September 3, 2023September 4, 2023 hooknfly

THINGS ARE STILL PEACHY ON TOMICHI (Creek that is, near Gunnison, CO)

Early August 2023

For my earlier trips to Tomichi Creek, see: http://hooknfly.com/2016/07/17/daley-gulch-double-on-tomichi-creek-near-gunnison-colorado/; http://hooknfly.com/2018/06/24/day-2-of-the-tomichi-creek-trifecta-near-gunnison-co-the-lower-canyon-stretch/

When you have lived three-quarters of a century, your mind often wanders back to friends and colleagues that have enriched your life. A couple of times a month I find myself getting on the phone (a cell phone, not a rotary dial model) and calling old buddies, former business partners, and the like, just to see how they are doing. Or when I am making my annual migrations back and forth between the Everglades in Florida and the high country of Colorado, I stop in to see the old gang and reminisce about the good times we had. In the back of my mind is always the question, will this be the last time our paths will cross. These aren’t sad affairs, far from it. They warm my heart and fill me with gratitude.

River and creeks are the same way. I now find myself wanting to revisit waters that I haven’t called on for a while, those that treated me to a memorable day of fly fishing along with a needed dose of nature and solitude. Some require a hike into a rugged canyon that my old knees may not allow in the future. Others are tricky wading with fast currents that my once cat-like reflexes could easily handle but now may result in a cold dunking…and maybe worse, like a broken hip.

This year several of this genre are on my dance card—Chavez Creek near Upper Dome Lake, the headwaters of Saguache and Cochetopa Creeks in the La Garita Wilderness, and Grape Creek in a remote canyon come to mind. All take some doing to get to. Another closer to home, Tomichi Creek, I find from my fishing journal I haven’t visited in almost four years despite its being only 45 minutes away from my cabin near Salida. She’s different than the others in that access and wading are easy. But she is one that I feel I must look after to make sure she’s still doing OK. If not, I may have to raise a little ruckus about the situation with the proper authorities.

For many years I would whiz by Tomichi Creek when traveling busy US Highway 50 on my way from my cabin to fish the fabled waters of the Gunnison River and its tributaries like the East River. Then in 2016, as I hustled down Monarch Pass just above the village of Sargents, I happened to see an official looking sign on a fence separating the stream from the highway, so I turned around to take a look. I was pleasantly surprised to find that that the Colorado State Land Board owns a full section of land along the road called Daley Gulch that is open to fishing.

I made a mental note, and a few months later sampled her waters. I had a delightful day, catching some hard-fighting brown trout, several of which hit the 14-inch mark, not bad for a little creek less that 20 feet wide. The wildflowers along the stream were a bonus as was not seeing many boot marks. Later I would find another public stretch in a canyon just below Sargents and again had a banner day chasing brown trout.

Tomichi Creek Public Water West Of Sargents

Now five years have passed, and I am anxious to see how my friendly neighborhood creek has fared. Over this period, most of Colorado has been locked in a deep drought that has resulted in streams like Tomichi Creek and the Conejos River in southern Colorado being subjected to periodic closures in the summer due to low water flows and high temperatures that can be deadly to trout. Indeed, last summer when I was making my annual trip to the headwaters of Saguache Creek high in the La Garita Wilderness, I winced when passed by Tomichi Creek and saw it was barely a trickle. Further down towards Gunnison where water is sucked out for irrigation, the situation was even worse. It was like seeing an old friend on life support.

Like many waters in this part of Colorado, Tomichi Creek has a fascinating and often troubling history intertwined with mining. The creek was reportedly named along with a nearby peak from a Ute word for “dome-shaped rock.” Once silver was discovered in its watershed in the late 1800s, the creek had a rough go of it. The town of Tomichi, originally called Argenta, the derivative of the Latin word for silver, was by 1882 a booming mining camp with its own post office and bank, with a population of over 1,000. But it didn’t last long as the silver had to be transported over a very rough road 12 miles to the railhead in Sargents and periodic avalanches tore up the road and obliterated the mines. Even today, the damage from the mining can still be seen in the headwaters around White Pine where the U.S. Forest Service has undertaken major reclamation efforts.

Reclamation Work On Upper Tomichi Creek Near White Pine (Spelling Lessons Underway For “Tomichi”)

But in the meantime, in the lower reaches in the valley below, while the native cutthroat are gone, a substantial population of spunky brown trout have made the creek their home. Amazing what nature can do when given time to recover.

Fortunately, this past winter the snows in the rugged mountains above the Tomichi were deep, and spring rains added to the flows. When I checked the Colorado Division Of Water Resources streamflow site (dwr.state.co.us) in early August I was happy to see the creek flowing at 40 cfs at Sargents, a near perfect angling level. It was time to visit my old friend and make sure she was doing OK.

I’m on the road at 7:30 a.m. winding my way over Monarch Pass. It’s a short drive to the public stretch of the creek upstream of Sargents, so I’m soon at the gate below a big CDOT work site and then walking through the marshy terrain to the creek. I’ve rigged up my 8 ½ foot, 4 wt rod with a #16 gold body Chubby Chernobyl to imitate the scads of yellow hoppers in the meadow teamed with a #18 beadhead sparkle caddis larva. Caddis and mayflies love the Tomichi.

The Deadly Duo–Chubby Chernobyl (top) and Beadhead Sparkle Caddis Larva

I walk downstream to a wide bend in the creek and start working up. Surprisingly, in the first few good-looking pools where I have fooled trout before, today I draw a goose egg. I am already worrying that the creek isn’t doing so well since the last time I was here, which seems like just yesterday but was back in the summer of 2018. Then I come to a big bend in the creek that’s created a deep pool. The shoreline is covered with a profusion of gorgeous wildflowers—shooting stars, marsh buttercups, sunflowers, and daisies. I christen it the Wildflower Power Pool—and it delivers.

On the very first cast a spry little brownie nails the Chubby and puts up a good tussle before coming in for a quick photo and release. He’s followed quickly by another half dozen, one topping 13-inches.

The action is steady as I work upstream. Soon I come to what I call the Leaning Tower Of Trout that shelters a short rapid which feeds into a deep pool.

It never disappoints, and this time not only treats me with a couple of nice brownies but also surprises with the first and only brook trout of the day.

That’s followed by some action at the old reliable irrigation diversion pool that harbors some big fish. It produces a couple of good browns, one on the dry and one on the dropper.

Irrigation Diversion Dam Pool Harbors Hungry Brownies

The second fish that took the Chubby is himself a tad chubby, a sure candidate for Weight Watchers.

Chubby Brownie Can’t Resist Chubby Chernobyl

Now I start to see a few boot marks as I get closer to the CDOT work site. The creek here is easier to access via the official parking area close to the CDOT facility and gets more pressure. However, as it has in the past, a big bend pool in this stretch produces a fine 14-inch brown that will be the biggest fish of the morning.

Beautiful Brown Trout Caps A Good Morning

I sit on the bank reflecting as I release the handsome fish. It appears my old friend Tomichi is just peachy! Now I wonder about the nearby canyon stretch just downstream of Sargents a mile or so. It is so close to the highway, literally a stone’s throw, that perhaps it hasn’t fared so well. It’s lunch time, so I decide to hustle down there, grab some victuals and an RC Cola to reenergize, then do take its temperature.

I park my SUV at a wide turnout on the north side of the highway and after a leisurely lunch make my way cautiously across the highway feeling a bit like an overmatched matador in a bull ring. I manage to avoid getting clipped by a couple of speeding pickups, then walk down a short distance and bushwhack my way through a stand of dense willows to the creek.

My first view boosts my spirits. The water is a clean green tint and there’s plenty of current. In the very first pool a nice brownie smacks the Chubby as it swirls around a big rock midstream. The good action continues on both the Chubby and the dropper as I work upstream. Interestingly, last time when I was here and the water was low, the fish were hiding in deeper runs along undercut banks. It took precise casts and drifts close against the shoreline to coax them out. Today with ample water I find them out carousing for food in faster, deeper runs away from the bank. That’s where I fool a brawling brownie that pushes 14-inches, then another sleek beauty below a rock ledge.

By now it’s almost five p.m., and I come to a deep pool that edges close to the highway, so close I can see vehicles speeding by. I come up empty and start to see lots more boot marks along the shoreline. Maybe time to call it a day? No, something tells me that the heavy willow growth I can see crowding the creek downstream may have dissuaded would-be anglers from venturing further. I have my chest waders on so can navigate to the next alluring bend pool in the creek instead of hackashacking through those pesky willows. I think to myself, “one more fish and I’ll call it a day.” I loft a cast upstream above the bend and watch as the Chubby bounces jauntily along in the current before swirling into the enticing green water of the pool. Then it’s disappears! I set the hook, and a shimmering golden brownie swirls on the surface with the sparkle caddis fly in his mouth. He cavorts back and forth before relenting.

Last Fish Of The Day

As I release the beauty, I think to myself, perseverance pays…nothing like catching one last fish on the last cast of the day. I tip my hat to my old friend Tomichi Creek, pleased to know she’s still doing just fine.

June 26, 2018June 26, 2018 hooknfly

Day 2.5 Of The Tomichi Creek Trifecta: Exploring The Headwaters (near Gunnison, CO)

I am always on the lookout for a new, scenic, out-of-the-way creek overlooked and rarely visited by other anglers, where there is solitude and hungry fish. But sometimes the little gems are hiding in plain sight. That’s the case with the upper reaches of Tomichi Creek, just over Monarch Pass from my cabin near Salida, Colorado. I have hustled by the creek many times on the way to fish fabled waters like the Gunnison River or my favorite backcountry streams like Cochetopa Creek. As you come bombing down the twisty, turny U.S. 50 from one of the highest paved vehicle passes in the USA, you descend into a lovely valley where gorgeous little Tomichi Creek flows through private ranchland–visible and within a stone’s throw of this major highway. But awhile back on my way to Cochetopa Creek, I noticed a sign on a fence along the highway declaring special access, so I turned around and took a look. I was surprised to find that the Colorado State Land Board owns a full section along the road called Daley Gulch near the hamlet of Sargents, and it was open to fishing. I tucked away that information till a year later when I was hankering for a mid-week trout fix but had to be back home for a conference call by 4 p.m. Oh those pesky clients! I figured if I left early and was on the water by 8:30 a.m. I could fish till 1 or 2 p.m. and make it back to the office with ease. Now this was admittedly a long shot–a little like the Trifectas and Daily Doubles I used to bet on at Arlington Park in Chicago. The creek is very small as it flows through Daley Gulch, and with public access so close to a major highway I expected it probably got plenty of pressure. But with high hopes, that evening I rigged two rods, got the waders and boots out, set the alarm, and hit the rack with chubby trout dancing in my head.

Day 1: Daley Double On Tomichi Creek–See my July 2016 article on fishing Tomichi Creek at Daley Gulch

Day 2: Tomichi Creek: Hidden In Plain Sight—The Lower Canyon Section—See my June 2018 article on fishing Tomichi Creek below Sargents, Colorado.

Day 2.5: Exploring The Tomichi Creek Headwaters

After a good half-day of angling for scrappy brown trout in the canyon stretch of Tomichi Creek below Sargents, Colorado, I decide to drive up to the headwards—about 9 miles north of the town. The colorfully named U.S. Forest Service Snowblind Campground is my destination for a late lunch before I explore the upper reaches of the creek.

The turnoff for County Road 888 is just over a mile north of Sargents off of U.S. 50. Then it’s a scenic drive through the Cross Bar Ranch, a well-tended working spread. I nearly bump into a momma cow and her calf as I salivate over the picturesque creek wending its way through the valley.

The ranch is reportedly owned by a millionaire businessman out of Miami, and there is no fishing access for the public until you reach the campground, about nine miles from the U.S. 50 turnoff.

The pavement ends about three miles up followed by six miles of a decent gravel road. The county road crosses Tomichi Creek just before it reaches the campground. Up here at about 9,000 feet elevation, it is rollicking little mountain freestone water, with canyon walls starting to pinch in and spruce and pines covering the slopes.

Tomichi Creek Headwaters Fishing Starts At Snowblind Campground

The campground is a so-called “primitive” one because it has only vault toilets and water. No 50 amp hookups for those roughing it in 40-foot RVs! But a nice little travel trailer or tent would be just perfect in this well-laid out facility. The bonus is that Tomichi Creek runs right through the middle. There were plenty of open sites this day, so I got get one right next to the creek for my lunch break.

Attractive Snowblind Campground Is A Good Base To Explore The Tomichi Creek Headwaters

Very relaxing and just what I needed after the ordeal of having to land all those fish earlier in the day.

After lunch I reconnoiter upstream. A mile or so up the road I pass the well-tended White Pine cemetery then in another mile the former ghost town of White Pine, now a little village of summer homes.

There is a lot of history up here, mostly related to mining. Silver was discovered in 1878, and a boom let to the creation of White Pine, named for the dense stands of pine on the surrounding slopes. The boom peaked in 1884 when the town had almost 1,000 people, a newspaper, three saloons and several hotels.

img_0917-1 — Hearty Miners Of White Pine

It’s hard to imagine all that development shoehorned into this cramped valley. Indeed the tough topography made building a challenge and transportation in and out a travail , not to mention deadly avalanches. When the Silver Panic hit in 1893, White Pine soon became a ghost down. There was a revival in the early 1900s when the Akron Mining Company drove an almost mile-long tunnel into nearby Lake Hill and pulled out coal and zinc. The mine continued in operation until the 1950s, supplying critical metals like zinc, lead, and copper in two World Wars. When the mine closed, White Pine again faded.

Of course what got left behind was a legacy of pollution and scars upon the land, a story repeated throughout Colorado and the West. Toxic sediment from a huge pile of waste rock and mine tailings that abutted the creek near White Pine for years damaged the trout population in the Tomichi. Downstream the Tomichi Mill site on the stream was also heavily polluted.

The fish—browns and brookies—were still there, somehow managing to survive, but the long-term future of any aquatic life in the upper Tomichi was dim. That is until the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. EPA teamed with other agencies and Colorado Trout Unlimited in 2015 to clean things up. This award-winning $1.5 million major earth-moving and remediation project, has recently been successfully completed and things are looking up and the results are promising. The photos below depict the heavy earth moving required and before and after conditions. (These project photos are from an excellent 2017 article on the remediation efforts by Jason Willis, the Trout Unlimited project manager, available on-line.).

Not that things are completely hunky dory. When I start to explore a promising stretch of the creek below White Pine, I find very few bugs in the water—almost no mayfly nymphs and a few caddis nymphs here and there. Further downstream around Sargents the predominant bug is still the caddis which can withstand pollution better than mayflies, indicating that heavy metal pollutants are likely still present courtesy of the upstream mines. But the fish are there in the headwaters, as witnessed by electroshocking done prior to the remediation project.

Pre-project Electroshocking Results Shocked The Shockers: Big Brownie

This is no stream for beginners, especially between the campground and White Pine. Rarely will you flip a cast longer than the length of your leader. The creek is mostly fast-moving water with tiny pockets where the fish hide.

My first little brownie flashed out lickety-split to nail my #16 Royal Coachman Trude, but any bushy high-floater will do. I also get one on a small #18 green hotwire caddis nymph trailing a foot under the dry—any longer dropper will just result in more snags in the willows and assorted trees and brush crowding the creek.

Patience And Persistence Will Be Rewarded

You will get snagged and probably break off a fly or two, and you will be tempted to scream epithets, but it is still fun. And just remember there are some sizable brownies that rarely see a fly hiding underneath the thicket. Did I mention there are also several miles of beaver ponds on Tomichi Creek above White Pine that I have yet to explore….let me know how you do!

Big Beaver Ponds Upstream From White Pine: Big Trout Hangouts??

June 24, 2018June 26, 2018 hooknfly

Day 2 Of The Tomichi Creek Trifecta (near Gunnison, CO): The Lower Canyon Stretch

June 2018

I am always on the lookout for a new, scenic, out-of-the-way creek overlooked and rarely visited by other anglers, where there is solitude and hungry fish. But sometimes the little gems are hiding in plain sight. That’s the case with the upper reaches of Tomichi Creek, just over Monarch Pass from my cabin near Salida, Colorado. I have hustled by the creek many times on the way to fish fabled waters like the Gunnison River or my favorite backcountry streams like Cochetopa Creek. As you come bombing down the twisty, turny U.S. 50 from one of the highest paved vehicle passes in the USA, you descend into a lovely valley where gorgeous little Tomichi Creek flows through private ranch land–visible and within a stone’s throw of this major highway. But awhile back on my way to Cochetopa Creek, I noticed a sign on a fence along the highway declaring special access, so I turned around and took a look. I was surprised to find that the Colorado State Land Board owns a full section along the road called Daley Gulch near the hamlet of Sargents, and it was open to fishing. I tucked away that information till a year later when I was hankering for a mid-week trout fix but had to be back home for a conference call by 4 p.m. Oh those pesky clients! I figured if I left early and was on the water by 8:30 a.m. I could fish till 1 or 2 p.m. and make it back to the office with ease. Now this was admittedly a long shot–a little like the Trifectas and Daily Doubles I used to bet on at Arlington Park in Chicago. The creek is very small as it flows through Daley Gulch, and with public access so close to a major highway I expected it probably got plenty of pressure. But with high hopes, that evening I rigged two rods, got the waders and boots out, set the alarm, and hit the rack with chubby trout dancing in my head.

Day 1: Daley Double On Tomichi Creek–See my July 2016 article on fishing Tomichi Creek at Daley Gulch

Day 2.5: Tomichi Creek: Exploring The Headwaters–See my June 2018 article on fishing the Tomichi Creek headwaters

Day 2: Tomichi Creek: Hidden In Plain Sight—The Lower Canyon Stretch

I was bragging to a friend and fellow trout angler about my good day on Tomichi Creek at Daley Gulch, he asked if I had ever fished the mile or so of public water on Tomichi along U.S. 50, just below Sargents. I hadn’t—just assumed it was private property. But a little research revealed that indeed there was an attractive stretch of water sandwiched in between a couple of private tracts that was open to the public….it looked good on the Google Earth map satellite view sporting some nice twisty bends and deep-looking pools.

Bird’s-Eye View Of The Lower Canyon Stretch

My fishing fever was stoked, but before I got too excited I figured with the low snow pack and drought conditions plaguing southern Colorado this year, I’d better check the creek’s water level on the Division of Water Resources surface water flow web site. I was bummed out to find that Tomichi was already extremely low, running about 30 cfs at Sargents which is late summer level. 100 cfs is normal in early June. Still 30 cfs is plenty to float a fish so off I go.

I’m on the road at 8 a.m., heading over Monarch Pass on U.S. 50, a scenic paved highway that skirts the sky. I slow as I pass the State Land Board stretch of Tomichi Creek at Daley Gulch and breathe a sigh of relief—while low, the stream has a decent flow. Things look even a bit better below Sargents with a couple of rivulets adding their waters. I drive past the ranch above the canyon stretch, a barbed wire fence clearly marking where the private property ends and the public section begins. I decide to scout a bit and drive to the west end of the public water, where again fences and a smattering of cabins mark the lower boundary. I whip a U-turn and drive back east to the main turnoff on the south side of U.S. 50, about in the middle of the public water. By 9:15 a.m. I have donned my waders and am walking back downstream past the turnout on the north side of the highway, keeping a cautious eye on the traffic that is speeding through the canyon on the highway.

As I start to bushwhack down to the creek, I stir up a bunch of hoppers, a good sign. My Royal Coachman Trude #16 will be a passable imitation for them, and a #18 green hotwire beadhead dropper is a reasonable facsimile for the scads of caddis I find under the rocks below the first pool. On my double-nymph rig I have a #16 Tung Teaser and a #18 lime caddis nymph. I end up not using the nymph rig much today, having plenty of action on the dry/dropper.

This canyon section of Tomichi Creek is an interesting one topographically. It has, as expected, some narrow, fast runs flanked by big boulders with deep plunge pools. But it also has lengthy sandy/gravel runs that require long, accurate casts; these are interspersed with deep “S” bends that remind me of a meadow stream. This variety of water and secluded nature of the creek, thanks to willows and assorted brush lining the bank and blocking views of the highway, makes this stretch a delight to fish.

In the very first pool I pull out three frisky brownies, ranging from 6-11 inches. From there it’s steady action till I make it back to my SUV by 12:30 p.m. The water is low but for now in beautiful condition, clear and cool. Both the Trude and the caddis nymph produce, as well as a #16 lime caddis nymph.

Oddly, the weighted nymph rig results in only a couple of fish, even in the deeper holes. That’s not to say the fishing is easy, especially in the flatter stretches where long pin-point casts are required over the shallow water into the small pockets just below riffles where the trout are holding. Similarly, I find some good brownies up tight against the banks (and under them) along swifter glides in a few feet of water. If the fly drifts down more than a foot away from the bank, it draws a goose egg. Within six inches, a fish is almost sure to jet out and nail it. In this faster water it can be a challenge to get a drag-free float or avoid getting the line snagged in overhanging branches. But all that adds to the satisfaction of luring a trout from its lair.

I end up catching and releasing over 40, all brownies, mostly 6-12 inches, but a couple over 13-inches. And I am sure I hooked and lost one a couple of inches bigger than that in a pool just below the SUV in full view of traffic whizzing by on U.S. 50. Even though I didn’t get a good look at the leviathan, that’s my story and I am sticking to it.

Trophy Of The Day–A Chunky 13-Inch Plus Brownie

The verdict? A great stretch of water, easy to wade, loaded with spunky brownies–the only drawback being the vehicle noise from the highway.

But when the fish are biting it’s easy to tune that out. And of course there’s another almost one-half mile of water I haven’t explored yet!! Just remember to treat this short stretch of public water with respect, pick up your trash and that which others left behind. Enjoy the beautiful wildflowers that line the creek. And release those brownies carefully so others can enjoy!

July 17, 2016June 24, 2018 hooknfly

Day 1 Of The Tomichi Creek Trifecta: A Daley (Gulch) Double Near Gunnison, Colorado

Daily Double–A long shot bet won by choosing winners in two consecutive races.

I am always on the lookout for a new, scenic, out-of-the-way creek overlooked and rarely visited by other anglers, where there is solitude and hungry fish. But sometimes the little gems are hiding in plain sight. That’s the case with the upper reaches of Tomichi Creek, just over Monarch Pass from my cabin near Salida, Colorado. I have hustled by the creek many times on the way to fish fabled waters like the Gunnison River or my favorite backcountry streams like Cochetopa Creek. As you come bombing down the twisty, turny U.S. 50 from one of the highest paved vehicle passes in the USA, you descend into a lovely valley where gorgeous little Tomichi Creek flows through private ranchland–visible and within a stone’s throw of this major highway. But last fall on my way to Cochetopa Creek, I noticed a sign on a fence along the highway declaring special access, so I turned around and took a look. I was surprised to find that the Colorado State Land Board owns a full section along the road called Daley Gulch, and it was open to fishing. I tucked away that information till early July this year when I was hankering for a mid-week trout fix but had to be back home for a conference call by 4 p.m. Oh those pesky clients! I figured if I left early and was on the water by 8:30 a.m. I could fish till 1 or 2 p.m. and make it back to the office with ease. Now this was admittedly a long shot–a little like the Daily Doubles I used to bet on at Arlington Park in Chicago. The creek is very small as it flows through Daley Gulch, and with public access so close to a major highway I expected it probably got plenty of pressure. But with high hopes, that evening I rigged two rods, got the waders and boots out, set the alarm, and hit the rack with chubby trout dancing in my head.