My craziest story of 2009…true story

Epilogue:

There was one fishing story that I wasn’t going to share for a number of reasons. But after telling a co-worker the tale recently I decided to toss it up on the blogilicious to help close out 2009. This was a rare occasion where I have had to call in the officials for violation(s). “Second Craziest” award goes to Mother of All Snapping Turtles.

Early Morning Jump…Ward Pond

Early morning “before work” run on Ward Pond there in Wheatridge off of I-70 and Ward Road. This was mid spring/prespawn conditions for largemouth bass and I was looking to bust a few lips before hitting the office. Prespawn is one of my favorite times for bass fishing so you might see me out there before work, lunch time, after work and just plain missing work altogether. Pulling in I see one vehicle.

“Not too shabby. “ I say with an optimistic grin.

The truck is parked and I grab two rods and the tackle bag. Then proceed to pass sign after sign stating the additional (AFLO/C&R) restrictions and that this is a State Wildlife Area primarily used for fishing. This is a place that metro bassers have tried to set apart from the bait and take public areas of Denver.

Walking down the well-worn wooden stairs grasping the metal railing I start working the southwest corner of the lake. Casting at some shallow cruising bass I plink one and get a decent picture. That is when I noticed the big red dome way over on the west side of the lake. At first it looked like it could be some debris or a really huge person with a red jacket. My eyes caught another bass and the red object moved to the back of my mind.

(Serious bass jones going on here. I am certifiably insane come prespawn.)

15 minutes had passed and time was running out. I had briefly scouted the north side resulting in disappointment. Turning the corner and ending up on the west side I finally see the red object in full view. It is a tent. Someone had actually pitched a tent and was camping on the peninsula. I am used to running into baiters and bass takers here but this was way out of bounds.

(This is the actual tent setup at the sight. Not some lame reenactment with “look-alike” tents. This here is bonafide.)

“You have to be #$%^& kidding me.” I scoff in disgust. “A Tent?” But this is where it really gets crazy.

I keep moving and avoid the peninsula. Just as I am getting to start scouting the rest of the southeast cove, a guy literally jumps out of the tree line with two rifles shouldered on his back. The straps made him look like one of those banditos you see in the old western movies. Too be quite honest I damn near pissed myself in that first moment where two people eyeball one another with bad and fearful intent. He gave me a probing look as scenes of deliverance flashed through my mind. One rifle looked to be a pellet gun and relatively harmless. The other looked as if it was a .22 but hard to tell by just the barrel. That was somewhat of a comforting thought as a higher-powered rifle eliminates the option of running.

I kept moving and did my best to play it cool while still trying to scout the shoreline. Hopefully I could casually make my way past this guy as this cove was super hot for me last year.

I moved around the cove quickly to where I had landed a huge bass last year. This year however the west side of the far cove was moss covered and void of any nests. It is kind of funny how even in the face of pellet or other gun shot wounds…my focus is still on catching fish. I even scan the northern shore a second time on the way back managing to pick up another cruising prespawn bucket. Sporadically I would hear little “pop” noises as the urban commando fired off shot after shot with the pellet gun.

(Not too shabby for an early weekday cast in spring.)

Put the gear away and get in the truck. By this time I am running very late and hanging on the edge of speeding my restrictions to reach work about 8:30AM. Anything after 9AM is “asschew late”. My cell phone of course is still charging (otherwise it would have been worth the time to call before driving to work). Once at the office I made a call first to the State Wildlife office. I figure they run the place, right? They went to the trouble to put up all those signs, right? I put in the call, tell the whole story and the first thing the guy asks me, “Did you call Operation Game Thief?” (I also mentioned the fact the guy had one pellet rifle and the other I wasn’t sure about. This may have lessened his concern greatly.)

“The guy is camping out there and shooting rifles…a threat to himself and society…who knows what he is shooting at out there. Whoever has jurisdiction in this case needs to get down there, ASAP.” Really I just wanted someone to kick him off the property. If he is shooting birds he is probably taking fish. Pretty much breaking every single rule posted on all of those signs they put up everywhere.

Work was kicking into full gear so there wasn’t a lot of time or need for that matter to be jawing it up with the officers. My goal was to notify them immediately and let them handle this matter officially. The guy did have guns after all. I simply told the guy what I knew and asked for a call back for closure. Maybe they would give me the end of the story, maybe not.

“Hopefully they stop him before someone gets hurt.” Was my last word on the subject or so I thought.

The phone rings about 10:45ish and the caller ID says “Operation Game Thief”. I pick it up and the official starts with a similar line of questioning as the first.

“This is officer so-N-so and just wanted to get your side of the story here. Now where was the guy at and what was he doing?”

“Thank you for calling, sir. My name is Matt and this morning I came across a guy camping out at Ward Pond. He was shooting a pellet gun at just about everything in sight. Was the tent and everything still setup when you got there?” Heck, I just started rattling off thinking they had already caught the guy and this was my call back for the statement or sheer courtesy.

“Well we haven’t sent an officer out yet. I was just filling out the report and getting ready to dispatch someone if necessary.”

“Huh?” I sputtered completely dumfounded. “You haven’t sent anyone out yet? The guy is pretty much shooting at anything out there with a pellet gun. At the very least he can’t be tenting it up out there by I-70.”

It was disheartening and the issue was causing more grief than it was worth. Trust you me that had this been I camping out at Ward Pond on a spring day shooting a pellet gun you can bet SWAT would have been called out as soon as the first tent pole went in.

“Oh well” I scoffed a bit disgusted and went off on a rant. “Gave it a shot. Did my part and all that. Let the place go to crap. See if I care. It could be one of the best damn fishing holes if folks would just give a $%& and read all those #$%^& signs they put up all over the #$%^&* place.”

More e-mails, more requests and the usual Lumberg’s roll in. Tackle, battle, get it out the door. Soon I am looking at grabbing some lunch. Maybe even scouting the apartment pond for 20 minutes with modest expectations and a fast retrieve. The phone rings. The caller ID says Wheatridge Police.

“Oh man…” My voice cracks wondering what this is all about. “This can’t be good.” My voice mutters as I answer the phone. It was yet a third rendition of the previous officer.

“This is officer yada-yada. Am I talking to the person who reported the man camping out at Ward Pond?…”

“Yes it is. So what’s the deal. Did you catch the guy? Was he still down there?”

“Well no. Not yet. I was just on my way down there and wanted to get some more information...”

“Wow.” I blurted out forgetting my composure for a moment. “I put this call in about 8:30. I am surprised you folks are just getting out there. This guy could really be causing some damage. Heck he is probably long gone by now.”

“It’s been a busy morning.” He replied with an obviously annoyed tone. ‘I’m about 15 minutes from there now.”

Not wanting to lose this guy from my side of the issue I refrained from the ‘I might have put “possible lunatic with guns” a bit higher on my priority list” comment and filled him on the whole situation. I also remembered to ask for the follow up call.

About 3PM I am wrapping up the daily grind and coast through the next two hours. The nice part about busting butt early in the day sometimes makes that possible. Then the phone rings. It’s the officer from Wheatridge with the follow up. Now I won’t bore you with the exact dialogue of this conversation but will have to summarize in hopes of easing the punishment of reading this 4-page dribble.

The officer searched the tent and found a substantial amount of “chemical drugs” was the term he used. There must have been some other stuff too as the officer ended up calling in backup as well as transport. This means the guy is in serious trouble when the city police turn someone over to the state police.

Honestly I didn’t know whether to feel good or bad at that point. On one hand the guy was removed from the premises and nobody was injured. On the other hand the guy is going to get a good deal more than a simple warning or citation. That part of the story was something I definitely did not intend or would wish on anyone. In hindsight I still don’t know if this was a good call or not. Had the guy not been strapped like Rambo I would have pointed out the regs in person…as I usually have to do out here many, many, many times. Hanging up the phone my heart was heavy.

“#$%^!” The lamenting became twice fold in an instant. “I forgot to ask what caliber the other gun was.”

That makes a big difference in regards to this story. It just sounds better with a pellet rifle and an AR15 or something like that. Two BB guns? Well that sounds a lot less menacing. Still this has to be craziest story of 2009. Fishing past an armed bandito beats battling a turtle the size of a small car any day in my book.

Footnote: Homeless people occasionally set up shelters on the very thick wooded areas of Ward Pond. These wooded areas are a distance away from the lake and difficult to reach. I am not condoning the behavior but at least they are more wise and set up temporary camps deep in the bush away from sight. This is the kind of thing that by the letter of the law is a violation but you have to be pretty ruthless to report it. Pick your battles in this crazy world. Watch out for giant snapping turtles and armed banditos.

Cheeseman Reservoir goes on Hold until May 2011

(Above: For sme reason I can't post a picture without having to provide alibis and witnesses reports the next three weeks for my boss who still swears this is me in the picture. If it were me, the rod would be bent over.)

It looks like Cheeseman Reservoir is getting a cool down and some valve work. It will re-open in May 1, 2011. Probably not a big deal to most folks but for anglers like me, well we still get a bit twitchy when recalling the Haymen Fire. This shut down the reservoir for a few years.

These temporary shut downs are good for fishing in my opinion as it gives the water and fish a much needed break after being in the spotlight of public pressure. Giving the folks a heads up now will allow them to take “Cheese” off of their 2010 fish list with a “MUST FISH” date set on May 1st 2011…trout, smallmouth and even pike will have let their guard down a bit.

For more on the story…

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=129331&catid=188

Evergreen Ice Fish-First run on hard water

So it is time to get serious about ice fishing, as the recent cold snap has locked up so much water. Saturday I took a journey up to Evergreen for my first ice run of the season.

Action was no-go. The combined effort of about 25-30 anglers achieved nothing. Everyone I talked to had gone throughout the day without so much as a bite. The Vexilar and other sonar units were picking up fish but they just didn’t want to eat anything. I tried several locations zigzagging from the northern shore to the middle of the lake.

(Above: The snow was frozen and compact which allowed me to make my own ice fishing shelter. This photo would be much better had I actually caught a fish to put in it. Yes, I actually made this.)

After several hours of drilling, dropping and waiting I concluded two things: The bite was not “on” and I did not have a magic key. The ice had a vast layer of crusted snow on top of it that was perfect for making igloos. Within a few hours I had mine ready to go hole drilled and all. Just in time too as the wind started picking up. It was cozier than expected but yet not quite comfortable enough. My Eskimo skills need some work for sure.

Rangers check Evergreen Lake and other popular ice-fishing destinations frequently. It does my heart good to see these folks out in force at any place and time. Better enforcement = better fishing. Park Rangers are 99.9% the best folks you ever want to meet in the wild. That remaining 0.1% is often a misunderstanding or folks just flat out breaking the rules (myself included in the fore mentioned item).

In closing this just may be my first “skunkaroo” post on the on the blogilicious (and one of the four or five goose egg trips in 2009). However I still managed to learn a lot on this trip. Putting the pieces of the puzzle together from recent trips I just may have managed to get most of the picture in focus. Next trip will be different…absolutely!

Always someone more Hard Core

Just when I think I am getting to a point where I am leading the pack, someone else shows me just how much further I need to go. Driving to work Tuesday morning during that ultra cold snap and I see this guy (picture below).

(Above: Another one of my “through the windshield” shots hence the slight haze. Even though it is not a fishing photo it does raise the bar for me in a lot of respects. If this guy can bike to work I can fish!)

It’s less than 5 degrees Fahrenheit outside. The wind is drifting snow at about 15mph making the temp 5 below zero when you add in the wind chill factor. Severe temps like this cut right through just one or two layers and freezes tears to the side of your face.

Here I am in an enclosed 4-wheel drive vehicle with the heater going. Looking at this guy you know this morning is just another morning trek for him.

“This guy makes me look a F%^&*#@ wuss!” I cough.

Mr. Arctic Two-Wheeler here should get a “hard core” award or something for biking to work in weather like this. If there were such an award maybe it would look similar to the one I have created below.

Fishing inspiration can be found virtually anywhere and this time of year I need inspiration most of all. Half of my rods are still geared up for bass and the ice gear was in storage. One the way home from work it was tossed in the truck and the sorting, re-lining and whatnot will begin. The year is not up. I still have weeks to fish. Must Fish!

My must fish name is must fish Matt and I’m a must fish must fish must fish fishaholic!

Let’s get to know…The Yellow Perch

How cool are fish? Each species is different and has biological differences that control so much about where they live and why. Knowing these facts will help dial in the location and patterns of the fish you seek to catch. Fish identification is just the start. Learning the biological aspects helps us catch and preserve this amazing natural creature. Please bear with me and my poindexter excerpts of “Let’s get to know…”.

Let’s get to know The Yellow Perch

Perch can be one of my favorite fish to catch as we roll into winter. Some of my warm water fisheries have a substantial population of perch and they will offer some decent action when the bass scene gets too cold.

(Above: One of my better Colorado perch pictures in digital format-historical/not recent photo. I almost broke out the flatbed scanner to show some more respectable perch pictures. I am not a big fan of recycling my fish pictures and will always state when a picture is pulled from my archive to make a post or article more worthy for the reader.)

Identification:

Perch are mainly identified by their black vertical stripes over a green body. Their dorsal fin is large and spiny. Pelvic, anal and pectoral fins are orange and brighter in males during the spawn cycle. The body is elongated and typically 6 to 8-inches is the standard size for Colorado. However they can reach upwards to 14-inches when conditions are prime.

The pectoral fin appears to be oversized for the fish’s body but it actually helps the fish defend itself from aggressive predators such as pike, muskie and many others.

Yellow Perch basics:

Perch are a member of the walleye family and just as tasty. The yellow perch is often overlooked as a table fish in Colorado compared to the walleye due to its relatively small size. Responsible harvest is needed to support health perch populations in Colorado waters. Removing a full limit of the most common size (even if only 6 to 8-inches) and releasing the larger sized perch is key to producing larger fish down the road.

My guess is that perch were introduced in Colorado roughly around the 1850-1890 range similar to other states in the west (I looked for the actual date reference but gave up after a few tries. I should be pretty close here).

Spawning:

Adult female perch (2-3 years olds) can produce anywhere from 4,000 to 50,000 eggs. Males reach adulthood at 1 to 3 years old.

Eggs are laid in long connected ribbons preferably over vegetation when water temperatures reach 45 to 55 degrees. (early/mid-Spring).

Depending on water temperatures, hatching occurs 10 to 20 days after fertilization.

Adults do little in regards to building nests, guarding or raising the young. Adult perch will actually eat the young if given the chance.

More about perch (Matt’s rant warning!)

Some waters do better than others with the species as it can have a tendency to overpopulate quickly. The yellow perch eats just about anything in the lower spectrum of the food chain from smaller fish to aquatic larvae. This can have a devastating impact on prime game fish habitat. Yellow perch are more of a nuisance in Colorado waters than an actual sport fish. So many natural factors play in this species’ favor that it only takes a few years for perch to seriously impact even a large reservoir if left unchecked.

What would help the perch situation in Colorado greatly is a better understanding of the species and more focus to be placed on them in every body of water where they exist. Some lakes should be managed with perch success in mind and some lakes would benefit from substantial harvesting of perch. Complete removal of perch is extremely difficult. However the system becomes healthier when perch are removed as that aggressive pressure is removed. The Colorado Division of Wildlife has done this very thing in a few reservoirs but overall the yellow perch is a low priority. Anglers could really make a difference here. Anglers that appreciate and respect a responsible harvest might focus on perch a few days of the year and suffer with a lot of small perch at first as that is what will be in multitude. The biggest perch need to go back for best possible DNA in the first few years. Each year the fish will get bigger and bigger until the norm reaches a 10-15 fish harvest in the 10 to 12-inch range. This is some of the tastiest fish in Colorado. Why are people taking out the bass? The reason you are catching 4 to 6 inch fish in multitudes and not a single 8 or even 10 is because the large fish are only being taken out and the entire population is overcrowded. This causes stunting and I see this more often than not.

Where to find yellow perch:

Yellow perch are all over Colorado lakes. If there are bass and sunfish placed in your local waters there is a good chance that yellow perch are placed there as well. A few places noted for Colorado perch are Blue Mesa, Harvey Gap and Rifle Gap. But other local haunts such as Loveland Lake, Chatfield Ponds, and Aurora Reservoir are great perch opportunities in open and even hard water. Check with your local managing agency for more perch locations as well as specific regulations.

Good Luck and Good Fishing.

Informational resource and other useful links listed below:

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fishfacts/yellowperch.asp

http://www.fondriest.com/species/yellow_perch.htm

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/walleye/biology.html

Moving into the “Cold Three”

(Above: This is one of my favorite winter fishing shots. Cold weather can do a number on camera equipment. Keep as much gear in an insulated case as possible. If you can wear this inside your gear-not against your bare skin due to sweat is ideal. Batteries lose energy when cold. Warm them up and they should return too normal…sometimes that is.)

The hardest months for me as an angler in Colorado are what I call “The Cold Three”. The reasons are mostly obvious. The roads get piled with snow, the lakes freeze up and fish just so happen to be cold-blooded meaning that cold temperatures slow their metabolism. The colder the water temp the less active most fish become. Some warmwater species virtually shut down completely. An angler has to not only put the lure in the face of the largemouth bass but also practically open the jaws and put the lure in. Ice fishing enthusiasts aside, December, January and even early February can be the toughest for me and other anglers to catch fish consistently. But we do catch fish.

Being a year round angler means that an angler will fish at least once a month and try to catch fish with some level of quality. Let’s be honest here. If you only fish a few times June through September…you can’t truly wear the badge “Year Round Angler”.

Here are some things that get me through the winter season.

1. Moving water is open water. Tailwater river fishing spots are prime in the worst weather conditions. Low traffic at premiere trout fishing spots is simply a dream to most summer fly fisherfolks. The same location in winter will be far less crowded. If that river or stream has large rollover dams, spillways and natural elements that keep the ice free even below freezing you can fish that spot year round. The fish may actually congregate their in search of surface bugs or other food. Oxygen levels are also higher in these areas and vital to fish in winter.

2. Ice fishing is more fun than you think. This hard water fishing is whole new world. Even if it is my least favorite there are still a ton of opportunities here. Look for the lakes that allow ice fishing but not boating, like Evergreen for example. Pulling up the DOW website and searching for popular ice fishing destinations is a good step if you haven’t already.

3. Curb the fishing jones with research, gear tweaks and those fishing things you have meant to do for some time. Maybe knock off a few honeydo’s and use them for bargaining chips to get more fishing time later in the year. If things get real bad, go buy some new fishing stuff and keep focused on next season. It will be here before you know it.

4. Fish slowly. Fish are going to be far less active in winter than in warmer conditions especially for warm water species. Lakes may suffer from oxygen loss, which can be another factor on the action. During the winter months I try to fish spinnerbaits, plastics, jigs and anything else as slow as possible. Fish do not move very far to reach a lure so search casting and getting close to deep structure increases your chances of winter hook-ups. The more successful you are the more you will enjoy fishing the cold season.

5. Set a goal to fish at least once a month in the cold three if you don’t already have a similar goal. Some people really enjoy fishing in winter once they actually do so.

A few other things to mention are: check the conditions constantly, use caution and be prepared. Safety is always the first priority as winter weather can be pretty harsh in Colorado. Good luck and be cautious this season fishing the “Cold Three”.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.

Plan B perch

Now my second plan for the day was to go after some perch. When warmwater bassin’ spots turn frigid there is one species that remains active. That species is the yellow perch. In a number of ponds across the Front Range these fish will be eager to take a lure. Yellow perch are not in their primetime form as of yet but will be in another month or two. Scouting things out know may help at that time.

For perch I like to use two different setups. A Carolina rig with a small dropshot hook (A small hook I carry with my bass gear.) and the other is a 1/32oz jig with a matching curly tail grub. Bright colors that can be easily seen work well for a fish that has a smaller mouth than bass. Both started getting bites right away.

(Above: Yellow Perch caught on Carolina rig.)

The jig was getting the bigger fish. When an active area was approached the jig would pick up scrappers that were a bit hardier in size and weight if only by a few ounces. The tactic was simple, cast out and let it drop. Once the lure hit the bottom the bites would either happen or not. The hook was set with a small snap and I would pull up another perch.

(Above: The jig was getting perch slightly bigger and slightly thicker.)

The largest perch were in the 8-inch range. The goal was to locate the larger fish in the 12-inch range if possible. I covered most of the lake catching a few dozen fish but the larger ones eluded me.

The rigs are nothing fancy but seriously downsized and not typical of my bass or even trout gear. The jig is small and just enough weight to cast. If fishing by shore you will need the 1/8oz. When the perch are too small for the 1/8oz (which was the case today) I size down to the 1/32oz.

The grubs are a mister twister “Lil-bit” grubs and the 1” works great for the 1/32 and the 2” will go with the larger sizes.

The Carolina rig is nothing more than an extremely downsized version of the bass rig. The drop shot hook is a smaller hook that I have on hand and the same grub for the jig works in this application. I like this rig for a matted bottom or when I need the bait to bounce a bit. The drop shot application is employed if I have a mossy bottom. In truth there are many different tactics for perch. In-Fisherman is an excellent source for perch tactics and a must read for perch aficionados.

Good luck and good fishing.

Late November Bass

A few of my late fall bass trips have come up empty. But that is to be expected when you fish a species so far out of its optimum conditions. A hardore basser does not shirk away from a challenge so when I saw the forecast calling for near 70 degree temps…the pontooner was loaded up and hauled out to a Front Range Pond.

The one thing I brought today in multitude was patience. Slowly I began picking, prodding and searching for buckets. The sky was clear and the sun started beating down early. It felt like more like a summer day than a late Fall morning in November.

Just by looking at the lake and the angle of the sun it was easy to see what areas were basking in the warm sun and what areas were shaded and still sporting patches of snow. You had the Alaska Tundra or the Bahamas it seems with the contrast in ground temperature. Bass prefer the Bahamas so any island structure facing south was first on the list. After an hour of the slow-n-go my diligence was rewarded.

(Above: Stocky looking November bass. Even though the post is in December. There is a huge difference in my eyes between bass caught in December and January as opposed to those caught in November and even February. Late November bass are still pretty sweet.)

Sluggish bite, sluggish fight. No surface breaks or screaming drag. It was like pulling in a twitching log in the 2.5-pound range. It was a good way to set the pace for the rest of the day.

A long day. I will summarize as to spare you the laborious details. Covered the entire lake. Saw three more bass and spooked one of the three. Most of the time I would fish ahead of me and drift in a slow line under a breeze that you could barely feel. Sometimes the tooner would drift right over the structure and the fish would be right below me. Cast, sink, drop…wait…wait…bump…wait…bump…wait. Lift, reel, cast and repeat.

The lure selection was the same stuff I usually throw just fished a lot slower.

Fishing location makes a huge difference when chasing bass in late fall/early winter. Ponds and lakes with a healthy population of bass will put the odds and numbers in your favor. Cold water bassin’ is not the easiest thing to do so I tend to focus on my best producing lakes or ponds during the cold season. These are also places that I know fairly well meaning that I have a good idea where the best structure points are and have some seasonal/historic reference. Most fish tend to transition location throughout the year so knowing those transition patterns will help you fish the wintering grounds.

(Above: This illustration crudely represents how temperature range may look for any given body of water. Typically you assume the south side will be warmer. But trees and natural elements shade those areas and make them far cooler than the north that may receive a daily dose of direct sunlight. The red section is intended to be relatively shallow and not a vertical drop or ledge.)

Finding the most active areas for winter bass during a warm spell is simply a matter of knowing what to look for. Areas of water will vary in temperature if even only a few degrees depending on where you are. This difference in temperature will have a huge impact on the aggressiveness of warmwater fish like largemouth bass.

The shallow areas will heat up quickly and generate activity even in winter months. This area is generally on the north side that receives the most direct sunlight. The deeper water close this area is a prime target area for lurking bass. Vertical drop off areas on the north side can be pure gold. All lakes are different but these are general rules that help me find tough winter fish. Note: Some fish are stubborn and will hold to certain areas unless driven off by some force. Hence why you still may find one or two fish in shallow water as well as the colder areas.

Primary target areas are areas in the warmer water that have structure. The structure will congregate fish of all sizes. These may be the same areas that I pull fish from in the summer months. However the fish will be tucked much tighter to that structure and moving much slower.

Secondary target areas are areas that may be outside of the prime zone but still worth hitting. Some areas are so good that fish will winter in them regardless of the subtle drop in temps. More patience and more persistence may be needed to get these frigid jaws unlocked. And really therein lies the real frustration with winter bass fishing. You can locate the fish and even see them on the sonar. You practically hit the fish in the mouth with live bait and it still doesn’t bite. The fish just lumbers off a few feet like some magic floating rock. Cast. Cast…move on.

There is a ton of stuff that I am leaving out. The real keys are patience, fishing slow and hitting warm trends. Mattsabasser’s huge ass disclaimer: The best I can do is lay out general trends and guidelines that have worked for me overall. There are many exceptions to these rules in regards to winter bass fishing.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic

Proposed Gross Reservoir expansion-triple current size

(Below: This is what Gross looks like now. The image is taken from Google earth. If I come across the proposal plans indicating what the projected growth would look like, I will be sure to post that as well.)

In five years, population growth in Denver will begin to outstrip water supplies, and by 2030, the city will be short about 11 billion gallons of water, according to Denver Water.

That's one of the reasons why the agency is proposing an expansion of Gross Reservoir in southwest Boulder County that would almost triple its capacity. The draft environmental impact statement for the project, which would fill the newly enlarged reservoir with more water from tributaries of the Colorado River near Granby, was released this month.

A public hearing will be held Tuesday in Boulder to collect comments on the environmental impact statement.

Link to full article:

http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-county-news/ci_13885451?source=rss

Matt's Rant: Gross will change significantly if this proposal is accepted (and I doubt this proposal will meet much resistance). The good news is that the reservoirs dramatic vertical drop will hold most of this increased water. The inlet area will be moved further back and harder to reach. The inlet is more or less the hot spot of Gross so more walking may reduce some of the crowds there.

Water resources are under increasing pressure. Just meeting the needs for drinking and sanitation is an enormous strain on reservoirs. Irrigation needs and simple dehydration take away the remainder. As more and more water managing agencies crunch the numbers they all point to one conclusion..."We don't have enough water."

Conservation efforts are not anywhere near where they need to be and only a small part of the equation. Look for increased water useage fees across the board as well as increased reservoir size.