George Abernathy
One would think that water scarcity exists primarily in Arizona, but I recently had to cancel two out-of-state fishing trips for Sun Lakes Fly Fishing Club members and disabled veterans due to low water levels, predicted high water temperatures, or low water flows.
One of the trips planned was to the Green River at the Flaming Gorge, Utah, which offers excellent fly fishing for sizable Brown and Rainbow trout in some very scenic country. Because of the dangerously low water levels on Lake Powell, millions of gallons need to be replenished. The Glen Canyon Dam, which backs up Lake Powell, could be in jeopardy of producing electricity for about a million homes. The Federal Bureau of Reclamation decided to obtain most of the water from the Green River-Flaming Gorge, so the increased flows would basically destroy fishing conditions during the time we planned to fish.
An additional trip was planned for a few weeks after the Green River trip to fisheries in or near South Fork, Colo. After talking to a couple of fly-fishing guides in that area and hearing maybe-and-if-type answers about the predicted water temperatures and flows, I contacted the regional manager with Colorado’s Parks & Wildlife. She indicated that if the rivers weren’t completely shut down due to water temperatures reaching 70°F or higher, they would be closed to all fishing after noon. Unlike warm-water species such as Crappie and Bass, when water temperatures exceed 65 to 70 degrees, trout become very dormant and are likely to go into shock when caught, and can easily die if improperly handled and released. Most fly fishermen catch and release, and not all trout can be revived in these conditions.
In some fisheries in Arizona, water levels remain depleted due to a lack of snowmelt and rain. However, when forests are susceptible to fires due to dry conditions, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management will close roads leading to high mountain lakes. This happened to me and a friend a few years ago when we opted to fish Black Lake, just west of Heber. While in the midst of landing a trout, a Forest Ranger called out to us and said we had to leave because they were closing the roads to the lake because of potential fires. Ironically, I landed two additional trout while kicking back to the launch. As we drove back to the 260 Road, we sadly watched the rangers lock two gates that led to the lakes.
Other fly fishermen and I in the Sun Lakes Fly Fishing Club agree that if we’re going to fish Arizona fisheries for trout this spring and summer, we should do as much fishing as we can by the end of June. I hope we receive a ton of rain soon.
The Sun Lakes Fly Fishing Club is open to anyone interested in fly fishing different fisheries, primarily throughout Arizona. Additional information can be obtained at sunlakesflyfishing.com or email me at Apachescout@gmail.com.