It took more than 3 hours to get to the closed Lake Fork Campground. There is a 15 mile gravel road to get to the campground, and it takes an hour of van rattling on a washboard road to get there. There is no Wifi in the area, so I was left with whatever I could use on my last Google Maps search and on my OsmAnd+ app on my tablet to figure out where to fish.
I didn’t yet know that there was a trailhead for a hike, required, to get to the portion of the Lake Fork that is a reserve for the endangered Rio Grande Trout. I learned all about the trail, throughout my body, the next day.
However, I did find a short portion of the Lake Fork close to it’s mouth where it enters the Conejos River. I decided to try to fish these small pools / runs as I have had success in these types of waters so far in this trip. During the 1.5 to 2 hours I fished this stretch, I saw 7 fish, with five of them 8 – 10 inches. Unfortunately, each of them saw me first, and I viewed them swimming quickly away downstream.
One tiny fish I did not actually see. I looked down on a very, very small riffle, one that I would not fish. The fish saw me, bolted out of the water, moved 2 feet down stream, bolted out again, back to it’s original spot, and then surfaced / bolted out a third time, swimming to where ever it felt safer. I only saw and heard splashes as the panicked youngster was swimming for it’s life.
I did not get a response to any of my fly offerings. Exhausted, I left and drove around to find out how to get upstream..
I found by pure luck, the trailhead for the Lake Fork trail. No picture, damn it (I’m sure I took a photo of the trailhead, but NO! I did not). There was another fisherman gearing up to hike the trail at 3:00. His name was Pete, from Portland, and he was on the Western Native Trout Challenge quest. Pete taught High School Biology for 15 years and then was an administrator for 15 years. We geared up together and started up the path. Comrades in education and the quest for the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout, we headed up the trail.
I realized that being at 9000 foot elevation, and having used up all my energy for the day, there was no way I could hike over a mountain and back. I regretfully said goodbye and headed back to my van after only 100 yards along the trail.
I drove around for a while, returned to the trailhead and tied some Elk Hair Caddis, waiting for Pete to come back. After finishing 8 flies, and realizing that Pete would probably not be back for hours, I drove out 90 minutes to the town of Antonito to get supplies and text my kids. I thought I would not get a Rio Grande Cutthroat as the hike in would be too much for me. The other two places to catch one in Colorado are at lakes. One lake has a two mile 4 wheel drive section, and the other looks like a forest road 20+ miles long, and 30 miles from where I am.
Time for sleep, and to get acclimated to this high elevation. Perhaps I’ll attempt to make it over the mountain to Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout water.
Tight Lines!