Springtime in Colorado is associated with warmer weather, longer days, and the call of the river to fly fishermen and outdoor enthusiasts alike. The springtime weather of Colorado brings much needed relief from the dark and gloomy days of winter. Fly Fishermen, and women, head outdoors in search of the next new catch of the day. One of the most sought-after catches are the Rainbow Trout, with their bright red cheeks, glorious colors, and acrobatic leaps.
March and April are prime spawning months for the rainbow trout here in the Rocky Mountain region. The rainbow trout swim upstream, finding the perfect spot for their spawning bed, called a redd. The female rainbows spend a lot of time energetically fanning her tail to clear out the debris and silt from the redd. This cleaning process is important so that the fertilized eggs will have water and oxygen to reach them.
The year 2020 started out like many previous years, cycles of snow, rain, interspersed with many days of sunshine. However, daily life was upended with the introduction of Covid-19 and as a result the shelter in place mandate for the entire state. This virus (Covid-19) has drastically changed our sense of life in Colorado; causing many people to be forced to work from home, schools have moved to online forums, spring sports to be canceled, and our daily lives have changed far beyond what we could have imagined just a few months ago. These changes have also entered the fly-fishermen’s lives, as social distancing has caused many to stay home and try to ignore the call of the river in order to flatten the curve of the Covid-19 virus.
These new changes (social distancing and shelter in place) are intimidating and frustrating to be sure. But these changes can serve as a special enhancement for the Colorado rainbow trout spawning time. With fewer fly-fishermen out on the water, more rainbow trout will be able to spawn with fewer distractions. More rainbow trout will have fewer fisherman possibly disturbing their newly created redds, thereby creating the potential for hundreds of new rainbow trout for the next fishing season.
Let us reframe this time period in Colorado, from a fly-fishing hinderance to a spawning fishes extraordinary excess spawning time. Though many fly-fishermen are finding themselves with limited time on the water, the rainbow trout can find new, peaceful spawning time. This time will lead to greater rewards for the fly-fishermen next year, when there are even more rainbow trout to be seen and caught, and many a heroic tale of the fierce battle to reel in a Colorado rainbow trout.