DILLINGHAM’S DRIFT - The Greatest of All Time

DILLINGHAM’S DRIFT - The Greatest of All Time

 It would be difficult to overstate the genius of the Chubby Chernobyl. The Chubby is to summertime fly fishing what a couple slices of hickory smoked, perfectly pan-fried bacon is to a cheeseburger—it's impossible to fully enjoy the latter without the former. After a never-ending winter and spring of slinging microscopic nymphs to shivering trout pouting on the river bottom, it's good for the soul to witness excited salmonids strap on a feed bag and chew on a t-bone. Everything about a Chubby eat is better.
     The Chubby Chernobyl is a quintessentially Western fly pattern, the Mensa-worthy creation of an unknown mad fly tying scientist—the Elon Musk of fly tying—at Idylwilde Flies in Portland, Oregon. The Chubby is a 2003 upgrade of the Chernobyl Ant, itself a high achieving chunk of pretend protein, having won the prestigious Jackson Hole One Fly event in 1995. The original Chernobyl Ant is of Western origin as well, birthed on Utah's Green River by a pair of dirtbag fly fishing guides. The Chubby Chernobyl's bold improvements include a pair of buoyant white poly yarn wings, synthetic dubbing (in addition to foam) for a body, and an alluring Krystal Flash tail. Splayed rubber legs complete the buggy vibe and garner catcalls from grabby gator browns. The Chubby floats like a cork wearing water wings and can easily mule a heavily weighted nymph (or three!) to a trout's kitchen table. At $2.50 a pop it's like employing a Sherpa at a steep discount.
     Depending on size and color, a Chubby Chernobyl can convincingly parrot a golden stonefly, skwala, salmonfly, grasshopper and other assorted terrestrials, while also moonlighting as a legit attractor pattern. Chubbies are most frequently unleashed on big, brawling rivers because of the mostly true notion that big flies attract big fish. But surprisingly, even a King Kong-sized, gaudy, vague-representation-of-nothing Chubby Chernobyl typically fails to scare the bejesus out of small or medium trout, thus making it tempting trout candy for both scrawny and plus-sized trout streams alike. Chubbies fool fish all summer long on area waters such as Cebolla Creek, the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River, the Uncompahgre River, and anywhere along the entire Gunnison River. Historically, the two best producing Chubby Chernobyl varieties for our area are the golden-hued and Royal Chubbies. A purple Chubby Chernobyl can surprise you with its inexplicable effectiveness as well. A famished brown trout can no more resist sinking its chops into a juicy Chubby than a great white can resist a deliciously marbled, blubbery sea lion. A rowdy and ravenous hawg brown trout hell-bent on mugging and wolfing down a Chubby and a blood-shot-eyed, slobbering, tongue-hanging-out, girl crazy whitetail buck are the same species of stupid. The Chubby Chernobyl earns my vote for Canton or Cooperstown—or even the Heisman Trophy of flies, if such an award exists—because it's the G.O.A.T. The Pantheon of Greats: Michael Jordan; Tom Brady; Joe DiMaggio; Chubby Chernobyl.
     Through the years I've learned a few keen ideas that make my List of Top 5 Tips to Execute a Flawless Chubby Game: 1. Tie Chubbies with grey wings—or color white wings with a grey Sharpie—in order to trigger eats from lock-jowled trout nonplussed with the standard tie. 2. Downsize to a Mini (or Micro) Chubby Chernobyl in the late summer when tight-lipped trout clam-up due to fly fatigue; fussy trout getting wise to a criminally overused bug is a real thing. 3. When wings invariably become matted and nappy due to fish slime and floatant, rejuvenate floatability to pre-iceberg Titanic status by fluffing the wings with a small metal dog comb. 4. Utilize a short, slightly oversized leader in order to more easily and accurately unfurl your non-aerodynamic Chubby set-up. A 6-8' leader tapered to 3X—on the shorter side if your Chubby is toting nymphs—is prime for most situations. 5. Affix your Chubby Chernobyl to your tippet with a loop knot to increase its realistic bug-like juju. 
     Outside of illegal explosives, gillnets, rotenone, electrofishing, or any other form of forbidden trout tyranny, a Chubby Chernobyl may be your best hope for counting coup on the Western Slope's biggest summertime trout. In addition to their proven animal magnetism, duping a trout on top with a Chubby is simply a riotously fun way to capture fish. While all surface eats are enjoyable, Chubby eats are next-level. If you are jonesing for some big fish summertime surface action, tie on a Chubby Chernobyl and hang on. You just might find yourself at a rodeo.      

Tagged: Brown Trout Dillingham’s Drift East Portal Gunnison River Montrose Town Run Pleasure Park The Gorge

A Front Ranger’s Guide to Fly Fishing the Gunnison

A Front Ranger’s Guide to Fly Fishing the Gunnison

Guest blog by Kyle Rutten

Forming at the confluence of the East and Taylor rivers near the small Colorado town of Almont, the “Gunny” is a whopping 180 mile long tributary, making it the second longest river in the Centennial State. The Gunnison River has earned a Wild Trout and a Gold Medal Water status, making it a perfect place for beginners and avid anglers alike.

While the river itself is the center of every angler’s attention around this part of Southwest Colorado, it’s sacrilege not to mention the land that surrounds it. The Gunnison River carves through visually striking landscape; the Blue Mesa Reservoir, Morrow Point Reservoir, and the Crystal Reservoir that is tucked into Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. As it leaves the Black Canyon, the surrounding sky opens up as it flows through the flat top mesa lands of Grand Junction before it finally joins the Colorado River.

This part of Colorado lends a giant hand to the heavenly reputation that the state of Colorado has so rightfully earned. If you’re planning to head for the Gunnison River to get your fly fishing fill, consider yourself one lucky angler.

Best Places on the River to Fish

The Gunny is broken into two sections that each deserve their own spotlight; the Upper Gunnison Basin and the Lower Gunnison Basin. Both stretches have earned their Gold Medal Water status, so you know from the get-go that the fishing here will be more than good.

The Upper Gunnison Basin is designated as the 18 mile stretch that lies between the Taylor Park Reservoir and the Blue Mesa Reservoir. Here, anglers will come across just about any trout species they may desire, such as the brook, cutthroat, mackinaw, cutbow, tiger, and rainbow trout.

Rainbows and mackinaw trout have even broken some records from the Upper Gunny, measuring beyond 40 inches! In order to earn a Gold Medal Water status, there has to be at least 60 pounds of trout per acre in a given river. In the Upper Gunnison alone, Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimate that 141 to 234 pounds of trout per acre can be found.

The other section of the Gunny, The Lower Gunnison Basin, is a 39 mile stretch that begins around the Blue Mesa Reservoir and lasts until the town of Delta. In the section of the Lower Gunnison that tangles with Blue Mesa Reservoir, there is infamous kokanee salmon; a landlocked form of sockeye salmon that’s only found in a handful of places throughout the American West. Although these kokanee are not native to the area, anglers looking for a strong fight with these prehistoric-looking salmon keep coming back again and again.

Also deserving of its own shout out is the section of the Lower Gunny that flows downstream through the Gunnison Gorge. This red sandstone double canyon draws anglers from all over the world so they can have their cast at the rainbow trout exceeding 20 inches in length that reside here.

Best Time of Year for Fly Fishing on the Gunnison

If you’re wanting to hook the renowned kokanee salmon, the most optimal time of year will occur during the months of August through October when they are typically spawning. You’ll also likely come across some large browns following the kokanee run; these guys will take to egg patterns, nymphs, and heavily weighted streamers. The latter part of October and into November, when the days get shorter and the fishing pressure becomes very little, floating can get you a ton of bites from healthy fish that are fattening up for the long winter ahead.

Because of the limited sunlight that the Black Canyon portion of the river receives throughout the winter months, you’ll want to aim for the spring or early summer in order to fish there. Typically, that works out great for most anglers because it’s also around the time of the season where the large trout are more commonly caught. To match that hatch this time of year, Blue-Winged Olives, Pale Morning Duns, Green Drakes, Red Quills, caddis, and stoneflies should be in your tackle.

Also during this time of year (March-May,) pre and post spawn rainbows are caught nearly every day, willing to take flies to satisfy them after the long winter slumber they just endured. For rainbows, midges and mysis shrimp will be all you need.

Plan a Gunnison River Fly Fishing Trip

Like you expect from any other tributary, the Gunnison has its own set of regulations that vary depending on the portion of the river you’re eyeing and the season in which you plan on fishing. In order to ensure you stay in the good graces of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, make sure you read up on their latest Gunnison River regulations.

The Gunnison River is a tributary of Colorado that should be on every angler’s bucket list; river guides in the area are abundant, the kokanee salmon run known as the "Almont Slam” can be counted on every year, and the float fishing is some of the best in the country, bar none. With a tackle of bait matching the Gunny hatch, your fly rod and reel riding safely atop your vehicle in a fishing rod rack as you cruise the gorgeous US 285 and US 50 highways, and the hopes of hooking a Gold Medal Water fish riding passenger in your mind… we can't think of a better angling scenario than that.

Plan a trip today to try fly fishing on the Gunnison and make that idyllic scenario a reality!

Tagged: Brown Trout East Portal Gunnison River Shop

East Portal Road to be Closed for the 2021 Season

East Portal Road to be Closed for the 2021 Season

National Park Service News Release

For Immediate Release: March 31, 2021

Contact: Sandra Snell-Dobert, (970) 641-2337, ext. 227, sandy_snell-dobert@nps.gov

Justyn Liff, (970) 248-0625, JLiff@usbr.gov

 

East Portal Road to be Closed for the 2021 Season

Montrose, CO - The East Portal Road will be closed to all public access, including pedestrian and bicycle traffic, throughout the 2021 season to complete vital road work and infrastructure improvements at East Portal. The East Portal Road is owned and managed by the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) and used by the National Park Service (NPS) to provide visitor access to NPS facilities along the Gunnison River.

 

The road project will improve access to East Portal, making the road safer and less prone to rockfall closures. Blasting and scaling of rock faces, resurfacing and other major work requires that the road be closed for the season. Access for dam operations and maintenance of infrastructure will be possible on a limited basis.

 

National Park Service staff will also be using the period of closure to complete necessary repairs on the East Portal Campground and the picnic area. All water, trash and other services have been suspended and staff shifted to operations on the north and south rims of the canyon.

Alternative river access is available downstream in the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area and upstream near the town of Gunnison.

 

Both the BOR and NPS appreciate your understanding and patience as we improve safety and accessibility for your future visits.

www.nps.gov

www.usbr.gov

Tagged: East Portal Fishing Gunnison River

DILLINGHAM’S DRIFT - The Thing About Spring

DILLINGHAM’S DRIFT - The Thing About Spring

Don't repeat this too ludly but spring is, by far, my favorite season to fly fish in Colorado. Each season does have advantages: summer has its biblical hatches and greedy, free-rising trout; autumn ushers in the last waning blue-winged olive hatches of the year and violent streamer eats, all while God's creation is at its zenith; and winter offers its silent, breathtaking solitude. But there are a myriad of reasons why I long to stand in a river in the springtime most of all.

     Most obviously, there is a comparative lack of crowding on the river in the spring. Granted, tailwaters like Pa-Co-Chu-Puk and the Taylor C&R can potentially see some serious felt even early in the year. But it is unlikely the Mongol hordes will descend upon the Uncompahgre River as it meanders through Montrose, the lower Taylor River, the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River, or throughout most of the Gunnison River itself in the springtime. On most trout streams, you'll have a bunch of fly water to yourself sans competitors.

     And the drizzly, dour days where leaden skies unleash a snow squall or cloudburst of rain give birth to the best bluewing hatches of the year. Find some deep holding water or a slothful, choppy riffle and prospect with a dual-fly nymphing rig comprised of a #18-22 Barr's BH BWO Emerger, Craven's Juju Baetis, Gunkel's Radiation Baetis, Ramirez's Slim Shady, or Sparkle Wing RS2—a murderer's row of bountiful baetis patterns. Allowing your nymphs to rise in the water column at the end of your drift in order to mimic an ascending baetis nymph is an underappreciated secret to success with early season olive hatches. And if trout hungrily snatch BWOs off the surface, parrot adult bluewings with Furimsky’s B.D.E. BWO, Mathews’ BWO Sparkle Dun, or a run-of-the-mill Parachute Adams.

     Another reason to be head-over-heels in love with springtime angling is the fact that the biggest trout are more active and feed more voraciously than their smaller brethren during the early season. More of your catch will likely be big fish. I don't pretend to know why this is the case—I don’t possess the requisite phD in ichthyology to decipher the biology—I just know it's true. If you want to confuse a truly big ‘bow or brown’s pea-sized brain with faux flies, springtime is your best bet.

     Springtime is spawning time for rainbow trout, and they get more aggressive—and easy to catch!—as they prepare for their annual reproductive romp. Once rainbow trout begin to pair-up on redds and procreate, generally in April and May, they deserve to be left alone. But throughout much of March the angling for pre-spawn ‘bows can be the most memorable fly casting of the year. As a bonus, their bodies become much more angelically adorned in the spring—their heavenly hues become more pronounced, especially on rainbow trout bucks, as they seek to woo a willing hen. As opposed to the human realm, in the salmonid world males are the fairer sex. At no time is this dichotomy more evident than during their springtime spawn. Male salmonids dressed in reproductive regalia are fiercely beautiful.

     When those first warming rays of spring sunshine begin to pry Old Man Winter’s cryogenic chokehold from rivers that have been until now essentially liquid ice, go take your fly rod for an afternoon walk. The next time a spring snowstorm dumps a few inches of frozen goodness in the mountains, stow your snowboard or skis, park your snowmobile, and take a piscatorial powder day instead. Fly fishers who only don their waterproof pantaloons when the warming winds of summer awaken every other fly angler from their slumber will never know how good early season fly fishing can be. I certainly don’t plan on making that mistake…and neither should you.

Tagged: Dillingham’s Drift Education Fishing

Fly-Tying 101 Class 2021

Fly-Tying 101 Class 2021

Hello Everyone,

Once again we have the plesure to present to you Fly Tying 101 with Joel Evans. 

What is Fly Tying?

Fly tying is the process of producing an artificial fly used by fly fishing anglers to catch fish. It has been said it is simple process of binding various materials to a hook with thread.

Whether you are being creative and designing your own flies or tying a pattern that has been created by someone else fly tying is a great hobby, and a great activity to do in the off season when you can’t get outside or the fish aren’t biting.

What To Expect…

4-week class for two hours every week

6-8 PM every Tuesday of February

Feb 9

Feb 16

Feb 23

Mar 2

Learn multiple techniques and how to properly use multiple tools. Each week we will focus on a new pattern which incorporates a different fly-tying technique.

Flies you will learn to tie: San Juan Worm, Wooley Bugger, Muskrat nymph, Pheasant Tail nymph, Prince nymph, Elk Hair Caddis, Adams dry fly

Class Taught By:

By our friend Joel Evans. Joel has been tying and teaching fly tying classes now for multiple years and this will be the third year at Montrose Anglers.

Joel lives here in Montrose and has fished our local waters for years. He is very experienced tying specifically for our local rivers and most Western Slope rivers. Joel is also very active in our fly-fishing community as part of the Whiting Farms fly tying pro staff, as well as a pro for Ross, Abel, Scott Rods, Cortland, Spirit River and Patagonia. He also writes an fly-tying column for the High Country Angler magazine along with the outdoor column for both The Montrose Daily Press and Grand Junction Sentinel.

Thank you, Joel for your continued support to our fly fishing community!

Tagged: Education

DILLINGHAM’S DRIFT - Crazy for Cutthroats

DILLINGHAM’S DRIFT - Crazy for Cutthroats

I may not know you personally, but if you're a fly fisher I at least know something about you. You are head-over-heels in love with cutthroat trout…and so am I. While some anglers regard golden trout as the handsomest of trouts, they’ve likely never beheld a Lamborghini-red Colorado River cutthroat buck adorned in spawning colors. They’re simply an avalanche of beauty. Of course, a cutthroat trout’s most infamous feature is the colorful throat slash on either side of the lower jaw, which gives these trout their twisted name. Or to describe the matter a bit more darkly, as troubled 1960s poet and novelist Richard Brautigan did in his essay The Hunchback Trout, when he said, "Under their throats they fly the orange banner of Jack the Ripper."

     Before the term “cutthroat trout” was coined in 1884, these fish were known by several names including red-throat trout, Clark's trout, Rocky Mountain trout, black-spot trout, speckled trout, or simply native trout. Four different subspecies of cutthroat trout, Colorado River, Rio Grande, greenback, and yellowfin cutthroats were originally found in Centennial State fly waters. Yellowfin cutts, which were only found in Twin Lake between Buena Vista and Leadville, are now extinct. Colorado River cutthroat trout inhabit the western slope of Colorado, and along with greenbacks are regarded as the most heavenly-hued subspecies of cutthroat trout. Colorado’s three existing types of cutthroat trout generally can’t be differentiated by outward appearance alone.

      In his enlightening book, Many Rivers to Cross, acclaimed angling author M.R. Montgomery mused, "If the fishing is hard, its not the real West." Simply put, the fly fishing is generally pretty easy in cutthroat country. This is certainly true in moving waters, but cutts can be frustratingly finicky in still waters. Casting to cutts in flowing headwater streams scattered throughout the hinterlands of the high country rewards anglers with the mesmerizing grace of free-spirited cutthroats greedily rising to an attractor dry fly. Stalking visible cutthroats on high alpine lakes is similar to saltwater flats fishing and casting streamers to cruising high lake cutts is a reasonable stand-in for chasing bonefish. It provides the same intoxicating elation as a fish alters course, homes in on its newly acquired target like a piscine submarine, and opens its jaws to maul it. And it risks the same soul-crushing defeat of a heartbreaking last second refusal.

     Cutthroat trout finning in headwater streams are gullible for attractor flies — a stimulator, Royal Wulff, H&L Variant, Irresistible, or Renegade — a murderers' row of familiar fly box fodder. However, solving the cutthroat conundrum on high lakes can oftentimes be much more puzzling than you'd expect, especially considering the object of your affection possesses a pea-sized brain and an IQ of eight. Slow-stripping a tandem of beadhead nymphs is always a high-odds proposition, while floating nymphs under an indicator can also be productive, especially when wind bullies some chop into the water. But perhaps the best catnip for cutthroats I've ever found is a #14 brown or black Mayer's Mini Leech. Casting Mayer's masterpiece to cutts can be so effective it probably should be criminal. Truth be told, while cutts in flowing water will embarrass you with their naivety, their still water counterparts can be so uncooperative and tight-lipped that trying to force-feed them faux flies can be an effort in futility.

     While Colorado River cutthroat trout have been reduced to 14% of their historical range, quality angling for cutts can still be found if you know where to look. Cutthroats still thrive in western slope streams such as the upper Lake Fork of the Gunnison River, upper Cochetopa Creek, Fall Creek, and the various forks of Cimarron Creek. The high alpine lakes of the Fossil Ridge Wilderness — Upper and Lower Lamphier, Crystal, and Mill Lakes —host big, bold, and beautiful Colorado cutts. With the Centennial State’s population expected to burgeon to 8 million potential anglers by 2040, remote cutthroat waters are more valuable than ever. This begs the question, “Will Colorado’s backcountry be the next resource to be assaulted by the masses?” I certainly don’t believe so. Homo sapiens are a slothful species and reliably eschew vigorous hikes into the backcountry for the promise of easier and potentially larger trout in famous rivers near the road. I, for one, won’t make the same mistake as the rest of the race.

 

Doug Dillingham is the author of “Fly Fishing the Gunnison Country” which is available in store and online at Montrose Anglers and at www.gunnisonflyfish.com.

DILLINGHAM’S DRIFT - East Portal

DILLINGHAM’S DRIFT - East Portal

One of my favorite fly fishing writers, Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate, once wrote that "a river is just water in the act of falling to other places." This keen observation is both heady and brilliant, yet incomplete, at least when describing certain legendary rivers. The Gunnison River, as it pulses through the Black Canyon, is one of those transcendent rivers that eclipses Nakadate's poignant description.

     The Gunnison River within that deep, dark crack in the earth is infinitely more than simply falling water. It's dizzying hatches of aquatic insects — a bubbling, frothy, earth-scented cauldron of writhing macroinvertebrates. It's the mesmerizing flash of a heavenly-hued brown trout flank, bejeweled with a galaxy of crimson planets, as it rolls on an angelically-winged mayfly dun. It's the graceful and purposeful rise of a bulky, red-streaked rainbow as it ascends to intercept a tiny bluewing emerger rocketing to the surface. And it's a vast array of wild creatures — mink, black bears, mule deer, cougars, peregrine falcons, and bald eagles — all drawing sustenance from the life-giving ribbon of liquid.

     Most of the Black Canyon is accessible only to a few intrepid souls able to make the daunting descent down to the river. However, East Portal Road, which is normally open from Tax Day through Halloween, allows vehicle access to a short swath of hallowed angling real estate beneath the frustrated burden of Crystal Dam. This fly water, known as the East Portal, is the genesis of the famed Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

     The first thing that is immediately obvious at the East Portal is its gorgeous grandeur. The second observation remains thinly veiled until you unfurl a cast or two...this is a fabulous trout fishery. In fact, the East Portal boasts a jaw-dropping 15,000 trout per mile, and many fish, chiefly the rainbows, are sizable salmonids. And due to an eternal buffet of carotene-rich scuds, they are a kaleidoscope of color.

     My favorite time to fly fish the Gunnison River at the East Portal is in the spring immediately after the road opens. The flow is generally tame and the fish are hungry and naive, not having tasted fur, hackle, or hook for several months. Spring baetis hatches can be biblical, ripped right out of the pages of Exodus. Prospecting the Portal's emerald green depths with a grey Sparkle Wing RS2, Barr's BH BWO Emerger, or Radiation Baetis can turn up browns to 20 inches and rainbows to two feet. Mayfly-sippers are gullible for Mathews' BWO Sparkle Dun and Furimsky's B.D.E. BWO when drifting duns pepper the surface.

     During summertime, hordes of humanity descend on the East Portal like mosquitoes to exposed skin on a humid summer eve, but the angling remains excellent. Stoneflies emerge in early summer — little yellow sallies, golden stones, and giant salmonflies — fluttering about with a lumbering, graceless beauty, like a belabored Chinook helicopter. Egg-laying flights of PMDs and caddisflies keep trout looking up and well-fed, and an Elk Hair Caddis or Parachute Adams can do the same. A passing afternoon cloudburst can stimulate mayfly hatches, PMDs, Red Quills, and even a few lingering Bluewings.

     Autumn at the East Portal is graced by a return of blue-winged olives, with ravenous trout holding in conga lines downstream of insect-laden riffles to drink them in. The last caddis hatches of the year stir the affections of fish and fisher alike. Miniscule midges once again become a staple on a trout's menu. And the palate of the river comes to life, a quaking cacophony of yellow, orange, red, and gold, intoxicating the senses. Fall at the Portal is an avalanche of beauty and has the potential for a big fish or two as they seek to inhale calories for the dearth of winter.

     While most Colorado tailwaters are often snooty and pretentious fly fishing venues, where microscopic flies adorn underweight tippet, the East Portal requires neither. Just tie on a stout leader and some familiar fly box fodder and you can dupe a 'bow or brown big enough to entice your reel to sing and re-acquaint you with your backing. I can't ever seem to get enough of the East Portal. It keeps beckoning me back like a sensuous siren's song.

 

Doug Dillingham is the author of “Fly Fishing the Gunnison Country” which is available at Montrose Anglers https://montroseanglers.com/collections/accessories/products/fly-fishing-the-gunnison-country?variant=31512983699567and online at http://www.gunnisonflyfish.com.

Tagged: East Portal

East Portal Open June 1

East Portal Open June 1

Yahooo! Our backyard is opening!!

The Bureau of Reclamation is working across the 17 western states in close coordination with federal, state, and local public health authorities to actively monitor the COVID-19 pandemic while using a phased approach to increase public access on a case-by-case basis.  

Beginning June 1, 2020 at approximately 8:00 AM the East Portal Road will reopen.  When recreating, the public should follow local area health orders, practice “Leave No Trace” principles, social distancing and avoid crowding.

East Portal Road Closed till further notice

East Portal Road Closed till further notice

While this is disappointing to us all, it was expected, we will keep you updated as this changes. Be safe out there!

The Bureau of Reclamation’s Curecanti Field Office has announced the East Portal Road located east of Montrose will remained closed until further notice. The road, beginning at the junction with State Highway 347, provides access to the Gunnison River within the Curecanti National Recreation Area, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and Crystal Dam. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Bureau of Reclamation is only performing mission essential maintenance in support of water and power operations. In the interest of public safety, the East Portal Road will remain closed until the pandemic threat diminishes to the point normal maintenance activity can be resumed. The Bureau of Reclamation recognizes the impact this has on recreation activities in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area and sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience.

Tagged: East Portal

COVID19 Update

COVID19 Update

Hello Montrose Fly Fishing Community!

Hoping you are safe and healthy. We wanted to reach out and answer some of the questions you might be having during these crazy days that we are all experiencing. First and foremost, take this thing seriously and be safe. The sooner we follow the protocol the sooner we will flatline COVID19 and get back to some kind of normal, it might be a new normal, but it will be a normal. Please know that we are most concerned for each and everyone’s health and safety. Below are few questions you might have that we wanted to try and answer for you.

 

Question 1 – Are you open

 – Yes, via our online store, Montroseanglers.com, We are also available to answer your calls on the shop number at 970-249-0408. We will be adding current fly selections on to the website in the coming days.

 

Question 2 - Can I get out and go fishing at this time?

– The short answer is Yes! The Governor’s Stay In Place Order is encouraging people to get outside, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife has noted that fishing is still acceptable. Currently, all our local fishing is open, but be sure and check with the managing agency (Forest Service, BLM, CPW, etc.) to ensure where you are going is currently open. We will try to keep you updated as well.

 

 Question 3 - Is it okay to go fishing with friends?

– Short answer is yes but keep a fly rods length away from your fishing compadre to be safe and acceptable, this will be practicing proper social distancing. We also recommend taking separate cars, unless the person you are fishing with is someone from your home group.

Question 4 - Is it safe to go float fishing right now?

– The answer would be yes if you are going with someone who is from your home group that you live with. But if not, you cannot practice proper social distancing while in a raft or drift boat and going with someone outside your home group puts you and the other in risk. A risk you will take home with you.



Question 5 - Where would you recommend, I go fishing then?

– One of the many blessings we have by living here is that we have several places to go that are close to home. We strongly recommend that if you go, pack a lunch, snacks, drinks and water from home. Then head straight to the river, with little or no interaction with people outside you home unit. If you follow this, you are not putting yourself, or others at risk. Where to go….

Pa-Co-Chu-Puk  at Ridgway state park, Uncompahgre river at Billy Creek, Uncompahgre river thru the Town of Montrose, Pleasure Park on the Gunnison 

Tagged: Education Featured Fishing Gunnison River Montrose Town Run Paco-Chu Puk Tailwater Pleasure Park Uncompahgre River

Build Your Own Bug

Build Your Own Bug

by Joel L Evans

 

A fiberglass fly rod.  An automatic fly reel. And a scruffy fly at the end of my line.  Four decades ago, that was my fly fishing repertoire.  Trout eagerly snatched up the simple offering cast into the shallow pool.  Such an easy day had happened before that one day.  But there was something different on that day years ago.  More specifically, there was something different about the fly on that day.  A fly like no other.

 

My fly of choice that day didn't come from under the soft fluorescent lights of a store display.  You couldn’t have purchased it anywhere because it came from my kitchen table.  It came into being out of a fly tying kit of cheap tools and materials purchased as an experiment.  And once on the river, the trout proved the experiment a success.

 

Want to witness some of those experiments first hand?  The opportunity is now.  For the next several Saturday mornings, Montrose Anglers hosts “On the Vise Fly Tying Days”.  Each Saturday, a different fly tyer shows off how to tie their favorite patterns.  You and I get to watch and learn closeup while the tyer not only competes the step by step fly, but explains how to rig it up and when and where to fish it.

 

As the host, Nolan Egbert, owner of Montrose Anglers, said that “outreach to the community is one of our core values”.  By organizing the demonstrations, both novice and experienced tyer can learn a few new tricks.  Fly tying is a craft that has no one right way to tie a fly.  Whatever you do may be different but is nonetheless “right”.

 

Nolan commented that “although you can fish year-round, hosting the winter season tying days is a great way for fishermen to gather and socialize in a less-fishable time”.  I enjoy the gathering.  I fish in the winter, sometimes one of the few local rivers free of ice such as the Uncompahgre River in town, or ice fishing some nearby reservoir.  But gathering with like-minded fishermen on a cold winter morning is equally fun.

 

Although I didn’t realize it when I first stared learning to tie flies, the best reason to learn is that tying actually improves your fishing.  Trout are motivated by several factors, not the least of which is the search for food.  (Sounds like me!)  A better understanding of what trout eat will make one a more effective fisherman.  And fly tying, no matter how the flies themselves turn out, educates one a lot on what trout eat.

 

As one learns tying, one also learns about the kinds of insects trout feed on, where these insects can be found, their various colors, shapes, sizes, forms, and the multiple stages of their life cycles.  And it is not just insects we imitate, but other trout food such as small fish or beetles.  All of this information is useful for fishing.

 

Most patterns are very easy to tie and to tie well.  Other patterns can be complicated, using material or techniques that make a simple craft difficult.  But don’t let the seeming difficulty dissuade you from getting started.  Try the simple first.

 

Not much in the way of equipment is really needed to tie a number of effective patterns.  However, fishing and fly tying are like most of our obsessions in that one can indeed buy and buy and buy and still not have it all.  But one doesn’t have to start with it all to tie a fly that you can catch a fish on at your next outing.

 

A minimum tool assortment includes a vise, scissors, bobbin, a bobbin threader, and a bodkin.  As with any hobby, there is always more.  There are many specialty tools that can be added to your collection as needed.  You can buy these tools in a kit or individually.  In general, you get what you pay for.

 

A vise is the largest and single most expensive tool you will need.  For the beginner or occasional tyer, the less expensive models are adequate, then upgrade if you tie a lot.  Scissors, good scissors are critical.  Cheap scissors will work, but if there is any one tool you might spend a little more on at first, then scissors would be it.  The bobbin holds a spool of thread, guiding the thread into small and precise placements.  Getting the thread placed right is often the key to durable and life-like flies.

 

Upcoming Saturday tying days and the presenting tyer are: February 15 with Gale Doudy, February 22 with Tim Jacobs, February 29 with Joel Evans, March 7 with Bob Churchill and March 13th our final gathering with Jake Kepler. Sessions are free and go from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  Montrose Anglers is downtown Montrose at 309 E Main, with additional parking in the rear.

 

Since those high-country brook trout are buried in snow right now, Saturday would be a good time to get in on the tying action.  So what does it take to create such a concoction that a fish will actually believe is something to eat?  Probably less than you think.  Think simple at first, get some basic fly tying tools and materials, and then use your own fly to catch a fish.  Call me if you want help getting started, especially for a kid.

Tagged: Education

New fishing regulations on the Uncompahgre River in Montrose

New fishing regulations on the Uncompahgre River in Montrose

A CPW staffer holds a nice rainbow found during a recent fish survey in the Uncompahgre River through Montrose.

 

NEWS FROM: Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Contact: Joe Lewandowski, 970-375-6708

New fishing regulation on section of Uncompahgre River in Montrose
MONTROSE, Colo. – A new fishing regulation is now in place on a two mile-long section of the
Uncompahgre River that runs through Montrose. From Main Street to La Salle Road, anglers can only
use artificial flies or lures and all fish caught must be returned to the water immediately.
The new Colorado Parks and Wildlife regulation went into effect on Jan. 1.
Anglers are advised, however, that not all of the river in this section is open to public access. Those
using this section should be aware of property boundaries. There are two large sections open to public
access at Taviwach Park and at the Mayfly Outdoors property.
Upstream from Main Street, standard fishing regulations apply ‒ four-trout limit and bait is permitted.
Not all of this section of the river is pubic property, so anglers need to be aware of property boundaries.
Fishing in the Uncompahgre River has been improving and nice catches of rainbow and brown trout
have been reported. The best times to fish the river is from November through April when flows in the
river are low.

Tagged: Montrose Town Run Uncompahgre River

Fly Tying 101 Class

Fly Tying 101 Class

Hello Everyone,

Once again we have the plesure to present to you Fly Tying 101 with Joel Evans. 

What is Fly Tying?

Fly tying is the process of producing an artificial fly used by fly fishing anglers to catch fish. It has been said it is simple process of binding various materials to a hook with thread.

Whether you are being creative and designing your own flies or tying a pattern that has been created by someone else fly tying is a great hobby, and a great activity to do in the off season when you can’t get outside or the fish aren’t biting.

What To Expect…

4-week class for two hours every week

6-8 PM every Tuesday of February

Feb 4

Feb 11

Feb 17

Feb 24

Learn multiple techniques and how to properly use multiple tools. Each week we will focus on a new pattern which incorporates a different fly-tying technique.

Flies you will learn to tie: San Juan Worm, Wooley Bugger, Muskrat nymph, Pheasant Tail nymph, Prince nymph, Elk Hair Caddis, Adams dry fly

Class Taught By:

This Fly-tying class will be taught by our friend Joel Evans. Joel has been tying and teaching fly tying classes now for multiple years and this will be the third year at Montrose Anglers.

Joel lives here in Montrose and has fished our local waters for years. He is very experienced tying specifically for our local rivers and most Western Slope rivers. Joel is also very active in our fly-fishing community as part of the Whiting’s Farms fly tying pro staff, as well as a pro for Ross, Abel, Scott Rods, Cortland, Spirit River and Patagonia. He also writes a fly-tying column for the High Country Angler magazine along with the outdoor column for both The Montrose Daily Press and Grand Junction Sentinel.

Thank you, Joel for your continued support!

Tagged: Education

License to thrill

License to thrill

Just like you wouldn’t get behind the wheel of a car without a license, you shouldn’t get on the water without a fishing license.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife collected $125M in license fees last year, according to the CPW 2019 Fact Sheet. That includes park permit entrance fees, hunting licenses and fishing licenses. State parks also receive funding from federal and state grants and loans, the lottery, donations, sales, registrations and the state General fund and severance tax.

Yet it’s not enough to meet budget forecasts in the years ahead.

Former Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the Hunting, Fishing and Parks for Future Generations Act into law in May 2018. It provides the CPW its first notable cash infusion in 13 years and was initiated to help funding shortfalls of $30M annually for wildlife and $11M annually for parks by 2025. It allows CPW to enact modest increases to state park entrance fees and both resident and non-resident hunting and fishing licenses.

The 2017 Economic Contributions of Outdoor Recreation in Colorado issued by Southwick Associates, stated that 92% of Coloradans enjoy outdoor recreation. The most popular activities are walking and hiking followed by picnicking, camping and fishing. The CPS now offers a Fishing App free via both Google Play and the App Store that identifies more than 2,000 fishing locations in Colorado and the type of fishing at each location, stream gauges, species available, accessibility, family-friendliness and more.

Adults aged 16 years and older must purchase and have in their possession a fishing license in order to fish or transport fish caught in Colorado.  Those under 16 years can fish and take a full limit without a license.  The cost of a license varies with residency, in state and out of state. Seniors aged 64+ pay $1 annually for a license. Anyone who fishes with a second line must have a second rod stamp.  

Colorado law requires anglers to carry their fishing license in their possession while fishing, and carrying fish from the water. Game officers are permitted to inspect your license when you’re fishing or when it appears you’re coming or going from fishing.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife establish checkpoints (just like DUI checkpoints) where officers can search your vehicle and ask for proof of a fishing license.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife issues hundreds of fishing violations every year for licensing violations, daily limit violations and unlawful possession of fish, etc. A fishing ticket for not having a license (or the right license) can have lasting repercussions on your ability to hunt and fish nationwide.

You can access the official state fishing license regulations here:   

https://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/RulesRegs/Brochure/fishing.pdf

And you can get your fishing license easily online at: https://www.cpwshop.com/licensing.page. Got questions, call us at Montrose Anglers and will walk you through getting your license. It’s your ticket to a thrilling day on the river.

Flyfishing from your sofa

Flyfishing from your sofa

Fishingtv.com and mytrouttv.com are authentically compelling from a distance of 12 feet. That’s where your head rests on the end pillow of your sofa on this Saturday morning while you’re considering getting outside.

In truth, it’s worth getting up and getting out on the river. But you’ll never know it unless you try it.

Be advised, you can’t fly fish without the appropriate gear. That doesn’t mean you have to spend a comparable sum to your first day of skiing in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. It does require enough to get a rod, reel, some flies and maybe some sunscreen. If you can’t muster that up, it’s safer to stay on the couch. 

The top fly fishing instructional sites on the internet recommend 5-8 things as absolute basic essentials to your first day on the river:

  • A fly rod and reel
  • Fly line and backing
  • Leader and tippet
  • Flies
  • Nippers
  • Vest or pouch
  • Footwear
  • Waders.

Not so ditto, according to the number two website that claims these 8 items are required:

  • Fly fishing rod and reel outfit
  • Waders, wading boots, and other personal fishing gear
  • Rain jacket, fully waterproof
  • Clothing, fishing and lodge variety
  • Hat, wide-brimmed, for sun and eye protection
  • Polarized sunglasses
  • Day pack or fanny pack
  • Sunscreen, SPF 20 or higher.

The third internet authority reduces the must-haves to 5 items:

  • Fly rod
  • Fly reel
  • Fly line and backing
  • Leader and tippet
  • Bottom of Form
  • Flies.

When you head out to ski for the first time, you buy your own long johns and ski pants, your own ski socks and gloves. You can rent most of the rest. The same goes for fly fishing. That’s where Montrose Anglers can help.

As an Orvis-endorsed guide service, we offer quality Orvis equipment for sale and for rent. We also rods and reels or a full rental package consisting of fly rod, waders or wet wade socks, rubber-soled studded eco-friendly boots, and a fully stocked lanyard. All you need to buy is your selection of flies which our expert guides will recommend depending on which waters you intend to fish. The full package runs $50 per day with multiple day discounts. If you only need certain equipment, as us for the price breakdown.

Our purpose is to introduce potential fly fishermen to the experience in a manner that will most likely encourage a love for the sport. Not every fly fishing shop can do that…but ours can. Check out Montrose Anglers on the internet. Make a reservation. We’ll be ready and waiting for you.

And your sofa will be at home waiting for you when you return. We guarantee.

Tagged: Fishing

Is this catch and release or are we fishing for something more?

Is this catch and release or are we fishing for something more?

53 minutes and 45.7 miles east of Montrose via US-50 E, is the Blue Mesa Reservoir, the largest lake within Colorado state lines.


Blue Mesa Reservoir spans 20 miles and boasts over 96 miles of shoreline. Anglers are likely more impressed with the type of fish in the Blue Mesa water than the water’s size: Rainbow  trout, Brown trout, Sockeye salmon and Lake trout. The two, however, go hand in hand, the size of the water and the variety of fish.


Blue Mesa Reservoir was created by the construction of Blue Mesa Dam, a 390-foot tall earthen fill dam constructed on the Gunnison by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1966 for the generation of hydroelectric power.


The Blue Mesa Reservoir near Gunnison on the  Curecanti National Recreation Area , is only 39 percent full. According to Colorado Public Radio in late 2018, the last time water levels were this low was in 1987. The Gunnison River Basin is known for some of the best fly fishing in the world. Anglers say the fishing is still good, although due to low water levels, Blue Mesa Reservoir is virtually a whole new lake and the fish are hanging out in different areas than prior years.


But it’s what’s under that great big fishing pond is even more fascinating. The water has dropped 80 feet from its fullest level revealing the extinct town of Iola that’s been under water since the 1960s when the dam was built. Located on the upper end of the lake, it may be the only one of the four towns that were flooded over that will reappear.


Two hundred to three hundred citizens were displaced by the reservoir over the 10 years it was built and filled. Some survivors of Iola’s fate have come around lately to walk the place they grew up, where families lived for four generations before having to make way for progress. A post office called Iola was established in 1896, and remained in operation until 1963. Photos online at History Colorado are limited. A few, like the one here, capture life in Iola. A man in a hat with a round crown and a sack coat stands in front of a two-story hewn-log building with chinking, which has a sign that reads, "Iola Fine Trout Fishing" under the gable roof.


A string of fishing resorts including Trout Haven Resort, Rippling River Resort and the Elkhorn Resort were also flooded. The fatefully named Neversink Resort met an ironic end. When the town thrived, the D&RG (Denver and Rio Grand Railroad) brought fishermen to this part of the state, supposedly including President Herbert Hoover. Colorado Public Radio’s Nancy Lofholm reported that 10-15 foundations from the town’s general store, the Big Little Store, and other homes and businesses in Iola have surfaced from the muck. The concrete that used to hold the school flag pole marks where the children of this town were educated. Rusted metal tools have emerged from the ground in no particular order.


Anglers come to this destination water looking for kokanee salmon and trophy lake trout, as well as stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout. Kokanee have rebounded since 2013 as well as lake trout. Increased lake trout conditions should result in improved opportunities for anglers to catch larger trophy lake trout.


The water is fishable winter and summer. Ice fishing shelters must be portable. Kokanee snagging is permitted November 1-December 31. Bag and possession for lake trout is unlimited for lake trout up to 32 inches; one fish over 32 inches. Bag limit for kokanee is 5 fish and possession is 10 fish. Bag limit for cutthroat, brook, brown, and rainbow trout is 4 fish with possession limits of 8 fish.


If you want to make a day of fishing the Blue Mesa, Montrose Anglers will get you set up. Come on in and we will steer you in the right direction, maybe you can even do a little archeological tour of Iola while your at it.