High Country Angler | Summer 2020

Summer Summer 20 20

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Reading Water on the Move

BY LANDON MAYER

BEAR CREEK BROWNS

BY BRIAN LA RUE

CLEAN WATER ACT FACES ATTACK

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One of the premier sporting ranches in the Sun Valley area featuring 1,226± deeded acres and 2.5± miles of fabled Silver Creek with some of the largest trout in the system. Tasteful creekside home with three bedrooms.

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SUMMER 2020 VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 3

MAGAZINE CONTENTS 08

READING WATER ON THE MOVE

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BLUE-SILVER LINING

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46

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BY LANDON MAYER

BY MATT MOSKAL

A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE

BY BRIAN LARUE

CLEAN WATER ACT FACES ATTACK

BY COLORADO TU STAFF

STREAM MANAGEMENT PLANS

BY DAN OMASTA

LOOKING BACK AND AHEAD

BY HAYDEN MELLSOP

FLY FISHING DURING RUNOFF

BY PETER STITCHER

WATCHING FOR RISERS IN A CHANGED WORLD

BY JACK BOMBARDIER

HEADWATERS PROGRAM THROUGH THE PANDEMIC

BY BIANCA MCGRATH-MARTINEZ

TUFTED GREEN DRAKE

BY JOEL EVANS

CATCHY LICENSE PLATE ART TURNS HEADS

BY BRIAN LARUE

THE LAST CAST

BY DR. JOHN NICKUM

High Country Angler • Summer 2020

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HCA Staff P U B LISHER S

J ac k Tallo n & Frank M ar tin

C O NTENT C ONSU LTANT L ando n M ayer

EDITO R IAL

Frank M ar t i n, M anagi ng Editor f rank@ hc am agaz ine.co m Landon Mayer, Editorial Consultant Ruthie Mar tin, Editor

ADV ER TISING

B r i an L a R ue, S ales & M a r keting b r ian@ hc am agaz i ne.co m D i rec t : ( 303) 502- 4019 M ar k Shulm an, Ad S ales Cell: ( 303) 668- 2591 m ar k@ hc am agaz i ne.co m

DESIG N

David M ar tin, Creative Direc tor & Graphic D esigner aisthetadesign.com

P HOTO G RAP HY

Frank Martin, Landon Mayer, Brian LaRue, Angus Drummond

STAF F WRITER S

Frank Martin, Landon Mayer, Brian LaRue, Joel Evans, David Nickum, John Nickum, Peter Stitcher

Copyright 2017, High Country Angler, a division of High Country Publications, LLC. All rights reserved. Reprinting of any content or photos without expressed written consent of publisher is prohibited. Published four (4) times per year.

To add your shop or business to our distribution list, contact Frank Martin at frank@hcamagazine.com.

D i str i buted by H i gh Countr y Publi cati ons, L LC 730 Popes Valley D r i ve Colorad o Spr i ngs, Colorad o 809 1 9 FA X 719-593-0040 Published in cooperation with Colorado Trout Unlimited 1536 Wynkoop Street, Suite 320 Denver, CO 80202 www.coloradotu.org

ON THE COVER: JONATHAN WEXLER Photo by Landon Mayer

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Summer 2020 • High Country Angler

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Summer 2020 • High Country Angler

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Reading Wate 8

High Country Angler • Summer 2020

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er on the Move

by Landon Mayer

S

ight fishing for trout starts with reading the best water at the beginning of the hunt. While it is easy to locate a conventional run or seam of fast water, there are locations and structure points that are not easy to locate, and can hold a majority of the fish.

With pressure growing more now than ever, locating productive water to search for targets is the best way to not only become the ultimate trout hunter, but will also help you remain a student of the game….keep you on the prowl for new water and un-pressured fish.

The following locations and tips are with the trip for this summer’s high and low water conditions.

This vegetation is a relief for large trout that have been exposed in runs. It allows them to feed without stress or worry, and it gives anglers a chance to hook up with more large trout. You can often find pockets in the vegetation, but long strips of open-water “valleys” can be found in almost all of this green structure. Even if the valley of open water is only six inches wide, it will allow you to get a long drift and achieve depth at the same time. Ideal structure allows you to wade up to the edge of the open water; the steep vegetation walls prevent the fish from seeing side to side. You can present to some of the largest brown trout of the year and be only a few feet away and in the cover of vegetation, while still seeing your target in detail.

Vegetation Valleys To present effectively in these situations, use tension As the summer sun penetrates the water, vegetation during your drift with the rod tip directly above the may cover up your favorite fishing locations, or grass flies and leading your rig downstream at a 45-degree will continue to grow, making it impossible to achieve angle. One of my favorite techniques is “tension driftthe same drift or presentation as when the waterways ing.” It allows you full control of your flies and is easy were open. Problems result when anglers begin to to adjust if needed. By simply lifting or dropping the move and search for open water without first examin- rod tip, you can control your depth or, by leading or ing the water where they know trout prefer to hold. stopping the rod tip from moving downstream, you

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High Country Angler • Summer 2020

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can control the speed with which your flies move. This will let you fit into these valleys whether they are big or small, deep or shallow. In addition to tension drifting, twitching your flies can also be very effective. In some situations, having the rod tip low and close to the water’s surface will spook fewer trout. From this rod position, if you twitch the tip 6 to 12 inches, the flies will lift in the water column, preventing snags. I will often twitch the flies into position up stream of the trout, where I can then pause the rod and allow the flies to drift accurately into the trout’s viewing lane.

Rifle Rewards When many anglers are learning to “read” the water, prime spots to look for trout include pools and deep runs; however, on pressured public water, trout often prefer riffles. Riffles not only have broken water (which obscures a trout’s view of you), but they are also food factories. In addition, riffles also produce oxygen that keeps the trout healthy, especially in warm water conditions. For these reasons, riffles are the best feeding grounds for trout. Riffled waters are prime locations for sight-fishing because the image the trout see above the water’s surface is distorted by the rolling waves of water. This will allow you to get closer to large trout, permitting you to see the take,

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and understand how trout move when they feed. This knowledge can be applied to many situations: a fish looking for midges in warmer, shallow waters in winter; a trout looking for drowned spinners during a dense summer hatch; or a big predatory fish looking for a large topwater meal blown onto the surface from the river’s edge.

These riffled rewards found in the water between conventional runs will improve your results and reveal new details about the waters you’ve fished since you started fly fishing.

PLAY VIDEO FLY FISHING FOR TROUT IN RIFFLED WATER ON LANDON MAYER FLY FISHING YOU TUBE Keep in mind that most of the time the water will be shallow, making it tough to get the long drifts you might be accustomed to in deeper water. Systematically fan the run by making a grid and presenting flies a short distance in each drift—ten feet or so. This will prevent you from snagging river bottom, and will produce more swings at the end of the drift, which mimics an emerging meal and keeps your flies taut above the river bottom, where suspended trout are feeding. Lastly, keep depth control in mind. Unlike in deep runs or shelves where you want flies to sink quickly, here you want the flies to sink at a slow pace so they remain in the middle column of the water, often 12 to 24 inches below the surface. Micro shots or small pinches of putty will start you off light. Another way to control depth is by removing unnatural weight

and relying on plastic beads; you will get a slow sink rate and achieve long drifts to shallow feeding trout without snagging the river bottom

Soft Water Breaks Every fly fisher will experience high flows and the challenge of finding water that trout can hold in without expending too much of their energy. Large trout especially are lazy and are not willing to fight the current. The problem in high flows is that you can’t see structure and seams that are visible at normal flows, making it hard to read the water and locate proper holding spots for the trout. When water covers structure and a heavy current washes out seams, you can still fish these locations, even in dirty water. You want to target soft water breaks that are visible on the water’s surface.

They can be calm windows of water in heavy currents, a slow section in the middle of a fast current, or points on the river’s edge that extend out from the bank like little peninsulas. Slower water speeds allow the trout to take a break from the heavy current. Lastly, islands are an angler’s best friend in high-flow conditions. Small side channels that in other seasons normally look like a trickle can hold trout escaping the river’s heavy current. Large trout avoiding the flood can be found from the entrance of the side channel to the river’s main current.

Many times, the merging seams around islands are the slowest sections of a racing waterway. It is common to find large trout here, and they can be in plentiful numbers. Your drifts will not always be long, and the trick is getting down to the fish in short distances.

Thinking ahead one split shot, or pinch of putty, add more weight to achieve the proper depth. It’s a safe bet in these high water marks that you’ll need more lead to reach the fish than in calm water.

By incorporating these techniques into your routine, you can “ leave no stone unturned “ during your next trout hunt, making surprise hiding spots an opportunity for success.

About The Author Landon Mayer is a veteran Colorado guide and author of several books. His newest books, The Hunt for Giant Trout, and Sight Fishing for Trout (Second Edition) can be purchased on his website, at www.landonmayerflyfishing.com. His newest video, Master the Short Game,

by Headwater Media, can be purchased at www.mastertheshortgame.com. You can follow Landon on Instagram at @landonmayerflyfishing.

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High Country Angler • Summer 2020

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THANK YOU TO OUR 2020 SPONSORS! River Guardians

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IDAHO, MONTANA, UTAH & WYOMING

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COLORADO LODGES, HOTELS, RANCHES, FISHING CLUBS Blue Valley Ranch; www.bluevalleyranch.com Hotel Colorado; www.hotelcolorado.com Kiowa Creek Sporting Club; www.kiowacreek.com/kc/ Mountain Chalet Aspen; www.mountainchaletaspen.com North Fork Ranch; www.northforkranch.com Palace Hotel; www.salidapalacehotel.com Rainbow Falls Mountain Trout; www.rainbowfallsmt.com Redstone Inn; www.redstoneinn/thegilmorecollection.com Ripple Creek Lodge; www.ripplecreeklodge.com Rocky Mountain Angling Club; www.rmangling.com The Broadmoor Fly Fishing Camp; https://www.broadmoor.com/thewilderness-experiences/fly-fishing-camp/ ALASKA & OTHER DESTINATIONS Andes Drifters; www.andesdrifters.com Captain Tim Mahaffey Cinelli’s Niagara Fishing Guides; www.cinellisniagarafishingguides.com Distant Waters New Zealand; www.distantwatersnz.com Pyramid Lakes Fly Co.; www.pyramidflyco.com CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS Arvada Center; www.arvadacenter.org Colorado Symphony Orchestra; www.coloradosymphony.org Denver Zoo; www.denverzoo.org Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad; www.durangotrain.com

FISHING GEAR AND OUTDOOR PRODUCTS Alan Kube Bamboo Rods Ascent Fly Fishing; www.ascentflyfishing.com Aspen Ski Co.; www.aspensnowmass.com CamelBak; www.camelbak.com Clear Creek Fly Casting; www.clearcreekflycasting.com Discount Flies; www.discountflies.com Dr. Slick; www.drslick.com Elkhorn Fly Rod and Reel; www.elkhornflyrodandreel.com Fishpond; www.fishpondusa.com Fly Fishing Extras; www.etsy.com/shop/FlyFishingExtras Mayfly Outdoors; www.mayflyoutdoors.com Outward Hound; www.outwardhound.com Rep Your Water; www.repyourwater.com Simms Fishing; www.simmsfishing.com Tenkara USA; www.tenkarausa.com Troutmap; www.troutmap.com Umpqua; www.umpqua.com Winter Park Optical; www.winterparkoptical.com BOOKS & ART Anthology Fine Art; www.anthologyfineart.com Gusterman Silversmiths; www.gustermans.com Kristi Williams Photography; www.kristiwilliamsphotography.com Noreen Art; www.noreenart.com Pixachrome Publishing; www.pixachrome.com River Light Images; www.riverlightimages.com Tight Lines Jewelry; www.tightlinesjewelry.com Tightline Studio; www.tightlinestudio.com FOOD, DRINK & MISC Carlson Vineyards; www.carlsonvineyards.com Molson Coors; www.molsoncoors.com Odell Brewing Co.; www.odellbrewing.com River Bear American Meats; www.riverbearmeats.com Tribal Sugar; www.tribalsugar.com

FROM THE COLORADO TU PRESIDENT • MATT MOSKAL

Blue-Silver Lining

I

t’s a heart-warming phenomenon when stress, hardship and tragedy bring people together.

Groceries are delivered to elderly neighbors, engineers fabricate ventilators seemingly out of thin air, and corporations donate millions to those in need. Even in the most polarized of eras, hardship brings out the best in humanity.

For Colorado conservationists, we got to see this very human behavior exemplified by the Trout in the Classroom program at Lenski Elementary.

When Covid started to get serious and schools began to close, the students at Lenski became concerned that the trout fry they had spent months raising from eggs might have to be euthanized without the class to monitor water quality and oversee their growth. Lenski Elementary staff, getting wind of the students’ concern, stepped up in a big way. By using security cameras and a strategic round-the-clock volunteer shift rotation, staff have been able to monitor and care for the fry while livestreaming their progress to students learning from home. Science teachers monitored water quality. Students wrote letters of gratitude. Trout lived to swim another day.

Like you, we at CTU are focused on appropriate management during this crisis. Our staff and leadership councils are staying safe and smart, of course, but in the face of the Great Lockdown we are still continuing our push for clean Colorado watersheds. We’re working for our children, our grandchildren, and for the unborn millions of Coloradoans yet to come. We’re laying keystone 18

High Country Angler • Summer 2020

building blocks to ensure that our watersheds remain healthy for the future, and we’re stubborn as a bull moose in our endeavor.

When we emerge from our homes and go back to our offices and our schools, we won’t forget how

fortunate we were, in such uncertain times, to have folks like you as part of the CTU family. So, from us to you, our deepest gratitude for keeping a watchful eye on your local watershed so we can forever preserve healthy fish populations … both in and out of the classroom.

To Learn More.

To learn more about this story and Colorado Trout Unlimited, visit coloradotu.org.

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Will your legacy include cold, clean, fishable waters?

A legacy gift to Colorado TU helps to secure our future and enables us to continue our work preserving and restoring Colorado’s watersheds. It allows us to reintroduce native cutthroats to their homewaters for years to come and to offer our River Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp to more of Colorado’s youth. By making Colorado TU a beneficiary of your estate, you are making one of the most sincere and lasting commitments to our conservation mission. With that comes the knowledge that you are securing a better future for Colorado’s rivers and wild places!

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If you are interested in learning more about making a planned gift, please contact Colorado TU at (303) 440-2937 or skindle@tu.org.

Summer 2020 • High Country Angler 19

A Walk Down Memory Lane!

Stay Close to Home: Bear Creek Browns

W

ith all the recent “Stay at Home” or “Quarantine” restrictions around our state, travel and fishing has been limited. At the time of this writing, even if you could go somewhere out of state--like Wyoming—non-resident licenses were not offered. Thanks to the unprecedented virus measures that were taken, even our county roads saw closures limiting access to clean air and our favorite waters. Well, March, April, and May were not total losses, as local fisheries like Bear Creek proved to be a good distraction.

“Fishing on Bear Creek has always been special to me,” said Kerry Caraghar, at The Blue Quill Angler in Evergreen. “It’s close to home and provides me an op-

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High Country Angler • Summer 2020

by Brian La Rue portunity to fish before, during, or after work. I do like the challenge this creek offers fly anglers, with the technical casting and short drifts. It’s classic Western small stream fishing for a self-sustaining brown trout population, and you might even catch a rainbow trout, as well.

“Some of my fun memories were fishing Bear Creek at Little Park and above, what is now Lair o’ The Bear,” said Caraghar. “That was long before the Open Space development back in the Late 1970s. Lots of bushwhacking and trail blazing then. The effort was well worth it, as we caught many fish with browns up to 16 inches. It was the best kept secret close to Denver. I don’t know the details, but the Evergreen Chapter of Trout Unlimited adopted this as a home water project at some point. The chapter helped develop the fishery and helped make it the fishery it is today.”

Caraghar, my son, and I chose a mid-May Sunday to try our luck and get to know Bear Creek better with help from the longtime, local pro. We hit the Lair o’ The Bear area on the lower river, and enjoyed throwing a handful of different patterns. There wasn’t really one fly that worked over the rest, as it seemed the fish cared more about a smaller bug, and with the water still on the cold side, they weren’t exploding on the surface quite yet.

“I like a small attractor or terrestrial like this small Amy Ant, and pair it with a smaller Prince or midge until the fish are looking up,” added Caraghar. “There are numerous runs that will hold fish at this flow, but we will probably have to nymph since the water temperatures are still on the cool side. As the water warms up, we will see if they come up for us today.

As things heat up with the calendar, anglers will love Bear Creek, as the dry bite will dominate the action and the fun 8- to 14-inch browns will always put on a show.” www.HCAezine.com

It didn’t take too long for the nymph/midge bite to start up. Kerry caught a couple on a Prince, and I caught a decent one maybe 12- inches on a Sparkle Wing RS2. The creek, being on the skinny side, offers a quick hit-and-move style of fishing. It is not a larger river where one pool can be nymphed for an hour at a time. We only encountered two other fishermen, despite a trailhead and parking area overflowing with weekend warriors. With the warmer day beginning to take share, there was some surface action.

“I just raised a couple nice ones on the Amy’s Ant,” said Kerry, from a pool on the other side of the footbridge, a little distance down from our starting point. “Maybe they are starting to get more active?”

Of course, catching fish on a dry vs nymphing is always a little more exciting, so I asked, “What color?”

“It’s got a green body,” answered Kerry. “I saw a nice fish look at it too, but he doesn’t seem like he’s going to eat it. Olive is always a good color to incorporate in your fly, here.”

We moved on and found about another dozen or so with Barrett, my son, stealing the show at one point as he hooked a fair fish on the nymph rig, while he had an audience looking down on him. The brown hit an Umpqua tung zebra midge.

“Way to go, Bear,” Kerry said as I made my way down to the bank for netting and a quick photo. Barrett was happy to get into the fish, as the fish had proven to be a little picky, and the slightly off-color flows and skinny water made for some challenging presentations.

“Bear Creek, though the fish are cooperative, is a technical fishery, requiring anglers to hit perfect drifts and target water with short strike zones while battling multiple currents,” said Kerry. “It’s a great place to hone your skills, and as the fish become more active, it’s a great place to come and catch good numbers on dries.”

“I like to use the more friendly stretches of the rivwww.HCAezine.com

er to teach people how to present flies and mend line, and the browns typically respond,” said Kerry. “The parks here are popular with bikers, hikers, and picnicking families, so an early outing or evening outing is best. Don’t be surprised if a crowd stops to watch you on a bridge and spooks your pool, or like today, a friendly pooch chases a tennis ball or stick into your run, either.”

“My favorite memory on the creek probably came around 2007, when Charlie Meyers of the Denver Post asked me to do a story about Bear Creek,” added Caraghar. “I was nervous and excited all rolled into one. After meeting Charlie and getting geared up, I soon realized I left my waders and boots at home.

Charlie picked up on my sense of embarrassment and just laughed. He told me to relax. After a good fishing day of story-telling and talking about life, we called it a day. I will never forget that day.”

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In this feature, we talked a little earlier about what flies worked for us, but Kerry suggested this gear for making your own memories on Bear Creek: Caraghar says to use a 7-foot, 6-inch, 3-weight with a 7.5 4X leader with 12 inches of 5X tippet. A light nymph rig works fine for spring with high water, but he prefers a dry/dropper using a 12-inch 5X dropper.

“Look for caddis in the PM, and PMD mayflies in the AM,” says Kerry. “BWO mayflies, midges, and Craneflies will also work well, but also carry a good number of terrestrials. For the dries, a size 16 ParaAdams, size 16 olive Elk Hair caddis, size 12 olive Stimulator, a size 16 PMD Comparadun, and a Cow Killer ant in black and red. As for nymphs, try a size 14 Prince, size 16 soft hackle PT, a 22

High Country Angler • Summer 2020

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size 18 SOS, or a size 18 RS2. Do not count out a size 14 red San Juan worm. Lastly, try bigger attractors, too. You will do well in the next couple months with a size 10 Amy’s Ant in red or olive, or even toss a size 10 purple Chubby Chernobyl or size 12 purple Hippie StomAbout The per.”

Well there you have it—your complete Bear Creek snapshot from someone who has fished it since they were a youngster. Find Kerry at the Blue Quill Angler in Evergreen, and as we ramp up our amazing Colorado economy again, remember to frequent local business, stay at lodges and cabins, and dine at locallyowned restaurants, as they have been hit the hardest.

See you on the water and at the local bar, soon!

Author

High Country Angler contributor Brian La Rue enjoys giving fly fishers ideas of where to go for an adventure. Feel free to reach out to Brian at Brian@hcamagazine.com if you want your lodge or guide service featured in an upcoming promotional marketing plan.

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Clean Water Act Faces Attack Colorado Fights Back

by Colorado TU Staff

S

ince its adoption in the 1970s, the Clean Water Act has led to dramatic improvements in water quality nationwide. Through the Act, Congress set forth a national goal to secure fishable, swimmable waters by restoring and maintaining their chemical, physical, and biological integrity. Now, the law that has served America well for nearly 50 years is being rolled back.

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High Country Angler • Summer 2020

In April, the Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency issued a new rule to significantly narrow the scope of protections of our nation’s streams and wetlands. Notably, the proposal strips protection from all ephemeral streams and likely many intermittent streams. These smaller headwater systems are the feeders of our larger rivers and streams, and pollution and habitat destruction allowed upstream in these waterways will make its way downstream to the larger rivers on which our fisheries and communities rely. Similarly, the new rule strips protection from millions of acres of wetlands – estimated to be as much as 50% of our nation’s wetlands – harming those critical pieces of functioning watersheds that play a key role in groundwater recharge and pollution filtration.

The Clean Water rollback puts millions of stream miles at risk nationwide – streams that contribute to the drinking water supplies of 117 million Americans and provide essential fish and wildlife habitat that support a robust outdoor recreation economy worth $887 billion. In Colorado, approximately 70%

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of our stream miles are intermittent or ephemeral. Looking at just one Colorado watershed – the St. Vrain (pictured on the facing page) – 48% of stream miles in the basin are ephemeral and another 21% are intermittent. Other watersheds in Colorado face a similar story.

Fortunately, the State of Colorado is fighting back. Attorney General Phil Weiser has filed suit challenging the Clean Water rollback, saying it will “jeopardize the integrity and quality of Colorado’s waters.” The state’s suit points out that the proposed rule reducing the scope of waters protected under the Clean Water Act “conflicts with the text of the Clean Water

Act, contravenes controlling Supreme Court precedent, contradicts the Act’s objective, and ignores sound science.”

Members of Congress have also stepped forward to oppose the rollback. Rep. Ron Wyden (OR), chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee which oversees Clean Water Act programs, has introduced the “Clean Water for All Act,” H.R. 6745, which would block implementation of the new rule. You can help by reaching out to your federal legislators and urging them to support the Clean Water for All Act by visiting our action alert here.

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Summer 2020 • High Country Angler

27

Stream Management Plans Colorado’s Water Future

by Dan Omasta

I

n 2015, Colorado adopted its first statewide water plan – a process intended to help guide communities to prepare for a changing climate, increased demand, and perceived impacts to the health of our watersheds. A big part of that effort continues today in the form of locally-driven stream management plans (SMPs).

According to the Colorado Water Plan, eighty percent of locally prioritized streams are required to have a stream management plan by 2030. These SMPs are collaborative efforts that bring diverse stakeholders together to scientifically identify the environmental and recreational attributes of each area, and propose projects that enhance or protect those values in the future. These plans can address a specific river segment, or an entire watershed (it is up to the community). The SMPs have evolved over the past five years to include agriculture and municipal water providers, and seek mutually beneficial projects that protect working lands, water rights, recreational economies, and the health of fisheries.

There are currently 24 SMPs that are ongoing or completed across Colorado, with more on the way. Trout Unlimited has been a key 28

High Country Angler • Summer 2020

player in many of these efforts, ensuring that the health of our watersheds and local resources are protected into the distant future.

The timing could not be more important.

In 2018, Colorado experienced a significant drought, with a record number of streams and fields going dry, high water temperatures closing entire fisheries, and communities struggling to pick up the pieces. Just one year later, 2019 provided one of the wettest years in recent history, that delayed fishing seasons due to abnormally high runoff and large snowpack. It is highly likely that we are beginning to see the implications of a changing climate in our watersheds – significant fluctuations in water years, earlier runoff, and more extreme weather events. These factors also influence the potential of wildfire, which can have lasting consequences for water delivery infrastructure and wildlife.

Fortunately, these stream management plans are continuing to drive proactive projects in watersheds across the state that will help mitigate the impacts of climate change and protect community values.

In the Upper Gunnison Basin, for example, the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District (UGRWCD) is leading www.HCAezine.com

a multi-year effort to engage a broad range of stakeholders in identifying what local agriculture, tourism, and environmental conditions will look like under a range of climate scenarios. They are experimenting with Alternative Transfer Methods (ATMs) and infrastructure improvements that allow irrigators to voluntarily fallow their fields in dry years to keep water in critical stream reaches; they are working in coordination with recreational groups and commercial outfitters to identify various flow regimes that are good for multiple users; and they are partnering with federal agencies to improve water modeling in the entire basin. These examples are just a few of the many ways that UGRWCD is utilizing their SMP to engage local water users and begin preparing for a rapidly changing future.

On the Blue River, Trout Unlimited is working with the Blue River Watershed Group and several stakeholders to tackle water quality issues created by Summit County’s mining legacy, fishery improvements, and infrastructure upgrades for municipal and agricultural stakeholders.

While each stream management plan is different based on the size of the plan, the stakeholders involved, and the issues present in the watershed, they share common themes. SMPs are a driving force for a resilient water future in Colorado - a future that maintains working lands, protects community values, and enhances the environmental and recreational health of our watersheds.

Biebel Ditch Diversion Structure (Gunnison Basin) Photo by Jesse Kruthaupt

To Learn More.

You can learn more about stream management plans in Colorado by going to: coloradosmp.org.

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Summer 2020 • High Country Angler

29

A GUIDE’S LIFE

•

BY HAYDEN MELLSOP

Looking Back and Ahead

W

ith no room left in the cab, we created something of a hollow in the truck bed by rearranging oars, dry bags, and coolers, and settled into a couple of softer crevices between—hunkering low out of the wind that had picked up from the south; it sighed through the boxelders and cottonwoods, and whipped up clouds of dust that swirled off into the distance.

The potholed road stayed parallel with the river for the first half mile, offering glimpses of its silt-tinged waters through the foliage, before climbing steeply onto a plateau of drab adobe, where rounded hills separated by crumbling arroyos formed the remains of what had once been an ancient inland sea. As we gained elevation, the river and its surrounding countryside was revealed it for what it was - a thin and fragile ribbon of green cutting through a landscape parched and timeless. The last of the evening’s sun drew forth the yellows and ochres of the sandstone, while several miles upriver behind us, the canyon itself appeared little more than a dark smudge against the darkening sky. It is, I mused, a countryside de30

High Country Angler • Summer 2020

manding both thick skins and slow metabolism of its inhabitants, offering long stretches of torpor and economy which are interspersed with brief periods of succor, survival depending on equal parts luck and tenacity.

I took a slug of water to rinse some of the dust out from my mouth, and turned toward my friend.

“So, what do you think?

What will your tell your fishing buddies back east?”

He was silent for a time, scratching the stubble on his chin, eyes fixed on the horizon, and then shrugged.

“I’m not sure. I'll show them a few photos, some of the fish we caught, but I'm not sure anything I can say can do this place justice. I guess I'll just have to tell them they need to get out here and see for themselves.”

I nodded. "Unless you've been here, smelled the river, felt the heat and tasted the dust, there are really no words to adequately describe it. I know I can't."

“One thing for sure… I want to come back. I wish I’d discovered this place twenty years ago. Not just this river, but the West in general.”

I mulled over his words. As

the road turned again and we caught one last glimpse of the river, it was difficult to shake the feeling of leaving behind one world and moving into another.

“I sometimes wonder about that - the timing of life.

Where we’re born and when we’re born and what happens to us and what we do with it all. There’s lessons I wished I’d learned earlier, places I wished I’d discovered, mistakes I wished I hadn’t made, but then I certainly wouldn’t be here and now, and I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

He nodded, massaging his casting shoulder, still staring off into the distance.

“Yeah, I know. Still, when you get to my age, it’s easy to get preoccupied with what is already behind you, what you’ve left still undone. For me that list seems longer than what I’ve achieved.”

I thought again of the last three days, of the towering walls of granite carved by time, of the lilt of the canyon wren in the fleeting cool of dawn, of the stoneflies that had swarmed the river and crowded the bushes and trees in the heat of afternoon, drawn to the cool and the shade to quietly go about their business of www.HCAezine.com

procreation, and whether it really matters what is still on the list and what is crossed off, beyond trying to live honestly and repair whatever bridges we may have burned along the way. Ultimately, stonefly or fisherman, our earthly end is the same. “That list will always be longer,�

I offered. He nodded.

Evening had by now settled— just the top of a distant mesa still showing the last light of day. We bounced over washboards, the headlights picking out the road ahead, while behind, the dust kicked up by our progress was swallowed in the dusk. Somewhere out there, the stones would be settling into their nocturnal roost, while still others would shortly crawl from the depths where, under the full moon’s glow, they would shed their skins and blossom, briefly, in the canyon that has been their cradle since the beginning of their time.

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As well as being a semiretired fly fishing guide, he juggles helping his wife raise two teenage daughters, along with a career in real estate.

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Summer 2020 • High Country Angler

31

Tips & Tactics for Fly Fishing During Runoff

A

pril Showers bring May flowers, but they also can make spring fly fishing a serious challenge! Much of the Western United States received an exceptional amount of snow this past winter, exceeding 150% of the average in many basins, and the rivers are already starting to swell with what is certain to be a long and intense run-off. With the warmer spring temperatures and the appearance of the first sizable swarms of mayflies, caddis, and stoneflies of the year, the fish are hungry after a long winter, and spring fly fishing can be amazing if you are able to adapt to run-off.

Hug the Edges The high energy flows of runoff force the trout to look for cover. Some of the best cover to be found in any river is going to be along the shallow edges as the river grinds along the boulders, roots, and logs that line the streambank. It's not uncommon during run-

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High Country Angler • Summer 2020

off to find the majority of trout holding within 3 - 5 feet from the bank of the river, so Hug the Banks with your casts as you fish this Spring.

Go Big or Go Home Trout need to see your flies if they are going to eat them. Spring rains and melting snow add fresh dirt and debris to the river, while the powerful runoff flows flush last season’s silt and algae up into the water column. The result is chocolate milk-like water color in which our little flies disappear in the flowing cloud of silt and debris. To overcome the visible hurdle, we need to exaggerate the size of our flies, tying on fly patterns as much as 2-3 hook sizes larger than the insects we sample on and around the water.

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Embrace the Dark Side

The final piece to making your flies visible to feeding trout during runoff is going dark. In the mud-stained flows of run-off, black flies, dark brown, dark green, and purple fly patterns maintain a sharp, crisp profile that makes them pop out to feeding trout. Embrace the Dark Side and tie on the darkest flies in your box this Spring!

Don't let runoff keep you away from the river this Spring! The trout are hungry, the fair-weather fly fishers are still at home, and when you see the Ascent Fly Fishing truck next to the river, you are welcome to fish with us!

About The Author Peter Stitcher is an Aquatic Biologist and owner of Ascent Fly Fishing. Originator of the Biologist Crafted Fly Selection, Peter and his team build their clients’ fly selections specific to the bugs in the waters they fish, when they fish them.

You can contact Peter or restock your fly box at: www.ascentflyfishing.com.

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Summer 2020 • High Country Angler

33

Watching for Risers in a Changed World

by Jack Bombardier

L

ast night I ended my day as I often do, out in the backyard watching for risers. Sixteen years ago, through a combination of luck, timing, and perseverance, my wife and I were able to buy a house on six acres of land beside the Upper Colorado River. Living next to the river is something I’ve never regretted or taken for granted. Even in the high-water years when we’ve had to form sandbag walls to keep the water out, buying a house next to the Colorado River is one of the smarter things in life that I’ve done. I can honestly say that I have the best backyard of anyone I know of, and it’s hard to imagine living anywhere else. After many years of travelling all over the world, now it’s hard to go any further from home than the nearest ski hill.

By April most years, the river has warmed up and the fish are more active. Even with the absence of bugs, most of which have yet to hatch, in the waning hours of light the odd fish or two find something worth sipping from the surface film. Some evenings, I’m content to just watch the river flow slowly past. Other times, I can’t resist the urge to grab my little three weight to make a connection to the fish.

I’ve heard variations of the theme that a 34

High Country Angler • Summer 2020

fisherperson goes through several stages in their angling career. When one first begins fishing, they just want to catch a fish, any fish, by any method possible. Then, as your technique and knowledge improve, you want to catch a lot of fish, and begin to count the amount of fish you get in an outing. At some point, once you’ve caught enough fish in your life, you begin to target the larger fish, and size becomes the metric of what is considered a good day of fishing. A sizeable proportion of my fishing clients are still on levels two or three, and are all about the numbers. I try to accommodate them the best I can, for they pay a lot of money being out here stoking their passion. If I can nudge them up one level while they’re in my company, all the better.

When you’ve got enough grip-and-grin shots of yourself on your phone, cradling some kype-jawed brown trout, or a morbidly obese rainbow, you advance to the next stage. This next step of an angler’s progression involves deliberately increasing the degree of difficulty in some way. This might involve catching fish that are either smart or spooked because they get lots of pressure and aren’t easily fooled, or feed in lies that are hard to cast into, or are just www.HCAezine.com

difficult to get to at all.

One of the nice things about being obsessed with trout is that they don’t generally live in ugly places. They love clean, clear, cold water, and in the Rockies that often means headwater streams. A fair bit of shoe leather might need to be worn out to get to these fish, and the outing begins to be more about your surroundings and overall experience than your ability as a Master Angler. This is the level I’ve been stuck at for a few years, though I used to think that it was the highest one.

Yesterday with my evening chores finished, there was still some daylight left, even with the sun setting over the big rock formation across the river. I decided to go down the to the river's edge and look for risers.

When we first moved here, my riverside spot used to be a bunch of big rocks that jut out and form an eddy behind them. Then, eight years ago I took advantage of a low water year to build a small dock that sticks out over the river. It’s a great spot to watch for risers, with a commanding view and plenty of room for a backcast. Last year, I put in a chairlift and that’s become my primary Looking for Risers spot. If I close my eyes, I can imagine that I’m going up the Pallavinci lift at A-Basin.

But last night, I was really more interested in what the fish were doing. The waning clouds above the rock formation had taken on a bright pink salmon color, in stark contrast to the clearer bits of blue sky. The river just beyond the dock slows due to the widening of the channel, but there is distinct current in the middle. At first, I thought I would want a rod in my hand, but the longer I sat there, cold beer in hand, the less necessary it seemed. The fish weren’t rising, but that was fine, they didn’t need to. Just being next to a force as powerful and unyielding and beautiful as the Colorado River was enough.

I began to sense that I was attaining a level of fishing beyond the one I’d been at, one that I didn’t even know existed. It was a kind of fishing nirvana, one that lies above and beyond actual fishing, a higher and more evolved state of being. Being able to look out www.HCAezine.com

over water you know must have fish in it, without having to put a pointed hook in their mouth to appreciate it, was very liberating.

If my knees were flexible enough, I might have sat cross-legged on the ground to see if waves of light would emanate from the top my head.

But just when I was feeling like an enlightened spirit, there was a distinctive little splash out in the water. Out of the corner of my eye, a swirl formed and in an instant was gone. As I began to slip back into my peaceful state, there was another small splash, and another swirl. It’s hard to be an enlightened being with fish rising fifteen feet away. I closed my eyes so that I would not have to see the temptation, and just listened to the wind and the gentle lap of the water on the dock pylons.

Surely it was just one fish I had seen rise, and it must have moved on. I opened my eyes again to the splendid scene, and then right in front of the dock, maybe ten feet away, a trout came up and sucked something off the surface—exposing his whole dorsal fin in the process. It was enough to knock me down one evolutionary rung, back to Unmotivated Predator.

I got up and went over to the chairlift to get my fishing rod. The rod is attached to the back of the wooden frame my A-Basin chairlift hangs from, and is kept ready for action whenever the mood strikes. It was handmade for me years ago by my oldest friend, the one who introduced me to fly fishing forty-five years ago. Every April, I rig it with a ten- foot 6X leader attached to an Elk Hair Caddis, with a small hi-vis BWO pattern connected to the caddis by a 7X leader.

Back out on the end of my dock with rod in hand, I played out some line, made some false casts to get the flies out over the water, and began to cast, mend, and repeat. Cast, mend, and repeat. Whatever fish had been rising seemed to have gone, but the just the act of fishing felt like therapy. My beer was beside the chair, so I sat back down and finished it, rod across my lap. I was beginning to evolve again when there was another rise, Summer 2020 • High Country Angler

35

this time out in the middle of the river near the current. I stood up and peeled out a lot of line, making as long a cast with that little rod as I could, dropping the flies just this side of the moving water, right in the bubbles. Once I blinked I lost sight of the flies, for they were very small and it was getting dark. There were no splashes that I could see in the purple light, so I stripped in a bunch of line and tried again. Now it was so dark I couldn’t even pick up the flies when they landed, so it was purely Ray Charles fishing. Then, with my flies and line thirty feet out, there was a rise ten feet away from my feet, under the belly of my line.

I could only laugh. So much for Enlightenment. I pulled the line back in, secured the flies to the rod, and said one last good night to the river and everything that depends on it.

Backyard fishing is something I do most evenings when I happen to be home, even if only for a few minutes. Being at home is something that we are all doing more of now in the strange new world of “social distancing.” Because of that, I’ve been spending more time here than usual. This should be the time of year when my winter job of delivering propane slows down, and my summer occupations of taking people float fishing or doing shuttles for those floating themselves ramps back up. This usually leaves me time for spring skiing when the weather is warm and the conditions are great. But this is not a normal April in Colorado or anywhere else in the world. Ski slopes are empty of skiers, and my downhill gear is still stuffed into my rocket box waiting to be used again. I can’t bear the thought of putting it away for the year.

When the stories about the coronavirus were first emerging from China, and it became apparent that it was going to find its way into the United States, I didn’t think it would affect my lifestyle that much. But then our last men’s hockey league game was cancelled. On a Fri-

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High Country Angler • Summer 2020

day I went to Aspen and skied Ajax for the first time in thirty years, and stopped an hour early thinking I’d save my legs for the next time, not realizing that the “next time” might be eight months away. The next day would be the last time that chairlifts would run in Colorado for the season. Even with everything happening all around, I didn’t think my fishing business would be very impacted. After all, what could be a healthier and more stress-relieving thing to do than to go fishing? I thought that other than the clients who might not be able to fly in from wherever they live, it wouldn’t affect my business that much. And to a point, that has been true; the local rivers have seen more early season anglers than ever. The ice wasn’t even off the river yet when I started seeing lots of anglers standing in that cold water, hoping to hook some drowsy fish. For the first couple of days after the lifts closed, local fly shops had a huge unexpected bump in business from out of towners here for the skiing that they could no longer do. But once they got out of town, that business evaporated. Going fishing only works for self-directed folk, and not for those who might otherwise have hired a guide. Once you insert a guide into the equation, you now have to think about the guide’s truck, or the guide’s boat, or the lunch the guide prepared for you.

I also assumed that I could still do shuttles, and that might even be busier than normal.

But once social distancing became the norm, it became apparent that driving other people’s rides were off the table, too. After all, a person’s car is their personal space. Would I want to go into other people’s personal space, or ask my drivers to? And would these potential clients want us in theirs? The answer was obviously no.

And yet through it all, the Colorado River just keeps flowing by, unaffected and unaware of the changes happening above its waterline.

The fish and the geese and the eagles and the gophers and the magpies and the deer and the

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otters don’t care, either. Yesterday morning my wife and I were in our kitchen looking out the window at the river, and saw some splashing. A merganser was out there not practicing social distance guidelines, juggling a decent-sized trout in its beak. The trout looked too big to swallow, and it shook itself free after a short battle. In our backyard, the only “flattening of the curve” is from the stomachs of the wild neighborhood turkeys, sitting in the grass waiting for their next helping of sunflower seeds. The “hot spot” here is found sitting on the chairlift in the afternoon, when the sun is low enough to reflect off the river into your face as well as warming it from above. There is no “emergency shutdown” for the river that can be ordered by any politician; it is way beyond the concerns of such insignificant creatures as ourselves.

Colorado’s namesake river just keeps moving slowly past 24/7, 365 days a year

(366 this year), year after year. We’re all here for just a short time, geologically speaking. We live, we love, we suffer and laugh, we play and toil, and too soon we’re gone.

And through it all, the river just keeps flowing past, whether we are there to appreciate it or not.

About The Author Jack Bombardier is the owner and operator of Confluence Casting in Eagle County, Colorado. He lives right beside the river, and floating lucky people down it is just about his favorite thing to do!

Jack was named "Exemplary Guide and Outfitter Of The Year" in 2015

by Colorado Trout Unlimited. You can contact Jack via the HCA editorial dept. at Frank@HCAmagazine.com

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Summer 2020 • High Country Angler

37

Navigating CTU’s Headwaters Program Through the Pandemic

by Bianca McGrath-Martinez

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High Country Angler • Summer 2020

www.HCAezine.com

C

olorado Trout Unlimited’s vision is that our work will ensure that robust populations of native and wild coldwater fish once again thrive within their original Colorado range, so that our children can enjoy healthy fisheries in their homewaters.

Our hope is that this effort is sustained by delivering programming that instills a strong conservation ethic in Colorado’s youth. CTU and its chapters typically offer more than 50 individual programs and nearly 100 events across the state annually. With 24 local chapters and over 6,600 volunteer hours, our footprint has enabled us to engage thousands of youth by getting them outdoors and engaged in environmental stewardship. Due to an unusual year with pandemic and social distancing orders, Colorado Trout Unlimited and its chapters have been forced to be creative and resilient in efforts to deliver and maintain youth engagement.

At the time that the pandemic started having a significant impact in Colorado, our Trout in the Classroom teachers were gearing up to have their fish disease tested before being released by their students in a local river or stream. The Trout in the Classroom program allows teachers and students to raise trout from eggs in an aquarium setting, giving their students the opportunity to see the full life cycle of a trout while exploring water quality and other environmental factors that are key to trout survival.

In an effort to flatten the curve, the state quickly shut down, and teachers in Colorado were no longer allowed access to their classrooms or trout tanks.

Since our teachers suddenly did not have the option to release their fish and had no idea when they would see their fish again, they had to choose between euthanization or hoping for the best. A group of teachers in the Little Public School District had just sadly come to the decision to euthanize their fish when something amazing happened that gave their trout a second chance at life, allowing these teachers to deliver good news to their students who have become very invested in these trout. You can hear the full story here on Trouts Fly Fishing’s podcast, The CURRENTS, hosted

by Will Rice.

www.HCAezine.com

This month, Colorado Trout Unlimited would have been holding the 15th annual River Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp in Almont, Colorado. After weeks of discussion amongst the camp’s volunteers and staff members, the decision was made to cancel the camp to ensure the good health and safety of our volunteer camp counselors and campers. The majority of our camp volunteers have been involved since its creation, and did not want to see a summer pass where our camp applicants went without an opportunity like this. The camp’s Director, Barbara Luneau, along with long-time camp volunteers, Dick Shinton, Larry Quilling, and Mark Hanson, worked to put together a series of virtual events called TU Teens LIVE. The five-week event will occur over the months of June and July, and will consist of a variety of topics that would typically be covered at the in-person camp.

Participants will get a virtual tour of a Colorado Parks and Wildlife hatchery, learn more about their watershed, determine how to select their fly based on macroinvertebrates, and meet a panel of people who have careers in water conservation or fishing. Learn more about the event here.

As have most organizations that provide hands-on, environmental education programming, Colorado Trout Unlimited has been faced with many challenges due to the pandemic and social distancing. With the help of dedicated Trout Unlimited volunteers and people passionate about protecting cold-water fish, we have been able to persist through these challenging times.

To Learn More.

To learn more about this story and Colorado Trout Unlimited, visit coloradotu.org.

Summer 2020 • High Country Angler

39

FIT TO BE TIED

•

BY JOEL EVANS

Tufted Green Drake

T

his began with too much time on my hands. Working from home works for me, but it did lead to some unexpected available time. Not that I didn’t have other things to do. But social distancing can take many forms. For example, I decided to replace the rear brakes on my classic car, a 1979 Trans Am. (Email me and we can exchange pictures of our beloved cars). Social distancing in the garage with the door shut and the radio for company works for me.

By the way, in case you are wondering, yes, I did go fishing. A lot at first before the Colorado river runoff began. Then fly tying be-

40

came the late-night priority…. just in time to invent a new pattern. Funny how the mind needlessly wanders when no one else is around.

After much serious contemplation with myself, quizzing multiple fishing friends, perusing the internet, and thumbing the pages of fly catalogs, I have come to the unequivocal conclusion that the world needs another green drake pattern.

I had this on my mind for some time. I love all kinds of fly-tying material. Natural or synthetic, muted or bold, decades of use or the latest hot new item. But when it comes to combing practical-

High Country Angler • Summer 2020

ity and floatability, I keep coming back to foam. Witness my last issue column for the Twisted Damsel using mostly foam. Foam comes in multiple thicknesses, colors, and is very malleable. Maybe the only knock is durability, as it can tear.

So as to a green drake dry, and any dry fly for that matter, a pattern that has realism for fishfooling effectiveness and stays on top longer than most has lasting appeal. I started with a pattern I have tied and used for years, just without the foam. I wanted to keep the simplicity but somehow incorporate just a small amount of foam for added flotation, as many of the Colorado waters I fish regularly are broken water with mild current, even in the August days of late summer when the drakes are breaking out. Other thinner and lightly dressed patterns are admittedly better for slow, calm water.

So I simply added a doubled over foam bump at the forward end of the abdomen, just behind the hackle wing. Being oriented on top, it is not particularly visible to the fish; it does add a small amount of visibility to track the fly, and achieves its primary purpose of flotation. As to the name, a tuft is a bunch of something growing from a base, so Tufted Drake sounded better than Green Drake with a Foam Back for Added Flotation. By the way, the same foam tuft can be applied to other insect groups, such as Tufted Stone, or Tufted Mayfly, or Tufted Caddis. I feel a pattern series coming on! www.HCAezine.com

TUFTED GREEN DRAKE HOOK DRY 14 2X LONG THREAD 6/0 OLIVE TAG 6/0 OLIVE THREAD TAIL MOOSE MANE ABDOMEN LIGHT OLIVE DRY FLY DUBBING RIBBING 6/0 OLIVE THREAD FLATTENED FOAM 2M WHITE OR TAN WING OLIVE OR OLIVE GRIZZLY WHITING SADDLE HACKLE

TYING INSTRUCTIONS: Watch the video, then: Typical dry fly construction.

Tie in thread tag at hook bend. At bend, build a small thread bump to spread the tail. Tie in tail, spreading fibers. Tie in a precut length of thread at bend for ribbing and lay back. Dub tapered abdomen to half point. Flatten ribbing thread by untwisting and lay over dubbing in wide loops for segmentation.

Use light pressure so ribbing is taut but stays on top of dubbing. Tie off and trim ribbing. Cut a very small strip of foam, tie in tip of foam at end of dubbing with foam tag laying back over dubbing. Fold foam forward, tie off, and trim. (Or the foam can be done as a first step before tail and dubbing). Tie in hackle and wind as many wraps as you can. Leaving head room is the challenge. Whip finish.

About The Author Joel Evans is a fly fishing writer, photographer, and long-time member of Trout Unlimited from Montrose, CO. You can contact him via the HCA editor at frank@hcamagazine.com. www.HCAezine.com

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Catchy License Plate Art Turns Heads

by Brian La Rue

Y

ou’ve probably seen Cody’s Fish on social media or maybe at an outdoor show in Denver. His catchy designs feature license plate collections cut into recognizable fish silhouettes that add a splash of color and creativity to any room or office.

Catching up with Cody is tough, but once you get him in the net, he is fun to visit with, and I enjoyed learning more about the Colo42

High Country Angler • Summer 2020

rado native and his local business.

“I was born in Golden, just like Coors Beer, and then raised in Fort Collins,” said Cody Richardson. “I grew up fishing the Rockies with my father, and I have pictures of him and I working on my cast when I was still in diapers on the front lawn. I lost my father when I was 10 years old in a terrible car accident, which caused me to lose focus www.HCAezine.com

on fishing throughout my teenage years. I picked it back up in my early 20s, and have been completely focused on it as my sport since then.

“Trout and tarpon are my favorite species to target,” continued Cody. “Hands down, trout will always be at the top of my list because they were my focus and passion for so many years, but I recently picked up saltwater fly fishing and I am completely mesmer-

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ized by Tarpon.

“I got the idea for my license plate artwork when I was on a road trip in Colorado,” added Richardson. “At the time, the Colorado flag was being used on just about every hat and T-shirt you could think of. Although I think the Colorado flag is iconic, I also wanted to show my state pride in a different way. I started out by creating personal designs in my home shop for friends and

Summer 2020 • High Country Angler

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family. These pieces eventually caught on In fact, commissions are typically how I exthrough local fly shops and are now carried pand my selection. After a customer asks for and sold in shops around the world.” a design, I work it into my offerings, if the “I’ve always thought the classic green demand is there for it. I recently launched a Colorado license plate with the mountains is Wild Game category on my website, offering the perfect symbol for my state, and it con- deer, elk, turkey, duck, and geese silhouettes tinues to be my favorite plate,” added Cody. for new pieces. New projects are always exLately, I had noticed that Cody added to citing, and I live for the creative challenge his lineup of fishing art with more species, to deliver a customer’s vision through my and has even started to do some hunting work. If you have an idea for custom work, work with deer, turkey, and more. I asked reach out; I’m sure we can build something him about this, and maybe the idea of a cus- together.” tom full-sized marlin with some tropical/international plates.

To Learn More “Certainly,” responded Cody. “I love bringing cusLook for more information on Cody’s Fish as I will also tom pieces to life, whether highlight some of his work in a future newsletter. For they are commemorating now, learn more about his designs, pricing, and more by an angling or hunting adchecking out www.codysfish.com or find him on Facebook venture, or creating cusand Instagram at @codyrichardsonscreations or email him tom signage for a business. at contact@codysfish.com. Which design is your favorite?

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High Country Angler • Summer 2020

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Summer 2020 • High Country Angler

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THE LAST CAST

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JOHN NICKUM

Trout Stream Carrying Capacity

C Q

arrying Capacity seems to be an ecological concept about the total productivity of an ecosystem. Trout streams vary considerably in how many fish they produce.

What determines the carrying capacity of a trout stream? Can an angler predict the carrying capacity of a favorite stream by looking at it, or are a lot of details based on systematic studies required?

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es… a lot of detailed information is needed.

Many factors, including watershed geology, water quality analyses, stream morphology and physical structure characteristics, as well as climate conditions are involved in determining stream productivity. As with all things in nature, there are also elements of chance. Complex combinations of inter-related factors plus chance, creates conditions that cannot always be predicted accurately. (This tends to frustrate engineers who want high levels of predictability). Fisheries management biologists need professional training and background in limnology, soil science, aquatic plant biology, stream flow dynamics, and other sciences, in addition to their basic education in vertebrate zoology with an emphasis on fish.

Water is “the universal solvent,” so the minerals in the rocks and soils of the watershed determine the chemical makeup of lakes and streams. When combined with the physical structure of each stream, these factors determine its productivity, provided there are no

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“limiting factors” that prevent full utilization of the fundamental resources. Just as the factors supporting full development of carrying capacity vary widely, limiting factors vary from ecosystem to ecosystem.

My first job after completing graduate school involved teaching courses in aquatic sciences and fisheries at South Dakota State University – training future fisheries biologists for positions managing and/or conducting research on the fisheries and waters of South Dakota and other Midwest waters. South Dakota has some unusual characteristics, which make it an ideal location for young biologists to learn the interconnections and relative importance of the myriad factors influencing the productivity of the waters they would be managing.

South Dakota has three distinct geologic areas: the eastern plains that thousands of years ago were covered by a continental ice sheet, the western prairies that were never glaciated; and the Black Hills, a range of mountains isolated from the Rocky Mountains. Trout streams in the eastern area are small spring-fed water found only in the northeast corner of the state.

The waters are rich in calcium and carbonate ions, which makes them ideal for photosynthetic algae growing on the rocks and gravel found in the pool and riffle complexes that are characteristic of these brooks and creeks. In turn, thousands of invertebrate animals—including insect larvae—feast on this productive base. Even though these brooks are small, they can support 200 to 300 pounds of fish per surface acre.

There are no trout streams in the western prairie areas of South Dakota. Man-made ponds, and rivers that originated in the mountains and high country of the area are too

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warm for trout. The surface waters found in the man-made ponds and rivers of western South Dakota grasslands are unusual because of their chemistry. Magnesium sulfate is the predominant dissolved mineral. Although this solution is not known to have a laxative effect on aquatic insects and invertebrates, or fish, it is very effective on humans. Do not drink the water when you visit this area! In addition to unproductive water, the streams in western South Dakota tend to have sand bottoms and very little structure.

Even if they were colder, they would be unproductive.

The waters of the Black Hills provide an informative overview of the factors influencing productivity in streams. Streams in the highest elevations of the Black Hills originate from granitic “seep basins” fed by melting snow. The mineral content of granite contributes very little dissolved material to the waters; therefore, these small streams are very unproductive. The few insect larvae and micro-crustaceans found in them do not support much of a trout population. As the streams flow down toward the prairies, they flow over limestone rocks and are joined by streams originating in these rocks.

These “hard” waters, rich in calcium carbonate, are very productive and maintain abundant trout populations until they are warmed as they flow out onto the prairie.

The descent of Colorado streams do not seem to be marked by such chemical transitions.

Changes in productivity over the length of each stream seem more related to flow rates and the substrate structure of the stream. In contrast, the waters in New York’s high country (Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains) are very low in productivity (less than 40 lbs per surface acre), but increase dramatically as they descend into lower elevations where limestone prevails. An unusual change in water chemistry occurs in waters flowing out of the Yellowstone Park area. The Gallatin River is high in arsenic content in the headwaters regions, but this toxic substance does not seem to act as a limiting factor on trout production.

Ultimately, carrying capacity is a streamby-stream, and even a reach-by-reach matter.

Anglers and management biologists just have to analyze each situation and develop evidencebased conclusions.

About The Author John Nickum, is a retired PhD. fishery biologist whose career has included positions as professor at research universities including Iowa State and Cornell University, director of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s fisheries research facility in Bozeman, MT, and science officer for the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Mountain-Prairie Region. He was inducted into the National Fish Culture Hall of Fame in 2008.

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No rod has ever silenced all the variables.

No engineer has ever found a way to transfer back cast energy directly into forward accuracy.

No angler has ever erased all the doubt from his or her mind.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING.

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