By: Katie Fiedler Anderson
In my last article, you learned how the current drought in Colorado is creating warmer water temperatures, which can cause stress on fish due to a lack of oxygen content. Remember, water temps need to be below 65 degrees to be considered safe to catch and release a fish.
This week, I will share the top 5 considerations Anderson’s Fish Camp guides use to determine where to find the coolest water, literally! Hopefully this information will help you when considering where to go fish!
1. Altitude – the higher the altitude, the cooler the temperatures get. The difference between fishing Eagle-Vail or Eagle can be significant when talking about water temperatures! A few local creeks to try would be: upper Gore Creek, Piney, Beaver Creek, or Homestake Creek!
2. Riparian Zone– The riparian zone refers to the infinitely important ecosystem along the riverbanks. A healthy riparian zone contains trees, bushes, and shrubs that help prevent erosion, which in turn, keeps the river narrow and therefore running deeper. Additionally, the riparian zone provides shade, which cools the water. These trees and bushes are also a wildly important habitat for aquatic and terrestrial insects ( a.k.a. FISH FOOD). I can go on and on, but the riparian zone is worth hefty consideration.
3. Grade – Ask yourself when you are standing in an area, “How is the water dropping and churning?” The bubbles you see below a waterfall or a steeper grade signal oxygen recirculation back into the water. We like to see a good drop in grade that churns up water. Long areas of still, flat, hot, water are the exact opposite of what we are looking for in these conditions.
4.Water Depth – Skinny water heats quicker. Deep pools and pockets provide cooler water temps, not to mention protection from those hawks and eagles that will easily kill and eat a fish in skinny water! Additionally, big boulders and undercut rocks can provide shade and protection for fish.
5. Time of Day- Air Temps are historically cooler in the mornings and evenings. This time of year, we leave the evenings alone because the water temps have surged during the heat of the day and, quite frankly, need some time to fall back down to a comfortable limit. As of August 25, we are recommending a 7:00 start time. This time allows the sun to climb over the mountain ridges, while leaving plenty of time to explore the river before leaving the river around noon.
Please see the included pictures of our thermometer readings. One set is from August 21 on the CCR section ( private water on the Eagle River in Edwards, Colorado) taken at 7:15am and again at 11am.The later one from Aug 25 on the CCR section taken at 10:30am. You can see our technique of placing the thermometer on our boots for 3-5 minutes to get an accurate and consistent reading.
