Coffee and a Pinch of Optimism By Melissa J. Alcorn
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Blue Mesa Reservoir
Snow sparkles on ground that has not been exposed for decades. A resurrected river runs a twisting path over a rock bed channel drowned in 1965 as the gates of Blue Mesa Dam closed. The Gunnison River that was lost is reemerging, striking fear and awe. Other reservoirs around Southwest Colorado look similar, rivers rising from silty mud basins. These most obvious signs of ongoing extreme drought were once great fishing rivers, lined with resorts and stories, but they became our water storage. Mixed emotions flood the angler who lives in this changing environment. A stream reborn, water too warm, less to drink, will there still be trout and kokanee—so much to ponder while praying for snow.
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The 2018 Colorado fishing season was dominated by extreme drought. 2017 was dry, but it was the lack of snow last winter that set us up for exceptional issues. It wasn’t good for our ski season, but we shuddered to imagine the impact on fishing. Spring sunshine came out strong, but the melt was pitiful. Rivers did not roar, and the reservoirs marginally rose. Worse, the rains of summer never materialized, and the heat turned up. Colorado had its fourth driest summer and its third hottest. Water started to disappear and with it the fishing season went into survival mode, particularly in the Southwest. The Gunnison, San Juan, Uncompahgre, Animas, Rio Grande all became slivers of themselves. Wildfires threatened the health of
