Jimbo
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More Hidden Waters
Joe had one more day off before he had to start guiding again. Being a local he knows every nook and crannie around Pagosa. He is constantly showing me places that are public lands and yet little used. Today he would take me to another one such site. This is a creek on public lands, but between two ranches. If you don’t know how to enter this water you’ll never know it’s even there. Joe knows…..
So we met up again and headed for this hidy hole. I’ve driven right past this water before not knowing it was public.
Joe’s driving and we pull over off a forest road just past a ranch’s fence. Then we head down into the creek’s valley.
After some couple of hundred feet down we come out and get the first look at this creek.
This little gem has it all. It’s mainly Browns with a few Cutts, Rainbows, and Brookies.
Joe let me go first. I was sporting a Sage 576 LL for this trip.
I thought to myself this looks like Wilcox Special water and I wasn’t wrong about that.I caught a couple of little Browns on the drop.
It was a good start.
From there Joe took his turn.
He too caught his first Brown of the day in this stretch….
This day pretty much played out this way over and over.
I’d take a turn and catch one or two.
Joe would take his and do the same.Here some of the scenes and action.
A beautiful medium sized creek.
Most of the fish were Browns about 6-12″.
Since the fish were pretty much the same, here a bunch of the water they live in…..
Wouldn’t you like to step in these waters and make a cast or two?
I switched to a purple Chubby every now and then and it worked just fine too…..
It sprinkled on us on and off. When it did Joe did better with a dropper…..
Bent rods are a good thing…..
One of the better Browns…..
We both caught double digits, well into double digits.
Every fish I caught was a Brown except for one little Cutthroat.
Joe caught all Browns except for one Rainbow.
The day slipped away and we hardly noticed till we came upon this spot.I had a good Brown come up on my fly, but didn’t take it. I let Joe step in with his dry/dropper.
The fish came up and smashed his dry.Best Brown of the Day!
Taken on a dry ! Yes Sir !
I like to think I got that fish all excited with the Chubby and Joe stepped in and closed the deal.
Joe told me I had one more chance to best that Brown.
Well it was time to make our way back to the truck. The easiest way out was to climb the ridge on our side.
Walk down the bench….
And then went we reached our starting point…..
Go back down to the creek, cross it, and up the other side to the truck.
It had been another wonderful experience. Hidden waters wedged down between private ranches, but on public lands. This is what it’s all about. Finding these sweet spots and catching a bunch of Trout on drys.
It’s good to be alive !!!!!Jimbo
A few hours on the Ranch
While fishing on the Cutthroat Creek with Joe, he asked if I would help out with a “Survey by Rod” on the lower end of the East Fork Ranch. The East Fork is a private ranch in Joe’s Scared Waters Leases. Seems the high water from runoff had really changed the lower end and that with the flows finally dropping he was interested in seeing first hand what kind of fish the lower end was now holding.
He was busy in the morning and it was after noon before he called and said,
“Meet me at the Cabin”.
So I loaded up a few rods and essentials in the truck.
Turning off the highway and heading up the East Fork road I was greeted with more Monsoons.Not surprising, my GoreTex jacket was going to see more use today.
Arriving at the middle part of the valley…..
Most of the heavy stuff was further up the valley. I looked around for Joe and he had not arrived yet. I drove back down the valley and found Joe driving up. We put everything in his truck and parked it at the cabin. From there we grabbed our gear and headed down to the lower boundary to fish upstream.
It was already raining. Nonetheless I was going to fish my dryfly attractors, Joe would fish a dry/dropper and also fish with a nymph rig. Here Joe fished for some time with his nymphs.
He decided to change things up and I jumped in with a Chubby. Almost immediately a nice Rainbow come up and smash the fly. He bolted downstream with me running the bank to keep below him. I was able to get close to this fish while still a bit green and scoop him up in my net.
Not a bad start at all !!!
I continued on up the run. I had another fish come up and grab the fly but didn’t stay pinned.
Joe was ready now. He mixed things up using his dry/dropper first and then nymph the same area to see what was going to work. Of course the light rain was not helping the dryfly bite at all. Here he is nymphing…..
And he scores…..
This is not what the ranch is famous for, the average fish caught here is 16-18″, and plenty of really big fish; Rainbows, Browns, and Cutties over 20″ are normally part of everyday’s catch.
We were moving through the water fast…..
The ranch was not really showing what it is capable of today. Blame it on the weather…..
Nonetheless…..Another fish that took his nymphs.
Most of the time these fish readily come up for flys on the surface, but not so much today.
The nymphs, a jimmy legs and tung teaser, were working, but here Joe scores with a Chubby himself…..
Joe hooked up and running downstream…..
And the payoff…..
Joe suggested I tie on a dropper. I told him I would stick to my dryfly as he was covering the subsurface just fine.
Violet just wanted to see more fish !!!!Yeap, doubled up on the chubby again…..
And another Rainbow…..
This one with a bad left eye.
Seems Joe is doing most the heavy lifting here…..
Again hooked up on the nymphs again. Joe showing how to get downstream and below the fish……
The net is deployed…..
This is an unusual day on the East Fork. If it had been a sunny day, dryflys would be all you needed. But today most the fish were caught on nymphs.
Here Joe nymph fished.
We saw a couple fish cruising around but not responding to his nymphs.
Joe told me to “Go get’em”
So I stepped in and worked the eddy…..I cast and let the fly work the backside of the eddy next to the bank. It took a couple of casts, but on one of the casts, the fly made the circuit up the bank and then out next to the current seam and downstream. The trout came to the surface and took it without hesitation. This one dug down deep. I could feel it rubbing against the gravel bottom. I kept moving downstream and applying lots of pressure. It finally turned downstream and I was waiting…..
This was just my third fish of the day. Most places 3 fish over 16″ on drys in about an hour and a half ain’t bad, but on the East Fork, this is considered a very slow day.
Joe works the last stretch…..
The rain was really coming down now. We had worked most the water Joe wanted to see and with hail starting to come down, it was time to go. This is the third time I fished here and by far it was the poorest result. Even with our best effort you can’t always make them bite. That’s the way it goes sometimes. Two good fishermen working this fabulous water and disappointing results.
Jimbo
Making up for Lost Time
Joe called me and said he had some time for fishin’ the next couple of days.
“Would you like to come along?”
“Absolutely!”
Like there was any other possible answer.So he called me the next day and we were off to one of his secret waters.
Today we would be fishing a tiny little creek close to the spine of a mountain range in the Weminuche Wilderness and National Forest. It held mainly Browns the last time he fished it. It is your typical steep plunge pool tangle of fallen trees. Perfect for a short rod, roll or bow and arrow casting, along with some high-sticking. One thing for sure, it was not fished often, and maybe not even a single time since he was last here.
It took some time to locate the trickle of a creek we would be fishing.
Finally we found it…..We parked the truck and geared up.
Now we were going to fish the creek below. First we needed to bushwack our way through the forest to the point we would fish or way back up to the truck. So down into the forest we went…..
Of course we are in the wilderness, which means we are not the only ones using this forest…..
Yeap, that’s exactly what you think it is !!!! Fortunately I did not see any bits of graphite or anodized aluminum in this pile.
It took a while before we hiked down far enough to start up the creek.
It didn’t take long…..
Nice !!! A Cutthroat !!! Even Better !!!
Last time he was here he only caught Browns. The Cutts were much higher up, but today it would be all Cutts. We talked about this and maybe this year’s big runoff pushed everything downstream. We guessed the Browns were now somewhere at lower elevation and the Cutts now occupied this water. Most of this water was jammed up with fallen timber. There would be a lot of scrambling around, over, and under the timber to get in position to get our flys on the water.This is the kind of place where we take turns fishing and watching the other fish. There were plenty of Cutts to catch too. Most were rather small in the 5-8″ range with a few to 11′ or so, but fishing for natives in their native ranges makes everything perfect!
We took tons of pictures and here are some of them…..
Here you can plainly see Willow and her daughter Violet.
These two dogs love to come along and watch us fishing. They are very well mannered and generally do not interfere with us while stalking, casting and fighting the fish. They do like to get an up close look at them after we’ve landed them.
Then there were the ones Joe took of me going up the creek…..
Joe fishes Fenwick fiberglass rods on many of these tiny creeks. I think this one was a 6 foot 5wt. They are perfect for bow and arrow casting in tight quarters. I was fishing a Loomis GL3 6 1/2′ 3wt. I really like this little rod myself.
It was not uncommon to catch several Cutts out of the same pool…..
I really love this kind of water beyond reason.
I mean I know other places that are much easier to fish. Not so much climbing, and scrambling up and down slopes to position myself for a cast at these little fish. But there is also the feeling that you are touching something virtually undisturbed. Something that has not martially changed since the beginning. And that is special to me.
Here is an especially beautiful piece of water…..
Finally we reached the point where the little creek narrowed to an impassable tangled gorge and we worked our way back up to the truck. Of course on the way out we were reminded again that we are not alone in the forest.
There are a lot of Black Bears up here and it is good advice to carry bear spray at all times.
We both lost count at the numbers we caught, but my number was well ahead of 25 and Joe more than that.
There maybe a time in the future that this kind of fishing is too much for these old legs, but for now I am still climbing up and down these mountains to immerse myself into the land and waters the way they used to be.Jimbo
East Fork of the Piedra
I hadn’t been to the East Fork in a number of years. The East Fork is unique in that above the Piedra Falls there is a strain of Colorado Cutthroats that has been so isolated over the centuries that the Cutthroats up there are considered a unique strain of Colorado Cutthroat. Some of you may have also heard about the recent discovery of the San Juan strain of Colorado Cutthroat that was considered lost. Well these are something different again.
In the past I have fished this stretch up to the falls and caught some of these Cutthroats. I have even thought about climbing up the steep cliffs there to get to the East Fork above the falls, but it is one of the most strenuous climbs around here. There is about 500 feet going up 45 degrees or more, then another 1000 feet or so before it levels out. Then it requires about another 2 miles or so before you get above the canyon section leading to the falls. This is not something normal people do without making it a overnight backpacking trip. It is something I always wanted to do, but have not gotten around to the attempt yet.
Today I would drive to the trailhead and fish my way up to the falls.
I loaded up with a couple of light rods and headed up Piedra Road.Of course the monsoons were building early.
The closer I got to the trailhead the worse it looked…..
Right in the center of the picture is the East Fork cutting through the cliffs.
At the trailhead it looked better.
It seems most of the rains were really over in the mountains above and not down below the falls.I put on my boots, grabbed my vest and Sage LL 4711.
It’s a crystal clear stream that looks healthy. I started casting and expected something to rise to my Chubby right away, but it didn’t happen that way. I hadn’t gone far when the first raindrops began to fall.
I looked skyway and wondered if this was going to be over before I had really spent much time on the water.
Well it turned out just be a passing band. and it stopped! Yea !!!
Not too much farther up the river I came upon this pocket.I thought I saw something flash below my fly. A few more casts revealed nothing more.
Just above the little drop there was a perfect piece of slack and shaded water underneath some willows.I put myself into position. Using a sidearm cast I was able to keep the fly low and curl it under the overhanging willows. The fly landed a few inches from the bank and drifted downstream into the shade. Then it was pulled into the slack water and a nose poked through the surface. I strip set and the rod loaded up. The fish darted out into the current. It wasn’t as big as I first thought…..
The little Brown must have been eating it’s Wheaties and working out.
Well it was a start !
The Skunk is Off !!!Wading upstream looking at all the good looking holding spots, I could imagine catching double digits easily.
Not too fast there Jimbo…..
Turns out that this river was in trouble.
Later back in Pagosa I talked with Pops about the East Fork. The last two years of drought before this year’s El Nino, the East Fork had been dry below the rancher’s diversion. He said some others had fished this water and come up empty. He suspected that by the fall more fish would come up from the main stem of the Piedra and start filling back in these spots. It’s a shame but that’s what happens up here from time to time.
I decided to hustle up to the falls and look at the deep holes up there. There had always been fish holding there.
I took to the trail and shortly I was there.
The Falls were really pouring over the precipice.
I looked into the pools and saw no movement. I cast several different flys and moved no fish. I was frustrated again! There was still time left to fish other nearby waters, so back down the trail I went.
Back at the truck I knew of several places close by. In fact I crossed the Middle Fork of the Piedra on the forest road leading to the Falls trailhead. So back down the road I went. I crossed the bridge on the Middle Fork and turned in to look at the river.
Looks good enough to give it a go and it didn’t take long…..
A nice little Brown and there would be more….
This is small water and small fish are to be expected….
And they were biting…..
I am amazed at how strong these little guys can pull when they have current to work with…..
I bet there is a fish right there…..
I’m right…..
And this one is a genuine Colorado Cutthroat…..
There were enough to reach double digits. But the trip up the East Fork had eaten up a lot of time. It was getting late in the afternoon and here in the canyons the surrounding ridges brought darkness before the sun was down. Time to head back to the truck.
That’s a BIG Beaver that can cut a tree that high !!!
There is something special about the Piedra and the mountains here…..
It’s terrible when a fishery is put through so much stress. Put like I’ve said before, you can’t make it rain and you can’t make it stop. This year’s wet weather should have provided good spawning habitat for those Cutthroats that were still present. This fall the Browns should do well also. So really it’s just a matter of time before this fisheries rebound.
And I will be back !Jimbo
I Guess you can call me stubborn…..
Back in Pagosa I studied my maps and then google earth. There was a lake to the east and I knew there must be some kind of an approach from downstream. The distance from the lake to the mouth of the creek was some 3 miles or so. There, that’s the plan drive to the lake and hike up from there.
Up with the sun I was ready to make the second assault on this Cutthroat Creek.
You know you’re in the right place when you can see a fishing rod in the gun rack thru the rear window of the pickup truck just ahead of you.
On the way up I drove by North Clear Creek Falls.
With this year’s high flows I couldn’t resist looking at them just a 1/4 mile or so off the highway.Although the height of the drop was not mentioned, I would guess you’re looking at about 120 feet.
There is something like a trail down to the bottom, but I wouldn’t want to take it.
Well time to get going…..
The creek below looked fishable…..
I arrived at the lake.
It’s a good looking lake and the orientation board said there were Cutthroats in the lake.
I talked to some the anglers and boaters there. There was a trail on the south side of the lake a short distance for bank anglers, but it stopped short of half-way around it. To the north was a rock bank. I got out the binoculars and looked down that bank. It was a fairly steep rock scree and vegetated slope above that but no trail was observable. I walked down and talked to some boaters. They reported seeing no trail of any kind around the lake to the river and creeks above.Well there was the creek itself below the lake and alternatives are limited.
So down I go…..
The creek was generally wide and shallow. The water was warmer than you’d expect at this altitude, but cool enough to fish. Again I chose a light rod, but this time a Sage 4711 LL. Hopes were good that I would catch some little trout here. I would be wrong about that. I fished up the portion of the creek in that photo. I saw empty powerbait bottles. I fished up to a group camping out along the river.
They asked “Did you catch anything?”
“No I said.”
I thought it unusual as they could have asked how many I caught, but didn’t showing their own experience.
I asked them if they fished here.
They said “Yes, but couldn’t catch a thing.”
I walked up and out of the creek headed back to the truck. On the way I met a Father and his two sons who had been flyfishing and spin fishing.
I asked “Did you catch again thing?”
They looked up and all said, “Nope, and you?”Talk about being snake bit.
I decided to drive down the valley a bit and see if the results would be any different.It was a little bigger down here, so at least there were more possibilities.
I felt encouraged seeing this water. It’s not unlike many places I fish. Again I tried a half dozen reliable flys over prime holding spots. Nothing moved, I spooked no fish, I saw no fish. Again it should not be barren, but they are definitely in a foul mood. It’s hard to believe or even except it when fish get lock jaw. And every time they do it still blows my mind !!!
OK,… I’m whipped !!!
There’s a creek up there worth fishing and I can’t get to it.
The water I can get to, beats me every way I can be beat.
I couldn’t remember the last time I was skunked.
Now I Do……Jimbo
Let’s call it sight seeing…..
I wanted to spend some time fishing above Creede. I have fished a couple of creeks in the valley over the years, but I never found the Cutthroats I was looking for, so I would try again. So I studied my maps and revisited a couple of places I always wanted to fish the night before. I was up early as I wanted to stop in Creede at a Fly Shop and talk over my ideas with the proprietor.
Heading up the Rio Grande Valley.
Creede, a mining boom town, now a tourist mecca…..
I told you about Kip’s…..
And here is the Rio Grande Angler……
I entered and talked to the owner running the shop. I brought in my map and I talked about my plans. He said the creeks I wanted to fish above Rio Grande Reservoir were all but unreachable this year. The road over Storm Pass from Silverton was closed and the road up along the reservoir was difficult for even the best jacked-up 4X4s. First he asked how far I was willing to hike in and I said about 3 miles max. He looked at my map and pointed to another creek that he said was full of Cutthroats. I decided to give it a try.
So I headed up the hill…..
I turned off on a good Forest Road…..
From there I turned on to another FR marked 4X4. I should have asked about this back at the Fly Shop.
The closer I got to the floor of the valley the steeper the road became…..
From there the road only got more challenging. Now I’ve taken my 2WD Escape down some pretty difficult roads. It has ample ground clearance, great tires, but it’s only front wheel drive. I kept following the dirt track till I came to a creek crossing. I got out and looked at it. Here bedrock was exposed where the track went through the creek. The troubling part was my side was stair stepped down to the water, each step about 10-12″ and there were four of them. The other side looked OK. It was not the going across that concerned me. It was the coming back part. Tackling going back up those stair steps with wet tires……
I wish I had a picture of it, but trust me on this one.
I thought about the creek chock full of Cutthroats that was on the other side…..
Me out here in the middle of no where, no cell reception, and about a good 6-7 miles back to the “good” part of the forest road…..With everything being weighed,… Today I would have to turn back and abandon this adventure.
I could retrace my steps and have a look at the Rio Grande above the Reservoir and the two creeks there.
Maybe I would have a little time to fish there too.
First look at the Rio Grande below the reservoir.Rio Grande Reservoir is a large one…..
Winding my way along the northern shore….
Here’s the river above the reservoir…..
I decided to press my luck and continue on up the 4X4 road a ways further.
I came to this creek crossing. It more or less used the road for about 40 feet, but it wasn’t that deep, so I continued…..
Well the road got progessively worse.
There was no where to turn around even if you wanted to !!!
I finally arrived at this point on the 4X4 track.The Rio Grande Canyon is a deep and narrow one here. I could not count on the road getting any better. And since this was the first place I could turn around in quite a ways, it was time to admit defeat. I drove back down the track, crossing the small creek again without incident.
There was a small campground where Lost Trail Creek meets the Rio Grande on my side and access to the Ute Creek river crossing. I got out to look at the river.
Here Lost Trail Creek had washed away part of the trail.The river was really moving here.
At the Ute Crossing I met an older man and his great grandson. There were also his son and his brother’s son in full backpacking mode. They said they were going to cross to go on a week’s camping and flyfishing trip up the Ute Creek valley. I looked at the water and I looked at everyone. I spoke with the eldest man and said this does not look good. The river was really moving and both of them were carrying heavy packs for a multi-day trip. I told the elder that I would advise against them trying to cross. Now the grandson a 20 something, was a stout fellow. Some 6 foot plus and about 200lbs, very athletic looking. His uncle though, 50 something, about 5’*8″ and about 180. And him carrying an equally enormous backpack. The grandson went right in the river. It was about this time I suggested they lock arms for the crossing, but they said they would be alright.
The crossing here is fairly shallow to about half-way across, then it got deeper, and that’s where the heavy current would test them. The grandson made it to the swift water and struggled to negotiate it, but made it to the other side. His uncle took off and made to the swift water. It was over his waist. He started to freeze out there with the current breaking against his body. He finally attempted the next step. He lost his grip on the bottom. He spun downstream trying to regain his lost footing. It didn’t work and he went down. Fortunately there was a rather large rock in the middle which he was able to grab as he floated downstream. The grandson watching on the far shore quickly ditched his pack and went in after his Uncle. The edler, his great grandson, and myself held our breath watching this unfold. The grandson went charging into the water. He made it to his Uncle still clinging to the downside of the rock. There he was able to remove his uncle’s pack. In a feat of strength, which still amazes me, I saw him toss that pack, which the edler said weighed 70lbs, some 25′ to the bank. Then standing downstream of his Uncle, grabbed him by the shoulders, and stood him up against the current. Then they waded arms locked to the other side. I looked at the elder and the great grandson and in that moment of silence, we all knew how close that was. The two waved from the far bank, only soaked from the experience, donned their packs, waved, and were off. The elder and the great-grandson were visibly shaken. I said, “Well at least when they return the river will have gone down and it should be easier for them to get back across.” He said he hoped so.
They left and after looking at the river I decided to at least fish the Lost Trail Creek for a bit.
I went back to the truck and geared up. Walking back to the water I decided to start with the creek.The creek was not large, but it had gradent, and was moving too. I fished my way up several turns with my attractors. The going was difficult as most the edge was willow bound and impassable.
I came upon another lesson in nature.
Here a young fawn lay drowned. It too tried to cross this creek and was not up to the task. I would say this happened within a matter of days as it was not bloated or had any predator found and started to feed on it yet.
I finally found an opening in the willows and made my way to the bank. I looked around outside the main creek and found what I suspected would be there, an old braid. Here the water was moving much more slowly. I walked up beside it peaking in when I could. On one such peak, I saw a couple of Cutthroats in the bottom of a hole about 3 feet deep. The larger one was a male about 15-16″ I would say. I dropped back and pushed my way through the willows. There about 30 feet below them I slid into the water. I moved very slowly and did not spook these fish. Now in the middle of the creek I drew out enough line to get above them. I knew this would probably be a one and done thing. I would have to do a bit of a steeple cast, deliver the cast down a 4 foot wide open channel between the willows, and get the fly exactly above the larger fish. I steadied myself, said a little prayer, and prepared to cast. Everything could not have been better. The fly landed about 4 feet above the fish, it drifted straight back towards him. I took up the slack line as it drifted back. The Cutt saw the fly and slowly rose to surface to inspect it. Then it poked it’s nose through the surface, took the fly, and disappeared. I struck as soon as it started down…..
Sometimes no matter what you do,… it just doesn’t work out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The fly came shooting back at me from below the surface. It hooked nothing but air.
I should have sunk the fly into it’s jaw. Now I don’t know I would have landed the fish in such confined quarters and root balls, but I would have surely expected at least a fight from everything I saw up to that point. Well those Cutts now knew I was there and promtly disappeared. I stepped out of the braid and walked a little further up. I saw no more fish. It was getting late and time to think about heading back.The drive back to Pagosa was full of “What Ifs”.
There are leaps of faith we all take.
Some times they work out and sometimes they don’t.Driving past this sizable overhanging rock is another one.
Fortunately this one worked out just fine.Jimbo
There are certain places I have come to discover over the years that deserve a bit of reverence. Places where the ecosystem is still as it was before man set foot on the North American continent. It’s almost like being able to step back in time. Something that people of my age have often wished they could do. Turn back the hands of time and again experience our youth again. A rejuvenation of body and spirit. This is one of those places.
I discovered this creek some 12 years ago. I was pouring over my topo maps looking for creeks close to the spine of the Rockies. There I knew I had the best chances at finding and catching native pure Cutthroats. I have returned to explore this creek at every opportunity. I have fished it from lower elevations to the continental divide. There are major waterfalls that protect the native Cutthroats from other species swimming upstream into the higher valleys. The upper 7 or 8 miles are nothing but native pure Cutthroats.
Today I would be returning to see how this years heavy snows had treated it.
I would be traveling up miles of forest roads to reach this creek. Roads that I have come to memorize over the years and I was becoming more excited as I got closer and closer. The remaining snow was more wide spread than I have ever seent up here this time of year…..
There was still heavy snow high on the ridges overlooking the valley……
And finally reaching my destination…..
Some of you probably know this creek. I have been keeping it’s name and location a secret for a long time. It is a small creek and fragile by it’s very nature. Years ago I rarely saw another human being up here. Every year I see more and more anglers and campers using this area. Even though I am also one of thse relatively newcomers to this valley, the more people that visit it, the more potential there is for it’s degradation. I fear for it’s future and I wish the CPW would put a catch and release designation on this creek. I could suggest other places up here that catch and release designations would really help.
I geared up and headed down to the creek.
Once there I could soak it all in. I made a few lazy casts upon the water. My fly drifted downstream uninterrupted.
I looked closer. There I could see fish paired up. Males chasing other males out of their claims. I could not tell exactly if they were spawn, or post-spawn. Whatever, I was here too early. When I was very young I might have gone on fishing here. Now I knew better and these fish should be left alone to help propagate the next generation. As much as I wanted to catch these Cutts, today I felt I must leave. There will be other times in other years. And I hope I will be granted the time to return again and cast my flys over these native Cutthroats. Forgive me for being a bit sentimental about this place. I am getting old and can wax poetically about places like this and the times I’ve spent there.So where now?
I’d used a good bit of time to get here. Thinking a moment, I knew another place. No time to waste.This is 5 mile park, the headwaters of Park Creek.
This place calls for a light rod as the quarry are likely small Brookies and maybe even a Cutthroat.
The Sage 279 LL was a perfect choice. I’ve fished here years ago and since it is mainly Brookies, I expected it to be much like I found it before…..I started off with a Little Yellow Sally. I had a few fish look and not take it. I didn’t have to think about my next choice long,…. Wilcox Special.
Yeap, it was right on the money !!!
This place was a good consolation. It was just as I remembered it.
Most of these fish would be small 6-8″ If I was lucky I would catch one 10″ or more.
They are very colorful Char. They are also the fish that takes over the reaches of streams that should be full of Cutthroats up here. So it is a bittersweet experience for me. But I can’t snap my fingers and change the world, noone can. And not all of the native ranges of Cutthroats can be reclaimed, so it must be enjoyed for what it has become.
There’s also other critters that enjoy this meadow…..
I’m glad he isn’t around right now.
Everything was so green. The sun shown down and all was well.
Take the rod and try it yourself…..
There you go…..
A very dark speciem…..
Not too much wind…..
Just enough to make you concentrate so as to get the fly on the water…..
moving quickly now…..
Fish after fish…..
Just a few more…..
And that one makes 40.
Time to bug out and get back to town for some dinner.
Across the road from where I parked the truck is this sign…..
Look closely just below the arrow…..
There I left a Wilcox Special for the next person to use.
I hope you will have the same degree of luck with it.Jimbo
Really you could pick any number of items in the back of the Escape and call it familiar. There were be quite a few stories that cover over 4 weeks. I will dole them out so everyone will have something new to look forward to almost everyday for a few weeks. It was a challenging summer with some high water and rain,… rain,… and more rain.
Jimbo
A Friendly Face
The miles really put me down, so I slept in. It was 9:30 before I rolled out of bed. It’s getting easier and easier to sleep in these days. I went outside and checked the day, typical start, narry a cloud in the sky. I knew that was only temporary. Thinking about it I know of a creek on the east side that is easy to get in and out of so Park Creek would be where I’d fish.
First things first, grab my gear, and head into town to talk to Pops.
Pop’s owns “Let it Fly” and I wanted to pick his brain and buy a few things. One of the things I did this year was buy a fanny pack, in an effort to get some weight off my shoulders. One of the drawbacks was where and how to carry a net? My Brodin has a shorter handle and to effectively stick one in the fanny packs belt, I needed one with a longer handle. He had a Fish Pond net that seemed to fit the bill so I bought it.
Another thing of importance to most flyfishermen is food.
This is Kip’s and it’s right across the street from Pop’s Fly Shop. If you are ever in Pagosa or Creede you’ve got to go eat at Kip’s. It’s really good Mexican food and Margaritas. And do not forget to order some of their fabulous Guacamole to go along with your meal.
That done it’s up the hill I go…..
Wolf Creek pass is steep especially on the west side. Best have the engine tuned up and a good set of brakes coming back down. At the top is Wolf Creek Ski Area…..
This is the most snow I’ve ever seen here in July. You could actually hike the ridge and get in some pretty good skiing, but I’ve come here to fish.
I turned up the forest road running along Park Creek. I arrived at the first meadow and saw no fishermen, just campers and a slew of ATVs. It amazes me how many people drive this far pulling trailers full of ATVs just to drive around on Forest Roads. It’s seems hiking and backpacking are falling out of favor with the modern millennial generation. All they want to do is get there fast, take a few selfies, and get back to town before dark. I am thankful they are not like me and ate up with the flyfishing bug.
Walking down to the river I saw this mushroom.
Now I love them as much as anyone else, but I can’t identify all the different species. Not willing to play mushroom roulett I let this one lie.
Among this years new quiver of rods was this Sage 581 LL.
It turns out to be a fine casting rod! I started up the creek. It is higher than normal, but not too high to catch some on dryflys. I started off with a Little Yellow Sally, but it was not attracting many rises. So on the fly changing train I go,…
No fishing trip is complete without sticking a few in the willows…..
Well now that the ice was broken I could get about landing some Browns…..
After a while a green Stimulator seemed to gather favor…..
This is a beautiful little stream…..
It’s not a place you’re likely to tie into a 20″er, but it has been a consistant producer of 8-13″ trout over the years. It’s on the list of must fish places everytime I’m in the neighborhood. One year I fished it 4 days in the row, fishing it from the South Fork of the Rio Grande to it’s headwaters. It was a fabulous time!
Somewhere along the creek, still looking for a better fly I tied on a Wilcox Special.
It would turn out to be the best solution for these conditions.
I am not sure why they call it a Gray Wilcox Special…..
As you can see it clearly is tied with purple dubbing for the body.
Regardless of what it is called it is one of my “Go To” attractors for small creeks in the Rockies.
The bad news is I only have a few left and they would have to last me as I could not find any in the Fly Shops I’ve visited so far.You could literally start almost anywhere all Park Creek’s length and fish upstream all day without running out of water.
But today, as would come to be the rule this year, thunderstorms would force me off the water before I was ready.
And that is saying a lot with my bad back.So the thunder rolls and demands that I turn back, but not before another fish…..
Well maybe a couple more…..
The storms are very localized today. I drove back dowmstream and found a hole in the sky to fish a few more minutes.
This is the beginning of the canyon section between the first meadow and the South Fork.
I actually was able to fish a good 45 minutes from the rain found me again. I caught another half dozen Browns I can’t show you because I accidently left the camera in the truck. The count hit two dozen.
Here I caught one about 14″ which is about as big as you can expect in this little jewel.
I guess my friend Steve is right sometimes, you can’t bring along a camera and expect to catch the Big Fish of the day….
It’s one or the other he always said…..
But I really don’t believe that!
It is just the way it worked out today.Jimbo
Dodging the Rain
After many days up here fishing in the Rockies, I finally have some time to start writing about this years experience. To say it’s been a weird year up in southern Colorado is an understatement. Nonetheless let’s get this started…..
Leaving San Antonio on July 13th and the last minute packing in the morning…..
Anything look familiar?This year’s inventory includes 19 flyrods……
You can never have too many flyrods on a trip like this.With this years rain’s everything is glowing! West Texas is usually scorched by now, but this year everything is green. And the Yucca seems to have had an especially good year. Their bloom stalks were all over the place.
They also say that every so often they all bloom at once instead of staggered like most years.
Turning north and heading into New Mexico, there is one stop I never miss. It’s in Roswell and it’s the last Whatburger I will see till I return from this trip. For a burger chain I consider it to be the best. You can argue that you have another favorite, but for me this is it…..
I would have showed you the onion rings which are fabulous, but i ate them all while they were still hot.
Another thing the current El Nino is spawning is these strong Monsoons…..
The rain shafts were impressive…..
They would be everywhere I fished in New Mexico and Colorado, but more on that later.
I stayed in Espanola and was up early. Diving into the lower Rio Grande Canyon….
The Rio Grande Gorge is not so much a canyon as it is a crack in the earth…..
First stop was Taos for some local intel. Nick Streit’s Taos Fly Shop is amoung the best up here.
Most of the rivers in northern New Mexico were high. There is one place though closer to normal.
Rio de Los Pinos…..
I found a empty spot to fish and pulled out my Sage 490XP.
Surveying the water I saw no bug activity. Last time here the Brown drake was the fly to tie on. I tried it with no response. So next I tried some of my attractors…..
This place is famous for it’s wild Browns and it did not disappoint.
Not 15 minutes into the first day and I am already satisfied.
Nothing like seein’ them swim away strong…..
Did I mention it rained on me alot this trip?….
Storms were building off to the west and headed my way. Thunder was rolling down the valley. I would have to hustle upstream and hit the better spots if I were to have any manner success.
In addition to the Browns there are wild and stocked Rainbows.
It’s easy to tell the difference…..More thunder, my session was going to be cut very short.
More stockers as the rains approached…..
The final count was 2 Browns and 7 Rainbows, not bad going in cold and fishing such a short time. I didn’t know it at the time, but this is something I would get plenty of in the next 2 weeks.
Well the better part of not getting soaked meant I’d still be fresh for tomorrow and it was going to be a long trip anyway. So it was time to head back to the truck.
I arrived just as the skies opened up along with some pea sized hail. It was still early, about 2pm. I though maybe I could wait it out. So I drove west hoping to get behind the storm, but there seemed no end to it.
After watching it rain for almost 2 hours and the river turning muddy, it was time to head north to Pagosa.
Just north of the Colorado border and the first real look at the San Juans….
I checked in and unloaded the truck. This is a real chore and it’s important to keep all my flyfishing gear in the living room so I can go through everything and be ready for tomorrow’s first day in familiar waters.
Jimbo
Maybe, just maybe, this time the weatherman will be right about where the heavy rain is going to fall. I saw this evening’s news and Bill at Kens 5 showed heavy rain coming right down the entire length of the Guadalupe from it’s headwaters. We need about 2 3/4 feet of water in the lake and our fish will make it through to next fall and we can ethically fish for them this summer…..
Tom tom tom tom…..
Tom tom tom tom…..
Tom tom tom tom…..
Just no damaging hail or tornados please !
Jimbo
George calls that “Walking the Dog”, for years I’ve been calling the “Strolling”….. Walking downstream while keeping abreast of my nymphs drifting down the river. And Drew your flys are so artistic, I’d fish them !
Jimbo
For me, these “stay at home” directives mean my fishing is over till this passes. My 91 year old mother lives with me so I can not risk any possible exposure that is not absolutely necessary. Plus being 67 and having 3 heart attacks on my medical record means I’m in the higher at risk category. Still I’m now the caretaker here on Verdant, so I’m the one who runs the errands out in the public with my blue bandana worn bandit style. I have not fished in 3 weeks now. I have been cleaning up the house and doing yard work. Getting to those long postponed chores now that I have no other excuses. In the remaining spare time I’ve been watching youtube videos, “The New Fly Fisher” lately, along with a lot of pay per view movies like: Ford vs. Ferrari ****, 1917*, Star Trek The rise of Skywalker*****, and others. Now it’s time to go through all my gear: clean and lube the reels, clean flylines, sort through the fly collections, and get some dryfly boxes together for the summer, wash the waders and fly vest. All that fun stuff. But I’ll be ready to go once this outbreak dies down. I’ll probably head to the mountains this summer no matter what, because I can limit interacting with strangers while on the road. It all depends on what happens over the next few months. We will see and then act accordingly !
Guadalupe
Wyoming
Jimbo
I landed only 2 Browns this season myself. I had a third on for sure and maybe a fourth. Then again I fished very little above Kanz. I didn’t put any significant time in at Maricopa, JDL, or Gypsy Rose. I know there are several that seem to be caught with regularity at JDL. I heard stories of Browns caught all over the place. Not many numbers mine you, but singles also at Kanz, #5, Lower Slot, Pott’s Little Ponderosa, and of all places, River Bluff, Lone Star, and Bezdek’s. So they are still around, but they are more wary and probably mostly nocturnal now…..
My evidence…..
Jimbo
Well thanks guys. That is very generous. I consider myself a good flyfisherman, but I am always open to trying something different and see what happens. Never stop learning ! One of the secrets is when the midges or tricos are hatching. I have found that when this is happening, it’s best to fish your nymphs, and this case emergers, not on the bottom, but somewhere from mid-column to just below the surface. Use something small ~#20 with an emergent wing, Pat Dorsey’s Top Secret Midge or Matt’s Guide Fly work great.
Have fun out there. I’m confined to quarters till this blows over because my 91 year old Mother lives with me and I just can not take any unnecessary chances. I have decided that with all this extra time I will post up last summer’s trip to the Mountains. It will take some time as the picture codes are different for this site and I will have to go through all those old photos looking for the appropriate code to post in the stories. So coming soon, Jimbo’s 2019 Summer Trip…..
Jimbo
