Division of Wildlife

Public access improvements create high degree of satisfaction among anglers

by Christopher Kolomitz
Mountain Mail, Salida
Although fish size and weight has dropped along the Arkansas River from the banner years of 2002 and 2003, Colorado Division of Wildlife biologists say anglers will still find plenty of plump trout over 14 inches.

According to Greg Policky, fisheries biologist for the Division of Wildlife, the low summer flows in 2002 and later in 2003 resulted in outstanding trout survival, growth and body condition.

As water flow increased, the fish became less efficient in feeding, resulting in less weight gain and growth, Policky said. “As you put more water into the river their feeding efficiency decreases,” Policky said.

But, headed into the 2006 season, Policky says anglers will find older fish who used the lower flows several years ago to mature into healthy fish today.

“ They are just in better health and condition that they can carry it over to the next year.

“ I think 2006 should be another good year,” Policky said. But, he added the unknown snowpack and the ability to access the river during high water makes the season a bit difficult to forecast.

Good timing of runoff in the 2005 season led to consistent fishing and timely hatches also helped, Policky said.

Anglers along the Arkansas will not find any changes in regulations or access for the 2006 season.

Only two stretches of the river — Hayden Flats south of Leadville and from the Stockyard’s Bridge just east of Salida to Badger Creek — are regulated specifying flies and lure fishing only.

The Division continues to develop leases and easements providing access to the public. A great river feature, Policky said, is its public access. Of the 120 miles between Leadville and Cañon City, roughly 100 miles are open to the public. The DOW has developed more than a dozen fishing access areas over the past 20 years. Some are perpetual leases and others are for specific time periods.

“ An advantage is the public access,” Policky said. “You can have a lot of anglers and not feel crowded.”

A recent study shows a “high degree of satisfaction” of anglers on the river and Policky said he now faces a challenge to maintain that satisfaction.

The past two decades have seen three significant events impacting the river’s fish habitat. Prior to 1982, Policky said longtime anglers on the Arkansas reported catching 6- and 8-pound browns. But that was before renovations to sewage treatment plants in both Buena Vista and Salida went on-line. The older plants released more organic material and therefore more nutrients into the water, thereby enhancing aquatic habitat, insects and fish growth.

At about the same time work on the Fryingpan-Arkansas project, which brought water from the Western Slope into the Arkansas, helped raise stream flows.

The combination of a reduction in nutrients in the water and increased flows took a toll on the Arkansas’ browns.

However, over the past 10 years, the Arkansas fishery has gradually improved thanks to removal of heavy metals from the water. For decades high levels of heavy metals such as cadmium were leaching into the river from dozens of old mines in Leadville and Lake County. In 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency finished work on two water treatment plants. The facilities significantly reduced amounts of heavy metals entering the river. The result is a major improvement to the fishery, especially for the stretch of river between Buena Vista and Leadville.

Policky said where the average life span of browns had been three years, now life expectancy is up to seven to eight years. “If fish are able to live longer, they obviously have a chance to grow bigger.”

The Mt. Shavano and Chalk Creek trout rearing units northwest of Salida and west of Nathrop produce hundreds of thousands of fish. These fingerlings are planted in high mountain lakes or grown to “catchable” size for release in lakes, streams and reservoirs in the valley and elsewhere. Both hatcheries are open to the public and are great places for kids to learn about and see trout, from fingerlings to five-pounders.