Holden Prong Fishing-Aldo Leopold Wilderness
After lunch we packed up and started up the Holden Prong trail. In a short while I saw trout- Rio Grande cutthroats- cruising in a deep blue-green pool. A minute later I had caught a nice fat one. As we continued on I would cast at only similar looking pools- the fish weren't anywhere else. They seem to have an instinct,because of the extreme fluctuation in water levels,to stay where they know the water will be, even as long stretches of the rest of the stream dry up. I caught maybe four or five more. It was a little difficult taking on and off my backpack to fish. I tried leaving it on a few times but it was more than a little awkward, especially when I was scrambling on rocks or bending down to release a fish. The weight of the pack had me constantly fighting a nosedive into the water or a headsmash on a boulder. I also had to worry about the patience of my non-fishing companion.She was very, very patient while I tried my luck at more than half of the promising spots as we hiked upstream. To try every good looking pool, or close to every one,would have not been feasible given our schedule: we were doing a 25 mile loop in three days, and we have never hiked more than about 8 miles a day with a full pack. I was happy with the fish I caught. Their strength,their beauty, their very existence in this remote canyon on the dry side of the pretty dry Black Range, had me in a constant smile.At some point I had started using a Black Ant, because real black ants were everywhere streamside. At the last crossing before the trail makes a steep climb out of the canyon to bypass the narrow gorge,there is long,wide stretch of flat water , less than 2 feet deep , with a small falls at the head and another at the tail. There was no gravel here, just a thin layer of organic matter that had accumulated on bare rock. Upstream , there was a series of cascades over the same bare bedrock.I drifted that Ant in the narrow seam of flow at both ends and came out with good fish each time.That was exciting I thought. That was well done.IMPORTANT UPDATE: This hike is within the Silver Fire burn area. Expect vastly altered conditions from those described here (October,2015).
Labels: backpacking, flyfishing
posted by Devon Fletcher at
7:09 PM
8 Comments:
Hi Devon, have you been into the Holden Prong area since the Silver Fire? I'm planning some adventuring down that way this fall and I'm wondering what this area is like now and if it holds water in the fall.
I have been down in the lower end below Water Canyon( technically Las Animas Creek at that point) visiting both East and West Curtis Canyons in the Spring of 2016( see my blogs about those trips). The stream was flowing nice and clear, but creek sides were mostly burnt trees and the trail was more or less gone. I have not been back to the upper Holden Prong section. It certainly looks pretty bad on Google Earth. I know they put Rio Grande cutthroats in there earlier this year( but not very many). All the fish that were in there were killed by the ash flows. It is open to fishing but I suspect it won't be much given our dry winter and spring and very few fish that were put in there.The upper end I would think holds water all year still. It does get really low though.The lower end up to Murphy Place used to go bone dry in drought years. I know after having toted my fly rod down there one October on a 14 mile roundtrip hike from N. Percha to look at the gravel.
I also know that they did some trail maintenance on FT 307 this year after I gave them a report, It accesses the lower end from Cave Creek. This is good because the wash-outs were so bad it was getting to be unusable. I assume they have maintained FT 114 through Holden Prong, but I'm not sure. Both Gallinas trail ( FT 129) and Railroad Canyon Trail ( FT 128) have been worked on. East Railroad (FT 130) has not. They may even work on the East Curtis Trail again. Up and over using Railroad is still your best bet. The Water Canyon trail off of the Crest Trail was barely there 10 years ago . Sid's Prong, Pretty Canyon trails are probably gone. Check the Forest Service website they have a list of all their trail work. I may try to get in there soon. But I'm really not that anxious to see what a mess it's become. Good luck and let me know if you go. There are probably some nicer areas now if you need an alternative let me know.
Ah, thanks a bunch for the info. Even though some fishing would be a cool bonus for our trip, I'm mostly concerned with being able to find water for ourselves in the backcountry (treating it of course). I've been staring at maps trying to figure out the best path into that area.
Would it be best to access on the Gallinas/Railroad Canyon trails to the south or would it be possible to get down into Sids Prong from McKnight Rd by the Board Gate Saddle (near the last sharp northern bend on McKnight Rd)? I'm OK going off trail but as I've never been down there, I am not sure if traveling through there would be very difficult due to deadfall or just thick undergrowth. Speaking of which, if you get down in there, are there vistas you can get up to for a good look around or is everything pretty thick with trees?
Oh, and regarding McKnight Rd, is it reasonable to drive with a 4 wheel drive truck? I have a Tacoma and my friend has a 4-Runner so both pretty capable but not customized for offroad. Thanks a bunch for your insights into the area. It's tough finding updated info after the Silver Fire swept through the area.
The summer rains would have to severely below average for there not to be water in there by October. I don't think that will be a problem. I've only been in the upper end and the very lower end of Sid's Prong. Part of the upper doesn't look too bad. There never was a trail going all the way to Holden Prong though because the lower end is very narrow and rough. I tried going up it a bit many years ago and quickly changed my mind. With flood debris since the fire, it might not be the best choice. It certainly might be nice just to camp a night in the upper meadow- a rarity in the Black Range and then continue on to the Railroad/Holden Saddle. Thorny New Mexico locust has taken over many burned areas which makes going off trail or where trails used to be very unpleasant. I think you'll find a large percentage of trees have burned so the view will definitely be more open. Previously, Holden Prong had a very closed in feeling, except where the trail went around a gorge section below Sid's Prong. Of course the views up on Mcknight Mtn, will be great. Your vehicles are fine for the trip, I've driven 2 wheel drive up there, but check with the forest service about the road. My friend Doug Scott( who has the New Mexico Waterfalls and New Mexico Slot Canyons web pages) was up there two years ago in the spring and huge fallen trees were blocking the road. I don't know how regularly they are clearing them. The driving will be very slow no matter what the situation is though.
Your best bet for success is Railroad Canyon, which is not as severely burned as some areas You'll get awesome view from the saddle. Gallinas is a bit worse but both trails have been maintained since the fire and will have water. Crest Trail has been maintained from Boardgate east.Holden Prong, Sids Prong trails are listed as still there, but I would n't expect easy walking. Water Canyon, Pretty Canyon are listed as gone. None have been maintained since the fire. Go to the Gila NF website-recreation-hiking. They have lists and maps of trails. Map also indicates areas of high severity burn from the Silver Fire. Trail 307 on the lower end has been maintained this year( but I haven't been to it since) and is accessible from the North Percha Road. The last few miles of the road to Cave Creek are pretty rough, but I think the 4Runner could make it if it hasn't deteriorated too much from 2 years ago. I've been steering clear for the most part of the most severely burned areas in favor of some really choice areas like South Palomas, and Bull Trap Canyon which survived relatively intact. I may get out to North Seco this fall and if Doug comes back to NM, we may go searching for some waterfalls down in the Holden Prong region, but now I'm mostly looking for new place that didn't burn and the whole Las Animas drainage is definitely not one of those. Let me know how it goes and be sure give the trails guy over at the Black range a report. I always do. It encourages them to do maintenance if they know people are trying to use the trails.
North Seco and Palomas are on my list of potential destinations as well. I see Palomas has some parts listed as perennial on my maps. Do both of those creeks typically have water in the fall? I saw your South Palomas blog entry and it looks pretty stunning. Do you access North Seco from Hermosa?
Last October there really wasn't any water in South Palomas above Marshall Canyon( which has a good spring). This year could be different, but don't count on it. I've been in North Seco in the Spring and Fall, both times it had plenty of water. It may be the most reliable stream on the east side besides Las Animas ( Holden Prong). Past North Seco's box it looks pretty burnt in the upper regions. Yes, you do access North Seco from FR 157N which passes by Hermosa and then dead-ends at a locked gate about a mile before reaching the creek.
I just spent two nights in the Holden Prong water shed. We hiked up from Railroad Canyon campsite over into Holden Prong and on to Murphy's place. Approximately one mile below the Crest Trail junction the trail disappears on the Holden Prong side. There are yellow ribbons that have been hung every 3/10ths of a mile indicating a trail system, however it was extremely difficult to stay on course. This is an extremely long and step canyon system with lots of downfall and a thick underbrush. We were very fortunate not sustain any injuries, extraction would be very difficult. We camped upstream of the Sids Prong confluence, having day packs we explored down to Murphy's place searching for the elusive RGCT. Water was not a problem, the stream was flowing well and all the marked tributaries were carrying water. If your desire is to backpack, i'd suggest something with a better trail system. I would not recommend accessing Holden Prong from Railroad Canyon for safety reasons. I have no plans or desire to return to this area due to it's unforgiving conditions.
Thanks for the information. I was pretty sure it was a wreck down there, and now you've confirmed it. I hiked up from the bottom end from FT 307 two years ago. We were headed up to West Curtis Canyon. Trail was almost entirely gone. Lots of downfall and thick sand to slog through. Slow going for sure, but it doesn't sound as bad as what you went through. I have been discouraging people from visiting the most severely fire damaged parts of the Black Range, until some serious trail blazing is done.
Your information will help.
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