Spring Run-off - Poor Fishing Conditions

Coller Bridge looking downstream

It looks like the best day to fish this last week would have been Tuesday, the day I arrived -- but, I wasn't quite prepared with the knowledge of public accesses to the Rio Grande River or the first hand experience of checking them out for the best spot(s).  Many of them turned out to be rediculously inadequate or poorly maintained.

Since Wednesday (my first day of fishing here), the river has risen a few inches and has gotten considerably muddier so, the fishing has gotten really poor.  The first day, I could see my lure coming through the water and could see the bottom and some of the boulders in the shallows -- ones to avoid getting snagged on or ones that might have a fish hiding under or beside them.  Now I can barely see the lure as it comes from the water after casting and retrieving it -- imagine the fish can't see it either.  Maybe they have headed upstream to find some pools where the sediment has settled a bit.

Poor little Red Fox

Yesterday's outings to CR 17 and the spot near the Masonic Park and others upstream in Coller State Wildlife Area yielded no strikes and of course, no fish.  Guess I will be looking elsewhere such as the South Fork, Beaver Creek or Pass Creek on the approaches to Wolf Creek Pass to monitor the impact of the run-off their and maybe find some lakes or ponds open to the public that might produce some fish -- will thaw a few of those Spanish Mackerels today, just in case.  Save the Elk and Buffalo for possibly next week if I can't find some decent fishing somewhere nearby.

Today, I decided to head west toward Creede which is about 20 miles upstream with the hope of finding some clearer water in the Rio Grande and maybe discover where all the snowpack might be that could be feeding the muddy water to the river.  On the way up the valley or canyon there were numerous falling rock areas and lots of cliffs with huge threatening boulders -- always a hazard in the spring when the temps get above freezing and release the loose ones.

Snow-capped peaks in the distance

The town of Creede is at 8845 ft. and is nestled in the curve of US 149 on a small stream that goes into the Rio Grande.  It also has a mining museum and just a handful of little businesses.  I headed about 8 miles to the west looking for the Rio Grande Campgrounds and the accesses it supposedly provides for fishing.  Along the way I began to see some snow covered peaks in the distance most likely at the headwaters of the Rio Grande -- proof there was a sizeable snowpack feeding the sediment and water into the river.  My hope was the river might not be so muddy up here and maybe the fish would be biting.

I pulled into the dirt road and drove past all the campsites (only one seemed occupied by someone just getting setup) and I stopped near the empty "Camp Host" spot where there was an opening to the river.  The breeze was quite stiff and to the right of the spot was a stand of pine trees that seemed to shield me from some of the wind and the sun shined down with some warmth as I cast numerous times with no strikes.  The water definitely looked better here and I hiked downstream some and passed the guy setting up camp and talked a bit with him -- he wasn't a fisherman he said but, he said he saw somebody catching some fish earlier at a reservoir nearby.  He also said it had been 24 degrees there in Creede this morning so I thought maybe the fish up here are still in a dormant state.

After hiking downstream about a half-mile with no action, I decided to head back to the Marshal Park Campground which I passed a couple miles back.  The bridge into the campgound was chained off and closed so, I climbed down to the river near the base of the bridge and the US 149 bridge running parallel to it just 100 yards downstream.  I had looked from the approaches of the campground bridge and thought there were some boulders and a nice mix of fast and slow moving water that might produce some fish.

The best looking spot was just downstream from the 149 bridge where a previous bridges supports had been left standing and the one nearest the bank had been clogged with logs and branches which created a little pond behind it and a stretch of slow moving water along the bank -- numerous boulders seemed to create great hiding places in the water for some lunkers (or some of those fish tired of the muddy waters downstream).  As I climbed over the field of boulders to the water's edge, I was greeted by a couple of scurrying little chipmunks -- probably looking for handouts.  Unfortunately, I left my granola bars in the Jeep and I wasn't going to climb back up to get them.

So, I set about casting into the pool, near the concrete support and into the slow moving waters near the bank but, had no strikes again and didn't see any signs of fish.  Since the hiking/climbing at 9000 ft had me a bit tired and the winds didn't seem to be letting up, I decided to pack it in and head back to South Fork.

Creede is just on the other side of these tan colored bluffs as I headed back down the highway.  A couple mining structures were nestled at the base of the bluffs but, I didn't stop to take a picture as the shoulders weren't wide enough there.

On the other side of Creede, I caught up with the Rio Grande again as it began tumbling down the canyons and valleys so, I stopped at one spot and took a couple pictures.

Wagon Wheel Gap near Creede

Here's that skeleton behind the boulder in Coller State Wildlife Area that I mentioned in my previous blog (decided to stop and take its picture too).  I also checked the spot near the Masonic Park and threw my lure in about a half dozen times.  Did note that one large boulder near the center of the river is now nearly being completely washed over by the rising waters and some near the bank are now covered.

Now will enjoy one of the three Spanish Mackerel I just cooked on the grille like the last Brown Trout.  I expect there will be one or two cats wanting some of these too -- none of my salad though.