Small stream Stories and Pictures;

[curtis steinhauer]

This year in Washington they just closed ALL the small creeks and streams on state land to protect migragtng salmon and steelhead smolts. It's a good cause and all, but I really miss my old cutthroat streams.

[Hardyreels]

I feel your pain Curtis, A couple years ago the department of fish & game discovered that many of our small streams had a spring steelhead trout run. This resulted in all of my local (80 mile radius) creeks being closed until June 14. I understand why this was done but the pain comes when I realize that I first found these sea run trout in 1989.

I never spoke a word when I moved back here in late 2004 and went quietly about the business of having world class fishing every spring at ice out. In the 6 years that I was able to fish my favorite creek I ran into one other person and he didn't have a clue that there were big fish there. He was wading right down the center of the creek and reported that he had caught nothing. I believed him based on his method, I agreed with him that it was a terrible creek and would not be returning.

The story of how F&G got wind of the steelies is too long to print here but would make for a good blog entry, thanks for reminding me of this

Ard

[shabutie]

Been lurking these forums for a while and just started fly fishing.
Anyways here is one of many streams I am going to be fishing this year

[Mnflyfish]

this is my most recent go-to hole. its close by and can just drop by after work...or after supper....sometimes both.

[ted4887]

That's a might familiar beaver dam. Is that the stretch with a bunch of them right upstream of that one? A lot of newer h.i work just downstream from that?

[Mnflyfish]

hmmmm....maybe, i have heard they cleared some stuff downstream, but i havnt ventured down that way in a while. i believe its posted now. Its on a minimum maintenance road thats full of potholes, over by Amherst. If any habitat work has been done i havnt seen it. I know you have fished gribben, so if you go from Hwy 16 up gribben valley to the hwy, think its 23 or 24 and take a right , you would be on the way. If you have never been down there, i would be happy to show ya!

[ted4887]

Yeah, I actually fished about a 3 mile stretch of that earlier in the C&R season. Good water, but I hate those beaver dams. Last time I talked to Klotz, he said they were in the process of getting some trappers down there. Problem is that the permits for trapping in a WMA can be a PITA to get. What do you mean that H.I work is posted? IIRC, it was all eased. If not, oops! lol

[Mnflyfish]

It could be eased, i just know that that red gate as you go up the hill has a posted or NT sign on it, but could still be eased. that creek flows down and under the Million dollar bridge, good fishin down that way too.

[fishnskiguy]

Here are some pics from my trip up to North Park Colorado taken April 25th.

North Park is a high valley surrounded on three sides by mountains. Where I was fishing is at 9,000 ft. elevation. As you can see, spring comes very late at 9,000 ft.

By now, the willows are lime green and the grasses are green and ankle deep. It looks like high desert, but it definitely is not. North park has more moose than people, and moose don't do desert.

This creek is at late winter, prerunoff lows, not that there will be any runoff this year. I'm guessing the flow is 10-12 CFS, and now it's up to 20 CFS, still very fishable.

All the streams in North Park are feeder streams that form the headwaters of the North Platte River.





I was surfing the net a week or so before the trip, and stumbled across the North Park Angler's fly shop. They were offering guided walk/ wade trips for $100 per day as an early season special. That's just dirt cheap, and I sprung for it for three reasons (1) I would have somebody to take the pictures, (2) the guide got me on some private water that the shop has under lease, and (3) I had somebody who knew the area, and I could pick his brain for good public waters.

In preparation for the trip I studied my Colorado Gazatteer, and went online and printed out a map of every State Wildlife Area in North Park, and took all with me.

The fishing was very good.







I spent the entire day peppering my guide with, "where to go questions" and he was more than willing to show me the good spots. Here is a pic of him releasing one of my many fish.



We quit fishing an hour early so he could drive me around and show me a number of good spots.

It was definitely a hundred dollars well spent. I will surely be back in June.

Chris

[cattech89]

Nice post Chris! I agree, sounds like money well spent.