The Rivers are Black

Well folks, its actually happening. The ash from the fires has found its way down into the Rio Grande and the South Fork of the Rio Grande and both rivers are running black with ash from the fires. I first noticed this over a week ago and it was like coffee grounds suspended in the water but now, its black water flowing and the bottom is not even visible.

I did wade some of this two days ago and the bottom too is covered with a tarry slime. My concern and that of the biologist is that this will eventually kill all the bugs and other organisms in the river and with no food, the fish will die for sure. The other concern is this soot is probably filling the fish gills and will suffocate the fish sooner or later.  

Trout are not the hardiest of specimens and require cleaner water than most fish to survive. The river temperature has also risen to the point where they will have a hard time making it due to the color and how that absorbs heat on sunny days. I honestly believe we will lose the entire trout population in both rivers and some of the area streams. There are still plenty of streams and lakes to fish so don't panic.  

This is part of the natural flow of things in a forest and wilderness environment and man has to learn that some things are just out of our control. The rivers may die off but eventually, they will come back and the fish will return as it did in Yellowstone after the fires there. We are so used to fast answers in our instant society and so waiting on a natural disaster to straighten itself out seems so so hard.  

I will be posting a news article that I am writing for the area newspaper along with photos so you all can visualize better just what I am talking about. Heavy rains today up the valley toward Creede will make more runoff a possibility and heavy ash flow also a danger.

Fishing with The Boys

My cousin's two boys are here in South Fork visiting their grandmother and of course, they have enough energy for several of us put together. Mom and grandma wore out yesterday and so I took the boys and we went up on Park Creek to try a little fly fishing.

Its so hard for those two women to take the boys up on the streams to fish and they worry too much about them and wont let them experience the frustrations and solve their own problems with lost flies, leaders stuck in trees and all the things you have to master on your own. They are 12 years old and its time they learn those skills if they are to master the sport.  

We parked and after a coin toss to determine choice, one of them went down stream and one started at the truck. I drove on up the creek to a better access point for me an told them to fish up to me and see how we were doing at that point.  

I stepped down next to the stream and immediately was onto a nice 10 inch brown. We had rigged up with basically the same flies before starting. A #16 Royal Coachman or #16 Elk Hair Caddis on top and #14 Bead Head Prince Nymph on the bottom. After I caught and released about 8 fish, I got a knot in my leader that I just could not work out and so cut my line and tied on just the caddis dry fly as that was what was drawing the most attention. Many times, in the smaller streams, two flies are just too much to handle and its just more productive and easier to fish with one fly at that juncture.

I continued up the small stream and ended up with 14 fish all but one being 10 to 12 inches. Not huge but typical of these area streams and great sport on a light rod and line. The boys finally caught up with me and had each caught fish so it was a successful outing. They had their problems with tangles and lost flies but such is dry fly fishing in small streams with overhanging trees set to snag every cast.  

We only fished about two hours and its so nice to live close enough to the streams to be able to do that and get home for other commitments later in the day. I believe that the middle part of the day is best in those small streams as the longer we fished, the less bites and attacks on the flies.  The warm sun on the middle part of the day signals small insect hatches and I am sure that triggers the bite.  

Today long slow rainy morning and so I have not had a chance to get out much. Chores and writing duties keeping me busy and chatting with kids and friends on facebook keeping me updated on their lives. What a wondrous tool the internet has become.  

These intermountain showers will continue through mid August and so one has to just be patient for those stellar days that frequent the area. Grab a rod and get out there on your first opportunity and get a few fish for me.  

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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