Animas Lunch Report – 10/14/16 – The Swing of Fall
It’s been nice out lately. Really nice. Almost t-shirt weather. It has been a great reprieve from the rains from a few weeks ago. This warmer fall weather has brought about some welcome sights on the Animas river in the past week. Namely, tricos, BWOs, and micro caddis. These hatches have even brought a few fish out of hiding who can be found midday eating dries on top or emergers below the surface. If you are a sight fishing aficionado, now might be the time to get out on the water.
We have also seen a few fish who are fired up and ready to commit to a streamer eat. Thrown with a single or two handed rod, the key ingredient has been the need for some speed. Fish that streamer fast and aggressive, browns have been moving upwards of 15 feet just to chase one down and kill it.
At 349 cfs, the Animas is flowing very clear. However, there is heavy machine work being done in the river at Santa Rita Park, so expect the river to be discolored below. Please also note that we are seeing brown trout on redds. We have also been seeing folks fishing to actively spawning fish. This may seem like a practice that is “fine” just because other people are doing it, but it only serves to damage our already fragile trout resource. With the upper Animas being run through a treatment plant after the Gold King mine spill last year, we could very well see reproduction rates go up. Please keep this in mind when heading to the river to hook that hog brown.
Our little town of Durango is in full fall colors right now. It is a beautiful time to be on the water!
