Category: Uncategorized

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Colorado Parks and Wildlife enacts emergency fishing closure on heavily fished portion of Yampa River below Stagecoach Reservoir
OAK CREEK, Colo. – Due to critically low water flow caused by dry conditions and minimal snowpack levels, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) will implement a mandatory fishing closure on a 0.6-mile stretch of the Yampa River between the dam at Stagecoach State Park downstream to the lowermost park boundary.

The closure begins May 25 and will continue until further notice.

“Should the flow rate increase substantially for a continuous period of time, CPW will re-evaluate the emergency fishing closure,” said CPW Senior Aquatic Biologist Lori Martin. “But because of the current conditions, we need to take this course of action now.”

CPW works closely with the Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District (UYWCD), who owns and operates Stagecoach Reservoir, to stay informed on reservoir releases and monitor drought conditions. UYWCD is finalizing a contract with the Colorado Water Trust for environmental releases later in the year.

“Timing (environmental releases) is critical to the health of the river system,” said UYWCD General Manager Andy Rossi. “We manage the reservoir and collaborate with our partners to ensure that water is available and legal mechanisms are in place to release water when the river needs it most. Unfortunately, flows are already low, but hot and dry summer months are still to come,” said Rossi.

Water releases are currently only at 20% of average, and will be dropping to less than 15% of average for this time period. When water flows are minimal, fish become concentrated in residual pool habitat and become stressed due to increased competition for food resources. The fish become much easier targets for anglers, an added stressor that can result in increased hooking mortality.

“We are trying to be as proactive as possible to protect the outstanding catch-and-release fishery we have downstream of Stagecoach Reservoir,” said CPW Area Aquatic Biologist Bill Atkinson. “This stretch of the river receives a tremendous amount of fishing pressure, especially in the spring when other resources might not be as accessible. This emergency closure is an effort to protect the resource by giving the fish a bit of a reprieve as they can become quite stressed during these extreme low-flow conditions. This spring we have not witnessed a spike in flows, which can offer fish protection and allow them to recoup energy following the spring spawn season.”

CPW advises anglers to find alternative areas to fish until the order is rescinded. Many other local areas will become more fishable soon as runoff tapers down. Several area lakes are also opening and should be fishing well.

CPW asks for cooperation from anglers, who should be aware the mandatory fishing closure will be enforced by law with citations issued for anyone violating the order.

Wildlife officials warn when a fish population is significantly affected by low stream flows or other unfavorable environmental conditions, it could take several years for it to fully recover if not protected. Given the extreme drought conditions we are currently faced with, other stretches of river in this area may be subject to additional closures this season.

Like many rivers and streams in western Colorado, the Yampa River offers world-class fishing and attracts thousands of anglers each year, providing a source of income to local businesses that depend on outdoor recreation.

“We ask for the public’s patience and cooperation,” said Stagecoach State Park Manager Craig Preston. “It is very important that we do what we can to protect this unique fishery, not only for anglers, but for the communities that depend on the tourism these resources support.”

For more information, contact Stagecoach State Park at 970-736-2436, or CPW’s Steamboat Springs office at 970-870-2197.

For more information about fishing in Colorado, including alternative places to fish, visit the CPW website.

You can ditch the 5X tippet

Fly fishing bass against the shoreline is one of fly fishing’s best adventures.  The finesse of dropping your fly inches from the reeds, letting it sink just right…. twitch twitch…. WHAM!  It’s an addicting process yet requires an extremely simple tackle setup.  You can ditch the 5X tippet, split shot, floatant, 2-fly rigs, and strike indicators.  Talk about a breath of fresh air!

Combine some opps at lunker largemouth with some panfish kickers here and there and that’s a fine day on the lake.  We encourage everyone to set some time aside and try to catch a bass of reasonable size this spring. Set a realistic goal, and stick with it!

Simple Tackle Setup for Bass

  • #6 – #8 Fly Rod and Reel w/ Floating Line
  • Bass Leader – For the cost, this is a must.  It’s a cheap way to help your fly turnover correctly.
  • Strong Tippet Material
  • Flies – You don’t need a lot, but they should be good patterns.
  • Video of Proper Bass Setup

  • A Proper Setup for Largemouth Bass

    While I personally prefer the #6, which is really considered a 6+, the #7 is a wonderful choice for anglers buying this rod specifically for bass without overlap into trout fishing.  The right style of rod makes casting these big flies easier and more enjoyable.  If you enjoy this type of fishing, you’ll stick with it long enough to become good at it and succeed.

General Tips for better nymph fishing

Strike indicator selection makes an enormous difference in your catch count and enjoyment.  Oversized and overweighted nymph rigs can be a miserable casting experience, and aren’t always necessary.  Varying fly sizes, water speeds, fly weight, depth, angler prowess, wind, and water clarity all play some factor in how you choose what strike indicator to use for varying conditions.

General Tips for better nymph fishing:

  1. Efficiency is paramount.  Consider using tippet rings just below your indicator or at a junction if you are using two flies.  Break offs and tangles are more easily patched up.
  2. Too much depth below your indicator is more harmful to success than too little.
  3. You don’t need to “dredge” the bottom.  Your nymphs should flirt with the bottom but snagging every few casts is a waste of time and resources.
  4. Choose the correct strike indicator.
  5. Single fly rigs with a Tungsten Jighead Nymph are simple to setup, deadly, and seldom tangle vs. a 2 fly rig. This keeps you in the water more and re-rigging less!
  6. Fish drop offs whenever possible. If the water looks “plain” you are at a disadvantage even if there are trout holding there.
  7. Hook sets are free. Hit the twitch.
  8. Trout are a wiley quarry, give their survival instincts some credit. Approach each cast as though you can see the trout even when you cannot.
  9. Longer rods are better. Euro style nymph rods double as tremendous light indicator rods.
  10. Learn to High Stick properly.  Keep your rod just a few degrees above parallel to the water, don’t tip it back!

NBFF Meeting the 24th

The February meeting of the NBFF will be at 7 pm on Wednesday, February 24th at the Summit on River Road. The pavilion is located adjacent to the clubhouse/pool area.

Chris Long from Gruene Outfitters will be our speaker. Chris’ subjects will be early season bass flies and a preview of the Agua Fresca tournament. Bring a chair.
Hope you can make it 

NBFF meeting is Jan 27th

Darryl Yarbrough has secured the Summit pavilion for our January Meeting to be held on Wednesday, January 27th at 7:00 pm.  The Summit is located at 13105 River Road (take a right toward the river) and the pavilion is located behind the Summit Clubhouse.  Our speaker for the evening will be a local game warden so come join us.  Bring your own chair so that we can maintain a safe distance.