A personal struggle ended recently for me. Dealing with living on the Eagle River and being unable to fish just felt awkward. I spent a lot of time watching water. Bugs were hatching. Trout were feeding too but feeling the heat. The algae grew thick along the riverside. Diminished flows pinched the river down to a shallow, emaciated strip down the middle. It was a rough summer.
On July 17, Colorado Parks and Wildlife placed the Eagle River from Edwards, specifically Lake Creek down to the confluence with the Colorado River, on a voluntary fishing closure. River levels had dropped and water temperatures were elevated above acceptable conditions for trout. The river continued to get worse.
Nearly twenty river miles of the Eagle River were placed under the fishing closure. The Eagle River starts way up high above Camp Hale towards Leadville and flows down through our valley to its confluence with the mighty Colorado River in Dotsero. That’s around sixty miles, and the bottom third of the river sat under the fishing closure. In the middle of the closure is my home.
The voluntary closure asked for anglers not to fish. While this was not a mandatory fishing closure, fishing in a closed area under a voluntary closure is in really bad taste. These guidelines are for regular fishing license holders. For commercial operations, such as Vail Valley Anglers, voluntary means mandatory.
Flynn Moser holds up a nice brown trout with the help of his dog, Maggie on the Eagle River.Michael Salomone/Courtesy photo
When water temperatures for cold water fish exceed 71 degrees, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will implement voluntary fishing closures to ensure the health of the fishery. Extremely low flows, widespread fish mortality and drought conditions are other factors that can lead to voluntary fishing closures.
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Cool autumn temperatures and increased rainfall recently improved the river conditions. On September 23, Colorado Parks and Wildlife lifted the voluntary fishing closure on the Eagle River. After 68 days, I was able to fish from home.
To tell the truth, it felt a little weird. Sure, the closure was lifted, but the trauma from such an enduring summer loomed in the back of my mind. The first fish caught was gently held in the water with my net. I slipped the barbless fly effortlessly from its mouth and returned it to the river with a little more attention than I remember using in the past. “Handle with care” rang in my head. If anything, this past summer and the abhorrent conditions we endured should remind us of the fragility of the watershed and how valuable our trout really are.
The fall colors along the Eagle River are in full force right now. Autumn on the Eagle is quite epic. The river scenery appears more impressive and carries a little more importance knowing the long winter to follow. The fish seem to have missed the fly fishers too, but maybe that’s just me.
Everything is bringing fish to hand. The observant fly fisher will notice subtle rises in boulder eddies and along soft current seams. Those anglers will do well with small mayfly dries. However, my personal favorite dry fly for this time of year is a Griffith’s Gnat. Specifically, an orange Ascher has been my go-to dry fly.
A wide variety of nymphs from generic red copper johns to small, midge larvae imitations and even some miniscule tactical nymphs have been successful. For those fly fishers that are a little hungry for some headhunting, streamer flies are going to put some weight in your net. Simple black, beadhead woolly buggers and small olive coneheads will draw flashes regularly. Articulated streamers have a swimming undulation when retrieved with a consistent pace and an injured appearance when stripped and stopped briskly, making the fly kink and fold. Yellow is always a favorite color for me in the fall. Those autumn brown trout love to eat their own. Whatever your favorite streamer pattern might be, now is the time to tie it on.
With leaves in the water and colors on the bankside bushes it is a wonderful time of the year to be immersed in the outdoors. Fly fishers who have endured the fishing closure on the Eagle River can rejoice. Go throw some flies and tempt some trout. Dry flies, nymphing and streamer action, it’s all on the Eagle now. Fall is the time to flex a fly rod with purpose before winter limits or all but eliminates favorable fly fishing conditions. Get out on the Eagle River. We’ve missed you.
Michael Salomone has lived in the Eagle River valley since 1992. He started his professional guiding career in 2002 and currently guides for Vail Valley Anglers. He lives on the bank of the Eagle River with his wife, Lori, his youngest daughter, Ella, and a yellow Labrador named Poppy. His published writing has appeared in Southwest Fly Fishing, Fly Rod & Reel, Eastern Fly Fishing, On the Fly, FlyLords, the Pointing Dog Journal, Upland Almanac, TROUT, American Fly Fishing, USA Today Hunt & Fish, and Fly Fisherman magazines.