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Remote Streams Of The Boulder Mountain

The streams that flow from the Boulder Mountain and into the Escalante River are very remote in their lower reaches. Hiking to these remote areas with the intent to fly fish for the brown trout there can be a difficult process. Some streams can be reached by hiking over rough boulder and slickrock terrain for 1 - 2 miles one way. The hike to the stream at this relatively short distance, under these conditions can still take as much as 2 hours. This allows for several hours of fly fishing and then it is time to go, as the trip back to your vehicle is usually uphill and an arduous trek on tired legs.

Other streams are even more difficult to access, requiring a hike of 3 - 7 miles one way, over very rough country. It is best to plan on camping at least one night or even two to visit these areas. When you plan a trip to these remote streams, it is always wise to consider the possibility of inclement weather and pack the appropriate gear. For overnight trips, waterproof tents are a must have. Sleeping bags, warm clothing, rain jackets and pants, extra food, strong insect repellant, first aid etc.. Don't be caught unprepared without the necessary gear in this rugged country. Once you have made it to your destination, a remote stream in a secluded sandstone canyon far from the highway and any sign of civilization....it's time to fly fish!

After hiking through much of the morning, and the time that it takes to setup your camp, there is usually going to be an appropriate amount of time for upstream exploration and casting during the afternoon and evening. After a good night of rest and relaxation you will be ready to go early in the morning and able to fish the entire day without the added weight of your camp on your back.

The trout that you can expect to cast to in these lower elevation streams that empty into the Escalante River will almost certainly be browns. Rainbows and occasionally even cutthroats have made their way downstream into these lower canyons. And so these other species of trout are sometimes caught in the deeper holes, but not very often. The water temperature at this elevation is just not suitable for rainbows and cutthroats in the warmer months. Brown trout will tolerate the warmer water a little more....up to a point.

There are also schools of suckers in these deep pools. These fish may seem undesirable to some anglers. Considered as trash fish, or rough fish by most fly fishers, they are actually quite difficult to hook on a fly. They hunker down on the bottom of the deeper runs and pools and refuse most offerings. When you realize that they will take small nymphs drifted naturally along the bottom, it won't be long before you hook one. When you do, get ready for a fight! These suckers will average 3 - 5 pounds and are tough to land on a light fly rod. If you do land one, you will notice that they are really a beautiful fish, except for their down turned mouth. For some unexplainable reason, we fly fishers have developed a loathing of fish with a down turned mouth such as carp and suckers. Is it because they are only lowly bottom feeders. Actually they are benthic feeders, feeding mainly on macro invertebrates, [very small nymphs]. In any case, are they not worthy of our talented and artful casting? Trout feed off of the bottom just as much as these lesser fish. Maybe it is because they have always refused our flies when we have attempted to cast to them. They ignore our delicate presentations and scorn even the most tempting nymphs in our boxes. What are we doing wrong? Maybe the question should be what aren’t we doing right? We as fly fishers must harbor a deep resentment towards these lowly bottom feeders who have snubbed us. We can catch the wily browns, but we just can’t catch the suckers on a fly! Well, they can be caught using flies. With enough careful observation you will be able to figure out their diet and when they are feeding, just like the trout. Learning how to get your fly in the right position for these fish to take it is most of the battle. Getting the hook set down is crucial, as these fish will take your fly very softly. Once they are hooked…..well, figuring out how to play a big strong fish is a lot of fun. Once you successfully hook and land a 4 - 5 pound sucker in a small stream on your 4 weight you will have a new respect for them. They generally fight much harder and longer than a trout of the equivalent size. It is best to release them unharmed though, as you may never know for sure if you are holding a Flannelmouth sucker [Catostomus latipinnis] or another sensitive / endangered fish species of the Colorado River system.

The Escalante River flows into Lake Powell. Consequently, a variety of fish species are free to migrate upstream and then into the tributaries that feed the Escalante River. catfish, bluegill, walleye, and especially carp have been found in many of these small streams. Even though there are some natural barriers that would seem to impede their travel upstream, there is always the possibility of a rare fish such as the Humpback chub [Gila cypha], Colorado pikeminnow [Ptychocheilus lucius], Razorback sucker [Xyrauchen texanus] and other sensitive / endangered species from the Colorado River system making their way up and into the Escalante River system. The suckers that are seen in the riffles and pools of these streams are almost always the Utah sucker [Catostomus ardens] with the rare possibility of the Flannelmouth sucker [Catostomus latipinnis]. Colorado pikeminnow, formerly known as the Colorado sqauwfish were once common on the upper Colorado River as recently as 1940. Anglers would hook these huge fish along the banks of the upper Colorado River, some of which weighed in excess of 60 pounds, with a light rod and reel. Imagine hooking into a fish of that size from the bank, holding on for dear life as the monster ripped the line from your reel! It must have been exiting to land a fish like that!

The Escalante River for all intents and purposes looks like the ideal trout stream. There are beautiful flat riffles that run into deep pools on every bend. Undercut banks with overhanging trees, log jams, boulders and sandstone cliffs are everywhere. Hiking in this river corridor is very strenuous if you try to navigate along the banks. Since cattle grazing has been virtually eliminated in the river bottoms, the riparian is so thick you have to walk in the river whenever possible! The insect hatches are fantastic, with March Brown mayflies and clouds of Little Yellow stoneflies starting off the season in late March and early April. Various caddis and mayfly hatches occur daily throughout the Summer and Fall. However, all of this cannot help the trout to flourish in this seemingly perfect stream. During July and August the water temperature averages 75 degrees or more. Water this warm won't support wild trout, even browns. The tributaries that flow into the Escalante River from the Boulder Mountain are much cooler and will hold healthy populations of wild trout year round. As you progress upstream into these smaller streams, you will begin seeing more trout in the riffles and pools.

Farther upstream in these remote tributaries of the Escalante River, the number of rough fish decreases, and the numbers of brown trout increase. This is due in part because the suckers and other fish seem to prefer the slower deeper pools, and the warmer temperatures of the lower elevations. The structure of the streambeds change considerably as you progress upstream. The gradient is a bit steeper here, with a rocky streambed and less sand. This creates more riffles between pools. The high sandstone cliffs that loom over the stream on both sides in the lower country give way to wide open areas. The riparian also changes, providing more trees along the banks, and less willows. There are still sandstone cliffs and the long slow pools and runs associated with these cliffs along the way, but not as many. Brown trout are everywhere as you wade up the stream.

These remote streams that flow from the Boulder Mountain and into the Escalante River are very difficult to access. It would be a rare occasion to hike to any one of these streams and discover that there were other anglers there. You might encounter other hikers in the area, especially as you are hiking along the Escalante River. However, you will generally be alone once you travel more than a mile up one of the tributary streams.

Call Steve Stoner at 1- 435-335-7306 Your call will always be returned

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