July 24, 2006

Black Canyon

Peering over the edge of Black Canyon, the Gunnison River appeared straight below me. I immediately wondered if the park ranger had forgotten to issue me a parachute along with my backcountry permit. Still, I was determined to make it down in search of large trout in the mysterious river below…

The Gunnison River deep in Black Canyon

There are only a handful of trails to the Gunnison River in Black Canyon National Park near Montrose, Colorado. Every route is steep and potentially treacherous, but the experience is well worth it for the strong and adventurous hiker.

The river that carved Black Canyon is now controlled by a dam just upstream of the national park. The tailwater river below the dam is rich in nutrients and supports large trout. The fact that these fish don’t see many flies and lures makes the fishery even more appealing.

At the rim, distant mountains loom over the shiny dark rock, providing one of the most classic vistas in the West. Once you reach the river bottom, the rock walls provide a projection screen for the constantly shifting shadows. The glowing amber light and pitch black shadows are punctuated by the bright blue sky. I spent three days in Black Canyon and I didn’t see another person the entire time.

The river was flowing high and the riparian grasses were submerged. The rolling water limited my angling to bankside lies, but it is good for the health of the fishery.

The consistent flow of water out of the dam does not mimic natural seasonal variations. Without a major spring runoff, sediment builds up in the system, reducing the quality of the habitat for young trout, forage fish, and aquatic macroinvertebrates. Furthermore, the excess sediment supports high densities of tubifex worms, an organism that hosts whirling disease.

And whirling disease has hit this stretch of the Gunnison River hard. Black Canyon once supported a trophy rainbow trout fishery. On my trip, I landed upwards of fifty browns without seeing a single rainbow.

In 2001, the Department of Interior (DOI) was poised to assert a federal reserve water right to restore a more natural hydrograph in the Gunnison River. This action would have reduced whirling disease and generally benefit the health of the trout fishery in the canyon.

The higher spring flows also would have improved habitat quality for rare warmwater fish species downstream. The lower Gunnison is inhabited by four native fishes protected by the Endangered Species Act.

Unfortunately, when the Bush Administration took over, these plans were thrown to the wayside. Not only that, but the new administration’s DOI relinquished the federal water right all together.

Without a federal claim to this water, the flow is subject to diversion from the west slope to the big cities on the Front Range. Removing the water from the basin would totally eliminate all possible environmental benefits to the trout fishery and the endangered species downstream.

In 2003, Trout Unlimited, with the support of numerous other conservation organizations, filed a lawsuit in federal court against the DOI. According to Drew Peternell, the Director of TU's Colorado Water Project, TU contends it is illegal for DOI to simply give away the seventy year old water right.

A Federal Judge is currently contemplating the argument and Drew is expecting a ruling before the snow begins falling again.

Inside the fortress of the sheer canyon walls, it was hard for me to imagine the political and legal circus that controls the fate of this place. I enjoyed the solitude and the river’s dandy brown trout. I caught numerous fish in the 18-20” range, but no real hogs. I’m sure there are 24”+ specimens down there.

Black Canyon provides the trout angler with a hidden sanctuary. I hope we can do what it takes to help this tremendous resource.

PLEASE take a look at my photos, I have some good ones. CLICK HERE to see the photo gallery.

Click HERE to read more about TU’s fight for Black Canyon

Additional advice before you go:
You will need a free backcountry permit to hike into the national park. Permits are available at the park’s visitor center. Pack light! Your knees will thank you. This trip is only for those in prime physical condition. It is strenuous (2600 vertical feet straight down) and I don’t even want to think about how horrible it would be to injure oneself halfway down. Big, heavy woolly buggers, grasshoppers, and bushy stonefly nymphs were the most productive flies when I was there. I moved fish in every likely spot. If I didn’t roll a fish on the first couple casts, I would add a split shot and that usually did the trick.

The canyon water both downstream and upstream of the national park is more accessible. There are easier access trails, boat launches, and even a few road accessible fishing spots. I hear these sections of river offer quality angling, but of course, they lack the solitude of the national park.

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July 22, 2006

Gunnison Country

Gunnison Country is one of those special places where deer and elk seem to roam on every hillside and wild trout rise in each beautiful stream. The rivers and lakes in this part of Colorado offer some of the best trout angling in the nation. In a changing world, the Gunnison Angling Society chapter of TU aims to keep it this way…

Crested Butte and the Elk Mountains

I met with Jeff Oulton, past president of the Gunnison Angling Society chapter of TU, to discuss TU efforts in the area. Jeff is a nice man who also happens to be very knowledgeable about the local fish and wildlife resources. He is a District Wildlife Manager for Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW). While Jeff spends his work days thinking about things with fur and hair, he thinks about finned creatures in his spare time.

And Gunnison offers plenty for the trout angler to ponder. With so many great rivers near town, the challenge is deciding which one you want to fish on a given day.

One option is the Taylor River, which is famous for its monster mysis-fed rainbows in the first 200 yards below the dam. Farther downstream in the Taylor River Canyon, the angler can find a little solitude as well as fine brown trout fishing.

On this particular trip, I chose the East River, which flows from Crested Butte to Almont, where it combines forces with the Taylor to create the Gunnison, another fine fishery. The East is recognized by CDOW as a “wild trout” fishery for its outstanding natural trout population. Unfortunately, much of the river flows through private land and access is difficult.

I fished the river near the Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery. The hatchery produces kokanee salmon that run into the river from Blue Mesa Reservoir on the Gunnison River. Kokanee are landlocked sockeye salmon that have been introduced into the area. They provide angling in the reservoirs through most of the season, but are also caught in the rivers during the fall spawning run.

Like their saltwater brethren, almost every kokanee dies after spawning, leaving carcasses along the banks. While these remains return nutrients to the system, they also carry high concentrations of whirling disease. The Gunnison Angling Society chapter conducts cleanups to remove the dead carcasses, minimizing the spread of the disease. This certainly isn’t the most glamorous job, but if TUers don’t do it, no one will!

Before the kokanee run, the river is a tremendous brown trout fishery. Following Jeff’s advice, I selected the biggest, ugliest wooly bugger from my streamer box full of big ugly flies. I kid you not, in just a couple hours of fishing I rolled 30-50 fish, including some really nice browns. While most fish eluded the large hook, I did land a few dandies (see the photo gallery).

Wading in the beautiful water also gave me time to reflect on what Jeff had told me about TU work in the area.

Jeff told me that a few key chapter members have moved away, leaving the chapter at a “low ebb.” Despite the need for more active members (and what chapter doesn’t need more participation?), the Gunnison chapter continues to work on numerous conservation fronts.

Perhaps the biggest threat to west slope fisheries is the growing demand for water on the Front Range. Cities like Aurora and Colorado Springs are buying water rights on the west side of the divide and then running it through tunnels to the eastern part of the state. Furthermore, the state of Colorado doesn’t use some of their Colorado River allotment and certain state officials are paranoid about losing this water right for good to California.

In a misguided effort to keep water out of the hands of Californians as well as feed the vicious cycle of growth and water demand on the Front Range, state officials are constantly proposing new dams and diversions, all of which pose a grave threat to the state’s trout fisheries.

The Gunnison chapter does what it can to raise money in opposition to these short-sighted water projects. At the state level, Colorado Trout Unlimited is a leader fighting new dams and shady water deals.

The chapter’s main fundraiser is the “Superfly” competition. This fun fishing tournament is sort of like Jackson’s “One Fly” event and it takes place every fall. Autumn is the most beautiful time of year in Gunnison Country. The cottonwoods glow yellow and every bend in the road brings a new vista that is fit for a postcard.

Even if you don’t believe in competitive fly fishing, I highly recommend that you enter the Superfly event as it provides a great excuse to visit these fine fisheries at the best time of year as well as support a fine TU cause.

The Gunnison Angling Society is also active in protecting the Colorado River cutthroat trout, a native fish. Along with Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW), the chapter helped remove brook trout on nearby Beaver Creek to give the native cutts a leg up.

This project was just one effort in the region to protect the native fish from habitat loss, hybridization with rainbow trout, and competition from other non-natives.

Terrestrial invasive species, such as thistle, threaten watershed stability. The chapter aims to assist with thistle control at the Curecanti National Recreation Area on the Gunnison River and the Roaring Judy property on the East River to protect the riparian corridor.

The chapter could use your help with these efforts, so if you live in the Gunnison area, get involved!

See my photos HERE

Click HERE to visit the Gunnison Angling Society chapter website

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July 17, 2006

Buena Vista

Home to a beautiful river and surrounded by high peaks, the Upper Arkansas River Valley is a great place to visit. If you are lucky enough to live here, I hope you are a member of the Collegiate Peaks Anglers chapter of TU, one of the most active chapters in the state of Colorado. Currently, the Collegiate Peaks Anglers are orchestrating a community-based stream improvement project within the town of Buena Vista…

A view of Mt. Princeton, a 14,000 foot peak, from Buena Vista, CO

When I was a kid, I loved nothing more than fishing. My home in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. was not conducive to such pursuits, an injustice that I regretted daily.

The young anglers in Buena Vista already have it pretty good. I would have killed to have the Arkansas River flowing through my home when I was a kid! The Collegiate Peaks chapter hopes that after this fall, these kids will have it even better.

This August, the chapter and their supporters throughout the valley, are putting 40 in-stream habitat improvement structures into Cottonwood Creek, a stream that flows right through town. The project site is on a Colorado Division of Wildlife property that already supports wild brown trout fry, but lacks the holding water to keep adult fish.

Local TUers are hoping that the habitat structures will support adult trout, turning this creek into a neat fishery just west of downtown. In addition to the in-stream work, the chapter is installing a trail that will connect the park to the heart of town, allowing anglers of all ages to access the stream on foot or bicycle.

Bob Gray, a Collegiate Peaks chapter member, has put countless hours into the Cottonwood Creek effort. Bob gave me a tour of the project site and told me about this impressive initiative.

To make the project possible, Bob and his fellow chapter members wrote a proposal on behalf of the town of Buena Vista for funding through a “Fishing is Fun” grant. The chapter then drummed up support in the community to match the $78,000 they received in federal funds.

The people of the Upper Arkansas River Valley generously volunteered their time and resources. High school students are building a handicapped angler access railing through their shop class. A local construction company owner will donate his time to pour the concrete. The state prison’s vocational heavy equipment program will assist with the in-stream structures. The list goes on and on.

My conversation with Bob reminded me just how much work goes into this type of project. TUers across the country are donating so much time and energy to make these efforts possible. Orchestrating a project like this could be a full-time job, but TUers like Bob are doing it for free, for the benefit of their fisheries and their community.

The Cottonwood Creek project will join the long list of chapter accomplishments. In recent years, the Collegiate Peaks Anglers have also completed riparian zone fencing on the upper forks of the South Platte River, stream bank stabilization on the Arkansas River, greenback cutthroat restoration, numerous trash pickups, and educational efforts in local schools.

The chapter has also been active lobbying for healthy water flows in the Arkansas River. The Arkansas is dam-controlled and water flows are regulated for agriculture, municipal use, and recreation.

This river is the most popular whitewater rafting destination in the entire U.S. It is also a world-class trout fishery and it is only getting better. Clean-ups at abandoned hard rock mines in the headwaters have improved water quality and the fishing, Bob says.

The Arkansas has always fished well for scrappy brown trout under 14 inches. The river has a lot of insects, making it a great dry fly destination, but it lacks the forage fish that bigger browns depend on. With better water quality and a few years of low mid-summer flows, it seems that the Arkansas River browns are now breaking the 14 inch mark with regularity and a fair number of fish are even exceeding 20 inches.

I spent a beautiful afternoon on the Arkansas between Buena Vista and Salida. It was one of those days that really makes you glad to be alive. The water was cool and clear, the mountains loomed overhead, the sun was shining, and the trout were rising.

While blue-winged olives, pale morning duns, and a few caddis teased the fish off the bottom, I opted for a small grasshopper imitation with a tan body and red tipped legs. For what ever reason, the fish must have loved those legs and I rose a handful of trout in quick succession.

I landed two fish over 14 inches, both of which could euphemistically be described as “snaky.” A few casts later I lost my hopper to a heavy shouldered 16 incher, a fine fish by any standard. That bum tippet knot cost me the fly of the day. I tried numerous other hopper imitations and none were as effective as the one with the red legs!

When the afternoon thunderstorms rolled in and pushed me off the water, I wished I could stay another day or two. The upper Arkansas River Valley sucks you in and makes it hard to leave. Fortunately, I was heading towards another great Colorado river system, the Gunnison.

See my photos by clicking HERE

Visit the Collegiate Peaks Anglers chapter website HERE

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July 15, 2006

Loved Towards Death?

Less than an hour’s drive from many Front Range communities, the South Platte River is a popular fishery. Three well-known tailwater stretches and miles of lesser-fished water combine to make the South Platte one of the nation’s best trout rivers. Unfortunately, the river’s popularity has caused problems. Whirling disease, New Zealand mud snails, and a large forest fire have all affected the fishery. Fire and invasive species are two timely conservation topics. These issues spread far beyond the South Platte, but this river provides a great opportunity to discuss them both…

South Platte River, CO

Cheesman Canyon and Wildland Fire
In June of 2002, the Hayman Fire started a 138,000 acre run through central Colorado. The epicenter of the burn was near Cheesman Reservoir on the South Platte River.

The fire was high-intensity and described as “catastrophic.” It burned a few buildings, but for the most part, human structures were spared. The fire did kill most of the vegetation, including canopy trees, in this large area, subjecting the watershed to intense erosion.

Immediately, anglers lamented “the death” of Cheesman Canyon, a popular tailwater stretch downstream from the reservoir. While I was only six at the time, I’d suspect that the fisheries in Yellowstone National Park were cast off in a similar manner a decade earlier.

Cheesman Canyon was my favorite section of the South Platte during college and I spent time there before and after the fire. Also in college, I researched and wrote an undergraduate thesis on the effects of wildland fire on salmonid habitat in the Upper Columbia River Basin. More specifically, I looked at fire’s effects on sedimentation and large woody debris (LWD for short, a fancy way to say “logs”) recruitment and how burn in the riparian zone affects these variables one year after a fire.

For over a year after the Hayman Fire, discolored water affected the fishing, particularly in the Deckers area downstream of the canyon. Fish did die during these runoff events, but most fish survived and the fishing remained okay.

Since then, the fishery has improved towards pre-fire conditions, but heavy rains last week negatively affected the river in the Deckers area, a hurtle in the path of full recovery. This rain also prevented me from reaching the river this trip. The heavy runoff washed out the road to the river.

In my opinion, the negative impacts of fire, even in a severe burn like the Hayman, are overstated and the benefits of fire are underappreciated.

Yes, heat and toxic chemicals during a fire may cause a fish kill, but this event has only been documented a few times in the scientific literature and only in small (1st and 2nd order) streams.

Yes, sedimentation after a fire can cloud a stream and bury spawning gravels and aquatic macroinvertebrates, but these negative impacts are short-lived (1-3 years) assuming ground cover can re-vegetate in the watershed.

And here lies the problem on the South Platte, the watershed hasn’t re-vegetated. The soil in the area is highly erosive. Much of the ground is covered with pea-sized granite pebbles that roll like ball bearings.

In comparison, ground cover re-established on my study watersheds in Western Montana within one year of the burn and most of the erosion was promptly halted. Sure, a major rain event would wash out some of this growth, but for the most part, the negative effects of the fires were short-lived, even after an intense canopy burn.

Unfortunately, the Hayman Fire was an unnatural event and the ecosystem is reeling. The forest around Cheesman Reservoir is predominantly ponderosa pine. Before we began suppressing fire, ground fires would burn through ponderosa frequently (every 2-20 years or so). These fires removed forest litter and small trees, resulting in “parks.” The park landscape was comprised of clumps of large ponderosa interspersed with grasses. I’m not talking Serengeti grasslands spacing here, it still looked like a forest, but there were fewer trees, larger trees, and a lot less undergrowth than we had moments before the Hayman Fire.

Ponderosa have evolved to cope with fire and the large trees were unaffected by the ground burns, in fact, they benefited from the frequent fires. Sure, the burns would sometimes hop into the crown, resulting in spotty canopy removal, but that just increased habitat heterogeneity. In aquatic and terrestrial environments alike, habitat diversity is crucial to the survival of an array of species. Forest inhabitants and plants evolved to depend on fire, something the European settlers did not realize.

Years of fire suppression resulted in an unhealthy forest. The tree density around Cheesman Reservoir was obscene. Smaller trees surrounded the larger ones, creating “fuel ladders” by which fire could access the canopy. When an arsonist (who also happened to be a local Forest Service employee) started the Hayman burn during a bad drought, the fire made up for lost time and burned it all.

The geology of the area is not suited for a rapid recovery from such a large fire. Had we allowed less intense fires to burn over the last 100 years, we wouldn’t be in this mess. There are very few homes in the Hayman Fire zone, so I assume fire suppression was implemented to protect timber interests and the water supply. Ironically, these are the two things that were damaged the most by the Hayman burn.

Our paranoia of forest fire originated during the truly catastrophic burn of 1910 that swept through western Montana, northern Idaho, and eastern Washington, killing many people, destroying whole towns, and generally changing the face of the landscape. In comparison, the Hayman was hardly more than a nice place to roast marshmallows.

Thus began our war against fire. The name “Smokejumper” comes from the organization’s objective of putting out each burn before the flames truly developed. Smoky the Bear told us about the beauty of green forests and the evils of flames. The natural fire regime was repressed, compounding the risk of a “catastrophic burn.”

Finally, in the ‘70s and ‘80s, scientists accepted fire’s role in the ecosystem. The smaller fires that eventually merged into the ‘88 Yellowstone fire were allowed to burn (at first) as part of a new Park Service plan to help restore the natural regime.

Yellowstone is predominantly lodgepole pine forest. As opposed to the ponderosa around the South Platte, lodgepole has evolved to burn “catastrophically.” Large areas of canopy would burn every 50-150 years before our war against fire. Lodgepole have serotinous cones, meaning their cones only open during the intense heat of a fire. In other words, the species has evolved to depend on a stand-clearing burn to prompt regeneration. What happens if the burn never arrives? Just look at Summit County, CO and other areas where beetle kill has ravaged the forests.

The scientists were right and Yellowstone is thriving, despite being cast off as “ruined” immediately after the burn! The natural process of forest succession has been restored and the fish are doing great.

I believe that aquatic ecologists are in the process of realizing that fire may be as important to streams as it is to forests. Just like with the terrestrial ecosystem, it is tough to shake old ideas about fire’s effects on aquatic creatures. Every time there is a burn we are surprised that it isn’t as bad as we thought, that the fish lived to eat another Adams.

Not only are fish adept at surviving the negative impacts of fire, but they can even benefit from fire in the long run. Fire kills trees, creating logs. A substantial number of those logs will wash into streams, providing protection for salmonids of all sizes, trapping nutrients in the system, and defining channel morphology. For decades, studies have shown that LWD is crucial to trout, salmon, and steelhead. Today, studies are showing that fire is a major, perhaps the major, source of this crucial habitat ingredient in the western U.S.

“Trees for Trout” is a program in the South Platte watershed that essentially accelerates this natural process. The Cheyenne Mountain Chapter of TU, based out of Colorado Springs, along with Colorado Division of Wildlife and other partners, started this program in 2004. Recently, the Orvis Company has hopped on board, helping to raise money.

The idea is to harvest logs from the Hayman Fire zone and use them for stream improvement efforts in local streams. Already Tarryall Creek, a major tributary to the South Platte, has benefited from this effort. I hear that the program hopes to use the burned logs in the Elevenmile Canyon of the South Platte in the future.

Well, I’m rambling on and I still have to discuss non-native species, not to mention the fishing. My thesis was almost 100 pages long, so don’t get me going on this stuff! One last point and I’ll move on.

After a fire, the burnt timber is sold for “salvage.” The term implies that this wood is no longer of value and timber companies can take as much as they want without harm. I would argue that these logs are of utmost importance to streams, particularly the tree stems that are near or in the riparian zone. Logs farther up the slopes provide animal habitat, nutrients, and minimize erosion.

I hope we are slowly moving towards restoring fire’s role in forest management. As we move in that direction, we also need to improve our post-fire management, including a reduction in “salvage logging.”

Elevenmile Canyon and Invasive Species
Invasive species are a huge environmental problem for which all of us are partially responsible. By now, everyone knows about whirling disease, an ailment which hit Colorado hard thanks to the state’s liberal use of hatcheries.

While whirling disease is still affecting waterways, new invaders are also causing problems. New Zealand mud snails (NZMS) were probably introduced through commercial fish farms in central Idaho. It is a little known fact that if you purchase a potato and a rainbow trout at any supermarket in the U.S., it is more likely that the fish will be from Idaho than the spud.

Now that they are here, NZMS are definitely being transported by anglers. They are tiny (5mm across), rendering them near impossible to detect on wading gear. Once they enter a favorable waterway, they proliferate at a rate that puts cottontails to shame. Densities of several hundred thousand snails per square meter have been observed. These snails don’t directly influence trout, but they displace aquatic macroinvertebrates, affecting the food chain. While trout will eat NZMS, they yield a fraction of the nutritional value as our native macroinvertebrates.

Currently, we have no way to control these snails once they enter a waterway. The limiting factors on their spread are habitat parameters such as water temperature, substrate type, water chemistry, etc. Also, of course, the snails can’t spread where we don’t take them.

For this reason, it is important that every angler is aware of this species and becomes personally responsible for minimizing its spread. At very least, every angler needs to clean and wash their waders, boots, gravel guards, boat, etc. Scrub your gear with clean water and rinse well to remove all mud, gravel, and aquatic vegetation. Remove your shoelaces and insoles to access these hard-to-clean areas. Cleaning your gear will also help fight the spread of whriling disease and didymo, a funky algae that may (or may not) be on the verge of taking over our large tailwaters.

Also, please read these other Official TU Tips.

A recent study by the state of California found that a mixture of a specific type of Formula 409 (the antibacterial lemon fresh variety) and water can kill the snails. Freezing and boiling can also kill NZMS. Bleach and most other chemicals are ineffective (at least in concentrations that won’t erode your gear).

Since freezing and boiling are not practical options for someone living in a pickup, I have been going the 409 route for the last year. Recently, I made a huge improvement in my methodology that I should have thought of from the get-go. I have dedicated a Rubbermaid tub to the process. I prepared the proper 50-50 mixture of Antibacterial Lemon Fresh 409 and water in the tub.

When I get off the river, I simply dunk my waders in the solution for ten minutes (the required time to kill the buggers) as I prepare to leave. Before I drive off, I put my boots and gravel guards in the tote and close the lid. While I’m on my way to the next great river or TU project, my equipment is being thoroughly cleaned as the solution sloshes in the back of the truck. I don’t recommend leaving your gear in there for more than half an hour or so, but this technique certainly gets the job done! My tote allows me to re-use the solution multiple times, saving money and reducing chemical waste.

I haven’t been able to tell if the 409 damages my gear at all. It certainly isn’t as bad as the bleach I used while working for the Forest Service, but it may eat at the seams of wading boots a little bit. I abuse my wading gear anyway, so I don’t want to use the 409 as a scapegoat.

But even if it does damage your gear slightly, isn’t it worth it if it helps the trout? If you are a miser and answer, “no” you should at least wash and scrub your gear without the chemical because this will both increase the life of your gear AND minimize the spread of invasive species, including the NZMS.

For extra credit, hound the proprietor of your local fly shop to set up an antibacterial 409 (again, not just any 409 will work, look for the “antibacterial lemon fresh”) dunk station. The West Denver Chapter of TU helps their local shop maintain such a resource.

I remember seeing whirling disease dunk stations at Yellowstone area fly shops when I was a kid, but they have since fallen out of fashion. Fortunately, 409 is less volatile than bleach and a mud snail cleaning station is a lot less maintenance.

The diligent webmaster for West Denver TU, David Brady, has compiled a fine website on NZMS and all the effective means of killing the little bastards. I recommend you check it out by clicking HERE.

Before I FINALLY talk about fishing, I want to discuss one more thing. Anglers have a responsibility to minimize the spread of terrestrial invasive species as well. Noxious weeds de-stabilize our riparian zones and watersheds. Please remove all seeds from your gear and wash the wheel wells and undercarriage of your truck!

Okay, the good news is that despite problems like whirling disease and NZMS, there are still trout to be caught in the South Platte. Since the flooding prevented me from accessing Cheesman, I opted for Elevenmile Canyon, arguably an even more beautiful gorge upstream from the fire zone.

The trout were rising to blue winged olives and while I may have caught bigger fish subsurface, I had fun casting baetis emergers and parachutes to 8-10” browns and ‘bows. Since the Hayman Fire, Elevenmile has attracted a ton of angling pressure, but on this particular day it wasn’t so bad. I had plenty of water and angler-free canyon vistas.

The rock faces were stained with rainwater, accentuating their texture. The ponderosa stood guard at every cliff. The aspen leaves oscillated with the wind, livening the mood. And the trout cooperated.

We are so fortunate to have such easy access to beautiful trout fisheries like the South Platte. As we enjoy these resources, it is important that we take precautions to ensure we don’t love them to death.

Click Here to see my photos

Links:
TU’s National Exotic Species Page
West Denver TU’s Invasive Species Page

Posted by ladelfio at 01:09 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 10, 2006

Silver and Gold

Summit County, Colorado… you know, that place you visited to ski. Come summertime, all that snow enjoyed by skiers transforms into cold rivers. Trout and anglers share a fondness for cool water under beautiful mountains, but unfortunately, century-old hardrock mines have taken their toll on aquatic biota in this area. TUers are working hard to mitigate the damage and restore these fisheries…

A High Mountain Lake, Summit Cty, CO

Clear Creek
Drive into the mountains from Denver and you will pass old wooden mine structures, piles of waste rock, and historic mining towns. Gold and silver put these hills on the map in the late 1880s and the mining heritage is strong here. Also on the drive, you will see Clear Creek, a raging mountain river that tumbles towards the Front Range.

While Clear Creek certainly looks “trouty,” it has been contaminated with heavy metals from the mines. Lead, arsenic, cadmium, and other metals are found around gold and silver veins. Still today, snowmelt and rainwater percolate through the waste rock piles, carrying these heavy metals into the creek

Also, the miles of tunnels that were constructed for the mines have negatively impacted the water table. The water that flows out of these tunnels is low in pH and high in heavy metals, totally unsuitable for aquatic life.

The extent of the contamination in Clear Creek earned the watershed a Superfund designation in 1983. Since then, the EPA and the state have worked to cap tailings piles, to minimize heavy metal leaching. The EPA also installed a water treatment plant at Idaho Springs which removes heavy metals from water draining out of the Argo Tunnel, formerly the biggest single source of contaminants in the watershed.

These efforts have already produced noticeable results and Clear Creek is rehabilitating. So much so, in fact, that wild brown trout are re-appearing downstream in Golden, a city on Denver’s western flank.

To further the restoration effort, the West Denver Chapter of TU is implementing a stream improvement project on Clear Creek. Glen Edwards, president of the chapter and an Emeritus Professor at Colorado School of Mines, met me at Lions Park in Golden to show me the project site.

When Glen was an undergrad at School of Mines in the ‘50s, Clear Creek was “just a ditch” running through town. Today, Clear Creek is a viable stream and the adjacent park was bustling with joggers, picnickers, and whitewater kayakers.

A few years ago, the city established a minimum flow for Clear Creek and constructed a kayak park in the stream. The minimum flow also provided a boost to the trout population, setting the stage for the current TU project.

West Denver TU worked with an environmental engineering firm to draw up a stream habitat improvement plan for Clear Creek. While the water volume and quality has improved, Clear Creek lacks the in-stream habitat to support many trout. The chapter has earned support, financial and otherwise, from the City of Golden, TU’s Embrace-a-Stream, Colorado Division of Wildlife, and Coors Brewing Company.

Starting in September, the contractor will install stream improvement features to create holding water and spawning gravel, as well as improve bank stability. Chapter members will donate their time and effort to re-plant riparian vegetation and put the finishing touches on the project. All told, over half a mile of stream will be restored this year and West Denver TU has big plans to expand the project in the future.

This great community effort promises to create a fine urban fishery. Kudos to the West Denver chapter for their hard work!

Snake River
On the other side of the Continental Divide, the Snake River (of no relation to the more famous Snake in ID and WY) carries snowmelt towards the Colorado River. Abandoned mines, including the Pennsylvania Mine located just upslope from Keystone Mountain Resort, have wreaked havoc on this stream.

Today, sixty years after the Pennsylvania Mine shut down, the polluted discharge still prevents trout from inhabiting the Snake above Keystone (although tourists still wet their lines here unknowingly). Conditions slightly improve downstream, but heavy metals and low pH repress aquatic life all the way to the river’s mouth at Dillon Reservoir.

Recognizing the importance of this stream as an aquatic ecosystem, a community resource, and a water supply, TU has named the Snake a “Home River” and aims to restore this watershed.

According to Elizabeth Russell, TU’s coordinator for the Snake River initiative, capping the old tailings piles around the Pennsylvania Mine would reduce the input of heavy metals. Also, a passive water treatment system at the outflow of the mine’s main tunnel would remove heavy metals and raise the pH, making a huge difference for the aquatic creatures downstream. Elizabeth told me the discharge from the Pennsylvania mine runs orange with heavy metals, a travesty given the gorgeous mountain surroundings.

The technology, the money, and the will to complete these restoration efforts are there, unfortunately, progress has been halted by shortcomings in our public policy.

As it currently stands, if a group (such as TU) engages in mitigation efforts, they risk accepting legal liability for the damaging effects of the mine discharge. This lack of “Good Samaritan” protection is an impediment to mine cleanup efforts from coast-to-coast. Over 40% of headwater streams in the West have been negatively impacted by mine discharge and remediation efforts on many of these streams have been stymied by the risk of liability.

To work around this issue, TU’s dedicated Clean Water Act experts have worked out agreements with the EPA that allow us to pursue mine cleanup without accepting liability for the damage caused by the mine discharge. Such an agreement was crucial to TU’s American Fork Initiative. Elizabeth hopes that a similar agreement will allow mitigation at the Pennsylvania Mine.

Of course, it takes years to work out these agreements with a federal bureaucracy. In the meantime, aquatic life in the Snake River will continue to suffer.

A High Mountain Lake
A lake is perched near the Continental Divide, high above the damaging effects of the Pennsylvania Mine. No, I’m not going to disclose its name, but I will tell you it is near Gray’s Peak, so all you need is a map and a strong set of lungs to find it yourself. The lake is located at about 12,000 feet and access requires a three or so mile hike, uphill of course.

I hiked there with a good friend from college, Devon Haire. Devon was born and raised in Summit County. While in school, we skied together and my technique greatly benefited from Devon’s expert advice. We also took the same EMT class and ski patrolled at Arapahoe Basin. I spent many nights on the Haire family couch, hospitality for which I will always be grateful.

I planned to take Devon fly fishing for years. After all the skiing advice he gave me, a casting lesson was the least I could do. Somehow, we never got out on the river during school, so we were determined to make it work while I was visiting the area.

We got an early start, expecting afternoon thunderstorms. Getting stuck in a t-storm above treeline is a scary experience that we have both survived in the past and have no interest in repeating. Our climb ended at the turquoise lake. Before we even strung a rod, the outing was worthwhile. High mountain lakes are often beautiful places and this one is no exception (please take a look at my photos).

The lake is home to some large cutthroat trout. I believe they are of the native Colorado River strain, but I can’t tell you for sure, because we didn’t catch any. I suspect that the cutthroat were more focused on spawning than feeding. The trout weren’t on redds, but they were in full spawning color and we watched their crimson and fuchsia forms as they chased each other around a shallow shelf.

While we didn’t get Devon any fish fighting experience, he picked up the basics of casting immediately. He also learned a lot about fly selection as we futilely tried every pattern in my box!

Blue River
Determined to get Devon into a trout, we headed down to the Blue River the next morning. As a kid, I’m sure Devon often wondered what all those Denverites and tourists wading behind the shopping mall were up to.

The Blue River below Dillon Reservoir is a tailwater fishery with a twist. Mysis shrimp, an introduced species, inhabit the depths of the reservoir. These small, wispy creatures are sometimes flushed out of the dam en masse, supporting some behemoth trout. The Blue, the Taylor, and the Fryingpan are the only three tailwaters in the country with mysis fed trout.

The best stretch of the Blue flows behind the shopping outlets in Silverthorne. Anglers should expect an audience of gawking shoppers, particularly if they are fortunate enough to hook a 5+ pound rainbow.

Devon quickly adjusted to fishing in flowing water and he soon landed a 12-13” rainbow. Success! We continued to catch trout throughout the day on san juan worms, micro pheasant tails, and mercury midges. While I doubt Devon will ever hang his skis for a fly rod, I hope he will continue to ply the local waters when the snow has been reduced to liquid form.

See the photos HERE

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July 09, 2006

River Trip

Throughout its course, the Colorado River is a beautiful and intriguing natural wonder. Colorful rock formations, deep chasms, and the other stunning southwestern vistas complement the river’s rich history. I was invited on a four day float of the upper Colorado, an opportunity that was too good to pass up…

The Colorado River

It all started on an impromptu trip to Fort Collins. I met up with a friend from ski patrol who was about to embark on the float with nine friends. Well, a few people backed out last minute and I was invited to fill a seat in the boat.

We floated from just below Gore Canyon (near Kremmling, CO) to the small town of Burns, a 35 or so mile stretch of river. Our flotilla included a 14’ gear/fishing raft, a kayak, a whitewater canoe, and three “duckies.” A “ducky” is sort of like a hybrid between a kayak, a raft, and a pool toy.

We had a great time running a few rapids, relaxing in the sun, and, of course, fishing. A hopper/dropper rig tricked a few trout throughout the trip. Also, three of us commandeered the raft one morning and fished hard for rising brown trout in a couple of the river’s many backwater eddies. These fish were feeding on blue-winged olives and provided exciting dry fly fishing opportunities.

Besides providing a platform for fishing, the raft carried a lot of gear. Floating a river is the civilized way to travel, particularly when you are accustomed to backpacking. We were able to bring a lot of gear including coolers well-stocked with food and beer. Nothing like floating a beautiful river, making new friends, feasting on good meals, and catching trout!

See the photos HERE

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July 06, 2006

A Lesser Known Tailwater

Colorado offers a plethora of famous dam controlled fisheries. Many visiting and resident anglers wet their lines in the South Platte, the Taylor, the Fryingpan, and the other fine rivers that grace the glossy pages of every fly fishing magazine. If you want to get away from the crowds though, I recommend the Williams Fork of the Colorado…

A nice Williams Fork rainbow

The Williams Fork flows north into the Colorado River at the town of Parshall, a small hamlet between Granby and Kremmling. The Colorado Division of Wildlife owns a property (known as the Kemp Unit) just south of Parshall, providing access to this fine little tailwater. A short hike over a sun-baked sagebrush flat is required to reach the stream from the well marked parking area.

I fished the Williams Fork a couple times during college. I enjoyed throwing hoppers here in late August, on my annual migration from Montana to Colorado before the beginning of the school year.

A few days ago, I returned to the stream and found the angling to be as pleasant as ever. I caught many beautiful trout on San Juan Worms, RS-2s, and Micro Pheasant Tail nymphs. I also enjoyed “classic Colorado” weather with sun and blue sky in the morning and scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Compared to many tailwaters, the Williams Fork is high gradient and shallow. Most of the anglers I’ve met on the river fish the deeper pockets and the few pools. These areas definitely support fish, but don’t pass by the shallow shelf riffles which hold surprisingly large rainbows.

In addition to memories of colorful browns slashing my hoppers and feisty rainbows feeding in shin deep water, I will never forget the mosquitoes on this stream. Even in late summer, the biting insects can be bad, particularly by Colorado standards. When visiting this stream, come prepared with bug repellent and a long sleeve shirt, just in case recent rains have activated a blood-sucking swarm.

Click HERE to see my photos

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July 05, 2006

In Search of Greenbacks

My alma mater is Colorado College, home of the Tigers. If you follow college hockey, you have probably heard of our team. Years ago, students started a grassroots effort to change the school mascot to the greenback cutthroat trout, a threatened species and Colorado’s state fish. Unfortunately, the movement flopped. I guess trout aren’t perceived to be as fierce as tigers, although “The C.C. Cutthroats” has a nice ring to it…

Zimmerman Lake

Despite my best intentions, I never made it greenback fishing during my four years of school. Once thought to be extinct, the greenback cutthroat was one of the first salmonids protected by the Endangered Species Act. Since then, state and federal agencies and TUers have worked hard to protect this beautiful species and re-establish the fish wherever possible.

The biggest challenge facing greenbacks is competition from non-native trout. Historically, state agencies have introduced rainbow, brown, brook, and other non-native trout to attract anglers. Since both rainbows and cutthroat spawn in the springtime, they can interbreed. Hybridization dilutes the native species’ genetic purity. Brown and brook trout outcompete greenbacks for food and habitat. These challenges left the greenback on the brink of extinction by the early 1970s.

Removing non-native trout and constructing migration barriers in high mountain streams and lakes is a crucial step to protect the greenback cutthroat. Government agencies and TU chapters have been working towards this end for decades throughout the greenback’s native range. Historically, greenbacks were found in the Arkansas and South Platte drainages on the east side of the continental divide in Colorado.

I hiked into Zimmerman Lake, a medium-sized pond up the Poudre River Canyon, near Cameron Pass. Apparently, the Colorado Division of Wildlife harvests eggs from the Zimmerman greenback population to re-introduce the species into other waterways. The lake’s outlet has been outfitted with a fish barrier, protecting this important greenback stock.

Zimmerman Lake offers the classic alpine experience. The mountain vistas make angling here worthwhile, even if you aren’t catching anything. This is a good thing, because I was skunked and my quest to catch a greenback will continue for at least another year.

I saw fish rising, but they were well out of casting range, towards the middle of the pond. If I had it to do over again, I would have hoofed a float tube, or at least wading boots, up to the lake to facilitate access.

I’m glad that opportunities to see a greenback are increasing each season, thanks to the hard work of TUers and government officials. I look forward to returning to Colorado’s high country in search of these trout some time in the future.

For more information on Colorado’s state fish, check out the Spring 2006 issue of Trout magazine.

To see photos of Zimmerman Lake, click HERE

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