Logger Days in South Fork

This morning marks the annual Logger Days in South Fork Colorado which is a tribute to the men and women who established the mountain regions and supplied the nation with the lumber needed to make it what it is today.

We often forget that everything we do and have comes from the earth in one form or another. From the plastics and gas and metal that makes up our cars to the lumber and other products that build our houses to the food that graces our tables, it all comes from the earth. Much of it like the agriculture and forestry is renewable. If properly managed, we can make it produce over and over again and oftentimes at a much higher rate than was previously done thereby providing for more people per acre in production. In 1950 the average farmer fed about 29 ppl worldwide. Today that same farmer feeds 155 people. The same is true of the timber industry. With the advent of the timber farms in the nation, lumber companies can produce more wood products than ever before with far less waste. One company in Georgia is even using the leftover branches from logging for sugar production. So we see that progress has definitely changed even this old industry. 

Today, we celebrate the methods used for many generations with crosscut and axe competitions and I sure appreciate how hard the men must have worked in the past harvesting trees.  

Recently, Paula and I were up on an old road in the mountains here and found an area that had been cut probably 30 years ago. The new growth was spaced out more than what was previously there and there was a lot of grass and other browse for the elk and deer and other animals. Also, there was no beetle kill in this area. This is a huge observation as some of the forest here is approaching 100% kill from those beetles. That makes a forest virtually worthless for any use including wildlife and also is a real factor in snow melting faster without the shade from the trees and faster runoff due to the dead trees not using any water. By not cutting out the dead trees when it started, we basically are going to lose an entire forest.  

That is what caused the fires of late and will continue to be an issue for the next 20 years I believe.  

So come celebrate with us those men and women who helped to build this nation, eat some great food and buy some superb crafted items at the booths there. The day is gorgeous with Rocky Mountain blue skies and light breeze.  

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The hungry logger carving withstood the fires and is a reminder of the hard work that built America.

Fishing the South Fork of the Rio Grande

Yesterday broke smokey and hazy due to the forest fires in the area and it just hung around all day. We were invited to a house party at my dear friend Susan's house. The picture below shows the view off her back deck and the evening turned out perfect. Everyone showed up with their favorite drink and snack and we had great fellowship around the tables out back.

My friend Phillip picked up one of Susan's rods and started fishing and I watched him for awhile but he had no luck. There was a 2.5 inch rainbow trout color rapala on the pole and I did see some fish follow the lure. When he put the rod down I could not help myself and immediately got the rod and started casting.

The water is extremely low for this time of year and I could see the fish chase the lure in the calmer waters but they would not hit it. Pulling out a trick used in the past, I began a rapid retrieve with a pause then a hard jerk to make it seem like the minnow was escaping. This brought about jolting strikes and often if not hooked the first time they hit, the fish would come and hit it again on the same retrieve. This shows the importance of changing your tactics if you are not connecting on fish on a certain day. I walked up the bank along her property and in about a half block length of river, I caught 14 brown and 1 rainbow trout. The biggest was 16 inches and the smallest 10 inches. It only took me about 30 minutes to catch and release these fish so they were really biting. I think the low numbers of fisherman here at the present time has helped the fishing as there is leas pressure on the fish now.

The water is warm and so care must be taken when releasing fish to get them back in the water as fast as you can.

Some buddies also reported fishing one of the lakes here this week and 10 guys got their limit in about one hour. NOW THAT is some fishing fun. These are stockers for the most part and put in those lakes for that purpose.

Don't let a little smoke get in your way of fishing this summer. There are some great deals on cabins and motels and other activities here now and still 1.81 million acres of forest to enjoy. And that's just in the Rio Grande National Forest. This was an excellent place to fish as I could stand on the grassy bank and not have any uneven surfaces to navigate. I always keep that in mind when I want to fish and its a great example of access for anyone. The rains have begun and I think that will only help the fishing with a little color added to the streams and rivers and lakes. Come on out and let the fun begin.

South Fork of the Rio Grande, South Fork, Colorado.

Fishing up toward Creede Today

Today brought about more welcome showers in the mountains around South Fork and Creede and it was a nice cool day to be outdoors. I drove up toward Creede and did some target practice on the public land in that direction. I had bought a new .22 rifle and wanted to see how it shot and get the scope sighted in.

On the way back, I stopped in some Gold Medal Water and fished for about an hour. As I exited the truck I was surprised to see a large number of Green Drake flies buzzing around me and landing on my shirt sleeve. Stepping into the water I immediately was into fish and had fun with the browns that came to my hand. Most were in the 14 inch range and just a tad too large to keep if a person was fishing for supper. In that section the limit is two fish, twelve inches and shorter. I have talked about this before in a previous blog but if you are wanting some good eating trout, I suggest the local area lakes or the brook trout from the small streams high up in the mountain. I have learned to get a huge amount of pleasure from catch and release fishing now and most of the time its all about the strike and not actually keeping fish.  

The picture was taken from one of the bridges along the river and it shows the low water levels being experienced at this time. This section is usually a great raft ride with white water and as you can see, there isn't much there now. There are rumors that the Rio Grande Reservoir is under some kind of construction or repairs and maybe they are holding water for that activity. That and the drought is sure to have had an impact.  

However, the fish are still in the river and streams even if they are low. The low levels allows a person to wade much easier but takes a lot smaller fly and more careful presentation. The water is gin clear and the fish can see a long ways and will spot you if you are not careful.  

Today the size 14 Green Drake on top with a Pheasant Tail nymph in a size 10 did the job and 7 gorgeous browns graced my attempts, being released to fight another day.  

The fires continue to be a concern no doubt, but if you are wanting some first rate fishing, don't be afraid to come out and enjoy it. The activity is far from town and from the best parts of the river and you will be safe if you choose to fish here. I can connect you with motels or lodges and some good fishing spots if you want to contact me.  

Rio Grande River

West Fork Fires, South Fork, Co. June 25, 2013

Morning dawned bright and sunny with little wind. We attended the briefing meeting at the Red Cross Shelter in Del Norte, Colorado this morning and learned about the progress of the firefighters with the inferno. The fire continues to burn of course but at a much slower rate at least near South Fork. A wind change direction is anticipated today and that may cause increased risks.

I am sitting out under the awning today under blue skies on the western side of town. I realize that many people want to come to their homes but so far the sheriff has only allowed the people north of hyw 149 access into and out of south fork. This is due to the dangers to the other areas posed by huge old pine and spruce trees in those areas that are not found here along the river. This is all open short grass areas with no trees to burn.  

We still need prayers about the wind and also need the summer monsoons to cone in and soak up this country. Normal conditions for July are daily showers and you dare not go anywhere without a rain suit during those times. An early start to that would be a godsend.

Last summer, my girlfriend Paula and I decided to walk in to a small lake seen on the map. it took us three times to find it but its the second time I want to share about. We normall carry a small pack with survival equipment and raincoats in it. I had taken mine out to use the day before and forgot to put it back in.  

After walking a short distance, it began to rain and when I reached into my pack, no rain suit. It was cold and dreary and the rain coming down steady. I got out my space blanket and improvised a poncho and sat there in the rain. Looking over to my girlfriend she was just standing there in the pouring rain lips pursed, upset that I forgot my coat. Not because I didn't have it but she has been on Mt. Everest and knows the dangers of hypothermia. I have seen the elephant however and all I could do was giggle at her. OF course that didn't help matters. We were a short hike back to the truck and I arrived there wet and cold and grinning. I had been wet before and needed a bath anyway. lol.  

The funniest part of this is that when we got to looking, she had an EXTRA rain suit in her back pack. Now that's funny.  

We finally found the lake and that's another blog for another time. Its pristine, hard to find and the fish bit every cast. .......kevin