The Coldwater is an interesting river, more so today because it stunk like cow shit. The water, though cold and clear, had a slight blue-green tinge, reminiscent of stagnant water. The river was obviously being fouled upstream by a farm. While this might be expected as it was only a few years ago that Tyler Creek, which flows into the Coldwater, was contaminated causing a massive fish kill, it was nevertheless disappointing especially to Jon who had worked hard with Trout Unlimited 15 years ago on various Coldwater projects. One of those projects was the placement of woody structure in the river - no easy task given the river's designation as a county drain requiring an obstruction free waterway. We fished upstream from Baker Avenue trying our best to ignore the stench. The earthen bunker walls all along the stream are the remnants of channelizing and rerouting back in the late 1800's, presumably to help drain surrounding farm land. And it is still easy to tell where the old stream bed was abandoned. Despite this, and in some ways because of it, the river is a pleasant wade with a high canopy above, but with plenty of room underneath to cast a fly. We had a few hits from small fish, but that was it. Pictured above: a fly caster's pose seen more often lately on account of the fact they keep making those darn hooks smaller.
Weather: 70s, approaching storm from the east
Access: TU property at Baker Avenue
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