MANCOS STATE PARK – The makeshift skating rink was a good sign for ice anglers.
No, the tiny area cleared by Scot Elder, Colorado Parks and Wildlife manager at Mancos State Park, isn’t necessarily a hotbed for trout – the staple fish in Jackson Lake, located in the heart of the park.
Rather, it’s that the ice was safe for skating and was cleared by the park manager – someone familiar with the perils ice can bring.
That, of course, bodes well for ice anglers, too. Getting good ice on Jackson – and anywhere in Southwest Colorado – is the trick; fishing is usually good in the winter on Jackson.
But as most anyone who has fished in Southwest Colorado knows, the weather – and, in turn, the ice – doesn’t always cooperate. High temperatures have been in the mid-40s in the greater Durango area as of late – not exactly conducive for good ice. Still, overnight lows have dipped into the low teens during that time, and single digits Thursday, when the high temperature was expected to be below freezing at the park. So as of Thursday, the ice appeared to be holding on, but anglers should continue to use caution and be aware that ice deteriorates before it loses its thickness, Elder said.
On Saturday, Elder was fishing in the southwest corner of the lake, snuggled up tight to Jackson Gulch Dam, which towers above the lake. Several other anglers – on the lake with their children – were trying their luck about 100 yards away, in the southeast corner – also just below the dam. So far this winter, that’s where most – if not all – anglers have fished, leaving the rest of 200-plus-acre Jackson all but unexplored up to this point this winter.
But Elder said it isn’t unusual to see the boat-ramp area full of vehicles and 15 to 20 anglers scattered across Jackson on a given Saturday when ice and weather conditions are good.
Saturday morning, Elder found about 6 inches of good ice, topped with 3 inches of semi-frozen slush. A few weeks ago, there was about 4 inches of good ice on Jackson, Elder said. And while high temperatures have been in the mid-30s to 40s as of late in Mancos, the state park, perched about 700 feet above Mancos’ 7,000-foot elevation, has remained snowy and the lake ice-covered.
Most anglers are after trout in Jackson – there are rainbows and browns – but the lake also boasts a huge population of perch. Most of the perch are on the very small side – 4 to 5 inches. So, in an effort to weed out that stunted-out population, there’s no limit on the number of perch taken on Jackson. Elder had five of those small perch on the ice near one of his fishing holes. And while he released the one brown and a handful of rainbows he also caught Saturday morning, he most always keeps the perch.
“Great fish tacos,” he said matter-of-factly.
The one brown he caught Saturday was about 10 inches, he said. All of the rainbows were close to that size, too.
“That’s the low end of the size we’re seeing,” Elder said of the brown trout. He said that’s about the size of most of the rainbows anglers will catch, but added that trout well over 20 inches lurk in Jackson.
Elder used a small jig head – an eighth-of-an-ounce – tipped with a nightcrawler – or at least a piece of nightcrawler on one pole and a quarter-ounce spoon on the other, seemingly having an equal amount of luck with both. He was expecting more rainbows and many more perch, but still not bad for 90 minutes or so of “work.”
While there isn’t a huge variety of fish species in Jackson, there is a wide variety of water depths in which to fish them. Elder cut about a half-dozen holes Saturday, with water depths ranging from 12 feet to close to 50. He said that, at its maximum, the lake pushes 100 feet in depth in spots.
Whether it’s geography or that 7,700-foot elevation, Jackson is one of few Durango-area lakes that have survived the recent spring-like elements and has decent ice for fishing.
If there is such a thing. Most outdoors types in the know – Elder included – will tell you there is no such thing as 100 percent safe ice. It’s a common rule of thumb that you should have 4 inches of good, clear ice before going out on foot. But even if you have that at one point on the lake, ice could be considerably thinner nearby – it’s seldom the same thickness over a single body of water.
“You should try to get someone with you, especially when you’re going on questionable ice,” Elder said. “I like to wear an inflatable personal flotation device, and I have my safety spikes and a ‘throw’ bag (with rope) with me if I have to provide assistance to another angler.
“Last week there was 4 inches – even with good, clear ice, 4 inches is at the bottom end. This has been the first weekend with 6 inches.”
Ice anglers – and skaters – rejoice. But be careful out there.
bpeterson@durangoherald.com
