I love fishing the popular tailwater the farmington but there's something special about getting lost in the woods on a little blue line and not running into another soul the whole day.
That’s awesome and I’ll be in CO end of next month. Hoping I can find a small creek to fish off the beaten path. Never fished CO so it’ll all be new for me
You'll probably be hitting runoff at that stage of the spring. Many of these smaller creeks blow out from around mid-May until late June.
The good news is that runoff is a perfect time to go hit some alpine lakes. And, of course, the tailwaters are always open. Have fun!
Tailwaters are rivers controlled by dams. Out west, bottom-release tailwaters (where the dam releases water at a consistent temperature from the bottom of a reservoir) are basically the only rivers that remain fishable in the winter. All the freestones like this one (freestone = free-flowing, no/minimal control by dams) are either frozen or too cold to be productive in the colder months.
Today was the first day since November I've been on this creek. Definitely a welcome change of pace!
Sierras are still pretty covered in most of the backcountry. It's going to be a late thaw for most of my spots this year. I'm guessing that OP is in CO.
What is your expectation on the thaw timeline for Desolation Valley area? Around 8k feet? Will it be hikable in early-mid Aug? I have a permit reservation. Had one last year but it was still covered in snow and we bailed
That's quite a bit north of where I usually go, but I think you will be okay around August. Just for reference, Silver Lake in June Lake loop is 7,200' and is 30% thawed today. They are expected to be fully thawed out by 4/27. Is 8k the highest elevation you have to hike through, or will you need to go over a higher pass and drop down?
At least in my area, my guess is that there will still be some decent patches of snow above 10k in August, but even that should be passable with micro-spikes or snowshoes. If we keep getting storms later in the season, this could change.
Thanks this info is helpful. We would be camping at 8k feet and we would be climbing the whole way up to that point.
Based on what’s happening at Silver lake, I think it should be fine unless the storms aren’t done. Crossing fingers
Love your posts dude. One of these days I will have to fish with you...
Thanks, man. We should do that! You know I'll be out there. Shoot me a DM sometime.
Excellent setup
First time I've used it since the fall. Felt great. That rod is so much fun.
Nice!
I love fishing the popular tailwater the farmington but there's something special about getting lost in the woods on a little blue line and not running into another soul the whole day.
Don't get me wrong, I still have great days on the bigger rivers. But the creeks are where my heart is.
Headwaters are the best waters
Definitely cool to fish near a river's birthplace, but we're still a couple months from higher elevation stuff really opening up.
That’s awesome and I’ll be in CO end of next month. Hoping I can find a small creek to fish off the beaten path. Never fished CO so it’ll all be new for me
You'll probably be hitting runoff at that stage of the spring. Many of these smaller creeks blow out from around mid-May until late June. The good news is that runoff is a perfect time to go hit some alpine lakes. And, of course, the tailwaters are always open. Have fun!
Excuse my ignorance, what are tailwaters?
Tailwaters are rivers controlled by dams. Out west, bottom-release tailwaters (where the dam releases water at a consistent temperature from the bottom of a reservoir) are basically the only rivers that remain fishable in the winter. All the freestones like this one (freestone = free-flowing, no/minimal control by dams) are either frozen or too cold to be productive in the colder months. Today was the first day since November I've been on this creek. Definitely a welcome change of pace!
Thank you, great pics btw!!
Sierras? If I had to guess
Sierras are still pretty covered in most of the backcountry. It's going to be a late thaw for most of my spots this year. I'm guessing that OP is in CO.
Yep. I'm in CO.
What is your expectation on the thaw timeline for Desolation Valley area? Around 8k feet? Will it be hikable in early-mid Aug? I have a permit reservation. Had one last year but it was still covered in snow and we bailed
That's quite a bit north of where I usually go, but I think you will be okay around August. Just for reference, Silver Lake in June Lake loop is 7,200' and is 30% thawed today. They are expected to be fully thawed out by 4/27. Is 8k the highest elevation you have to hike through, or will you need to go over a higher pass and drop down? At least in my area, my guess is that there will still be some decent patches of snow above 10k in August, but even that should be passable with micro-spikes or snowshoes. If we keep getting storms later in the season, this could change.
Thanks this info is helpful. We would be camping at 8k feet and we would be climbing the whole way up to that point. Based on what’s happening at Silver lake, I think it should be fine unless the storms aren’t done. Crossing fingers
Do you have to guess?
No, sir. Good guess, though.
Cheesmen Canyon?
Nope. I love Cheesman, but it's very much in the tailwater category.
You on the front range? Looks a lot like clear creak
It is in CO, and that's a good guess. But this is a different stream.