The Many Faces of the Gunnison
The Gunnison River and its tributaries create one of the most diverse trout fisheries in the world. In one day you can cast dry flies to native cutthroats on a remote mountain stream and then float the Gunnison for rainbows and browns. You can sight-fish to 10-pound trout in the catch-and-release waters of the Taylor River or scramble down into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and have the whole river to yourself. Whatever your preferences, you’re likely to find something you like in the Gunnison Basin.
During the 1930s through the late 1950s, the Gunnison was revered as one of the greatest trout fisheries in the country. The famed Willow Fly hatch brought the rich and famous from the far reaches of the world to experience the gluttony of trout feeding on giant stoneflies. But with the building of Blue Mesa Reservoir and the subsequent building of Morrow Point and Crystal reservoirs below, the famed Willow Fly hatch died and so did the reputation of the river.
Happily, Mark Twain’s old saying, “News of my death has been greatly exaggerated,” applies equally well to the Gunnison. The water that exists today is a quality fishery that holds its own with any wild freestone river in the West. Recent Colorado Division of Wildlife studies found that the river has three times the biomass required to qualify for Gold Medal status—the highest designation of quality trout water in the state. The 18-mile reach of the Gunnison above Blue Mesa Reservoir is nearly half public and half private land, allowing for decent public access, as well as some sanctuary areas where the fish experience light fishing pressure. From Crystal Reservoir to the confluence with the North Fork of the Gunnison, the river runs through public property.
The Early Season
Good fishing on the upper Gunnison starts in February or March when the ice comes off the river. In these winter conditions you must nymph the slow-water lies methodically. The fish stack tightly together and you must search to find the pods. When you do find a fish, keep casting in the same spot and you will often produce another half-dozen just like it.
By April the river warms enough for midges and an occasional Blue-winged Olive hatch, but the best fishing is still subsurface until spring runoff subsides in May or June. As the water clears and begins to drop, caddis, Golden Stones, and other smaller stonefly species begin to hatch, creating the first good dry-fly fishing of the year. Elk-hair Caddis (#14-16) and yellow, orange, or olive Stimulators (#8-14) with small beadhead droppers work best.
When the water warms and reaches 48 to 52 degrees F., the annual Green Drake hatch begins and progresses upstream from Blue Mesa for about six weeks. This is the main event on the Gunnison. The hatch usually comes off in the late morning or early afternoon and often lasts about an hour but may go as long as three hours on cool, overcast days. I fish a dry and an emerger through the early hatch, switch to two adults during the heart of the hatch, and finish with a drowned cripple suspended below a dry fly.
Pale Morning Duns (PMDs), Red Quills, and other mayflies hatch in sparse numbers all summer after the Green Drakes. You will also find caddis on the water every day from early May through October.
Kokanee Salmon
In early August the river hosts from 50,000 to 150,000 Kokanee salmon making their annual run from Blue Mesa Reservoir back to the Roaring Judy fish hatchery on the East River where they were produced.
These fish run from 1 to 3 pounds and fight well on 4-, 5-, or 6-weight outfits. When the fish are fresh and silver they can be difficult to catch, but the fight is worth the struggle.
After several days in the river, the salmon darken and become much more aggressive. Drifting nymphs and streamers through pods of sexually mature fish draws many strikes. Contrary to popular belief, there is no reason to snag these fish—they will chew your flies to pieces. Kokanee must be released unharmed from August 1 to October 31.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
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