Spring can be a difficult time for many fly-fishers. Most freestone rivers are beginning to rise
and discolor with the advent of warmer weather and spring runoff. Though somewhat disheartening, opportunities
still abound and prevail. The Fryingpan
River, which is controlled by a dam, remains in beautiful shape, with low and
clear water providing excellent fishing conditions. As more and more rivers become swollen with
increasing snow melt, tailwaters like the Fryingpan will also become more
crowded. For me, this is the perfect
time of year to explore beyond trout and fish for warmwater species of fish
like bass, panfish, pike and carp, which are becoming increasingly more active
with the warmer weather.
Between New Castle and Rifle sits two highly productive
reservoirs; Harvey Gap and Rifle Gap.
Fly-fishers travel from great distances in efforts to catch two primary
species of fish here; Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass. I personally make the drive from Basalt down
here about fifty days a year. That
number alone should tell you that they’re both worth the short drive.
Northern pike up to 50” inches are no joke on a fly rod. If bigger is better, then these fish are at
the very top of the food chain. Eight,
nine and ten weight fly rods are needed to throw the large flies used to
imitate crayfish, perch, rainbow trout and juvenile pike.
Smallmouth bass, long heralded as pound-for-pound the
hardest fighting fish in freshwater, is available in good numbers on both
reservoirs. As water temperatures reach
above 50’f, smallmouth flock to the shallows in large schools in efforts to
spawn and eat crayfish. Fish up to 4lbs
are occasionally caught, with feisty 10-14”inch fish being most common.
Fisheries management plans on both reservoirs are
changing. Rifle Gap is now being managed
for tri-ploid walleye (sterile), perch, black crappie and stocked trout. Restrictions have been lifted for both northern
pike and smallmouth bass. Harvey Gap
Reservoir is seeing similar restrictions and management with the exception of
banning spearing/archery for pike (with the recent introduction of Tiger
Muskie, another synthetic man-made fish).
Recent discussions on internet message boards and forums
pertaining to the new management and restrictions on the reservoirs are a hot
bed of controversy. While talking to
both fishermen and park staff, it seems to me that the consensus is that the
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is once again using our dollars to stock more trout
and manmade fish, foregoing the high-dollar traveling angler that puts big
money into the local economy via hotels, restaurants, outdoors stores and more
in efforts to pursue pike and smallmouth.
Will the days of seeing some of Colorado’s
best pike and bass fishing go by the wayside?
I sure hope not. If you’re as
worried as I am about salvaging what little is left, I encourage you to contact
Colorado Parks and Wildlife fisheries biologist, Sherman Hebein, at
970.255.6186.
Words by Kirk Webb
Photographs courtesy of Kirk Webb and Christian Hill