Rivers are Running High

Almost non-stop rain has swollen the rivers to their spring banks here and its a tad concerning to watch it rise each day. There is still plenty of room for more water so don't panic quite yet. However, it is up in the willows that line the banks and all the rock bars are covered with a foot or more of dark ash filled water. Both the South Fork and the Rio Grande are about at the same general stage as far as amount of rise in their surface levels. Both also are black with soot from the runoff coming out of the fire ravaged areas. I have several friends with houses on these rivers and I am watching them in case I have to help them in the event of higher water. I will follow with more photos tomorrow and this week so you can visualize what its like. Normal August flows are low and clear and the fishing is great long into the calm warm evenings. I am not sure when we will see the bottom of the streams again but am hoping with the normal fall patterns of rain, it will be sometime in late September or October. Once the rain quits, the feeder streams will clear better and hopefully the good clean clear water will offset any flows coming out of the burn zone. Still hundreds of places to fish I you are so inclined. Get your rod and some lunch and enjoy the bountiful earth.