Crystal River
March 8, 2010
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CRYSTAL RIVER
FLOW: 75 cfs near Carbondale.
The Short and Sweet: It's starting to open up a bit more, especially in and around Carbondale.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 10 In certain pools and seams the fishing is ranking as a 5. Just remember, the majority of the Crystal sits in a dark canyon, thus your fishing window is shorter in duration than other valley waters. 1pm to 4pm is ideal. Forget getting out there any earlier than noon. Though the river is definately fishing, better fishing is certainly taking place on the Roaring Fork below Basalt, the Colorado below Glenwood Springs and obviously along the Frying Pan.
The In Depth Review: Head on up to the Frying Pan where conditions are much more favorable. On warmer days the Roaring Fork below Basalt has been good too!
Note:
Do not curse the Whitefish! Under appreciated, especially here in Colorado. The mountain whitefish is more of a sub-surface feeder and is usually not thought of as aesthetically pleasing as trout. In other states they readily rise to dries and many anglers are disappointed after "working a pod of rising fish to hook and discover they have been fishing to "Whities"! Here in colorado they rarely feed on the surface, but take nymphs readily. Especially for kids and new comers to our great sport, the "whitie" is a great sport fish. Once you locate them they can provide hours of enjoyment. They are great to learn proper nymphing techniques, how to set the hook & how to fight, land and properly release fish. Also, on the Crystal you never know when the indicator hesitates what my have eaten your offering! Many times a 16 inch rainbow may explode on the surface or a Big Brown may just give you the fight of a lifetime!
FOOD SOURCES PRESENT:
Appropriate Patterns
Flies: Flashtail Hot Eggs, Tungsten Princes, Tungsten PT's, STD's, BLM's, RS-2's, Freestone Emergers, Bad Habits, Blings, Bat Wings, Tidbits
Hints: Cover water and fish the depths. Don't be too surprised if you stick a pig near Bonedale' this month through November.
Link to the USGS Real Time Flow Chart for the Crystal River |
