Fryingpan and Roaring Fork Rivers

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persp231

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unfortunately, last week there was a massive mudslide about 5 miles up the fryingpan river. According to locals, it was the largest one they had seen in that valley. This slide made it all the way across the stream and completely altered its course up to 500 yds down stream. The type of rock that makes up this valley is red sandstone and the name is warranted. This slide has turned the lower fryingpan and lower fork completely red, more so than and mine acid stream you can think of in PA. Undoubtedly, there will be a large fish kill on the lower "pan". Everyone keep your fingers crossed that the Roaring Fork doesn't suffer a similar fate.

I'll keep you all posted
 
I'm curious why there would be a fish kill associated with heavy siltation. Is there something toxic about the red sandstone?
 
>>I'm curious why there would be a fish kill associated with heavy siltation.>>

Probably for the same reason that there would likely be a "Jack kill" if a load of sawdust were to be forcibly dumped into your mouth in such a way that it occluded your windpipe..

It's a suffocation rather than a toxin thing, I would imagine.
 
I was freelancing for the US Forest service in a little town called Atlanta, Idaho. A 100 y/o log and earth dam was about to give way sending decades of accumulated silt and heavy metals downstream thru an amazing wild trout fishery. When it finally blew it looked like we expected. A big freaking chocolate milkshake flowing down a mountain. There was, amazingly, very little fish kill. There was a consumption advisory for that particular fork of the Boise River for about a year and a half, but that's it. Maybe they'll get lucky too.
 
RLeeP wrote:
>>I'm curious why there would be a fish kill associated with heavy siltation.>>

Probably for the same reason that there would likely be a "Jack kill" if a load of sawdust were to be forcibly dumped into your mouth in such a way that it occluded your windpipe..

It's a suffocation rather than a toxin thing, I would imagine.
Click to expand...

Perhaps the humor escapes me, but I don't have gills. Are you saying when the water is muddy fish have a hard time breathing? Still does not make sense to me.
 
>>Perhaps the humor escapes me, but I don't have gills. Are you saying when the water is muddy fish have a hard time breathing? Still does not make sense to me.>>

Yup..


http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/resmgmt/publist/600Series/641300-1.pdf
 
It says it can, it doesn't say it will. The Middle fork dam failure was a testament to the other possibility. It also says they can't eat of they can't see through the sediment which I really don't believe. I am interested in an update on the two rivers and the effects of the slide. if you get any info please post. I would like to see some before and after pics. The idea of the stream course being moved more than 500ft is kind of interesting.
 
I found some articles...not as gloom and doom as previously thought. Its pre-spawn for browns so they should be fine. But they probably lost some smaller rainbows and most of the insects that live on the bottom were burried. The river shifted 50 yards..thats 150 feet not 500 ft. They've increased dam releases and its already begun to clear. affects are expected to be mostly short term. At one point they were actually netting fish and transporting them in coolers to above the slide.
 
Interesting since I'm in Grand Junction doing field work right now and planned on taking a few days vacation after to do some fishing. The Frying Pan was on the top of my 'to do' list. Here's a link to a story with some pictures: http://fryingpananglers.com/
I doubt there will be any long term affect, but I may still have to go check it out.
 
Gone4Day,

The upper 7 miles of the pan are still pristine as always, so don't let this unfortunate occurrence deter you. If you fish it, fish it small (sz 20 and up) with nymphs and big n bushy with dries (stimies, elk caddis, lime trudes (sz12-16)

The Fork is amazing as well. those same big dries have provided me tons of action for the last 2 months. The average size of the fish in the fork is astounding, I'm still amazed. 12-15 inches is average with one around 18in per trip. I've even had a few 20+ inch fish take my dries. effin amazing


I haven't been over to the pan since the slide so I'm glad to hear that is only 150ft. I was going off of my own estimation from the day the slide happened. I'll cruise over this evening and see how its progressing.


here is a link to an article with a pic. The pic is from just above the confluence of the fryingpan and the roaring fork in Basalt. This is 5 miles below the slide.

fryingpan story
 
Thanks for the tips persp231. Big n bushy dries sounds perfect for these tired old eyes. Coming back from the field site this evening the Colorado was definitely muddier then yesterday with a reddish tint. Don't know if it was caused by the mudslide but I suppose its possible. Saw a black bear along the river too. Depending on how things go, I may get 3-4 days of fishing in. The Pan and Fork are already on the list but do you have any suggestions for something smaller with maybe some cuts? That would be icing on the cake.
 
Gone4day,

with the big n bushies, focus on the eddies behind rocks. A stimi is deadly there. you'll have a field day.

Very cool to have seen a black bear, I've been out here 2 months and haven't seen one yet.

I've got two other spots for you. IF you drive up 82 past aspen towards independence pass, right before the ghost town of Independence, you will see a series of 7 0r 8 beaver ponds that are absolutely LOADED with big wild brookies. A stimi or Lime trude will keep you busy all day if you want. My dad and I fished it a couple weeks ago and landed over 100+ fish each ranging from 4-12in with the average being 7-9. We had a blast and it is GORGEOUS up there.

The other one I've only heard about, but there is a small stream that enters the pan right below reudi dam called rocky fork (i think). when you turn down the dirt road to go to the dam, you will have the option of going over a bridge. cross the bridge and go left. follow it till you see this small stream. The stream itself is locked from the rest of the watershed by a small dam, so i believe the cutts there are undisturbed by other species.

Also I hear that the upper reaches of cattle creek and hunter creek are also fine cutt streams. I'll try to find out more.
 
Thanks again persp231 for all good info. I'm now ruing spending so much of my vacation earlier this year fishing PA streams that are apparently too controversial to mention on the internet. I should be taking a week or more vacation here if I had that much remaining. The field work is going pretty good though, so it looks like I'll get the weekend off and be able to get in 4 full days of fishing! I can't wait.
 
After finishing up work, I moved from Grand Junction to Glenwood Springs to be closer to the fishing. Fished Lincoln, Snowmass and Woody creeks, Frying Pan and Roaring Fork rivers. Unfortunately, I dropped the camera in the Fork trying to take a picture of a beautiful 20” brown so pictures are limited.


Brook trout from the beaver dams on Lincoln creek. Notice how dark, almost black the coloration and water. Downstream where there was a gravel bottom they had a more normal color and were bigger.

Rainbow from Snowmass creek.

Some shots of the mudslide on the Pan. Two weeks after, and the river was still muddy. They’ve been keeping the flow at 300 cfs to flush it out. I went up the side canyon that was the source of the debris flow as far as I could before running into private property. The merged images show how it spread out after leaving the confines of the canyon. Must have been particularly scary for the folks living along the small feeder. Sorry about messing up the page width.
 
Nice pictures. Its nice you were able to take advantage of your location and do some fishing!
 
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