FLOOD10327

• County: Eagle
• Community: Eagle
• Stream Name: Eagle River
• Title: Eagle River Watershed Plan
• Date: 1/1/1996
• Prepared For: Eagle Community and Eagle County
• Prepared By: National Park Service
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Mitigation/Flood Warning/Watershed Restoration

this plan, most people indicated that they felt
the River is not too crowded yet, but has the
potential in the future.

With sound management and determination
of an appropriate "carrying capacity", we can
avoid the types of problems facing other
heavily used rivers in Colorado. Carrying
capacity is defined as "the number (amount)
and type of use an area can accommodate
without altering either the environment or the
user's experience beyond a degree of change
deemed acceptable by the management
objective." A careful balance must be found
between management and another public
concern, that of potential "over-regulation" of
recreation uses.

To a large degree, the feeling and perception
of solitude is often an essential aspect of a
quality recreational experience. This is partic-
ularly true for fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing,
rafting, and kayaking. The Eagle River
Corridor from Minturn to Gypsum is becom-
ing increasingly urban, particularly in the
Vail-Avon-Edwards area. This makes the
sense of solitude and the perception of over-
crowding worse.

The areas which are still rural in nature also
tend to be largely private, with access granted
by permission only. As a result, the few areas
that are on public lands tend to be overused.
The CDOW leases some significant tracts for
fishing access, however there is no guarantee
that these areas will remain available in the
future, as some of the leases are not in perpe-
tuity.

Conflicts between recreational uses along the
river are minimal at this time, especially since
most rafting and kayaking occurs in the early
summer when the river is too high and
muddy for good fishing. Inevitably, though, as
use by all recreational activities increases, so
does the potential for conflicts.

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Fishing

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Fishing on the Eagle River and its tributaries
has seen dramatic growth over the past few
years. The style of fishing is also changing as
fly fishing grows in popularity, and with it, the
increased use of guides and commercial out-
fitters. The general growth and accompanying
development in Eagle County along the river
corridor has also had an impact on the quali-
ty of fishing. Conflicts between commercial
guides and individuals are increasing, as are
other problems involving fishing style (bait vs.
fly fishing), bag limits and enforcement, catch
and release fishing and the quality of the
aquatic habitat.

It is important to note, that the CDOW consid-
ers the Eagle River to be only "good" fishing,
not "great" (See Chapter 6: Wildlife for infor-
mation). For this reason some of the manage-
ment strategies used on "Gold Medal" fish-
eries are not appropriate in this area, with
the exception of Gore Creek between Red
Sandstone and the Eagle River. Another
important consideration is the way people
fish. The CDOW found in a survey of 400 fish-
erman statewide, 50% use a combination of
flies, lures and bait, 25% use bait only, 13%
use flies and lures only, and only 12% use
flies only. Although these numbers are proba-
bly different in Eagle County because of local
interest and clientele utilizing guide services,
it is safe to assume that a significant number
of fishermen along the Eagle and its tribu-
taries enjoy fishing with bait and lures, as
well as flies.

Appropriate Public Access

As recreational use of the river and its tribu-
taries grows, increased and improved public
access will be needed. Recreational use
should be encouraged at improved existing or
new access points to alleviate pressure on
the few well known and heavily used sites
while also being sensitive to the riparian and