RICK SCHRODER

THE GREENBACK PARTY It takes a lot of work to get above treeline into rarified air, but once you are there, the even-rarer greenback cutthroat trout rise eagerly to a dry fly. by Jonathan Hill

(Spread) A random post on a fly fishing Web site inspired a group of anglers to hike R

E in to Arrowhead Lake. (Above) The author and a hard-earned greenback cutthroat. SCHRO D RICK

50 I AMERICAN ANGLER WWW.AMERICANANGLER.COM WWW.AMERICANANGLER.COM JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 I 51 itting in my gray, sparsely decorated cubicle one So, armed with only that little bit of information, five We camped outside the park on a Thursday night, with January day, I came across a video of three guys other members of the Web site and I, ranging in age from plans to be at the Milner Pass trailhead around 5 a.m. the next fishing a high-mountain lake somewhere in Rocky 25 to 61, decided to test our physical and mental endurance, morning. If all went well, we figured we’d be at the lake and S Mountain National Park (RMNP). They were catch- and go exploring for greenbacks. We also hoped to find some fishing around 9 or 10 in the morning. ing large greenback cutthroat trout, but the scenes gave no signs of reproduction, and if we did, decided to pass that What we had not planned on was the roadblock—literally. clues, no distinguishing features to help pinpoint the locale. information on to park managers. Perhaps that information Staff for the RMNP were working on Trail Ridge Road and I posted the video to www.coloradomountainfishing.com, could help their assessment, or at least confirm for us that fish had it closed off until 6 a.m. So we sat there on the side of the and after some vague and enthusiastic comments, someone would continue to survive the winters if the stocking program road, just us and the elk, until the road re-opened. revealed the secret nirvana : Arrowhead Lake. ceased, and give us reason to make a return trip to Arrowhead. We finally reached the trailhead just before 7 a.m., two hours Several other people on the Web site saw the video, and a So the six of us—Bob, Mike, Rodney, Carper, Rick (the behind schedule. There, we introduced our packs to our backs few expressed interest in fishing Arrowhead. Finally, a three- owner of the Web site), and I—picked a weekend in August, and headed out. The first part of the hike was uneventful but word posting from a forum member named Bob set the ball which at the time was six months out. We filled the restless tough—switchbacks through the aspens and beetle-killed pines. in motion: “Let’s go here!” I was in. Soon, there were other months by digging for more information, scouting topo maps, Heading up above the treeline and on to the Continental Divide anglers who wanted to join the expedition. That all sounded and debating an approach to the lake. Trail, with its rolling alpine tundra, the hiking grew easier and great—in theory. But the reality is that Arrowhead is part of our spirits were high until we discovered we’d taken a wrong JONATHAN HILL the Gorge Lakes, and all but two of the lakes lie 11,000 feet At the Trailhead turn and had been on the wrong trail for nearly an hour. Once above sea level. Reaching Arrowhead requires careful planning the 1950s, thriving in the drainages of the Arkansas and South We established the Milner Pass trailhead as a starting point. The back in the proper direction, we forged ahead—still feeling good. and a very difficult hike. Platte rivers. Biologists soon began raising fish in hatcheries and trail begins at Trail Ridge Road and meets up with the Conti- After arriving at the off-trail section of our hike, we left Still, not allowing the altitude and difficulty to deter us, we restocking the greenback’s native waters. Unfortunately, there nental Divide Trail, which eventually turns toward Mt. Ida and the Continental Divide Trail. We’d been hiking 4 hours and began planning, fact checking, and digging for details. We found was no such thing as DNA testing back then, and scientists beyond. Before reaching Mt. Ida, however, you have to go off had about 2 hours ahead. At this point Rodney and Carper only sparse information, and little of it was encouraging. There eventually discovered they had not been releasing greenback trail and head eastward along another ridge and then circle back were a good 20 to 30 minutes in front of the rest of us, but are no designated trails to these lakes, and no campsites. There cutthroats at all, but instead Colorado River cutthroat trout. around to Arrowhead Lake. Since there is no trail to this area, we had a good handle on our bearings and started to head were very few hard facts about the fishing or the fish in Arrow- In 1973, the greenback cutthroat was added to the it’s rough going once you leave the Continental Divide Trail. east. Everything was going pretty well until we heard the clap head, which attests to the fact that most anglers would rather Endangered Species List, and by 1978, successful restockings The Continental Divide Trail (above) in Rocky find an easier place to cast a fly. We just knew some guys had of greenbacks in its native waters helped lift its status from Mountain National Park runs well above the caught some fish up there, and we hoped to do the same. endangered to threatened. Greenbacks made their way to tree line, and is just one leg of a hike that We also discovered that greenback cutthroat trout (On- Arrowhead in 1992, when biologists in the park released 5,000 leads to Arrowhead Lake and eager greenback corhynchus clarki stomias) were declared extirpated from fry in the lake. Currently, biologists in RMNP are reevaluating cutthroats (right). The final leg of the hike Colorado in 1937. The greenback did, however, resurface in their plans for stocking greenbacks. follows no path (spread). At Arrowhead Lake, the intrepid anglers plied the small feader creeks (left) for greenbacks and signs that the fish are reproducing.

RICK SCHRODER

JONATHAN HILL

RICK SCHRODER

52 I AMERICAN ANGLER WWW.AMERICANANGLER.COM WWW.AMERICANANGLER.COM JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 I 53 JONATHAN HILL RICK SCHRODER

it, hoping to intersect with the lead hikers. Bob, Rick, and I, not feeling comfortable with that route, decided to stay on course and make the planned descent. By the time we made it around the final rise of the southern side of the ridge and worked our way down around Lake Amore and past Love Lake, we were exhausted. Bob dropped his pack, rubbed his moleskin-covered feet and said, “I’m thinking about search and rescue. I don’t think I can make it out of here.” Then, echoing up from the rocky shores of Arrowhead Lake came a triumphant, “Yahtzee!” Carper was catching fish. After nearly six hours of hiking, getting rained and hailed on, bumbling over boulder fields and marshy tundra, we were finally at our destination. Carper already had caught and released seven fish, and Rodney had his way with another five. The sun was out and the fish were biting just about any dry fly you could throw at them. In just a couple of hours we caught and released roughly 25 greenbacks and missed a couple dozen more. Everyone was catching fish, but with the sun setting, we had to pitch camp and say goodbye to the fish until the next day.

On day two, the anglers fished around the eastern and western sides of the Roughing It lake and met up at the inlet. They caught plenty of fish on the western shore Day two above the treeline had us hoping to meet three primary and around the inlet, but none elsewhere. objectives: make our way to the inlet and around the whole lake, of thunder at our backs. We tried to pick up the pace, but the rain catch some more greenbacks, and find signs of fish reproduction. and hail caught us just as we entered a huge field of boulders, The day began with a chill in the air, and by the time we made which quickly grew slick with rain. It was miserable hiking, and our way to the lake, the winds were howling. Rick and I decided we dropped to a snail’s pace. It took an hour to make our way to hike around the eastern side of the lake and to make our way through the boulders, but beyond there, we headed diagonally up to the inlet from there, and the other guys headed around the the ridge and got our first glimpse of the Gorge Lakes. That amaz- western side. With no trails around the lake, Rick and I were ing sight was just the mental boost we needed, even though we were confronted with frequent impediments, not just to fishing but also still at least another hour from setting foot on the gorge floor. to simply making progress. Stands of willows and other trees re- When the thunderstorm moved to our north, we rejoiced. quired bushwhacking and disallowed casting from shore. In other Carper and Rodney were already off the ridge and heading down areas, fields of rocks made walking rough, or sheer ledges forced us to Arrowhead Lake. The view inspired Mike, and he could see to move away from the lake entirely to find passage. a shorter route down through an avalanche chute, so he took Still, if we had been catching fish along the way, the hike There’s a reason it’s called Arrowhead Lake. This view was the first glimpse drop your dry fly in the cruising lane and the fish would come up the anglers had of their final destination. It took the author another 90 min- for a closer look. If they looked at it and turned away, you would just

JO S utes to hike down to the lake from where he took this picture. cast to it again, give the dry a little twitch—and fish on! M I S T AKEN I DEN T I T Y EPH T O around the lake would have been more tolerable. But we didn’t We caught roughly 50 fish that day, most of them in the 14- to

MELLER I catch any. Maybe it was the high winds, maybe the time of day, 18-inch range. Carper caught the first fish, most fish, and biggest fish. maybe it was that side of the lake. That night, after making our way back to camp, we talked in- But when Rick and I finally met the other guys at the inlet, cessantly of the days’ catch, signs of reproduction, and talked of Colorado River Cutthroat the effort proved worthwhile. The tundra was a lush green returning someday, even if the park never stocked the lake again. Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus with blue, white, and yellow flowers sprinkled about. It was just Our final day arrived with sustained winds of 35 to 40 mph beautiful—and we caught fish. and visibility at about 30 yards. We had to decide whether to There are four separate waterfalls coming in to Arrowhead wait it out or start the hike in hopes that the weather would clear Lake, each with small streams and pools. We all spotted fish hang- up as we went. Opting to wait, we finally started our trek around ing out in these small pools and streams, and landed a few. 9 a.m. With a better idea of where we were going, and avoiding The aspiring entomologist of the group, Rick, picked up a few wrong turns, the hike to the trailhead took only 4½ hours. We headed back to our cars and ice cold beers. Greenback Cutthroat rocks in the streams to check for bugs but instead found green- Oncorhynchus clarkii stomias back eggs. Bob and Rick each caught 8-inch greenbacks, and Rick Our final thoughts about the trip were mixed with one managed to snap a photo of the young trout. A couple of us also exception: the fishing was phenomenal. We may never get back saw some 3-inch yearlings swimming in the shallows. These were to this pristine and secluded area of Rocky Mountain National nce considered extirpated from Colorado waters, the greenback cutthroat trout received surely signs of reproductive life. Park—but we might. Perhaps, though, someone else will be stocking efforts from the Colorado Division of Wildlife and other agencies throughout the We fished our way around the western side of Arrowhead. Spot- inspired as we were to take up this fantastic adventure. O1960s and 70s. By 1978 the species was downgraded from endangered to threatened. It was later discovered that many of the stockings ting fish from a 20-foot cliff and casting to them—rushing down had been of the closely related Colorado River Cutthroat. In the days before genetic testing, techniques to distinguish between the two subspecies to find a spot on shore to safely net and release was a trick that we When Jonathan Hill moved to Colorado eight years ago, a friend were not available. The most diagnostic field characteristics of the greenback are its larger spots, which are absent from the head, and intense seemed to master with ease. For 45 minutes, Carper and I sat atop a gave him some fly-fishing tackle. He’s been using it ever since. He coloration in mature fish. Due to ongoing recovery, the greenback today survives in 62 different populations, including in Rocky Mountain National Park, where catch-and-release fishing is allowed. It is the Colorado state fish. boulder, spotting fish, taking turns catching and releasing. You could resides in Littleton with his wife, Karen, and son, Brennon.

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