the river during the event."

That last part is critical. You’re on your own out there. If you capsize or get pinned in the whitewater, you’re waiting for your teammate or the judge to sort it out. There’s no Coast Guard on standby. Each participant must be able to row class III-IV designated whitewater while simultaneously fishing. You have to be a rower and a fisherman. You have to do both, at the same time, in turbulent water.

The rules are strict, designed to test pure skill rather than gear advantages. It’s strictly fly fishing. No conventional gear, no lures, no bait. You can bring up to three rigged rods — maybe a heavy -weight for sinking lines and streamers, or a soft -weight for dry flies — but you’re limited to three flies on the line at once, a constraint that mirrors Colorado Parks and Wildlife regulations. Pegged eggs are out. Every fish must be caught, fought, and landed from the boat. Wade fishing is banned.

And then there’s the judge. One person in the boat is there solely to monitor and record catches. They verify length, provide photographic evidence of three measured fish per fisher, and ensure rules are followed. They won’t help you net the fish. They won’t give you a hand with the rod. They just watch, measure, and record. Pinched tails don’t count. The hook must be legally set inside the mouth.

It’s a unique facet of the event that every participating fly fisher can use the rod of their choice, but they must provide their own life jacket and one for the judge. A Colorado fishing license is mandatory. It’s a test of adaptability. You might rig for streamers one minute and dry flies the next, all while managing the boat’s position in the current.

The question is whether this level of specificity, this focus on technical precision in a chaotic environment; elevates the sport or just makes it harder for the average enthusiast to understand. The answer seems to be that it raises the bar. It forces anglers to be athletes, not just hobbyists.

As the event approaches, the focus shifts from the spectacle of the games to the specifics of the river. The Pumphouse section will be the stage, and the rules will be the script. Trewhitt and the other competitors are preparing for a day where every decision matters, from the rod you choose to the way you measure your catch.

"The judge will also determine legally-hooked fish," Salomone says. "Meaning the hook must be on the inside of the trout’s mouth."

It’s a small detail, but in a competition where every fish counts, it’s everything. Teams who master the rowing and the fishing simultaneously will likely dominate, or the whitewater will humble them. But this isn’t just fishing. It’s a test of endurance, precision, and nerve.