CPW orders emergency fish salvage on Hunt Lake in high alpine of Chaffee County

Aug. 14, 2023 Bill Vogrin
Southeast Region Public Information Officer
719-466-3927 / [email protected]

CPW orders emergency fish salvage on Hunt Lake in high alpine of Chaffee County

Aug. 14, 2023

CPW orders emergency fish salvage on Hunt Lake in high alpine of Chaffee County

MONARCH, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife has ordered an emergency fish salvage operation, effective immediately, at Hunt Lake and a stretch of the Middle Fork of the South Arkansas River near the Continental Divide above Monarch in Chaffee County.

CPW is preparing the high alpine lake and part of the river for reintroduction of Hayden Creek cutthroat trout, a rare fish known only to the Arkansas River basin. That means CPW must remove all fish currently in Hunt Lake and the river above Boss Lake Reservoir.

So on Friday, CPW Director Jeff Davis ordered the emergency fish salvage. His order suspends the catch-and-release rules on Hunt, giving anglers the opportunity to catch as many fish as they like between now and Sept. 11, when reclamation work is scheduled to begin.

Hunt Lake sits at 11,500 feet about 3 miles west of Monarch on U.S. Highway 50. The lake is just below Bald Mountain.

Anglers must use legal fishing methods and fish only during daylight. Multiple rods up to 4 are authorized while the salvage order is in effect. The public salvage is being announced in order to optimize use of the fishery resource in accordance with Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission regulations.

“We encourage anglers to visit this beautiful spot and catch all the fish they can in Hunt Lake,” said Paul Foutz, senior aquatic biologist in CPW’s Southeast Region. “Hunt Lake holds cutthroat trout previously stocked by CPW over the years.

“Everyone needs to be aware that the salvage operation does not extend into Boss Lake Reservoir. All existing catch and bag limits remain at Boss and CPW will continue to stock it with recreational cutthroat strains.”