Jones Ranch

A Weekend Off

July 18, 2016 by n.taylor Leave a Comment

We start west of the divide where we battled obnoxious road construction and sweltering heat to spend the night below a run in the bowels of a canyon of the Blue River.

Not Sure About the Look

If you have never rowed a raft full of overnight gear let me tell you that you have a real treat in your future. The raft handled like you had an elephant in the back and within the first mile I already had a new found respect for drivers of Grand Canyon cargo boats. The campsite was a few short miles from the put in and was framed by two perfect runs and an elevated (and flat) campsite.

Pulled Over at Camp

Kitchen

The next morning we had leftover carnitas with corn tortillas, ibuprofen, and lukewarm water before we packed the elephant back into the back of the raft. The second day was focused on trying to fish a little bit instead of just getting the gear to the river. The run above camp held a few fish that were eager to share breakfast with their upright walking land lovers.

Breakfast Companion

We threw some streamers, polished off the rest of the beer, and enjoyed a hot summer day. Most of all I was able to listen to Wells tell me about every bend on the river and how it had changed over the last 20 years. Wells informed me that he had floated this stretch 10-15 times/year since 1996 and if you know this stretch and the logistical nightmare it poses then you will know what kind of feat that is.

Brown on the Ranch

The Master in the Canyon

Float over, boat on trailer, wheels up, over the divide we go until we end up in Salida. We now have a circus of people, some from as far away as South Carolina ready to experience the Arkansas River in all its grandeur. The day began as most days do on my boat, with a Bud Light Lime to get things started. You know that it is getting serious when you drink a beer that has to tell you it has alcohol in it.

This is Beer

Of course after “BLL” you can start to lose your coordination, potentially endangering the lives of not only your crew, but also the fish.

Grip n’ Grin

As we floated through downtown we met a very enthusiastic young man who was eager to show us his cowboy. We gave him a target, the kid just needs some more practice.

Rope Work

The Spinner Brings them In

The Hayden Pass fire had started on Saturday and by Sunday the smoke was visible from Salida. Tuesday brought even larger clouds of smoke and a faint smell of burning pine in the air. Reminded me of summers in Montana.

Hayden Pass Fire

Put Down the Bobber

June 29, 2014 by n.taylor 1 Comment

Waiting for the upper Colorado clarity to improve is a frustrating exercise in futility. Having floated Pumphouse to Rancho twice this week we were ready for something different. While most reports have the clarity at 2 feet, I’d say a foot and a half would be more realistic, and later in the day that might even be a stretch. With hopes of not having to look at a thingamabobber for an entire day we shifted our focus.

We were told we would have success, that recent trips had been very productive. Best of all I was asked to only bring vast quantities of olive and black circus peanuts. It only took 400 yards and we had our first fish, an omen for things to come. The fish wanted nothing but the largest of offerings, and we obliged, happy to move them from the shelter of the banks.

We didn’t have to throw a nymph rod all day, and had we reluctantly done so I’m not sure it would have improved our catch. Given a choice, who wants to look at a thingamabobber all day anyway?

Uncle Paulie

September 12, 2010 by n.taylor 5 Comments

This summer for whatever reason the flows below GMR have not been to my liking. As much as it pains me to say this, my first float down this section was in September. Pathetic.

The only reason I got to go was because Chad Bowers called me up and said they needed another man who can man the oars. Trust me, if you can teach yourself to row, you will see more opportunities come your way than you ever thought possible. It is truly amazing how many people cannot pilot a raft down a river.

The day we decided to go was the coldest day of the week, as evidenced by the temperature at our 10:30am put in being only 55 degrees. The wind was ferocious, it was seriously blowing us upstream in several sections. This is not an exaggeration, there were five minute spans of us not moving anywhere as gusts of what seemed to be 40 miles an hour pretty much took our boat wherever it wanted. The fishing through the canyon was less than spectacular with a few fish being picked up, most of which were not photo-worthy.

Uncle Paulie's Slide

If you haven’t heard of Uncle Paulie you are missing out. His ranch is pretty much the most incredible thing you will ever seen in your life. If I remember right, I believe the guy made somewhere in the ballpark of $750 million…in 2006. Needless to say this commodities trader, turned retired billionaire has invested an unfathomable sum into his fishing reserve. With the Sheriff, county, and Army Corp of Engineers in his back pocket he has been able to put in massive stream improvements without permission (the Corp of Engineers say they “don’t exist”) and stock the river with some sort of weird hybrid steelhead/rainbow/super-fish cross. Going over his weirs it is not uncommon to see 1,000 lbs of rainbow sitting below each one, most of which tip the scales close to 10lbs. He has manicured basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts. His guest house looks like a 4 Seasons and I’m sure there are a plethora of other amenities that you can’t even see.

After missing several good fish Chad finally was the one to bring in a respectable rainbow so that we could all go home feeling just a little bit better about ourselves.

Bowers

As is becoming the “norm” on this section we ran across several other boats, which brought the grand total to over a dozen fisherman for this stretch on a weekday. For many years this was one of the best kept secrets in Colorado. Recently however, it has become increasingly more popular, and having to wait in line to launch your boat is not uncommon. The fishing on this section has definitely slowed as time has progressed but the big fish are still in there, you just have to work harder for them. I hope that I can squeeze one more float in this year to see if I can get a few real nice ones to help fill up my iPhoto library. Just in case you were wondering, this is what we are considering “nice” to be.

Drapeau