spectr17
07-19-2003, 12:51 AM
July 09, 2003
Patience key at Gunnison River
Main hatch still to come
By Charlie Meyers, Denver Post Outdoor Editor
GUNNISON - How can an angler hope to make sense of one of the best trout-catching opportunities of the season when even the insects are confused?
The heralded Green Drake hatch in the upper Gunnison River system, an emergence of large mayflies that brings large, normally reticent trout frolicking to the surface, has been a mystery thus far.
"Every now and then, some Brown or Gray Drakes will come off, maybe even a few Green Drakes," Tra Lowell said of a hatch that made a hesitant start during the third week of June in that reach of the Gunnison River between the town and Blue Mesa Reservoir, followed by an even more erratic parade upstream into the Almont area.
The immediate result was a full-blare trumpeting of the emergence of the more numerous, olive- colored phase of Colorado's largest mayfly.
But anyone who rushed to the Gunnison Country in anticipation of a full-out hatch of an inch-long insect that drives trout wild while mercifully relieving angler eye strain was sorely disappointed. This giant mayfly, matched in fly sizes 10 and 12, has had scant impact on trout and even less on overeager fishermen.
"I believe this is a sort of prehatch. If this is the main hatch, it's the worst one I've seen in 13 years," said Lowell, manager and guide at the High Mountain Drifters shop in Gunnison.
Lowell, who watches the Gunnison River and its principal tributaries - Taylor, East and Lake Fork - figures this odd effect is either an echo of last season's severe drought or a bounce from the heavy runoff only now running its course down these waterways.
"Maybe some of the bugs got washed downstream," he said.
Lowell speaks from a podium anchored in both experience and optimism while predicting the true hatch of Colorado's largest mayfly actually will start in its regularly scheduled slot, which means in a matter of short days.
"I expect a hatch on the lower river later this week," he said of the section from Twin Bridges just west of town to the Cooper Ranch/ Neversink public section a few miles downstream.
If so, the normal progression up toward Almont, where the Taylor and East rivers merge to form the Gunnison, takes about two weeks, and perhaps a couple of days longer for the colder water of the Taylor. Hatches typically occur an hour either side of midday.
Should Lowell's hunch materialize, anglers will receive a revelation about just how many trout exist in public waters that regularly take a pounding from tourists who flock to this high valley.
"A lot of people don't think there's a lot of good fish in the Cooper/Neversink area because of all the pressure, but I don't agree," Lowell said. "I believe a lot of holes and runs hold some really good trout."
A day earlier, a roaming angler from Denver found ample reason to believe him. At a place on Cooper Ranch where the flow of a smaller, braided channel shelved off into a deep pool, a long, dark form streaked up to grab a Stimulator fly that sank just beneath the surface. The rainbow trout that eventually protested its way to shore measured 24 1/2 inches.
"I think a lot of big fish come up from Blue Mesa Reservoir into the river to feed," Lowell said. "Many people miss them, because they hold in the strangest places. If you're still and watch closely, you'll see them moving; you can spot where they're holding."
The exception, he said, comes in the absence of insect activity during the middle of bright, sunny days, when trout settle to the bottom with a proverbial case of lockjaw.
Lowell said that despite accelerated pressure, the Wild Trout section of the East River also supports a solid population of trout 14 to 16 inches long. He also favors that reach of the Taylor from Five-mile Bridge downstream to Almont, where a steeper gradient keeps anglers hopping between pockets of calmer water.
Here, Lowell uses a different twist when using a Stimulator or, hopefully, a Green Drake imitation. After completing his upstream dead drift, he allows these buoyant flies to swing downstream, skating on the surface.
Of course, all this will work much better if the big insects cooperate.
The right stuff
Chalk up another benchmark in the ongoing evolution of fly lines, courtesy of continuing research at 3M Scientific Anglers. The new Mastery Series trout taper lines trumpet a concave compound front taper for brisk turnover in moderately windy conditions while maintaining a delicate delivery for dry flies and small nymphs. The line features the patented SA Advanced Shooting Technology coating process. It's available at most trout shops with a suggested retail of $57.95.
Patience key at Gunnison River
Main hatch still to come
By Charlie Meyers, Denver Post Outdoor Editor
GUNNISON - How can an angler hope to make sense of one of the best trout-catching opportunities of the season when even the insects are confused?
The heralded Green Drake hatch in the upper Gunnison River system, an emergence of large mayflies that brings large, normally reticent trout frolicking to the surface, has been a mystery thus far.
"Every now and then, some Brown or Gray Drakes will come off, maybe even a few Green Drakes," Tra Lowell said of a hatch that made a hesitant start during the third week of June in that reach of the Gunnison River between the town and Blue Mesa Reservoir, followed by an even more erratic parade upstream into the Almont area.
The immediate result was a full-blare trumpeting of the emergence of the more numerous, olive- colored phase of Colorado's largest mayfly.
But anyone who rushed to the Gunnison Country in anticipation of a full-out hatch of an inch-long insect that drives trout wild while mercifully relieving angler eye strain was sorely disappointed. This giant mayfly, matched in fly sizes 10 and 12, has had scant impact on trout and even less on overeager fishermen.
"I believe this is a sort of prehatch. If this is the main hatch, it's the worst one I've seen in 13 years," said Lowell, manager and guide at the High Mountain Drifters shop in Gunnison.
Lowell, who watches the Gunnison River and its principal tributaries - Taylor, East and Lake Fork - figures this odd effect is either an echo of last season's severe drought or a bounce from the heavy runoff only now running its course down these waterways.
"Maybe some of the bugs got washed downstream," he said.
Lowell speaks from a podium anchored in both experience and optimism while predicting the true hatch of Colorado's largest mayfly actually will start in its regularly scheduled slot, which means in a matter of short days.
"I expect a hatch on the lower river later this week," he said of the section from Twin Bridges just west of town to the Cooper Ranch/ Neversink public section a few miles downstream.
If so, the normal progression up toward Almont, where the Taylor and East rivers merge to form the Gunnison, takes about two weeks, and perhaps a couple of days longer for the colder water of the Taylor. Hatches typically occur an hour either side of midday.
Should Lowell's hunch materialize, anglers will receive a revelation about just how many trout exist in public waters that regularly take a pounding from tourists who flock to this high valley.
"A lot of people don't think there's a lot of good fish in the Cooper/Neversink area because of all the pressure, but I don't agree," Lowell said. "I believe a lot of holes and runs hold some really good trout."
A day earlier, a roaming angler from Denver found ample reason to believe him. At a place on Cooper Ranch where the flow of a smaller, braided channel shelved off into a deep pool, a long, dark form streaked up to grab a Stimulator fly that sank just beneath the surface. The rainbow trout that eventually protested its way to shore measured 24 1/2 inches.
"I think a lot of big fish come up from Blue Mesa Reservoir into the river to feed," Lowell said. "Many people miss them, because they hold in the strangest places. If you're still and watch closely, you'll see them moving; you can spot where they're holding."
The exception, he said, comes in the absence of insect activity during the middle of bright, sunny days, when trout settle to the bottom with a proverbial case of lockjaw.
Lowell said that despite accelerated pressure, the Wild Trout section of the East River also supports a solid population of trout 14 to 16 inches long. He also favors that reach of the Taylor from Five-mile Bridge downstream to Almont, where a steeper gradient keeps anglers hopping between pockets of calmer water.
Here, Lowell uses a different twist when using a Stimulator or, hopefully, a Green Drake imitation. After completing his upstream dead drift, he allows these buoyant flies to swing downstream, skating on the surface.
Of course, all this will work much better if the big insects cooperate.
The right stuff
Chalk up another benchmark in the ongoing evolution of fly lines, courtesy of continuing research at 3M Scientific Anglers. The new Mastery Series trout taper lines trumpet a concave compound front taper for brisk turnover in moderately windy conditions while maintaining a delicate delivery for dry flies and small nymphs. The line features the patented SA Advanced Shooting Technology coating process. It's available at most trout shops with a suggested retail of $57.95.