Kokanee Salmon on the Move out West

Today, Tyler and I headed out for a little exploring and to really just check out conditions in the Gunnison drainage.  On our way down Cottonwood Pass we saw Aspens just below treeline that were in full fall color.  Look for the trees to really hit their full change in the next week or so. Anyways, fishing wise, we stopped at the Taylor C&R for a couple hours to see if we could find any tanks. Since we didn't see many fish over the 5 lb mark, we decided to just get into a few and head to the Upper Gunnison.  Fished between Gunnison and the town of Almont and some great pods of Kokanee Salmon.  Since, I get to chase trout everyday, I welcomed this and we spent the next few hours chasing these Landlocked Sockeye Salmon that are on their way upstream from Blue Mesa Reservoir to spawn and eventually die.  Most of these fish were in the 18-22 inch class but Tyler caught one about 24 and super thick.  We caught fish that were fresh chrome, super red, and a lot somewhere in between the two.  We also caught a few Rainbows, but I figured I would just take pics of the Salmon.  Between the two of us, we probably landed 80 plus fish.  Catching these fish on a four weight is tons of fun, as long fast runs, kart wheels, and flips are the norm during a fight.  These fish are scattered about in different lakes around the state.  However, the three areas with the most notable runs are the Gunny above Blue Mesa, the Blue River above Green Mtn. Res, and the Dream Stream out in South Park.  So far few if any kokes are in the Dream Stream, and I have not heard about Green Mtn., but they are definitly in the Gunny.  Below are a few pics of just a fraction of the fish we landed today.

Fall is Sneaky!

Well as I write this post, the sun in now shining on my apartment window.  This morning the case was the same when we rolled out to the Dream Stream.  However, after a few hours a nice front blew in and brought with it cold temps, wind, and a rain, snow mix.  This is the second front we have had move through in the last week and I was hoping that more fish would respond by moving out of the lake.  Unfortuneatly, the opposite seems to have happened.  While we are still catching some great fish, we are having to walk a pretty good distance to find them.  The fish are not in the basic runs and unless you are sight fishing you are going to experience a day of catching a lot of 3 inch babies.  That being said, if you deliver a quality presentation to a sighted fish, they tend to eat fairly well.  Also, everyone is wondering if the Browns have shown up yet or what the situation is.  They have not even begun to show up.  There are a few big fish in the river but as far as a spawning run is concerned it is still a little ways off.  Anyways, other than the Dream, flows have been dropped at Deckers and I have had mixed reports of great to poor fishing.  Personally, I thought the fishing has been outstanding, with Brown trout starting to spawn in some locations, and the rest of the fish eating very well.  Overall, fall is on the way.  Each day more and more trees begins to change colors, however, fall fishing is still a litte ways away.  Below are a few pictures of some great fish we caught on both the South Platte River and some private High Mountain Lakes.

The Gunnsion Gorge

Over the past 3 days I had the privledge of rowing a raft down the Gunnison Gorge with some great people.  I was on one of three rafts and had an unbelieveable time.  I want to thank Angus Drummond for setting everything up and providing the opportunity to have such an unbelievable experience.  As far as the rowing and rapids go, the water was very low and the rapids were techinical.  I had not rowed in well over a year and during the first three rapids the rust was more than evident.  I just want to thank Darby and Kyle for not jumping ship after those three.  I finally got into a groove and started reading the water much better and by day 3, the touughest rapids came somewhat easy. The scenery and fish that exist in the Gorge are amazing.  Beautiful rock walls, browns, rainbows, and Gunny green water left me in constant disbelief.  The fishing overall was fair at best with nymphs being the best producers.  However, we did land fish on big streamers and dry flies as well.  I also want to say congratulations to Mike on his first trout on a fly rod.  Overall, there are really few words to describe the beauty of the setting and the fun group of guys that floated this weekend. Thank you everyone for making this trip one I will never forget.

South Platte River Offers Options

While the most busy part of the season seems to have come to a close, the Labor Day weekend provided some excellent trips on both the South Platte River in South Park and closer to Denver.  Last week the flows were dropped in South Park but we were able to stick some quality fish on Dries and Nymphs.   After the signifcant drop in flow, I opted to take the rest of the weekend's trips to another section of the Platte closer to Denver.  Again, Dries and Nymphs were extremely effective as hookups were constant throughout the day.  Tricos and BWO's in the morning have been solid, while PMD's and Caddis are producing later in the day.   I have talked with several anglers recently asking me how I think the drop in flow out in South Park is going to effect the fall run of Brown Trout.  While the flows are low, fish will still move up and fishing should be good.  The biggest problem will be those people fishing to actively spawning fish on redds, as they will be very visible.  If you witness this, please courteously share the info regarding the importance of the fall spawn.  Below are a few good fish from this past week's trips.  There is also one more order of business that I would like to touch on as well following the pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

Ok so the other issue that I have started to stumble upon more and more is the increased amount of dead fish.   These are not little fish either and it truly breaks my heart when I see these big guys belly up in a place where I both make my living and spend my free time.  That being said, I want to remind people to properly release fish by taking the needed time to bring the fish back to life.  Make sure that the fish does not go belly up or is being washed down stream upon release.  Stay and watch the fish for a few minutes to make sure that they are healthy upon release.  On the same note, do not over fight a fish. You can land a fish much quicker than you would believe by simply tightening your drag slightly.  Also, if you foul hook a fish(this will be an issue this fall I have no doubt) have the discipline to break the fish off.  DO NOT LAND a foul hooked fish.  The fish will use more energy and the battle will take longer.  It doesn't count if the fish does not eat your fly.  Anyways, below is a picture of a big thick rainbow that I found belly up in the weeds. It measured just over 25 inches which is why this topic is so important to me.  If this occurs during the fall, the future of the river's naturally reproducing Brown Trout will eventually cease to exist.  Please just be careful and take time to properly release fish.