LEE'S FERRY
Traveling U.S. Highway 89 north of Page, Lee's Ferry marks
the jumping off point for floating the Grand Canyon.
Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River amid 1,000-foot
sandstone cliffs, Lee's Ferry is among the more scenic trout
waters anywhere on the planet.
The game is sight fishing with small nymphs and scuds to
rainbow trout in water almost too clear to believe. In
winter, pounding the water with streamers, spawn and egg
patterns works well. Long rods, 8 to 9 feet, for 5- or
6-weight lines, leaders of 10 to 14 feet and long, fine
tippets from 5x to 7x rule the days here.
Winter and spring midge patterns -- olive, brown, gray,
black, & tan WD-40s; Discos; Desert Storms; black, gray and
olive CDC emerges in sizes 20-28; Griffith's Gnats and Black
Cluster Midge in sizes 16-22 -- and No. 10 San Juan Worms
produce well. Blue-winged olives (Baetis) dominate the bug
activity in April, May and June and again in fall; match
them with size 18-22 BWOs. In June, July and August look for
PMDs, caddis and flying ants. Match them with like patterns
in sizes 16-22. Alternatively, toss them a curve by pitching
size 2-6 leeches. Buggers and Clousers produce well when the
river turns murky, at dawn, dusk, and on dark days anytime
fall through spring.
Ultra-light spin fishing rigs spooled with 2- to 4-pound
premium line works best. Small lures, 1/8- and 1/16-ounce
jigs, in black, brown and olive (Charley's Jig is the local
favorite); 1/4-ounce Kastmasters (copper or silver); small
countdown Rapalas; and during spawn large pink, blood red or
yellow No. 10 Glo Bugs produce well.
The South Fork Snake, the 40-mile tail water below Palisades
Dam, is rated by many as the top cutthroat fishery in the
West for good reason: With Yellowstone and Snake River
fine-spotted cutthroat, rainbows and browns, the trout
population exceeds 7,000 per mile in spots. Trout average 15
to 17 inches but there are lots of fish bigger than that.
SOUTH PLATTE RIVER
To reach Cheesman Canyon on the South Platte, turn off U.S.
285 south of Pine Junction onto CR 126 and head toward
Deckers. Or, from Colorado Springs, take U.S. 24 west to
Woodland Park, turn north on CO 67 toward Deckers to CR 126.
From the parking lot, follow the Gill Trail upstream to the
canyon, at least a 20-minute hike. Those with the lungs of
mountain goats access the canyon via the vertiginous drop
from Cheesman Dam itself.
If you aren't sure where to go in Cheesman Canyon, just
follow the crowd. Being lonely here is not possible.
The Decker's section, including the canyon, is not just
heavily fished but pounded daily, 24/7/365. Fishing pressure
does taper off during winter, but you can expect weekends to
be crowded.
The lure, of course, is the opportunity to fish over fat,
difficult trout -- rainbows and browns that average 15 to 17
inches, with plenty of 20-inchers to go around.
GREEN RIVER
The tail water below Flaming Gorge Reservoir at Dutch John,
Utah, is nothing short of primo trout water, perhaps tops in
this list. Eight out of 10 anglers who come here fish the
initial seven miles below the dam to Little Hole.
It's little wonder the area would receive such pressure
considering trout estimates run as high as five figures per
mile, with the average trout running 15 to 17 inches and
plenty in the 18- to 20-inch class to boot. Below Little
Hole the river broadens, the crowds thin, and yet the trout
are still thick though not as numerous as upstream, and the
average size diminishes some but still rates as top-notch.
The river supports a mix of rainbow, cutthroat, cut bow and
brown trout, with a slight bias toward browns. For the hog
hunter, huge trout live here. The record brown, caught in
1996, weighed nearly 30 pounds.
SAN JUAN
The San Juan, below Navajo Dam east of Farmington, N.M.,
ranks right up there when it comes to fruitful, fertile tail
waters. The first 3.75 miles below the dam is designated
special trout water, with regulations requiring flies and
artificial lures with a single barb less hook.
Ultra-light spinning rigs and small lures such as Mepps and
Panther Martins, small Kastmasters, 1/8- and 1/16-ounce jigs
(black, olive, white and brown) or spawn imitations, hot
glue eggs or Glo Bugs round out the spin fisher's arsenal.
Access is good off NM 511 on the river's south side; access
to the north side below Simeon Canyon is via the road to
Cottonwood Campground. |
