After 4 1/2 years in limbo, Antero Reservoir likely will be open for fishing this season.
The big questions are, when will it happen and what trout will be available?
In the aftermath of a powwow last week among all the major players involved with the 2,500-acre impoundment south of Fairplay, certain key issues emerged regarding management, both long term and short.
Of immediate interest to the hordes of anglers eager for a fishery drained because of drought in September 2002:
* Many thousands of trout representing five species – rainbow, brown, brook, cutthroat and splake – currently are swimming beneath Antero ice. All but a few are small, planted late last season at 2-3 inches as leftovers from the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s regular stocking schedules.
* These fish are seriously threatened by Antero’s notorious penchant for winter kill. This shallow impoundment remains 1.45 vertical feet shy of filling, with a dense ice cover of 16-20 inches capped by another 8-10 inches of crusted snow – all the requisite elements for mass mortality. Only the upper 10 feet of water currently contains enough oxygen to support trout, and that life zone is certain to shrink significantly as winter progresses.
* DOW biologist Jeff Spohn said his agency will consider either using machines to scrape away the snow or flood the surface, anything to allow light to penetrate and retain oxygen reserves.
* When ice melts in late April or early May, DOW will assess the fish population and consult with Denver Water, which owns the reservoir, about an opening date. Antero will not open at ice-out, nor anytime soon thereafter. Unless the wildlife agency adds a substantial component of larger fish, there won’t be much to catch, anyway.
So much for the easy part. Concern continues over long-term administrative parameters for a fishery that, in its prime, grows trout at a remarkable rate, causing mass angler excitement and all the administrative headaches that go with it.
Everyone involved – DOW, Denver Water and Park County, want to see the reservoir teeming with fish, and a good time had by all. Trouble is, nobody is prepared to commit the money and resources to make it happen.
Maintaining a large reservoir for public recreation is a costly proposition involving campgrounds, boat ramps, toilets and all the ancillary elements of trash and people management. When a lake is a trout magnet like Antero, the problems multiply.
“We see a gold-rush situation, with people coming in hordes,” said Neil Sperandeo, recreation manager for Denver Water, of any scheduled Antero opening.
Denver Water’s position is plain enough. The state’s largest water provider supports quality angling at the lake, but, as Sperandeo puts it, “not at the expense of tearing it up.”
During Antero’s salad days, recreation managers struggled with persistent overflows of people, off-road driving, off-site camping and trespassing on facilities.
Last Tuesday’s talk centered on which agency would take responsibility, and who would pay.
“People take this for granted, but it takes lots of money,” said Scott Hoover, DOW’s Northeast Region manager.
The alternatives, Hoover said, might include involvement by Colorado State Parks or even inclusion in DOW’s network of state wildlife areas. Both require substantial budget outlays and decisions at the highest level.
Park County, the third side of the triangle, is eager for reopening, but with improved staff and facilities.
Gary Nichols, the county’s chief of tourism and community development, mentioned the possibility of management by a private concessionaire. This would add another layer of bureaucracy and, of course, an additional element of cost – always noxious for public anglers who have to pay double to access the fish they already bought.
Meanwhile, the most immediate aspect of Antero’s success is festering beneath the ice in that deadly struggle with oxygen depravation. If trout don’t survive and grow, none of the other stuff will matter much.
Charlie Meyers can be reached at 303-954-1609 or cmeyers@denverpost.com.
