. The money will go toward river education campaigns, signage and cleanups.
The second measure from the city provides the city’s three commercial river operators Backdoor Sports, Bucking Rainbow Outfitters and One Stop Ski Shop the opportunity to flex their daily allotments. In previous years, each business was allowed a certain number of tube allotments per day, but in 2021 the businesses are given a certain number of monthly allotments that can be used whenever they’d like.
Emalee Erickson uses a stand-up paddleboard on the Yampa River on Thursday afternoon. (Photo by Shelby Reardon)
Impact to businesses
While he fully supports the added $5 fee, Peter Van De Carr, owner of Backdoor Sports, said he is deeply concerned about the allotment rule as he believes it will lead to a larger number of tubes on the river all at once, potentially leading to more issues.
Steve Wyant releases a brown trout he caught Sunday afternoon in the Yampa River just below Stagecoach Reservoir. (Photo by Dylan Anderson)
Keith Hale thinks fishing in the Yampa Valley has started off different this year. Normally, the river is higher as the snow rapidly melts, making it cloudy and difficult to fish.
“It is usually chocolate milk out here,” said Andy Best, a fishing guide at Steamboat Flyfisher.
Initially, as the snow in the valley melts, the water gets cloudy, but that was back in March. Hale, also a guide at Steamboat Flyfisher, said now the water is more ice tea colored because it is getting colder at night, and the snow high in the mountains is taking longer to melt.