RECREATION. 



Volume II. 



JUNE, 1895. 



G. O. SHIELDS (COQUINA), Editor and Manager. 



Number 6. 



TROUTING ON THE GUNNISON. 



F. D. Sanford. 



Gunnison county has over 500 miles 

 of trout streams. The Gunnison 

 river, proper, is formed 10 miles 

 above Gunnison city by the junction of 

 Taylor river and East river. Twenty- 

 six miles below Gunnison city the Black 

 •canyon begins and the good fishing 

 water ends. 



East river, Taylor river and all their 

 tributaries are good fishing streams ; as 

 are also all the streams that run into the 

 Gunnison river. 



I have fished almost all of these streams 

 and have caught good baskets of trout ; 

 but of late years I have confined my- 

 self to the Gunnison river, from a point 

 five miles above the city to five or six 

 miles below. 



Seven years ago 10,000 rainbow fry, 

 Salmo irideus, were planted in Stubend 

 creek, by County Commissioner A. K. 

 Stevens. Last summer large numbers of 

 them were taken in the Gunnison 

 river, and many of them were above 

 five pounds in weight. I have read of 

 the big trout of the Rangeleys and of 

 the Nepigon, and of the skill with 

 which large fish are killed. I have 

 longed to meet some of the eastern 

 anglers here and show them where the 

 big trout of the Gunnison lie. When I 

 say big trout I mean it ; for our mayor, 

 E. P. Shove, is the captain, having 

 landed, after a 45 minute battle, a 

 rainbow trout that was 29X inches in 

 length and weighed 10% pounds. 

 There are still larger fish than this in 

 the Gunnison. 



My score, for last summer, included 

 268 fish, that weighed from 2 up to 1% 

 pounds. 



Now as to the gaminess of our trout. 

 The native trout, Salmo mykiss, is not 

 much on the fight. A few rushes and 

 he comes to net. The eastern brook 

 trout, salvelinus foniinalis, of which 

 there are quite a number here — and 



some of good size — are gallant fighters 

 and give good sport. Now, last but 

 not least, we come to the rainbow. As 

 found in the Gunnison river he is the 

 gamiest of his species. I know nothing 

 of him in any other water. He is ex- 

 tremely wary and no tyro can go splash- 

 ing and smashing along and catch 

 him. 



He affects the deepest and swiftest 

 places, and it often requires a cast of 

 30 to 50 feet to reach him. You must 

 be very quiet or he will not rise, and of 

 course your cast must suit him. But 

 when he is suited he comes with a 

 mighty rush, and when you strike, he 

 turns and cuts away 50 or 100 feet at a 

 terrific pace, finishing his rush with a 

 leap in the air, and giving himself a 

 grand shake and probably you the same. 

 if, however, the hook should still hold, 

 the moment he is in his native element 

 again he tries it all over, only with a 

 little more vim. Varying these rushes, 

 he turns and twists in the water, trying 

 to rid himself of the barb. He never 

 sulks for a moment, and his captor 

 knows how to prize a rainbow when 

 once he has him in his basket. 



I have known one to make his rush 

 directly across the river, out on the 

 opposite bank several feet, and then 

 back into the water again. I have had 

 a five pound rainbow leap 17 times lie- 

 fore he gave up, and they have a way 

 of giving several short, hard jerks, so 

 fast and so hard, that you must have the 

 best of tackle, or it will part, or your 

 rod will be broken. 



Now, I wish to reiterate that if any 

 lover of the "gentle art " wishes to try 

 for this kind of fish and will come this 

 way in July, August or September (the 

 last two months are the best), I will 

 show him where the big fellows hide, 

 and there are many other lovers of the 

 sport here who will do the same. 



391 



