High All Along The Ark 28Aug17

Part drive home, part fall CoWW recon, part hope... I fished several spots along the Ark today at ~900 cfs (while I am used to wading at <450cfs). I headed home the super-back way over Fremont Pass from Summit and started fishing at Hayden Meadows. The water was still even pretty high and cold and dirty here despite the several days of no rain. I turned over two nicer browns on the hopper but only landed a half doz smaller ones on the dropper - a Cheeseman Emerger. Like this...

I moved on down to the new Amica's in Salida where I enjoyed the Headwaters IPA and Salcicia pizza on their cool parklet - first I've seen one in CO but Berkeley is littered with them. You just take a parking spot or two and build an elevated "park" into the street - it extends an establishment's seating substantially... probably gotta get a municipal license.

I moved on down to Chaffe Co Line and fared similarly in heavier water. Turned some bigger ones but landed the smaller ones on the trailer - an RS2 I recall.

I moved on down to Rincon and caught another in yet even heavier and dirtier water... on the dropper.

I moved on down to Pinnacle Rock where the river was raging and looked like chocolate. I made a doz casts and packed it in. BUT, I forgot to stow the Sage One 5wt and it fell off the roof onto US 50 and a truck ran it over. NP for the Sage as they'll replace it for $70... but the Hardy Ultralight 4000 DD didn't fare well - I'll have to see if a new spool will solve the mangling or not - too I'll attempt a bend-back like I do on bike brake disks but I'm dubious it'll work. Anyway - the Ark is not ready for prime-time fall wading in any way as yet IMO.