Nov.16, 2016 The Shocking News!

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Today we have a real treat!

As I was preparing to head out for a hike on this 70+degree day in November, I stumbled across the Colorado Parks and Wildlife http://cpw.state.co.us/ setting up to count fish by means of electroshock.  Electroshocking a stream temporarily stuns the fish, allowing for capture and counting before being released back into the habitat.  The data collected includes species, length, and weight, and whether the fish appear healthy or have obvious problems. In addition to this annual event, I was also lucky enough to spend some time with one of the biologist who is doing a 2-year study to find the causative agent responsible for a bacteria that has been found in Colorado hatcheries, as well as hatcheries in bordering states of Colorado. This study is being done to find out if the bacteria is present in the South Platte River and what effects it may have on the general fish population.  I will be following up on this study and sharing the results in a couple of weeks.  As this was the first time I witnessed this event, I was truly impressed with the care involved to prevent one fish from being injured during the entire process. This is truly an amazing process that involves about 20 people working together to temporarily stun the fish, gather and net the fish, count, weigh, log and return the fish to the river. Today’s event took place between the second Decker’s bridge, upstream to the Y-Camp road, and took about 7 or 8 hours to complete. The group was made up of several biologist from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Service, with support from the U.S.Forest Servicehttp://www.fs.fed.us/ and several student and community volunteers. I spent about 4 hours with the group today, shooting pictures and video as they braved the wind and rugged river bottom to complete this very important and inherently risky task! The data collected proves that restoration and management efforts on the South Platte river are astoundingly successful, as we continue to see our beloved fishery return to pre-Hayman fire levels.  Some of the data collected includes species, length, weight, and whether the fish appear healthy or have obvious problems. As someone who is blessed to live on this river and have the opportunity to fish each day, you gain a new perspective on what conservation, education and preservation really means when it comes to a healthy fish population. Watching this group work today was one of the most educational experiences I’ve had since living in the valley and I look forward to more events and volunteer opportunities with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Service. A big thanks to Jeff, Scott, Paul, and anyone else I may have forgotten that allowed me to be in the mix as you carried out your important work today on the South Platte River, Decker’s, Colorado! Oh, by the way, the flows are at about 55 cfs in Decker’s, a little lower at 48 below the dam at Cheesman. The front is moving in tomorrow, but I’m thinking it’s going to be a good day nymphing in the shallows! Wind is going to be blowing tomorrow at 20mph+, so my dry fly fishing is going to be put on hold for a few days!   That’s all for now my friends! Enjoy my “shocking” photos from today’s event and I’ll see you next time, or hopefully on the river soon! Have a great evening!Chris