The Colorado Division of Wildlife ris reminding people that the
spawning tributaries of the Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers are
closed to all angling, including C&R angling.
http://wildlife.state.co.us/Fi****ng/
The rainbow trout was once Colorado's state trout (from 1954 to 1994).
This was changed to the indiginous and endangered Greenback Cutthroat
trout. And while the Rainbow trout is an introduces species and
threatens genetic extinction of the cutthroat trout.
Excerpted from: www.roaringfork.org
"Non-native fish, such as the rainbow, brown and brook trout can out-
compete the native cutthroat trout, for food. Rainbow trout will
hybridize with cutthroat trout leading to a decline of pure strains of
cutthroat. This hybridization occurs because both of these species of
trout spawn in the spring".
From a conservation perspective, it's not clear why the CDOW is
protecting rainbow trout with the closures, considering the threat to
the native species. It is clear that this is big business in western
Colorado and the high jumping rainbow trout from California is the
star of the act.
http://usaonthefly.com/upload/showthread.php?t=1718
"In Basalt alone, fi****ng and recreation on the Reudi Reservoir and
Frying Pan River contributed a total of $3.9 million annually to the
Basalt economy, according to a 2002 study by the Roaring Fork
Conservancy. Statewide, hunting and fi****ng generate $1.5 billion
annually for Colorado, according to the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
In 2005, 14.7 million Americans went fly-fi****ng, and 34 percent of
those were from the Western states including Colorado, according to
the Leisure Trends Group.
The latest estimates for fi****ng's economic impact on the entire
Roaring Fork Valley, including hotel and restaurant revenues, are
surging. Seventy- seven percent of Aspen's summertime visitors
participate in "outdoor activities," including fi****ng, according to a
2006 survey of about 1,500 Aspen tourists by the Aspen Chamber and
Resort Association. Thirty-nine percent stay in a hotel, and 38
percent have a household income of $150,000 or more."
Earlier this year Field and Stream ranked Glenwood Springs as the
number one flyfi****ng city in the country.
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