This was the final fishing report for 2011. Fishing reports will resume in spring 2012.
The season might be winding down for fishermen in October, but not for Colorado Parks and Wildlife aquatic biologists.
“It’s one of the busiest times of the year for us,” said John Alves, Southwest Region Senior Biologist. “We have a lot on our plate.”
As anglers reflect on the past fishing year and anticipate seasons to come, biologists are checking the status of fishing waters across the state and looking ahead to the future. Two of their primary efforts are monitoring existing fish populations and collecting spawn for future stocking.
Population studies include gill-net sampling of warm-water species in numerous low-land reservoirs and electro-fishing at established sampling locations along trout streams such as the South Platte and Arkansas rivers.
“Essentially, we’re gathering trend data,” said Doug Krieger, Southeast Region Senior Biologist. “It doesn’t tell us the actual number of fish, but it provides an indication of how they’re doing. Comparing the data over a period of years gives us an indication of trends, which helps us determine our approach to managing those waters.”
Parks and Wildlife personnel perform the field work well into the fall and begin analyzing the collected data soon afterward. Some of that information may be used in the short term, such as determining fish survival and adjusting stocking schedules of warm-water species like walleyes and wipers, as well as trout and other cold-water fish. In a longer term, trend data is used both in evaluating the effectiveness of existing special regulations on designated waters and in recommending potential changes in future five-year regulations cycles.
October and November also are the time for collecting spawn from kokanee salmon and brown and brook trout.
Kokanee are an important component in reservoir fisheries and a favorite among many anglers both in the summer months and for ice fishing. They do not reproduce well naturally in the state, and their populations must be replenished through periodic stocking. That requires gathering spawn from mature salmon.
The most dramatic spawn-taking event occurs at the Roaring Judy hatchery near Almont. Salmon from Blue Mesa Reservoir move more than 20 miles up the Gunnison and East rivers into raceways at the hatchery, where Parks and Wildlife personnel are waiting. The Roaring Judy operation typically provides millions of young salmon for stocking in Blue Mesa and other waters, but it is only one source of kokanee eggs. Though egg yields vary from year to year, other established brood waters include Granby, Williams Fork, Vallecito and McPhee reservoirs.
Brown trout are largely self-sustaining in Colorado, but their populations occasionally are supplemented with fish hatched from the spawn taken at North Delaney Butte Lake. That spawn also is used to produce tiger trout, colorful brown-trout/brook trout hybrids that may be used to control brook trout in certain waters, as well as to offer varied opportunities for anglers. Brook trout spawn is taken from Haypress Lake in Mineral County. It is used to produce splake, predatory brook-trout/lake trout hybrids, in addition to the largely experimental tigers.
On the other end of the spectrum, fisheries biologists are conducting a mackinaw-removal operation at Blue Mesa Reservoir, where a population explosion of lake trout has been taking a heavy toll on salmon.
“We might not be in the office for a while,” Alves said. “We have a lot to do, and we try to get out while we can, before the winter moves in.”
SALMON GIVEAWAYS: Fishing for kokanee salmon in Colorado depends on collecting spawn from mature kokanee at several locations in the state, but as all Pacific salmon, the fish will die soon afterward. To enable the public to make use of a resource that otherwise might be wasted, Colorado Parks and Wildlife conducts salmon giveaways at spawn-taking stations through the fall. People must have a valid Colorado fishing license is to receive salmon, and the giveaways are subject to the availability of fish. This year’s dates and locations are:
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- Roaring Judy hatchery near Almont - CLOSED
- Vallecito Reservoir - CLOSED
- Dolores River, Joe Rowell Town Park in Dolores - CLOSED
- Williams Fork Reservoir - CLOSED
- Granby at Shadow Mountain; Nov. 7, 10, 14, 17, 21 and 28; call 970-725-6200.
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BONNY RESERVOIR DRAINING: Bonny Reservoir is being drained and Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists have begun salvaging game fish from the Yuma County reservoir for transplanting to other public fishing waters. Bag and possession limits at the lake were lifted last summer, and as long as the shoreline remains stable and access is safe, licensed fishermen may keep all the fish they can catch by any legal method including the use of trotlines jugs and seines.
The State Engineer began releasing water from the reservoir on Sept. 21 to satisfy legal obligations to release all the water to Kansas and Nebraska. The result most likely will be loss of the entire fishery. The lake might be drained in as little as 90 days, according to Parks and Wildlife Area Wildlife Manager Cory Chick. Access may be closed to boats and/or anglers if the receding lake creates unstable banks or other public-safety hazards.
Parks and Wildlife will begin transitioning Bonny from a state park to a state wildlife area on Oct. 1.
BOAT INSPECTION CHANGES: Fishermen are reminded that with the arrival of fall, boat-inspection schedules at numerous lakes are subject to seasonal change. Checking for adjusted hours or possible closures before heading to a particular lake can save some time.
RAMPART RAMP CLOSURE: The boat ramp at Rampart Reservoir, a popular fishing lake near Woodland Park, has closed for the season to all trailered, motorized watercraft because of low water levels. The aquatic –nuisance-species inspection program also has ended, but hand-launched, non-gasoline powered craft are permitted on the reservoir for the remainder of the season. The level has been dropping to accommodate planned repairs to the city of Colorado Springs Homestake water delivery system.
CHEESMAN RESERVOIR CLOSURE: Anglers and kokanee salmon snaggers are reminded Cheesman Reservoir will remain closed to public access until the spring of 2012. Denver Water is completing repairs to the dam, built in 1905, and hopes to reopen the reservoir to visitors on May 1. In the meantime, the upper and lower access points to Gill Trail remain open to hikers, providing access to Cheesman Canyon and the South Platte River. The reservoir has been closed to visitors since Jan. 1, 2010.
LAKE JOHN REOPENS: The rehabilitation project is complete and Lake John has reopened to fishing. The Lake has been restocked with trout, including 1,200 brood fish weighing up to seven pounds from the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife hatchery system. All standard fishing regulations and bag limits are in effect.
FISHING FORCAST: As a service to anglers, Division of Parks & Wildlife biologists in the Southeast and Southwest Regions published a fishing forecast for their areas.
BECOME A CONTRIBUTOR: The DOW is constantly looking to improve the fishing report. If you’re an angler or a business owner (bait shop, marina, etc.) and would like to contribute to the fishing report, please contact us by email: fish.reporter@state.co.us.
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