High Desert Trout

Originally broadcast on New Mexico PBS station KNME.

Join noted fly-fishing expert, Bob Gerding as he unravels the mystique of fly-fishing in New Mexico. Bob is joined by author John Nichols who takes you to his favorite fishing holes along the Rio Grande Gorge. Ti Piper, author of "Fly-Fishing in New Mexico", describes the spirit behind his search for the wild trout of the Pecos. And, Abe and Tim Chavez guide you along the world famous San Juan River to experience the thrill of fly-fishing for giant rainbow and brown trout.

Mighty Mo's trout are up - No word on the Pesca Blanca count

For the second consecutive year, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks fisheries survey on the Missouri found that the number of large rainbow and brown trout between Holter Dam and Cascade are up.

State biologists this fall found 3,458 rainbow trout longer than 10 inches near Craig. The long-term average of rainbows that size for that section is 2,917.

"The rainbows in the Craig section were remarkably high quality," said Grant Grisak, FWP fisheries biologist. "About 85 percent of the rainbows were 15 inches and larger, and fish in the 18-inch length group alone represented 24 percent of the total population."

The largest rainbow sampled was 4.8 pounds.

LINK (Via: The Great Falls Tribune)

Too much water in the Fryingpan for fishing

Water releases from Ruedi Reservoir made fishing the Pan virtually impossible for 6 weeks this summer and there could be more of the same in the future.

Mark Fuller, director of the Ruedi Water and Power Authority, said the releases were handled differently this year than over the last decade or so. The flow in the Fryingpan River is generally maintained at 250 cubic feet per second during summer months. It has rarely exceeded 300 cfs during summers and if it did, it was only for a day or two, he said.

This year the flow in the Fryingpan topped 250 cfs the week of July 29 and kept climbing. It topped 400 cfs by Aug. 12 and 500 cfs by Aug. 19. Flows didn't drop below 250 cfs until the week of Sept. 9.

Flows above 250 cfs make most of the Fryingpan River inaccessible for anglers.

LINK (Via:The Aspen Times)

Calgary, a City Where Trout Fishing Does Not Go to Die

The name "Bow" refers to the reeds that grew along its banks and which were used by the local First Nations peoples to make bows; the Peigan name for the river is "Makhabn", meaning "river where bow weeds grow"

Generally, the demands and detritus of a budding metropolis spell the death (or at least the considerable degradation) of a trout stream. But in the case of the Bow, Calgary’s swelling population — and, more specifically, its wastewater treatment needs — have helped create a world-class fishery in the 30 or so miles of river from the city east to the rural town of Carseland.

LINK (Via: The NY Times)

Fishin on the Clark Fork

Our friend and colleague Brooks Scott forwarded us these images of nature at work taken on the Clark Fork by Emily Schock.

Fly Fishing Harriman State Park