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"Try slamming
your fly against the bank," Pete Golden said. Dave Haubert
of Larkspur had the bow seat of our host's 16-foot fiberglass
drift boat. He cast the large Woolly Bugger to the run along the
bank and began retrieving with short rapid tugs for a short
distance, followed by another quick cast. "A lot of the
guides on this river have their clients use the technique,"
Golden said. "I think it looks like something trying to get
away. The trout can't resist it."
A few casts later
Haubert hooked up with a feisty 14-inch brown that couldn't
resist his leach imitation. The eagerness of the trout wasn't
the only pleasant discovery of the weekend for the three of us.
Another was the fall colors, having reached their prime, adding
to the beauty of the river, the canyons, and its trout.
The early-October
trip on the Colorado was a first for Haubert. He has often
fished the Green in Utah but had never sampled this stretch of
the Colorado between Kremmling and State Bridge. Neither had any
of us seen the river so clear and full of insect life.
Dave
Haubert prepares to release a Colorado River brown.
The fish
was taken a mile downstream from the Pumphouse put in. |
Before launching
his boat on our 10-mile run, Golden dug out a seine to collect
stream-bottom nymphs. Included in the 100 or more tiny critters
were willow flies (large black stoneflies), golden stones, the
usual caddis and midge larvae, and small aquatic worms. The
surprise, however, was the abundance of Baetis
larvae. Common in Middle Park, these insects imitated with
Blue-winged Olives need clear water and a clean bottom to
thrive.
What happened to
clear up the water? In 1987 the Colorado River Water Conservancy
District applied to build a dam on Rock Creek, a small tributary
of the Colorado. After public hearings the application was
changed to Muddy Creek, a small stream that was never clear.
Construction of Wolford Mountain Reservoir was completed in
1995. As soon as the gates were closed, Wolford began trapping
sediment that had entered the Colorado for centuries.
Muddy Creek is
appropriately named. It heads at Muddy Creek Pass a few miles
east of Rabbit Ears Pass. The stream runs through easily eroded
Cretaceous-age Pierre Shale. At any time of year, the water had
the appearance of chocolate milk. During runoff it was even
worse.
While speculation
had it that the Colorado would begin to clear, it took time for
the effects of the reservoir to be significant. In each
following year the river became more clear. By 1999 turbidity
had decreased dramatically, sufficient to allow the bottom to
show in all but the deepest holes.
Even before
Wolford was completed, the Colorado was a decent river to fish.
It was somewhat of a secret, though. Today it's unusual to go
more than a few weeks without hearing or reading of the new and
improved river. At least once each summer, Denver newspapers
carry stories of the Colorado and its trout. Colorado Division
of Wildlife fisheries manager Eddie Kochman enjoys telling of
browns in the 20-inch class at State Bridge.
Enough of this
already. Where do we go and how do we get there?
The Colorado runs
beneath State Highway 9 between Grand County Road 1 and
Kremmling. A mile south of town, CR 1 also known as the Trough
Road, heads west to State Bridge, about 25 miles away. The
Trough Road follows the river much of that distance. At several
points along the way anglers have access to public stretches of
the stream.
The Colorado in
this area is a legally navigable river through private, state,
and BLM land and access is open through private land. Anglers
may not trespass on the banks of private property, though,
without permission. The first place to put in a boat is
Pumphouse Recreation Area, a BLM campground and launch site.
This is a fee area for all users.
A good half-day
float is from Pumphouse to Radium, the next launch/takeout site.
This gives anglers 4 miles of water to fish, most of which is
inaccessible without a boat. It's an easy float most of the way
but watch out at Needle Eye Rapid, the halfway point. It's Class
lll water above 4000 cubic feet per second (cfs) and because of
the canyon, the rapid isn't easily scouted before running it.
Prior to runoff, or in late summer and fall, flows under 1500
cfs are a piece of cake – provided the oarsman is experienced.
There's no need to
hurry this float. Plenty of places exist to get out and fish
from the bank or wade the shallower parts. In canyon stretches,
work a fly or lure next to the walls. Expect to catch fish
anywhere, though. Three miles from Pumphouse, stop and enjoy
soaking in a warm spring, just the thing to relax fatigued
muscles after fighting dozens of big fish.
A
14-inch brown taken near Radium |
At the Radium
takeout is a free campground. The facilities are tent pads,
tables, fire grates, a parking lot, and toilets.
The stretch from
Radium offers three possible floats. One ends at Rancho del Rio
six miles downstream. Going on to Yarmony Bridge is another
mile, and the trip to State Bridge is 10 miles. The float
requires negotiating two rapids, Red-Eye and Yarmony. These are
Class ll/lll depending on flows. Use extreme caution at rates
above 2500 cfs.
A feature of
floating the entire 14 miles is the chance for remote overnight
stops along the river. The first designated place is Cottonwood,
3.5 miles from Pumphouse. Below Radium are Island, Bench, and
Lone Tree. The only facilities are tables and fire pits. Boaters
can also camp anywhere on BLM land.
Floating this
stretch presents one logistics problem at the takeout – how to
get back to your vehicle. One solution is to use the shuttle
service at Rancho del Rio. For a fee they will drive your
vehicle to their parking lot. The other answer is to use two
vehicles, parking one at the launch, the other at the takeout.
Although this doesn't incur any fee, it does use valuable
fishing time.
OK, not everyone
has a boat or access to a boat. Anglers on foot still have a few
places to access the river without trespassing. The first place
is at Pumphouse. It has good fishing at the campground. A trail
heads upstream along the bank toward Gore Canyon. Except at low
flows, don't plan to wade many sections. This is a good stretch
to fish with lures or spinners.
Three miles of the
river below Rancho del Rio run through BLM land. The Trough Road
follows the river and has places to park near the water. A
railroad runs between the county road and the river and trains
pass here frequently. Use caution.
State Bridge is a
premier spot to fish. In the fall look for browns running up the
Piney River to spawn. It's almost too small to be called a
river. A couple miles are open above the confluence on BLM land.
Rancho
Del Rio offers a shuttle service for anglers floating the Colorado |
The river holds at
least three varieties of trout – browns, rainbows, and
cutthroats, or rainbow/cutthroat hybrids. The fish range in size
from eight inches up. They have not yet become picky feeders.
Productive fly patterns include midges, caddis – dries and
nymphs, Woolly Buggers and other streamers, and Humpys. When the
Baetis are hatching
put on a BWO. Terrestrial patterns also work well. In late
summer and fall, try something to imitate grasshoppers. Hoppers
are ideal patterns for "slamming" the banks.
Lure fishermen
will want an assortment of spinners – Mepps, Panther Martins,
and Roostertails in a variety of sizes and colors. Rapalas of
three to four inches are killers here. The only special
regulation on this part of the river is a two fish limit.
When taking out at
State Bridge, plan to get there at dinner time. The State Bridge
Lodge may not look like much but the dinners are great. It's a
very lively place on a Saturday night for those who want to
celebrate their successful fishing.
The river offers a
lot of water to fish in 14 miles. Should a person stop at every
good looking hole or riffle, it could take a month to fish this
section. Probably the best solution is to fish as Chicagoans
vote – early and often. Anglers who want to float the river
but don't have a boat can hire one of several guides who run
this section.
When possible plan
to float the river at times other than summer weekends. Anglers
won't see a great many other fishermen but you will find heavy
hatches of recreational rafters and kayakers. Most are friendly
and not a problem. Those that are a problem are likely
inexperienced on a river and have yet to learn proper etiquette.
Our fall weekend
concluded two days of steady action. Each of us caught trout
both days. Although we didn't have 30-fish days, what we
experienced led each of us to the same conclusion – we will be
back in the spring slamming the banks for Colorado River trout.
CAUTION
It is possible to
put a boat in the water at SH 9. It is not, however,
recommended. Seven miles downstream the river enters Gore Canyon
with Class VI rapids and 25-foot drops. Public takeouts and
portages around the falls do not exist. In case of trouble in
the canyon, DON'T EXPECT HELP. Some who have done this
section in a kayak say they will not do it again.
Copyright © 2000 by
Al Marlowe. No reproduction, linking, or copying without
permission
Resources/Other Info:
 |
 Click here to buy topo maps for this area. You need map 200
for Rocky Mountain National Park, map 106
for the Colorado River from Granby to west of Kremmling, map 120
covers west of Kremmling to west of Burns, map 123 from
west of Burns to between Glenwood and Rifle |
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More info and pictures on
the Gold Medal section of the
Colorado River. |
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