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Jesse's Hunting > Fishing Articles > Articles > Fishing the Bar ZX Ranch
Fishing the Bar ZX Ranch
Dave Blake - JHO ProStaff
- Southern CA
May 07, 2005
Rocky Mountain grandeur
The scenery can be as rewarding as the fishing at Bar ZX Ranch. But as our author found, it's almost too easy to get wrapped up in the scenery and forget about the fishing! |
Looking the other way rewarded me with a view of Ragged Mountain, spotted with snow which was in full runoff stage at this time of year. One look at the jagged peaks told me where its name came from. The benches and foothills descending from the mountain were spotted with flowers such as Daisies, Indian Paintbrush and wild pink roses.
There was so much to look at that I almost didn't notice the 5 to 8 pound rainbow trout cruising along the bank of the pond at my feet.
The sun was high, so the trout were sluggish and disinterested in my feathered offerings. Occasionally one would follow my little damselfly nymph and then turn away at the last minute, so I was surprised when a nice fat one gave chase and actually ate my fly. The fight that ensued consisted of a couple of screaming runs across the pond and ended with me pulling my sagging net out of the water with a bunch of weeds and a nice fat 6 pound trout.
The Bar ZX Ranch in Paonia, Colorado is a place of dreams for flyfishermen. I found it through my friend and guide Toran Willie who guides for Taylor Creek fly shop in Basalt, Colorado. Toran and I have made several trips to the ranch in the last few years and have caught some memorable fish.
Years ago, ranch owner Dean Lampton needed something for his guided elk hunters to do besides bang away at targets with their rifles spooking the elk. His solution was to dig a lake near the hunting lodge and stock it with trout.
It wasn't long before he dug another lake and then another. The end result was a series of over 20 lakes stocked with a wide variety of trout with one rule, catch and release fly fishing only. The lakes were dubbed as they were dug with names like Hidden Lake, Willow Lake, Green Lake, and Plateau Lake.
Hidden Lake, one of my favorites, is full of Montana brook trout. Willow Lake is home to large Snake River cutthroat. There are more varieties of trout than I can keep track of.
A variety of fly patterns work on these fish. Toran and I spent some time at Hidden Lake catching 15 to 20 fish from 2 to 3 pounds on dry attractor patterns after which we went to the Little Lake and caught some very large rainbows with flashy wooly buggers.
Late one afternoon I looked down the hill and saw a bunch of rises in a lower lake. When we got close enough we could see the bright blue flashes of damsel flies streaking around the surface. When one would land on some weeds a nice 15 inch cutbow would rise and snatch it. We tied on a damsel fly pattern and had a field day.
The cherry on top of a delectable day at ZX is the hatch of tiny size 20 white mayflies that occurs at sunset on Plateau Lake. The flies hatch by the thousands and bring some pretty big fish to the surface to feed. Casts have to be accurate and on time as the fish move across the water in gluttonous fashion. 
Nice fish, great scenery
There is a lot to be said for having the opportunity to catch some nice trout amidst the beauty of Colorado's Rocky Mountains. The author shows one of his prizes here. |
If you are interested in fishing ZX Ranch, call Taylor Creek Fly Shop in Basalt, Colorado. They will hook you up with a guide to take you there. Be prepared to pay the guide fee as well as an access fee to the ranch. It's not cheap, but it is something every fly fisherman should experience once.
Don't forget, as you look around mesmerized by the scenery, that there are some really big fish in the lakes too.
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