Monday I originally thought about getting in a day’s fishing. That was until Sue suggested we spend the day together and take a drive to Estes. She also wanted to stop at Colorado Cherry Company to restock our depleted jam and jelly shelf. Given she allows me to fish most anytime I want without complaint; I sure wasn’t going to say no. Besides I hadn’t been up the Big Thompson canyon since the flood and was curious.
We got a late start to the day, sleeping in and having a leisurely breakfast. After breakfast our next stop was at Elkhorn Rod and Reel to get a reel fixed and pick up a couple fly boxes so I can ship out the flies won by oneeye and fiddler1986 this week. While the shop wasn’t directly impacted by flood waters, the damage to Big Thompson fishery and closure of Highway 34 killed the drive-by traffic and resulted in a huge drop in business that is only now starting to recover.
If you haven’t been to Elkhorn, the next time you’re in the area drop in. He has one of the best collections of fly tying material around. While you there, test cast a couple of his rods and you’ll understand why I’m pleased to have him as a sponsor.
I wasn’t sure what to expect on the drive to Estes, even though I knew the road had been badly damaged, and the pictures I’d seen in the news were eye-opening, to say the least. I recognize a lot of work, a whole lot of work has taken place since the flood, but I was surprised how “finished” both Highway 34 and 36 appeared, even though we were met with traffic delays on both routes.
While I expected to see some devastation, it was difficult to comprehend the near total trashing of the canyon is areas, and then a few miles upstream it was almost difficult to discern that a flood had occurred, then a few miles further upstream massive damage once again.
It doesn’t take a trained eye to see that the fisheries in lower sections of the Big Thompson and Saint Vrain took a hit, the streambeds are heavily scoured. But the upper reaches for the Big Thompson look much as they always have (to me), but that may be in part due to the river being iced up until just below Olympus Dam.
As I drove the canyon, it struck me of the wisdom of buying up the flood damaged properties in the seventies and not allowing them to be rebuilt. Had that not been done the loss of life and property would surely have been much worse. I can only hope we someday learn not to build in flood plains. It seemed to me the “unimproved” areas fared far better than the built up areas. But I suspect, within a few short years, folks will once again build in harm’s way.
For me, the damage is reminder of nature’s raw power. Nature also has a softer side, and as bad as the damage is in places, I’ve little doubt that with a lot of work and time, the Big Thompson will once again be an excellent fishery.
To say fly fishing is a passion for Dave is an understatement, he lives by the adage, �fly fishing isn�t a matter of life or death, it�s much more important than that.� Simply, if it�s a fish, then Dave�s willing to chase it on a fly. This includes making two or three trips a year out of state to places like Alaska, Canada, East and West Coasts to fly fish for salmon, northern pike and salt water species, such as redfish. The rest of the time Dave spends his time plying Colorado waters with a fly rod for everything the state has to offer such as bass, perch, crappie, bluegill, walleye, catfish, pike and yes even trout with a fly.