Salomone: Rainbows on ice
Vail Valley Anglers
Michael Salomone/Courtesy photo
The snow has piled high on the boulders in Gore Creek. Slush and midnight cold temperatures have locked up the Eagle River all along its course. With the frigid conditions closing off access to the river in many places, a new venue opens up. For anglers willing or wanting an adventure, ice fishing season has begun.
Vail Valley Anglers prides itself on leading anglers to world class fly fishing adventures. But when the cold closes in rather than wading into water we walk on hard water and open a whole new experience for skiers, winter visitors and traveling anglers. Ice fishing gives any angler a different taste of the Colorado Rockies that most never sample.
Frozen stillwaters hold a pristine quality. The snow combined with the blue sky and bright sunshine deliver a unique, unexpected pleasantness to the outdoors in winter. Ice fishing surprises many visitors who desire a new experience.
A good fishing guide knows the water where they work. Structure in lakes, ponds and reservoirs stand firm as permanent features. Focusing on known features using vertical presentations through the ice increases the chances for success. Ice fishing lets anglers set up camp directly above productive areas.
Sylvan Lake State Park rises high above the Eagle River valley. The lake rests nestled between red rock cliffs and towering pines at an elevation slightly higher than 8,500 feet and only 10 miles south of Eagle. The park is easy to locate with well marked signage guiding you off Interstate 70 and through the town of Eagle.
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The attractive visitor’s center presents educational information with interactive displays. The Sylvan Lake park rangers welcome visitor questions. They are also a good source for information regarding the type of fish caught recently, what bait has been more successful and suggest locations to drill a hole in the ice.
Fishing through the ice is not a big fish game but more of a numbers game. Yes a big fish could latch onto your hook at any time. However, consistency comes from high numbers of smaller fish.
The ice fishing angler who anticipates hooking into a large fish deals with the interaction with clarity and patience. Cranking up a leviathan from the deep opens up the chance for escape. Keeping tight, feeling the fish give and take line and trying to not knock your fish off the line by banging into the hole in the ice are skills that naturally improve throughout the day. If you expect a big fish then when it does happen you deal with the situation with a higher chance for success. If you don’t anticipate a large fish then it becomes a scramble when the time arrives.
Cold weather clothing purchased for a ski trip makes perfect crossover gear for keeping warm and enjoying the ice fishing experience. What becomes surprisingly clear is how warm it really is on the ice when the sun shines and the wind dissipates. Kicking back in the snow or on a camp chair is a relaxing, refreshing experience. Gloves are a necessity and given the proximity to water are a good piece of gear to double up on for when one gets damp from all the fish you catch.
The most common fish to be pulled up through the ice is a rainbow trout. The state has an extensive stocking program that deals mainly with rainbow trout. Stillwaters are the locations where rainbows thrive during the winter. Brook trout are another species that is pulled up through the ice with regularity. However, there is no brook trout stocking, these are natural fish.
Anglers can expect to use customized gear made for ice fishing. The need for a nine foot rod is nonexistent. A short, two to three-foot rod makes for better control over a hole in the ice. Chairs keep anglers in contact while managing their line.
Small hooks, a variety of bait options such as worms, powerbait and salmon eggs, and some patience trying different depths will lead to success. Small jigs, flashy spoons and minute plastic baits are a sampling of the artificial lures anglers use.
Ice fishing makes for an unbelievable family adventure for people looking to take a break from the slopes one day or desiring another look at the Rockies in the winter. Kids become excited peering into the dark abyss with pure excitement.
Grab some sunscreen and meet us on the hard water. Ice fishing season has arrived.
Michael Salomone moved to the Eagle River valley in 1992. He began guiding fly-fishing professionally in 2002. His freelance writing has been published in magazines and websites including, Southwest Fly Fishing, Fly Rod & Reel, Eastern Fly Fishing, On the Fly, FlyLords, the Pointing Dog Journal, Upland Almanac, the Echo website, Vail Valley Anglers and more. He lives on the bank of the Eagle River with his wife, Lori; two daughters, Emily and Ella; and a brace of yellow Labrador retrievers.
