Gunny River Basin CoWW Outing 06Sep22-09Sep22

Yoho & I met up with Bro Brown @ Rosy Lane CG in Taylor Canyon for the somewhat annual fall CoWW fishing trip to the Gunny & its tributaries. The drive was simple over Cottonwood Pass; the BC20X pulled nicely again and measurements indicate I get about 10mpg average when dragging the camper over mountains and on highways... sometimes it's 3.5 and sometimes it's 35. Jim & I dined at Elkhorn Pizza in BV before the final climb and descent into Taylor Canyon ~ nothing else was open. We scored one of the better Rosy sites this time, #7; it is two-tiered and right on the Taylor.

Unfortunately we are weeks early for the salmon run this year, so we planned trout outings. The first such outing was on the lower Taylor just above the campground. We just fished from shore but flows were kindof high, though we did learn of planned reductions, which did occur. I managed a couple of tiny browns.

For dinner we enjoyed a number of brews and Asian spicy veggies with noodles and chicken from the skottle. Field test of the new LP distribution system worked well.

After a nice fire from fire-master Brown and some tunes on my new boom box nearby, we slept well. Outing #2 of trout pursuits was on the Gunnison. We started @ Neversink and felt the high flows - here, if Brown is mid-thigh deep you know Jim & I were waist high on the inner channel. We encountered 4 drift boats right off ~ hiking around them upstream required some dreaded bushwhacking, and it was very hot. I even had to skip the first great hole. Nonetheless we caught quite a few browns and 'bows, but not as strongly as we've done in the past here. Sorry for the images ~ I didn't notice my camera lens was smudged.

We clamored back to the Crusher Too for lunch and decided to head back toward Gunnison for different water. We tried the guardrail hole in hopes of an early salmon pod ~ we did nothing. We returned to Rosy Lane for some more beers, gear tests, and some dinner. The fire pit worked well even though I still need an $9 adapter to connect it as I want to do. The toaster on the other hand is kindof like a bread drier ~ still work to do there but the BLTs were yummy. Bro Brown brought fire and ice as he rummaged the forest for firewood and stoked a mighty flame again, AND he served Brown bourbon sours with ice (much better to remember the ice)!

Trout  pursuit # 3 was on the Taylor where we started (with the crowds) at the hog trough, the Taylor C&R. This finicky section was teeming with bugs as we arrived so we were a smidge late. We managed some nice fish, including this super-orange brown. We're nearing the brown trout fall spawn and the boys are starting to show their colors. I had an even larger one on but he lept five feet in the air, shook his head and broke me off at Barr's emerger he'd eaten.

We dined on the road @ the Crusher Too and decided to head downstream to the lower Taylor in search for fewer folks and dumber fish. We stopped across from Cold Spring and managed just a few small browns.

Back at camp again I had pre-gamed the night's dinner in making Dave's Thom Ka Gai soup. It's a concoction of chicken, lemongrass & other spices, veggies and noodles. The team was happy and sated as we hit the riverside for fire and debates. We enjoyed Yoho's special sipping tequila as well as awesome full moon light allowing moon shadows.

 

 

We awoke and decided to cut the fishing trip a smidge short given lower than hoped weekend CoWW attendance, no salmon, and a strong concert alternative at Dillon Amphitheater, Flogging Molly & The Interrupters! We scored tix and laid plans. Outing #4 was up for debate but we chose to make the drive to the Lake Fork of the Gunnison. It was well worth it as we had the most prolific day fishing of the trip on the LF. Flows were decent and we ran our typical play at Seay easement of hiking downstream 1/2 mile and fishing back up. Jim generously allowed me the lead which yielded me 15 good fish on the #16 chubby or the green wire with CDC beadhead caddis or the MHFBPT. The fish were all pretty strong; I even managed a nice 18" brown from this small water.

Jim & I ate at High Alpine on the way back to camp and decided to pack and head to Summit Friday night. We did so, capping another fine, though salmon-less, outing to the Gunnison River basin. Thanks boyz for coming out.