Fishing the 2012 drought. Views by Jason Phillips

12/2/2012

Finding the time to keep the blog updated through our busy season is impossible.  Here is our year in summary from June through November.

It wasn’t as tragic as we all thought it could have been.   While the continued low river flows changed everything, fish kill while still moderate, should have been a lot worse.

Watching this one eat the grass hopper was a treat!

It was one of the driest springs and early summers that I can remember.  The Roaring Fork sauna, where a hint of a spark had the potential to destroy neighborhoods, and almost did on several occasions.  Like the juvenile’s lighting fireworks in Glenwood Springs, or the service truck that hit the powerline post and started a one-acre fire in Carbondale .  We all are indebted to our local fire departments, and the quick response set up by the local and county officials, who worked together across county lines smoothly.  Most impressive was the initial preventative posture directed by officials who were on stand-by every second,  and patrolled daily.  Our first significant rain, ironically came amidst fourth of July fireworks cancellations.  This storm, left three-inches in two-hours, became the norm every afternoon in the Colorado River and Roaring Fork Valley’s.   Some rains, so heavy and hard caused furious mud slides.   Having driven through one, I felt as if there were drifts of snow, rather mud, that looked like a nasty snow storm had just left.  Debris that remained mirrored post runoff conditions with new log jams everywhere.    The Shoshone power plant reported, counting at least two-thousand bellied-up-fish sweeping through, after one such event.

We hooked this one on an egg sucking leech in a slow run on the Colorado River.

April, May, June, and July gifted us with the best dry-fly fishing in many moons.  Clear water, with low run-off values combined with early warm water temps (60 degrees plus), made for smorgasbord-blizzards of hatches.  Mother’s Day cadis was early along with four other flavors of cadis.  Stone-fly’s, Drakes, and PMD’s oh my.   During a normal more consistent run-off year, any angler can follow these hatches as they work their way up river from lower elevations.  This year, as well as last year (highest water flows in recorded history) we were able to fish the same hatches on four different river’s in the same day:  Colorado, Roaring Fork, Crystal, and Fryingpan.

Luke Phillips shows it’s in the family blood with a 4 pound Brown out of Glenwood Canyon.

These early conditions were certainly not a bad thing for the fish.  Not having to fight through the heavy raging water’s of a typical mountain run-off , and having clear-water conditions during our thickest hatches.  Our fish, got up and feasted on ten Thanksgiving Day turkey’s, absolutely blowing the seams on their stomachs, and fattening their way into Jenny Craig.  Through the year, local’s agreed,  the fish in general were healthier, fatter, tenacious, and well-shouldered.

If my four-year old can do it, you can too!

The department of Wildlife posted signs at boat-ramps, in preparation for the onslaught of tourists over the fourth.   These warned of the potential dangers of high water temperature on fish habitat and how to avoid fish kill:  not playing a fish for ever, using single-fly rigs rather than double or triple rigs, and fishing earlier in the day, to take advantage of cooler water temperatures.

This Fat Rainbow shows how healthy the fish are all the way through Fall. A Birthday Fish for Phil Bethel

The Roaring Fork Conservancy, worked together well with the Department of Wildlife and local volunteers with their, “Hot Spots” group, who volunteered to be assigned a River monitor.  They gave out thermometers and instructions, and asked volunteers to record their data on their public web-site.   Some readings were scary high on the Colorado river in late June, exceeding seventy-degrees.

Let me show you how Daddy make a livin’ – On a hopper – fat Jenny Craig candidate

The Crystal River finally received national attention by its designation as one of the top-eight, most-endangered free-stone streams in the United States.  This  will definitely force more attention to this wonderful fishery.  Currently, wild-life biologists work to restore the banks of Coal Creek, that was destroyed by the Mid-Contenent mine.  This attempt seeds the ground, and then allows cattle to craze, who in-turn, churn up the dirt, making for a successful sustainable grow.   Because, everyone knows why the water turns grey on the Crystal when we get a big rain…..mine run-off.  Other sustainable river  regulations are being addressed, like the, “use it, or lose it”, grand-fathered clause, water-right given to ranchers.  This forces ranchers, regardless of conditions or needed usage to, take water off the crystal, or they will lose the right to the water.

This one ate a flash-prince about two-feet under the water. Hook jaw, and old wise fish can still be tricked if you are a master –

Fall, was beautiful and warm, yet water temperature stayed nice and cool with overnight low’s keeping the temperature healthy and consistent, bandaging the year’s drought conditions.  Fish had a more different adaptation with the lack of water in creeks, forcing our elegant brown trout to primarily spawn on the river bed’s.  It remains to be seen the number’s of trout that were successful.  I would  vote for all creeks and access points to creek,s to be closed during spring and fall spawning periods, to re-vitalize habitat.

Too, there are some changes on our horizon.  Carbondale is one of the busiest boat ramps in the state.  It has been leased and operated by the town of Carbondale, for the last three years, formerly owned by the Koziel family.  The Department of Wildlife leased it from them in ten-year increments.  Now, that the lease is still with the DOW, (6 years remain) and the Town of Carbondale owns the land, they have decided to sink several million in re-doing the ramp area.   This is a good idea, and will allow:  more space to put-in, a separate area for Kayak’s and non-commercial float trips, handicap access, and more. Thank you to the volunteers who showed up to represent the fly fishermen during the local Town of Carbondale’s steering committee meetings, and the town’s recreation department for thoroughly reviewing and listening too all the options available.

Yoda; “The force is strong with my Kipe, master”.

In a political time and times of change here in the Roaring Fork Valley here are some ideas I would vote yes on if given the opportunity :  limiting the number of use day’s per day at Carbondale boat ramp, limiting the number of commercial permits allowed on river’s, allowing a public easement for wade fishing along the high water mark through-out the year on all river’s,  Closing all creeks and creek mouths to fish spawn habitat in spring and fall.  Limiting the number of flies an angler can use on their line to two.  Completely eliminating any fishing contests, including the Rocky Mountain Classic Red bone, or anything that promotes catching as many fish as you can.  Background, criminal, driving checks on all guides before allowing them river-worthy.   What do you think will help establish a better fishery?  Please Comment.

To fish with Jason Phillips, The true JP, or any of his world-renown fishing buddies, who just happen to be professionals, drop me an email:  jp@globetrotteradventures.com .  Click here to be connected to the Local’s Best fly shop, voted ten years in a row:  Roaring Fork Anglers and Alpine Angling  Phone:  970.963.9245  or visit my web site:  Globetrotteradventures.com

Fun times fishing with friends

Rare conditions around our watershed; with clear water, and all sorts of large bugs hatching, including now:  Four-different flavors of Caddis, Blue winged-olives, March browns, and a nice size golden stones, which are not the big females, but rather the males;  (scientific name Calineuria Californica male), amongst many other healthy nymphs growing underneath rocks,…the fishing has been outstanding.

Very early, for May conditions, which typically, is high and dirty water and often challenged to find a place to fish, not so this year, as it seems that the normal timetable has been fast forwarded almost six -weeks.  There is plenty of food underneath the water’s surface, more so then on the surface, thus, we’ve been most successful nymphing, with certain areas and groupings of fish being receptive to surface offerings.

As the cold fronts sweep through the west, providing cool overnight temperatures, the water levels drop and the clarity is quite impressive.

During our Mother’s day Caddis blizzards, many anglers, found that their fly’s were not capturing the attention of the fish amongst the thousands of other bugs being delivered right to their noses.  How can that be?  We have all experienced this:  Fish going crazy, eating, a thick thick hatch, and your offering not getting any eats.   So what to do?  Here are some techniques that work for me during the bug blizzards when there is an overabundance of food for our fish:  1.  Match the hatch  2.  drift your offering perfectly down the feeding line (where all the other bugs are, and where you see the most activity.  3.  Be patient, expect no eats initially with this technique, until you have at least hit the perfect drift line ten to twenty times, eventually you will get an eat.  This requires much more patience and commitment to your offering than many other styles of fishing.  While you see the fish going off, it is difficult to control yourself, second guessing your patterns, wondering why you are not getting near as much action as the river is dictating.   Ask yourself these questions:  1.  Do I see fish lips?  or do I see tails and backs?  It stands to reason, when there is more food underwater, in an emerging adults (bugs) sort of situation(spring), it makes better sense for these hungry trout to stage underneath and absolutely gorge, especially knowing how easily spooked fish get with out of water predators.  If you see tails and backs, it’s time for an emerger pattern, an offering perhaps six inches to three feet underwater, again, matching the hatch.  Preferably a dry-dropper set-up as a strike indicators will look out of place to the fish(especially in clear water), often times putting them down.  Still no love?  Try this:  stick with matching the hatch, but size-up!  A bigger meal amongst the thousands can do the trick.   Still didn’t work after your twenty perfect feeding-line drifts?  Then move.  Go shopping, looking for that grouping of fish rising (lips), rather than eating emergers, and stay patient and consistent in your technique.

One theory as to why the fish don’t seem to respond to your fly out of the thousands, is because I believe that when a fish eats a fly it moves enough to capture that meal, while moving, it becomes out of place of its staged feeding zone, thus missing another hundred bugs and potentially your offering.   Thus, making it all a formula of TIMING!  Can you time your delivery, single out that one fish, and know when he is ready to look for your fly out of thousands?  Believe in miracles.  If you drift it, they will eat it.

Thick Mother’s Day Caddis Blizzards

The endangered Round Tail Chub

Tom Trowbridge great to fish with you

Great fishing Gil Finn!

This Fish and Craig, aka Grumpy, are related

Nice fish Chandler, aka, Stanky

Nolan and Rachel Mynatt my nephew, great fishing!

Bad Boys Bad Boys whatcha going do, J Boston, nice fishing with you

Caddis flies a flying!

4/12/2012 –

It’s run-off, and not much of one in the Roaring Fork and Colorado Watersheds.  The Aspen times, ( Article),  is reporting based on the current snow-pack, that the Roaring Fork River will peak at 2,800 cubic feet per second.  This is only twenty -five percent, of last year’s epic, “one-hundred year run-off”, and only thirty-three percent, of the sixty year median. (that’s as far back as historical data on www.usgs.gov goes)  It’s been the hot (pardon the pun) topic around the valley for several weeks now.  Looking at the real-time data, it shows run-off had started in early march!   So what to do?  It’s not over, winter that is, as many are predicting.  Some of the new to the area residents don’t remember blizzards on Mother’s Day, or heavy snow’s in April.  Today for example, as a strong pacific low front sweeps across the west, it has already brought some heavy rains, and cooler temperatures to the valley.  With it, heavy winds and a good chance for snow at higher elevations over the weekend…

There is no question that the river flows will remain low, and peak run-offs won’t be near the average, but exactly how things will continue remains to be seen.

Copi's View

As warm weather, and water temps exceed fifty degrees at  right hours of the day, the aquatic insect life is flourishing.  Several different species of Caddis are in full swing on some of the lower elevation drains.  Giant midges, March Brown’s, Large Blue winged olives, and a plethora of other food can be seen primarily after eleven in the morning depending on your location and the day’s temperature.  The fish are looking to the surface more and more, and are quickly filing their shrunken winter stomachs.  I’ve over-heard people say, “there were too many bugs coming off, and they wouldn’t eat my offering”.  A good thing for the fish, not so for the angler, but as the cliche goes, “Go big or go home”, this will usually cure your landed fish ratio.

Invisible man with Rubber Lips

GREAT SHOTS COPI, WHAT AN EYE!  See Copi’s web-site:  cbv photographics

The time to be out is now, and it could be a rare year in which we experience a clear water Caddis hatch (already happening) and clear water for some of our larger more famous hatches. Visit Globetrotteradventures.com to book a trip
or Roaring Fork Anglers.