When summer rain storms can create rapid changes to river conditions, anglers can be prepared for what the river will look like by checking weather forecasts and current river flows. The Dutch Hill ANS inspection booth is open Monday through Thursday, 8am to 6pm; Friday through Sunday 6am to 9pm. Investigative, unbiased and fact-based journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. Commissions do not influence editorial independence. Vehicles and trailers are not permitted in the water. As of 7/19/2020, a recent report indicated there is good fishing still going on at North Sterling Reservoir. Fishing for catfish has been reported as being the most active around dawn and dusk, and anglers are having success with worms or liver based baits.
Expect long lines at the entrance to the park, to launch your boat and to find a parking space. One report indicated the most lake trout action occurred between 40' to 90' down the water column. ANS inspections are available 6am to 10pm and decontaminations are available 8am to 8pm at the main boat ramp. Aliases: Angel of Shavano Trailhead This road is well-maintained as far as the Angel of Shavano Trailhead.
These conditions have meant better conditions for the livelihood of fish in the Animas. Quincy ReservoirAs of 7/23/2020, the Eleven Mile Marina reports that fishing for trout continues to be good at Eleven Mile Reservoir. We are finding lake trout in 30' to 60' of water. Vol 3 - Day 226 COVID-19 Cases on the Rise in Chaffee County, Facemasks as a Weapon Under DiscussionYMCA Fire transitions to Type 4 incident, Now 60 Percent contained WINTER trips to North Fork Canadian Yurt Winter Access: 1.1 miles Winter Trailhead: Jackson County Road 41, 8.5 miles from the main park entrance on Highway 14 at the end of CR 41. In 1978, it was believed that the valley along the North Fork Gunnison River from Hotchkiss to Paonia Reservoir would be likely to experience rapid population growth associated with coal mining activities. The turn off of US 50 is at Maysville, then about a ten-mile trek up County Road 240 that starts out as a smooth, scenic paved road but which turns gnarly about four miles up just past the public Shavano Campground. The bite has also been on among white bass as well.
Dead and dying trees have closed a popular area campground until further notice.Spruce Beetle.
From there it is a very rough road suitable only for high-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicles. Visions of behemoth trout are dancing in my head.CAVEAT: The North Fork Road has reopened, but is still very rough. A thirty-year old guidebook I have tells tales of huge, but finicky cutthroat trout in the lake, a story confirmed in hushed tones by some local fishing guides. So when the weatherman predicted a sunny day this week, I fetched the day pack from the basement along with my mountain lake fishing gear and plotted a trek to a high-country lake I have been hankering to try–Island Lake far up the North Fork Valley about 20 miles west of my cabin near Salida. The nearest weather station for both precipitation and temperature measurements is SAL which is approximately 17 miles away and has an elevation of 7,160 feet (4,254 feet lower than North Fork Reservoir). Water temperature last peaked at 70 degrees but has since returned to daily highs in the mid-60's and lows in the low 60's. As of 7/26/2020, staff at James M. Robb Colorado River State Park report that "trout fishing has slowed with the warmer summer temperatures.
Reports also suggest that the shad hatch is on. One angler noted they were able to pull in fish from 10' to 15' down the water column.
They reported fish were attracted to both chartreuse worms and small jerkbaits. The water was indicated to be stained with visibility at about 3-feet. The boat ramp is currently open 7am-8pm, Su.-Th. Here you go….The North Fork of the South Arkansas River springs from three high-mountain lakes–Arthur,Island,and Billings– about 20 miles west of Salida,Colorado. In Reilly Canyon, water levels have been low and significant grass blooms have restricted fishing opportunities along shorelines. One angler noted having success pulling in smallmouth bass and trout from shore. Restricted to artificial flies and lures only. Given the current state of politics in the country and multiple threats to our environment and natural resources, it’s more important than ever to take a stand and do whatever we can to protect Mother Nature.An added and very satisfying benefit has been connecting with people and making new friends around the USA and the world—readers from over 60 countries. As of 7/29/2020, the Animas River has rebounded and is running about normal for this time of the year. A few rainbow trout are being caught bottom fishing around the campgrounds with PowerBait or worms. District offices. Please call ahead to check current conditions based on the weather. The lake trout bite is fair to good depending on the day. With high fishing pressure small fluorocarbon tippets and small midges are the way to go. Exercise caution if accessing the North Fork reservoir via foot past the closure gate.According to the USFS Salida Ranger Jim Pitts, the Forest Service is pursuing options, including funding, to remove the dead, potentially hazardous trees in the North Fork campground area.“Although we don’t anticipate completing this work in time to reopen the campground during the 2020 summer season, we are hopeful to have the work completed this summer with a goal of reopening North Fork Campground and day-use parking in 2021,” said Recreation Manager Ben Lara.Those with questions or concerns related to this closure should contact the Salida Ranger District Office at 719-539-3591.The Ark Valley Voice is an independent, FREE, online news media platform. Which means I usually have the place to myself, particularly during the week. Rainbows are breaking the surface most of the day. As of 7/27/2020, Randy, a guide with Fishing with Bernie, reports that "water capacity is 99% as the summer draw down begins.