Floating
the Gunnison through the Black Canyon
by Trevor
Dean |
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The Gunnison River runs from Almont to Grand
Junction,
beginning its journey at the merge of the East and Taylor Rivers. The
Gunnison varies in width and
character throughout its course - but no stretch is more
beautiful then the Black Canyon section. Known throughout the
West as a popular destination for rafters and anglers, the
Canyon section is controlled by the dam at the tail end of Blue
Mesa Reservoir, located near Montrose, Colorado. In some
stretches, the Canyon walls drop nearly 2000 feet - almost
vertically - into the river, providing some of the most
spectacular scenery in the country.
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We floated the Canyon in August with
Tom and Jeremy from Gunnison River Expeditions (GRE).
GRE has been floating the canyon for nearly 20 years,
under the management of Hank Hotze, a master angler and
skilled oarsman. His guides work very hard, often
running 2 or 3 overnight trips a week down the Gorge in the
high season. Unlike “wade guiding,” Hank’s guides
are responsible not only for ensuring a good fishing
experience, but also navigating rafts through a series
of Class III, IV and V rapids - and then making camp and
dinner. |
We began the trip at the Chukar trailhead,
located in a high desert environment that looks more like
Arizona than Colorado. After a sweaty one mile hike down with
gear, the river came into view. The Gunnison River in this
section is deep and green - the water is colored by sediment and
plant life that creates an emerald effect.
Other than during the renowned Salmonfly
hatch, which typically begins the first week of June, the Canyon
section is best fished with streamers and deeply-drifted nymphs.
We used two interesting rigs for fishing the Canyon that have
proven successful on other waters as well. The first is a “bounce
rig.” Sections of tippet are tied using blood knots, leaving
the tags long. The bottom blood knot is tied “badly,” and
the weight is placed on the bottom, under the two flies. This
rig, although tedious to tie, enables the weight to tickle the
bottom without catching the flies in the ever-present moss on
the bottom. The “bad blood” knot will break once the rig
snags, enabling the angler to salvage the flies.
The second rig we fished was the
double-streamer rig. The initial fly, a large conehead muddler
minnow or maratuka minnow, is tied directly to the end of the
leader. The second fly, a smaller black or brown wooly bugger,
is tied six inches behind the first streamer off the hook.
| Fishing the Gunnison from a raft is
physically demanding, and requires very accurate casts.
Most of the fish hold in the riffles and pockets, and
since you are floating over these rapidly, you must
always look 10 seconds ahead for your next cast. The
streamer rig is cast into these pockets and stripped
back as quickly as possible toward the boat. Big browns,
and the occasional rainbow, will chase the flies, often
hammering them right next to the boat. |
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There are excellent spots to take out of the
river and wade fish these riffles more thoroughly with nymphs.
Use caution wading as the river bottom is slippery and the
current strong. The fish are aggressive and will readily take a
well-presented nymph. Common tailwater practices - fine tippets
and small flies - do not apply to this stretch of water. Size
14-16 nymphs on 3 or 4x tippet are the norm.
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Wonderful campsites are found
throughout this 12 mile stretch of water. Keep in mind
that the days are very hot in the summer in the Canyon,
and the nights can often remain warm, as heat from the
Canyon walls keeps the air temperature high. |
After a two-day float, we were dropped at the
Pleasure Park campground, where we sat at the bar and revisited
the wonderful float. For fans of incredible scenery, large
trout, and technical rafting, this trip should not be missed.
Rules for the Gunnison in the Black Canyon:
This is Gold Medal and Wild Trout water -
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