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Gianetti Spring Creek
Gianetti Spring Creek is the only true spring creek I am aware of on Colorado's western slope. It rises from a series of spring-fed ponds in the shadow of Mount Sopris, and winds its way through hay meadows to join the Roaring Fork just upstream of Carbondale. The fishing here is private, available to a maximum of four rods per day at $80 per rod.
Gianetti Spring Creek holds large resident rainbow trout, and even larger browns from the Roaring Fork use the creek as a primary spawning area in the fall.
Although it is a spring-fed creek, Gianetti is sometimes off-color because of irrigation water runoff from the fields. This rarely hampers the fishing, however, because the huge numbers of rainbow trout in this creek always seem to be feeding. The dry-fly fishing here is very good at times, but if you are feeling particularly gluttonous, try nymph-fishing a small olive scud. The scud population in this little creek represents a massive part of the biomass, and if you can dead-drift a small green nymph near the bottom consistently, you'll find yourself doing more reeling than casting. Rod days are booked on Gianetti Spring Creek through Alpine Angling, P.O. Box 981, Cowen Drive, Carbondale, CO, 81623, flyfish@sopris.net, 970-963-9245.
Threats to the Roaring Fork
The Roaring Fork Valley was once a scenic agricultural community, but constant development over the past decades have turned this idyllic valley into a mountain playland for the rich and famous. Trophy homes are popping up along the river at every opportunity. Local municipalities are doing what they can to preserve public fishing access and water quality, but the tax opportunities on a million-dollar mansion will ensure there are homes on every possible river location before the end of the decade.
The Roaring Fork Conservancy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing the Roaring Fork drainage for future generations, is perhaps the only hope that the river won't be completely developed and fenced off. The Conservancy was created in 1996 and has already secured 74 acres of property near Basalt to be held in public trust as open space, as well as other conservation easements to preserve river access and protect riparian areas. The group is also involved in monitoring water quality and various habitat enhancement projects. To support this important work, contact the Roaring Fork Conservancy at P.O. Box 3349, Basalt, CO, 81621, 970 927-1290, rfconsv@rof.net.
Ross Purnell is content director for the Fly Fisherman web site. He lived in Fort Collins, CO, when he wrote this article.
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