Well-Known Private Angling Club Files for Bankruptcy

Well-Known Private Colorado Angling Club Files for Bankruptcy
Posted on September 21, 2011 by Marshall Cutchin
Donny Beaver, the managing member of Vail Anglers LLC (made up of the Alpine River Club, Alpine River Outfitters, and Piney Valley Ranch Sporting Clays), just released information confirming a report we heard earlier this week that Vail Anglers had filed for bankruptcy on September 16. Creditors begin receiving notices shortly after that date requesting relief from debts.

In the release, Beaver explains the reason for the bankruptcy filing:


“When we first opened Alpine River Club in March 2007, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 12,110 and climbing toward 14,000+. The original strategy was to buy Gorsuch Outfitters in Edwards, CO and use this flyfishing retail and public guide services as a gateway to recruit new members for Alpine River Club. Initially, this strategy worked well enough in the Vail Valley in 2007 that we decided to expand the concept to Steamboat and recruit members through a strategic relationship with an outfitter. However, as the stock market tumbled, both the outfitting and club businesses in Colorado took serious hits.

Unfortunately, 2011 brought new, unprecedented challenges. Record snowfall and snow pack in the mountains surrounding Vail & Steamboat created summer flooding conditions well into August, ruining the majority of the prime flyfishing season and creating unfishable conditions on several of the club’s major fishing leases. Due to these conditions, new member recruitment has still not revived yet.”

Beaver is also an owner of the Spring Ridge Club in central Pennsylvania, but says the Vail Anglers bankruptcy will have little impact on those members: “Members should experience very minimal negative impact, if any. In fact, both organizations will be stronger once Vail Anglers rejects its unprofitable agreements that have been causing major financial strain. If all goes as planned, we hope to re-emerge from bankruptcy in six to nine months.”

Record snowfall and snow pack in the mountains surrounding Vail & Steamboat created summer flooding conditions well into August, ruining the majority of the prime flyfishing season and creating unfishable conditions on several of the club

don't think that's much of a concern on 20 mile

so anyone know how many members the Da Beev's got in the 20 Mile klUb??
How many hi-rollers fish there a day on average ?

and is it true he was looking to buy Poor Richards as a retail and "recruiting" establishment  for the 2'mile club??





..L.T.A.

Oh he is not losing money....

ORIGINAL: Tracker12

Looks like some prime fishing land will be available in the future.  I for one am not sad to hear they are failing.  I hate when people try to make money of of natural resources that should be available for all.

Yes. The issuing of guide licenses out west is ridiculously political. The guy that got only remaining license on a river I fished in Montana just so happens to be a former congressman... I wonder how that happened...

Beaver auctioned off some of the club's water around here a month or two ago...

It's rare anymore to see anyone at their headquarters, no members, guides etc... the place seems like a ghost town. Their new spa seems like a flop, too.

ORIGINAL: D-nymph

ORIGINAL: thedrake

Beaver auctioned off some of the club's water around here a month or two ago...

It's rare anymore to see anyone at their headquarters, no members, guides etc... the place seems like a ghost town. Their new spa seems like a flop, too.

Financial failure couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Oh, he's not personally losing any money. How many projects that Trump started went bankrupt? He's still not doing too bad.