Trout Scout- Part One: Lost Creek Wilderness

Finding good fishing waters away from angling pressure requires a bit of scouting. Some of my trips are meant to simply drive out, scout the area to mark it off of my list. Looking to cover a handful of areas in one trek the truck was loaded with gear and a few maps.

Part One: Lost Creek Wilderness

(Above: Quick sign\trailhead shot with a map and a few interesting tidbits. This area has far more history and rustic western atmosphere than can be described on my fishing blog.)

The Lost Creek Wilderness area is 119,790 acres within the Pike National Forest created under the Colorado Wilderness act of 1980. The landscape is a mix of rounded granite features such as domes and arches that are dispersed among small valley sections. Lost Creek gets its name for the fact the creek seems to vanish through underground passages and rock piles in several locations. When it last emerges the name changes to Goose Creek.

(Above: This is a shot of Tarryall Creek with some of the wilderness area in the background. There were quite a few breathtaking shots I passed on simply due to my fish focus.)

There are several small creeks that may be seasonal at times where as Tarryall Creek maintains a steady flow year round. My plan was to focus on this stretch of water and hit the small public sections nestled between the many private strips of water maintained by fishing clubs. It seemed like a perfect plan. My hopes were that this area would get passed over by most considering so many other venues. Unfortunately this was not the case. Weekend warriors were abound and dotted the available campsites along the creek making it tough to have any water to cast into.

(Above: Here’s a small brown pulled from Tarryall Creek. Not the easiest water that I have ever fished. Just finding a spot to cast was difficult. Very few flashes and follows.)

In hindsight I wish that I had explored this area on a weekday and taken more photos. The number of people dejected me quite a bit and made this section more of a “cast and bail”. Lost Creek Wilderness is a fantastic area for hiking and offers some rich history in regards to Native Americans, old mining outfits as well as the breathtaking landscape. (Sigh) In an earlier life I might have thrown on the pack and tried to get myself lost in this expansive wilderness area leaving the poles in the truck.

For more information on Lost Creek Wilderness Area, feel free to check out the link below.

http://www.sangres.com/colorado/wilderness/lostcreekwilderness.htm

To gain access to most of the private sections on Tarryall Creek and a few others, contact Rocky Mountain Angling Club.

http://www.rmangling.com/

Coming up in Part Two I cover Tarryall Reservoir with a last ditch effort on The Platte River. Sometimes I think it is easier to absorb these multiple location scout missions when they are broken into sections.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.