Stream Report for Thursday June 28, 2007

Stream Report for Thursday June 28, 2007 at 12:00 pm MDT

Limited angling opportunities for Gila trout will open July 1, 2007, in select streams in southwestern New Mexico that have been closed to fishing since 1966. Everyone who fishes for Gila Trout must have a Gila Trout Permit along with a valid New Mexico fishing license. Permits are free and will be available June 1 on the "Buy licenses online" feature of the Department website, www.wildlife.state.nm.us.

The Rio Costilla in the Valle Vidal will open Sunday July 1st. It's one of the few places to reliably catch a Rio Grande cutthroat trout. High floating dry flies are usually the best producers. Stimulators, royal wulffs, and humpies, and little yellow sallies are some top choices.

San Juan River 1270 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The San Juan is quite clear and fishing is good. Now is the time to fish the Juan, especially if you like a little more water than the usual summer flow of 500. Boat and wade fishing has been good with the better spots being the upper flats toward the cable, baetis bend and below Simon Canyon. Flies for the San Juan include red disco midges, red desert storms, chocolate johnny flash, chocolate RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, winged ants, and black or olive bunny leeches. Be forewarned, mosquitoes are out in force so bring your repellent!

Rio Grande 522 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky but fishable. Fishing for smallmouth bass has been fair. Some of the bigger eddies that aren't blown out around Pilar do hold smallies. Fish for them on sinking or better yet sink tip lines with crayfish patterns. There is cooler water and better trout fishing in the gorge. Other flies for the Rio Grande are elk hair caddis, emergent sparkle pupa, submarine softhackle, black, brown or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, double hackle peacocks, poundmeisters, and caddis nymphs. No recent reports of people catching pike on the Rio.

Pecos River 135 cfs below Terrero; Good
The Pecos is still a little high but fishing very well. Nymphing is still the most productive in the mornings but, dry fly fishing in the afternoons has been awesome. Try a big stonefly nymph with a pheasant tail trailer or a dry fly dropper rig. Flies for the Pecos include stone fly nymphs, stimulators, HDA favorites, tungsten rubber leg copper johns, bivisibles, red quills, and large adams. The river adjacent to Monastery Lake and all the way up to and behind the fish hatchery is private. Please respect all of the landowners along the Pecos and stay out of all posted private waters. The FIRST PUBLIC access is Dalton Day Use. Dalton is approximately 6 miles upstream of the village of Pecos. Please report anyone over harvesting fish to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Rio del Pueblo and Rio Santa Barbara are both fishing well. Dry fly dropper rigs work best on the Pueblo and high riding easy to see dry flies are the way to go for the Santa Barbara. The better fishing on the Pueblo tend to be the areas between the campgrounds. Lots of wild browns, stocked rainbows and the occasional cutthroat make this river on of the places you can catch a grand slam. The Santa Barbara also has good numbers of wild browns and lots of stocked rainbows up to the campgrounds. The unfortunate thing is that you have to hike a ways above Santa Barbara campground to find cutthroats.

Cimarron River 23 cfs at Cimarron; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Releases out of the dam are less than 12 cfs and the remaining water comes from a few small tributaries like Tolby Creek and Clear Creek. The Cimarron has several campgrounds that make it a busy place especially on the weekends. Try some of the other area waters as they are fishing better now and may be less crowded, like the Red River over Bobcat Pass. Flies for the Cimarron are yellow stimulators, light cahills, parachute adams, tungsten copper johns, copper higgins, pheasant tails, HDA favorites, and orange scuds should the release out of the dam come up.

Jemez Mountain Streams 15 cfs on main stem Jemez above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The Jemez streams are fishing well especially on dry flies. The headwater streams like the East Fork, San Antonio and the Cebolla are at their summertime low and quite clear. Hatches of small yellow and medium sized brown mayflies as well as a small black bodied caddis have been bring most fish to the surface. Forest Road 376 to the upper San Antonio is open. Drive 376 at your own risk . It's usually passable in dry weather in a two wheel drive pickup, but if it rains, a four wheel drive or alternate access is required. Dry flies over the shallower runs or dead drifting a small nymph on a dropper in the deeper pools will pick up most of the fish. Fly choices are orange and yellow stimulators, pale morning duns, red quills, adams, pink cahills, red legged hoppers, dennis hoppers, copper higgins, pheasant tails, and HDA favorites.

The Chama River 97 cfs below the town of Tierra Amarilla; Good: 497 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 670 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; S;ow
The fishing was fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers but, make sure to check out the flows as releases out of the dam have been fluctuating every couple of days. The Chama below Abiquiu Dam is aslo likey to be fishing poor as long as the flows stay above 400 cfs. The flows on the Chama River flowing into El Vado lake have tapered off indicating we are near the end of runoff. The nearby Brazos River is fishing well. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. The flies for the Brazos are elk hair caddis, beer foam caddis, bivisbles, adams, and red quills. The Chama River above El Vado and below Abiquiu are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. The density of fish is very low there and is not stocked. Please report anyone over harvesting here to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Stone Lake on the Jicarilla Nation is currently fishing fair. Bank fishing has slowed some and float tubes or other small watercraft is the best way to fish Stone Lake. Warmer water temps force the fish into deeper cooler water. Flies for Stone Lake are hellgramites, woolly buggers, and damsel nymphs. Places like these are somewhere you can fish while everything else is in runoff. The High Desert Angler is an official Jicarilla Nation fishing permit vendor.

In Southern Colorado:

The Conejos River 572 cfs at Magote; Good
The Conejos River is coming down daily and maybe we are finally done with runoff. The river below Platoro Resevoir is currently flowing a high with releases at 312 cfs and is not really fishable at this level. Stoneflies are coming off on the Conejos. Dry fly dropper rigs and nymphing the edges with big stone fly nymphs has been very productive. At a few hours drive from Santa Fe, it's within the same driving distance to the San Juan and should be as great of a summer fishery as it was last year.

Arkansas River; Fair
The flows on Arkansas River are coming down daily as well. The river above Lake Creek to Hayden Meadows is a little high but the water is clear and the fish are feeding. The Ark is running pretty high below Lake Creek coming out of Twin Lakes Resevoir, so the better fishing is upstream towards Leadville. The Ark is about four hours from Santa Fe and another river worth exploring just over the border.

Rio Grande 2150 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Fair
The upper Rio Grande is still in runoff. High water will continue for at least a week or two. Ther have been some hatching stoneflies, but the hatch may not be as good with high water this late in June. The water is clear and boat fishing has been quite good but wading is still difficult.

The San Juan River 535 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Good
The upper San Juan and Piedra rivers are still a little high but clear and the flows are coming down daily here as well. The other more fishable water in this area is the Williams Creek below the dam. Runoff may last another week here, but should give way to some awsome summer fishing within a few hours drive of Santa Fe.

Animas River 1450 cfs at Durango; Poor
The Animas River near Durango is in runoff and is better left to the rafters and kayakers. The Delores River below McPhee Reservoir is flowing at 68 cfs. This is near an optimum flow for the Delores. The only traffic on this river is from guides who operate out of Telluride and Durango, and there is lots of room. If you are in the area and can't fish the rivers in runoff, consider the Delores.

Water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

Please see our announcements page for more news and upcoming events!

Call us at the shop for conditions on waters not listed here. 888-988-7688 out of Santa Fe or 988-7688 in Santa Fe.

For the latest in stream flows, see our links page and click on New Mexico Stream Flows.

Stream Report for Wednesday June 20, 2007

Stream Report for Wednesday June 19, 2007 at 9:00 am MDT

Limited angling opportunities for Gila trout will open July 1, 2007, in select streams in southwestern New Mexico that have been closed to fishing since 1966. Everyone who fishes for Gila Trout must have a Gila Trout Permit along with a valid New Mexico fishing license. Permits are free and will be available June 1 on the "Buy licenses online" feature of the Department website, www.wildlife.state.nm.us.

The Rio Costilla in the Valle Vidal will open Sunday July 1st. It's one of the few places to reliably catch a Rio Grande cutthroat trout. High floating dry flies are usually the best producers. Stimulators, royal wulffs, and humpies, and little yellow sallies are some top choices.

San Juan River 1270 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The San Juan is quite clear and fishing is good. Now is the time to fish the Juan, especially if you like a little more water than the usual summer flow of 500. Boat and wade fishing has been good with the better spots being the upper flats toward the cable, baetis bend and below Simon Canyon. Flies for the San Juan include red disco midges, red desert storms, chocolate johnny flash, chocolate RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, winged ants, and black or olive bunny leeches. Be forewarned, mosquitoes are out in force so bring your repellent!

Rio Grande 768 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky but fishable. Fishing for smallmouth bass has been fair. Some of the bigger eddies that aren't blown out around Pilar do hold smallies. Fish for them on sinking or better yet sink tip lines with crayfish patterns. There is cooler water and better trout fishing in the gorge. Other flies for the Rio Grande are elk hair caddis, emergent sparkle pupa, submarine softhackle, black, brown or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, double hackle peacocks, poundmeisters, and caddis nymphs. No recent reports of people catching pike on the Rio.

Pecos River 162 cfs below Terrero; Good
What a difference a week makes. The Pecos River is flowing half as high as it was a week ago.Stoneflies have made their first appearance on June 2nd just above the village of Pecos but, the hatch seems to have stalled. Nymphing is still the most productive in the mornings but, dry fly fishing in the afternoons has been awesome. Try a big stonefly nymph with a pheasant tail trailer or a dry fly dropper rig. The Pecos was last stocked on the 13th. Flies for the Pecos include stone fly nymphs, stimulators, HDA favorites, tungsten rubber leg copper johns, bivisibles, red quills, and large adams. The river adjacent to Monastery Lake and all the way up to and behind the fish hatchery is private. Please respect all of the landowners along the Pecos and stay out of all posted private waters. The FIRST PUBLIC access is Dalton Day Use. Dalton is approximately 6 miles upstream of the village of Pecos. Please report anyone over harvesting fish to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Cimarron River 22 cfs at Cimarron; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Releases out of the dam are less than 10 cfs and the remaining water comes from a few small tributaries like Tolby Creek and Clear Creek. The Cimarron has several campgrounds that make it a busy place especially on the weekends. Try some of the other area waters as they are fishing better now and may be less crowded, like the Red River over Bobcat Pass. Flies for the Cimarron are yellow stimulators, light cahills, parachute adams, tungsten copper johns, copper higgins, pheasant tails, HDA favorites, and orange scuds should the release out of the dam come up.

Jemez Mountain Streams 32 cfs on main stem Jemez above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The Jemez streams are fishing well especially on dry flies. The stonefly hatch is pretty well over on the Guadalupe and Rio de Las Vacas above Porter's Landing. The headwater streams like the East Fork, San Antonio and the Cebolla are at their summertime low and quite clear. Hatches of small yellow and medium sized brown mayflies as well as a small black bodied caddis have been bring most fish to the sursface. Forest Road 376 to the upper San Antonio is open. Drive 376 at your own risk . It's usually passable in dry weather in a two wheel drive pickup, but if it rains, a four wheel drive or alternate access is required. Dry flies over the shallower runs or dead drifting a small nymph on a dropper in the deeper pools will pick up most of the fish. Fly choices are orange and yellow stimulators, pale morning duns, red quills, adams, pink cahills, red legged hoppers, dennis hoppers, copper higgins, pheasant tails, and HDA favorites.

The Chama River 227 cfs below the town of Tierra Amarilla; Good: 197 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 227 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; S;ow
The fishing is fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers but, make sure to check out the flows as releases out of the dam have been fluctuating every couple of days. The Chama below Abiquiu Dam is aslo likey to be fishing fair as long as the flows stay below 400 cfs. The flows on the Chama River flowing into El Vado lake have tapered off indicating we are near the end of runoff. Look for a small stonefly hatch here in any day now. The nearby Brazos River is still a bit high but also fishing well. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. The areas below Abiquiu Dam and above El Vado Lake are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. The density of fish is very low there and is not stocked. Please report anyone over harvesting here to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Stone Lake on the Jicarilla Nation is currently fishing fair. Bank fishing has slowed some and float tubes or other small watercraft is the best way to fish Stone Lake. Warmer water temps force the fish into deeper cooler water. Flies for Stone Lake are hellgramites, woolly buggers, and damsel nymphs. Places like these are somewhere you can fish while everything else is in runoff. The High Desert Angler is an official Jicarilla Nation fishing permit vendor.

McAllister Lake was heavily stocked again a couple of weeks ago. I haven't had many reports from MacAllister, and the few have been fair at best. Please use caution on any lake as the winds can make float tubing difficult or dangerous. Woolly Buggers, leeches, midges, and aquatic snails, and damsel flies have been the best producers. Better reports for lake fishing have come from Hopewell and Eagle Nest.

In Southern Colorado:

The Conejos River 772 cfs at Magote; Good
The Conejos River is coming down daily and maybe we are fianlly done with runoff. The river below Platoro Resevoir is currently flowing a high with releases at 219 cfs and is not really fishable at this level. Stoneflies should be coming off on the Conejos in a week or two. Nymphing the edges with big stone fly nymphs has been very productive. At a few hours drive from Santa Fe, it's within the same driving distance to the San Juan and should be as great of a summer fishery as it was last year.

Arkansas River; Slow
The Arkansas River has come up with the melting snowpack. The river above Lake Creek to Hayden Meadows is now experiencing high water. The Ark is about four hours from Santa Fe and another river worth exploring, especially if you are one of the many to miss out on the caddis hatch on the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande 1920 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Fair
The upper Rio Grande is still in runoff. High water will continue for at least a week or two. Look for hatching stoneflies as the water recedes in late June. The water is clear and boat fishing has been quite good but wading is still difficult.

The San Juan River 1160 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Poor
The upper San Juan and Piedra rivers are still in runoff but, flows are coming down daily here as well. The only fishable water in this area is the Williams Creek below the dam. Runoff may last another week here, but should give way to some awsome summer fishing within a few hours drive of Santa Fe.

Animas River 2420 cfs at Durango; Poor
The Animas River near Durango is in runoff and is better left to the rafters and kayakers. The Delores River below McPhee Reservoir is flowing at 69 cfs. This is near an optimum flow for the Delores. The only traffic on this river is from guides who operate out of Telluride and Durango, and there is lots of room. If you are in the area and can't fish the rivers in runoff, consider the Delores.

Water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

Please see our announcements page for more news and upcoming events!

Call us at the shop for conditions on waters not listed here. 888-988-7688 out of Santa Fe or 988-7688 in Santa Fe.

For the latest in stream flows, see our links page and click on New Mexico Stream Flows.

Stream Report for Tuesday June 19, 2007

Stream Report for Tuesday June 19, 2007 at 1:00 pm MDT

Limited angling opportunities for Gila trout will open July 1, 2007, in select streams in southwestern New Mexico that have been closed to fishing since 1966. Everyone who fishes for Gila Trout must have a Gila Trout Permit along with a valid New Mexico fishing license. Permits are free and will be available June 1 on the "Buy licenses online" feature of the Department website, www.wildlife.state.nm.us.

The Rio Costilla in the Valle Vidal will open Sunday July 1st. It's one of the few places to reliably catch a Rio Grande cutthroat trout. High floating dry flies are usually the best producers. Stimulators, royal wulffs, and humpies, and little yellow sallies are some top choices.

San Juan River 1270 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The San Juan has actually been holding around 1240 cfs since Wednesday May 23rd but, a faulty stream guage reported 1400 cfs. The water is quite clear and fishing is good. Now is the time to fish the Juan, especially if you like a little more water than the usual summer flow of 500. The published release schedule calls for the releases to be down to 500 by this date and the Bureau of Rec may start to lower the flows any day now. Boat and wade fishing has been good with the better spots being the upper flats toward the cable, baetis bend and below Simon Canyon. Flies for the San Juan include red disco midges, red desert storms, chocolate johnny flash, chocolate RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, winged ants, and black or olive bunny leeches. Be forewarned, mosquitoes are out in force so bring you repellent!

Rio Grande 776 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky but fishable. Fishing for smallmouth bass has been fair. Some of the bigger eddies that aren't blown out around Pilar do hold smallies. Fish for them on sinking or better yet sink tip lines with crayfish patterns. There is cooler water and better trout fishing in the gorge. Other flies for the Rio Grande are elk hair caddis, emergent sparkle pupa, submarine softhackle, black, brown or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, double hackle peacocks, poundmeisters, and caddis nymphs. No recent reports of people catching pike on the Rio.

Pecos River 175 cfs below Terrero; Good
The Pecos River is flowing high but, the flows are falling and hopefully indicating the end of runoff. Runoff is usually done by now and means the start of the giant stonefly hatch. Stoneflies have made their first appearance on June 2nd just above the village of Pecos but, the hatch seems to have stalled. Nymphing is the most productive in the mornings and dry fly fishing in the afternoons. Try a big stonefly nymphs with a pheasant tail trailer dry dropper rigs. The Pecos was last stocked on the 13th. Flies for the Pecos include stone fly nymphs, stimulators, HDA favorites, tungsten rubber leg copper johns, bivisibles, red quills, and large adams. The river adjacent to Monastery Lake and all the way up to and behind the fish hatchery is private. Please respect all of the landowners along the Pecos and stay out of all posted private waters. The FIRST PUBLIC access is Dalton Day Use. Dalton is approximately 6 miles upstream of the village of Pecos. Please report anyone over harvesting fish to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Cimarron River 23 cfs at Cimarron; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Flows out of the dam are less than 10 cfs. The remaining water comes from a few small tributaries with biggest being Clear Creek at the eastern end of the State Park. Flies for the Cimarron are yellow stimulators, light cahills, parachute adams, tungsten copper johns, copper higgins, pheasant tails, HDA favorites, and orange scuds should the release out of the dam come up.

Jemez Mountain Streams 33 cfs on main stem Jemez above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The Jemez streams are fishing well especially on dry flies. The stonefly hatch is pretty well over on the Guadalupe and Rio de Las Vacas above Porter's Landing. The headwater streams like the East Fork, San Antonio and the Cebolla are at their summertime low and quite clear. Hatches of small yellow and medium sized brown mayflies as well as a small black bodied caddis have been bring most fish to the sursface. Forest Road 376 to the upper San Antonio is open. Drive 376 at your own risk . It's usually passable in dry weather in a two wheel drive pickup, but if it rains, a four wheel drive or alternate access is required. Dry flies over the shallower runs or dead drifting a small nymph on a dropper in the deeper pools will pick up most of the fish. Fly choices are orange and yellow stimulators, pale morning duns, red quills, adams, pink cahills, red legged hoppers, dennis hoppers, copper higgins, pheasant tails, and HDA favorites.

The Chama River 260 cfs below the town of Tierra Amarilla; Good: 197 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 364 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; S;ow
The fishing is fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers but, make sure to check out the flows as releases out of the dam have been fluctuating every couple of days. The Chama below Abiquiu Dam is aslo likey to be fishing fair as long as the flows stay below 400 cfs. The flows on the Chama River flowing into El Vado lake have tapered off indicating we are near the end of runoff. Look for a small stonefly hatch here in any day now. The nearby Brazos River is still a bit high but also fishing well. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. The areas below Abiquiu Dam and above El Vado Lake are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. The density of fish is very low there and is not stocked. Please report anyone over harvesting here to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Stone Lake on the Jicarilla Nation is currently fishing fair. Bank fishing has slowed some and float tubes or other small watercraft is the best way to fish Stone Lake. Warmer water temps force the fish into deeper cooler water. Flies for Stone Lake are hellgramites, woolly buggers, and damsel nymphs. Places like these are somewhere you can fish while everything else is in runoff. The High Desert Angler is an official Jicarilla Nation fishing permit vendor.

McAllister Lake was heavily stocked again a couple of weeks ago. I haven't had many reports from MacAllister, and the few have been fair at best. Please use caution on any lake as the winds can make float tubing difficult or dangerous. Woolly Buggers, leeches, midges, and aquatic snails, and damsel flies have been the best producers. Better reports for lake fishing have come from Hopewell and Eagle Nest.

In Southern Colorado:

The Conejos River 772 cfs at Magote; Good
The Conejos River is coming down daily and maybe we are fianlly done with runoff. The river below Platoro Resevoir is currently flowing a high with releases at 184 cfs and is not really fishable at this level. Stoneflies should be coming off on the Conejos in a week or two. Nymphing the edges with big stone fly nymphs has been very productive. At a few hours drive from Santa Fe, it's within the same driving distance to the San Juan and should be as great of a summer fishery as it was last year.

Arkansas River; Slow
The Arkansas River has come up with the melting snowpack. The river above Lake Creek to Hayden Meadows is now experiencing high water. The Ark is about four hours from Santa Fe and another river worth exploring, especially if you are one of the many to miss out on the caddis hatch on the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande 2120 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Poor
The upper Rio Grande is obviously in runoff. High water will continue for at least a week or two. Look for hatching stoneflies as the water recedes in late June. The water is clear and boat fishing has been quite good but wading is still difficult.

The San Juan River 1200 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Poor
The upper San Juan and Piedra rivers are still in runoff but, flows are coming down daily here as well. The only fishable water in this area is the Williams Creek below the dam. Runoff may last another week here, but should give way to some awsome summer fishing within a few hours drive of Santa Fe.

Animas River 2610 cfs at Durango; Poor
The Animas River near Durango is in runoff and is better left to the rafters and kayakers. The Delores River below McPhee Reservoir is flowing at 69 cfs. This is near an optimum flow for the Delores. The only traffic on this river is from guides who operate out of Telluride and Durango, and there is lots of room. If you are in the area and can't fish the rivers in runoff, consider the Delores.

Water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

Please see our announcements page for more news and upcoming events!

Call us at the shop for conditions on waters not listed here. 888-988-7688 out of Santa Fe or 988-7688 in Santa Fe.

For the latest in stream flows, see our links page and click on New Mexico Stream Flows.

Stream Report for Monday June 18, 2007

Stream Report for Monday June 18, 2007 at 9:00 am MDT

Limited angling opportunities for Gila trout will open July 1, 2007, in select streams in southwestern New Mexico that have been closed to fishing since 1966. Everyone who fishes for Gila Trout must have a Gila Trout Permit along with a valid New Mexico fishing license. Permits are free and will be available June 1 on the "Buy licenses online" feature of the Department website, www.wildlife.state.nm.us.

The Rio Costilla in the Valle Vidal will open Sunday July 1st. It's one of the few places to reliably catch a Rio Grande cutthroat trout. High floating dry flies are usually the best producers. Stimulators, royal wulffs, and humpies, and little yellow sallies are some top choices.

San Juan River 1230 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The San Juan has actually been holding around 1240 cfs since Wednesday May 23rd but, a faulty stream guage reported 1400 cfs. The water is quite clear and fishing is good. Now is the time to fish the Juan, especially if you like a little more water than the usual summer flow of 500. The published release schedule calls for the releases to be down to 500 by this date and the Bureau of Rec may start to lower the flows any day now. Boat and wade fishing has been good with the better spots being the upper flats toward the cable, baetis bend and below Simon Canyon. Flies for the San Juan include red disco midges, red desert storms, chocolate johnny flash, chocolate RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, winged ants, and black or olive bunny leeches.

Rio Grande 818 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky but fishable. Fishing for smallmouth bass has been fair. Some of the bigger eddies that aren't blown out around Pilar do hold smallies. Fish for them on sinking or better yet sink tip lines with crayfish patterns. There is cooler water and better trout fishing in the gorge. Other flies for the Rio Grande are elk hair caddis, emergent sparkle pupa, submarine softhackle, black, brown or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, double hackle peacocks, poundmeisters, and caddis nymphs. No recent reports of people catching pike on the Rio.

Pecos River 189 cfs below Terrero; Fair
The Pecos River is flowing high but, the flows are falling hopefully indicating the end of runoff. Runoff is usually done by now and means the start of the giant stonefly hatch. Stoneflies have made their first appearance on June 2nd just above the village of Pecos. The hatch seems to have stalled with the cooler weather and rain but, should be back on with the warmer weather we are expecting. Nymphing will be the most productive during high water. Big stonefly nymphs with a pheasant tail trailer has been one of the better rigs. The Pecos was last stocked on the 7th. Brightly colored flies like red, chartreuse, and blue copper higgins, and purple prince nymphs usually work on the stockers. The river adjacent to Monastery Lake and all the way up to and behind the fish hatchery is private. Please respect all of the landowners along the Pecos and stay out of all posted private waters. The FIRST PUBLIC access is Dalton Day Use. Dalton is approximately 6 miles upstream of the village of Pecos. Please report anyone over harvesting fish to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Cimarron River 25 cfs at Cimarron; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Flows out of the dam are less than 10 cfs. The remaining water comes from a few small tributaries with biggest being Clear Creek at the eastern end of the State Park. Flies for the Cimarron are yellow stimulators, light cahills, parachute adams, tungsten copper johns, copper higgins, pheasant tails, HDA favorites, and orange scuds should the release out of the dam come up.

Jemez Mountain Streams 38 cfs on main stem Jemez above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The Jemez streams are clearing and done with runoff. The stonefly hatch is pretty well over on the Guadalupe and Rio de Las Vacas above Porter's Landing. The headwater streams like the East Fork, San Antonio and the Cebolla are at their summertime low and quite clear. Forest Road 376 to the upper San Antonio is open. Drive 376 at your own risk . It's usually passable in dry weather in a two wheel drive pickup, but if it rains, a four wheel drive or alternate access is required. Dry fly dropper rigs over the shallower runs or dead drifting small nymphs in the deeper pools will pick up most of the fish. Fly choices are orange and yellow stimulators, sofa pillows, Clark' salmonfly, foam stone, pale morning duns, red quills, adams, pink cahills, red legged hoppers, dennis hoppers, copper higgins, pheasant tails, Theo's biot stonefly nymph, and HDA favorites.

The Chama River 312 cfs below the town of Tierra Amarilla; Slow: 340 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 426 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
The fishing was fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers but,release out of the dam have been fluctuating every couple of days. The Chama below Abiquiu Dam is aslo likey to be fishing fair as long as the flows stay below 400 cfs. The flows on the Chama River flowing into El Vado lake were tapering off indicating we are near the end of runoff. Look for a small stonefly hatch here in any day now. The nearby Brazos River is still a bit high with snowmelt. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. The areas below Abiquiu Dam and above El Vado Lake are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. The density of fish is very low there and is not stocked. Please report anyone over harvesting here to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Stone Lake on the Jicarilla Nation is currently fishing fair. Bank fishing has slowed some and float tubes or other small watercraft is the best way to fish Stone Lake. Warmer water temps force the fish into deeper cooler water. Flies for Stone Lake are hellgramites, woolly buggers, and damsel nymphs. Places like these are somewhere you can fish while everything else is in runoff. The High Desert Angler is an official Jicarilla Nation fishing permit vendor.

McAllister Lake was heavily stocked again a couple of weeks ago. I haven't had many reports from MacAllister, and the few have been fair at best. Please use caution on any lake as the winds can make float tubing difficult or dangerous. Woolly Buggers, leeches, midges, and aquatic snails, and damsel flies have been the best producers. Better reports for lake fishing have come from Hopewell and Eagle Nest.

In Southern Colorado:

The Conejos River 902 cfs at Magote; Slow
The Conejos River is in runoff. The river below Platoro Resevoir is currently flowing a high with releases at 181 cfs and it is not really fishable at this level. Stoneflies should be coming off on the Conejos in a week or two. At a few hours drive from Santa Fe, it's within the same driving distance to the San Juan and should be as great of a summer fishery as it was last year.

Arkansas River; Slow
The Arkansas River has come up with the melting snowpack. The river above Lake Creek to Hayden Meadows is now experiencing high water. The Ark is about four hours from Santa Fe and another river worth exploring, especially if you are one of the many to miss out on the caddis hatch on the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande 2460 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Poor
The upper Rio Grande is obviously in runoff. High water will continue for at least a week or two. Look for hatching stoneflies as the water recedes in late June.

The San Juan River 1410 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Poor
The upper San Juan and Piedra rivers are in runoff as well. The only fishable water in this area is the Williams Creek below the dam. Runoff may last a couple of weeks here, but should give way to some awsome summer fishing within a few hours drive of Santa Fe.

Animas River 3130 cfs at Durango; Poor
The Animas River near Durango is in runoff and is better left to the rafters and kayakers. The Delores River below McPhee Reservoir is flowing at 99 cfs. This is an optimum flow for the Delores. The only traffic on this river is from guides who operate out of Telluride and Durango, and there is lots of room. If you are in the area and can't fish the rivers in runoff, consider the Delores.

Water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

Please see our announcements page for more news and upcoming events!

Call us at the shop for conditions on waters not listed here. 888-988-7688 out of Santa Fe or 988-7688 in Santa Fe.

For the latest in stream flows, see our links page and click on New Mexico Stream Flows.

Stream Report of Friday June 15, 2007

Stream Report for Friday June 15, 2007 at 1:00 pm MDT

The Rio Costilla in the Valle Vidal will open Sunday July 1st. It's one of the few places to reliably catch a Rio Grande cutthroat trout. High floating dry flies are usually the best producers. Stimulators, royal wulffs, and humpies, and little yellow sallies are some top choices.

San Juan River 1240 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The San Juan has actually been holding at 1240 cfs since Wednesday May 23rd but, a faulty stream guage reported 1400 cfs. The water is quite clear and fishing is good. Now is the time to fish the Juan, especially if you like a little more water than the usual summer flow of 500. The published release schedule calls for the releases to be down to 500 by this date and the Bureau of Rec may start to lower the flows any day now. Boat and wade fishing has been good with the better spots being the upper flats toward the cable, baetis bend and below Simon Canyon. Flies for the San Juan include red disco midges, red desert storms, chocolate johnny flash, chocolate RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, and black or olive bunny leeches.

Rio Grande 695 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky but fishable. Fishing for smallmouth bass has been fair. Some of the bigger eddies that aren't blown out around Pilar do hold smallies. Fish for them on sinking or better yet sink tip lines with crayfish patterns. There is cooler water and better trout fishing in the gorge. Other flies for the Rio Grande are elk hair caddis, emergent sparkle pupa, submarine softhackle, black, brown or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, double hackle peacocks, poundmeisters, and caddis nymphs. No recent reports of people catching pike on the Rio.

Pecos River 218 cfs below Terrero; Fair
The Pecos River is flowing high but, the flows are falling hopefully indicating the end of runoff. Runoff is usually done by now and means the start of the giant stonefly hatch. Stoneflies have made their first appearance on June 2nd just above the village of Pecos. The hatch seems to have stalled with the cooler weather and rain but, should be back on with the warmer weather we are expecting. Nymphing will be the most productive during high water. Big stonefly nymphs with a pheasant tail trailer has been one of the better rigs. The Pecos was last stocked on the 7th. Brightly colored flies like red, chartreuse, and blue copper higgins, and purple prince nymphs usually work on the stockers. Contrary to other websites stream reports, you cannot "fish wherever you can get in" and the river adjacent to Monastery Lake and all the way up to and behind the fish hatchery is private. Please respect all of the landowners along the Pecos and stay out of all posted private waters. The FIRST PUBLIC access is Dalton Day Use. Dalton is approximately 6 miles upstream of the village of Pecos. Please report anyone over harvesting fish to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Cimarron River 28 cfs at Cimarron; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Flows out of the dam are less than 10 cfs. The remaining water comes from a few small tributaries with biggest being Clear Creek at the eastern end of the State Park. Flies for the Cimarron are yellow stimulators, light cahills, parachute adams, tungsten copper johns, copper higgins, pheasant tails, HDA favorites, and orange scuds should the release out of the dam come up.

Jemez Mountain Streams 31 cfs on main stem Jemez above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The Jemez streams are clearing and done with runoff. The stonefly hatch is well up into the Guadalupe and Rio de Las Vacas above Porter's Landing. The headwater streams like the East Fork, San Antonio and the Cebolla are at their summertime low and quite clear. Forest Road 376 to the upper San Antonio is open. Drive 376 at your own risk . It's usually passable in dry weather in a two wheel drive pickup, but if it rains, a four wheel drive or alternate access is required. Dry fly dropper rigs over the shallower runs or dead drifting small nymphs in the deeper pools will pick up most of the fish. Fly choices are orange and yellow stimulators, sofa pillows, Clark' salmonfly, foam stone, pale morning duns, red quills, adams, pink cahills, red legged hoppers, dennis hoppers, copper higgins, pheasant tails, Theo's biot stonefly nymph, and HDA favorites.

The Chama River 351 cfs below the town of Tierra Amarilla; Slow: 498 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 514 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
The fishing was fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers but,release out of the dam have been fluctuating every couple of days. The Chama below Abiquiu Dam is aslo likey to be fishing fair as long as the flows stay below 400 cfs. The flows on the Chama River flowing into El Vado lake were tapering off indicating we are near the end of runoff. Look for a small stonefly hatch here in any day now. The nearby Brazos River is still a bit high with snowmelt. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. The areas below Abiquiu Dam and above El Vado Lake are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. The density of fish is very low there and is not stocked. Please report anyone over harvesting here to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Stone Lake on the Jicarilla Nation is currently fishing fair. Bank fishing has slowed some and float tubes or other small watercraft is the best way to fish Stone Lake. Warmer water temps force the fish into deeper cooler water. Flies for Stone Lake are hellgramites, woolly buggers, and damsel nymphs. Places like these are somewhere you can fish while everything else is in runoff. The High Desert Angler is an official Jicarilla Nation fishing permit vendor.

McAllister Lake was heavily stocked again a couple of weeks ago. I haven't had many reports from MacAllister, and the few have been fair at best. Please use caution on any lake as the winds can make float tubing difficult or dangerous. Woolly Buggers, leeches, midges, and aquatic snails, and damsel flies have been the best producers. Better reports for lake fishing have come from Hopewell and Eagle Nest.

Santa Fe River 13 cfs through Santa Fe; Fair
The Santa Fe River was stocked on May 18th. Game and Fish will stock the Santa Fe River any time there is sufficient water to do so. So, no joke, you can catch fish out of this often dry river, at least for the time being. There are plans to shut the outflow out of the resevoirs soon. Any location east of downtown Santa Fe is generally preferred for it's access and ambience. With the talk of the Santa Fe River having a year round flow, it could be a good thing to show the demand for a nearby fishery by actually fishing the Santa Fe River. If any one goes, please e-mail me a report.

In Southern Colorado:

The Conejos River 979 cfs at Magote; Slow
The Conejos River is in runoff. The river below Platoro Resevoir is currently flowing a high with releases at 181 cfs and it is not really fishable. Stoneflies should be coming off on the Conejos in a week or two. At a few hours drive from Santa Fe, it's within the same driving distance to the San Juan and should be as great of a summer fishery as it was last year.

Arkansas River; Slow
The Arkansas River has come up with the melting snowpack. The river above Lake Creek to Hayden Meadows is now experiencing high water. The Ark is about four hours from Santa Fe and another river worth exploring, especially if you are one of the many to miss out on the caddis hatch on the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande 2120 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Poor
The upper Rio Grande is obviously in runoff. High water will continue for at least a week or two. Look for hatching stoneflies as the water recedes in late June.

The San Juan River 1330 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Poor
The upper San Juan and Piedra rivers are in runoff as well. The only fishable water in this area is the Williams Creek below the dam. Runoff may last a couple of weeks here, but should give way to some awsome summer fishing within a few hours drive of Santa Fe.

Water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

Please see our announcements page for more news and upcoming events!

Call us at the shop for conditions on waters not listed here. 888-988-7688 out of Santa Fe or 988-7688 in Santa Fe.

For the latest in stream flows, see our links page and click on New Mexico Stream Flows.

Stream Report for Tuesday June 12, 2007

High Desert Angler's Stream Report, often imitated and sometimes downright duplicated, your first source for the most recent and accurate in fishing conditions!

Stream Report for Tuesday June 12, 2007 at 8:00 am MDT

San Juan River 1240 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The San Juan has actually been holding at 1240 cfs since Wednesday May 23rd but, a faulty stream guage reported 1400 cfs. The water is quite clear and fishing is good. Now is the time to fish the Juan, especially if you like a little more water than the usual summer flow of 500. The published release schedule calls for the releases to be down to 500 by this date and the Bureau of Rec may start to lower the flows any day now. Boat and wade fishing has been good with the better spots being the upper flats toward the cable, baetis bend and below Simon Canyon. Flies for the San Juan include red disco midges, red desert storms, chocolate johnny flash, chocolate RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, and black or olive bunny leeches.

Rio Grande 695 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky but fishable. Fishing for smallmouth bass has been fair. Some of the bigger eddies that aren't blown out around Pilar do hold smallies. Fish for them on sinking or better yet sink tip lines with crayfish patterns. There is cooler water and better trout fishing in the gorge. Other flies for the Rio Grande are elk hair caddis, emergent sparkle pupa, submarine softhackle, black, brown or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, double hackle peacocks, poundmeisters, and caddis nymphs. No recent reports of people catching pike on the Rio but, the reports from Cochiti Lake have been good.

Pecos River 383 cfs below Terrero; Fair
The Pecos River is flowing high and the flows are back up from the recent rainfall. Fishing is a little tough today as the water did murk up. Runoff is usually done by now and means the start of the giant stonefly hatch. Stoneflies have made their first appearance on June 2nd just above the village of Pecos but, the hatch seems to have stalled with the cooler weather and rain. Nymphing will be the most productive during high water. Big stonefly nymphs with a pheasant tail trailer has been one of the better rigs. The Pecos was last stocked on the 7th. Brightly colored flies like red, chartreuse, and blue copper higgins, and purple prince nymphs usually work on the stockers. Contrary to other websites stream reports, you cannot "fish wherever you can get in" and the river adjacent to Monastery Lake and all the way up to and behind the fish hatchery is private. Please respect all of the landowners along the Pecos and stay out of all posted private waters. The FIRST PUBLIC access is Dalton Day Use. Dalton is approximately 6 miles upstream of the village of Pecos. Please report anyone over harvesting fish to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Cimarron River 32 cfs at Cimarron; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Flows out of the dam are less than 10 cfs. The remaining water comes from a few small tributaries with biggest being Clear Creek at the eastern end of the State Park. Flies for the Cimarron are yellow stimulators, bwo's, parachute adams, tungsten copper johns, copper higgins, pheasant tails, HDA favorites, and orange scuds should the release out of the dam come up.

Jemez Mountain Streams 50 cfs on main stem Jemez above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The Jemez streams are clearing and done with runoff, although last nights rain has brought some of the streams up a little. The stonefly hatch is well up into the Guadalupe and Rio de Las Vacas above Porter's Landing. The headwater streams like the East Fork, San Antonio and the Cebolla are at their summertime low and quite clear. Forest Road 376 to the upper San Antonio is open. Drive 376 at your own risk . It's usually passable in dry weather in a two wheel drive pickup, but now that it's muddy a four wheel drive or alternate access is required. Dry fly dropper rigs over the shallower runs or dead drifting small nymphs in the deeper pools will pick up most of the fish. Fly choices are orange and yellow stimulators, sofa pillows, Clark' salmonfly, foam stone, pale morning duns, red quills, adams, pink cahills, copper higgins, pheasant tails, Theo's biot stonefly nymph, and HDA favorites.

The Chama River 430 cfs below the town of Tierra Amarilla; Slow: 298 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 309 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
The fishing is fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers. The Chama below Abiquiu Dam is aslo likey to fishing fair as long as the flows stay below 400 cfs. The flows on the Chama River flowing into El Vado lake were tapering off indicating we are near the end of runoff, but recent rainfall has brought them back up slightly. Look for a small stonefly hatch here in any day now. The nearby Brazos River is still a bit high with snowmelt. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. The areas below Abiquiu Dam and above El Vado Lake are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. The density of fish is very low there and is not stocked. Please report anyone over harvesting here to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Stone Lake on the Jicarilla Nation is currently fishing fair. Bank fishing has slowed some and float tubes or other small watercraft is the best way to fish Stone Lake. Flies for Stone Lake are hellgramites, woolly buggers, and damsel nymphs. Places like these are somewhere you can fish while everything else is in runoff. The High Desert Angler is an official Jicarilla Nation fishing permit vendor.

McAllister Lake was heavily stocked again a couple of weeks ago. I haven't had many reports from MacAllister, and the few have been fair at best. Please use caution on any lake as the winds can make float tubing difficult or dangerous. Woolly Buggers, leeches, midges, and aquatic snails, and damsel flies have been the best producers. Better reports for lake fishing have come from Hopewell and Eagle Nest.

Santa Fe River 13 cfs through Santa Fe; Fair
The Santa Fe River was stocked on May 18th. Game and Fish will stock the Santa Fe River any time there is sufficient water to do so. So, no joke, you can catch fish out of this often dry river, at least for the time being. There are plans to shut the outflow out of the resevoirs soon. Any location east of downtown Santa Fe is generally preferred for it's access and ambience. With the talk of the Santa Fe River having a year round flow, it could be a good thing to show the demand for a nearby fishery by actually fishing the Santa Fe River. If any one goes, please e-mail me a report.

In Southern Colorado:

The Conejos River 1090 cfs at Magote; Slow
The Conejos River is in runoff and the recent rainfall is also contributing to the flows. The river below Platoro Resevoir is currently flowing a high with releases at 194 cfs and it is not really fishable. Stoneflies should be coming off on the Conejos in a week or two. At a few hours drive from Santa Fe, it's within the same driving distance to the San Juan and should be as great of a summer fishery as it was last year.

Arkansas River; Slow
The Arkansas River has come up with the melting snowpack. The river above Lake Creek to Hayden Meadows is now experiencing high water. The Ark is about four hours from Santa Fe and another river worth exploring, especially if you are one of the many to miss out on the caddis hatch on the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande 2730 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Poor
The upper Rio Grande is obviously in runoff. High water will continue for at least a week or two. Look for hatching stoneflies as the water recedes in late June.

The San Juan River 1270 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Poor
The upper San Juan and Piedra rivers are in runoff as well. The only fishable water in this area is the Williams Creek below the dam. Runoff may last a couple of weeks here, but should give way to some awsome summer fishing within a few hours drive of Santa Fe.

Water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

Please see our announcements page for more news and upcoming events!

Call us at the shop for conditions on waters not listed here. 888-988-7688 out of Santa Fe or 988-7688 in Santa Fe.

For the latest in stream flows, see our links page and click on New Mexico Stream Flows.

Stream Report for Sunday June 10, 2007

High Desert Angler's Stream Report, often imitated and sometimes downright duplicated, your first source for the most recent and accurate in fishing conditions!

Stream Report for Sunday June 10, 2007 at 5:00 pm MDT

San Juan River 1400 cfs below Navajo Dam; Fair
The San Juan has been holding at 1400 cfs since Wednesday May 23rd. The water is quite clear and fishing is good. Now is the time to fish the Juan, especially if you like a little more water than the usual summer flow of 500. The published release schedule calls for the releases to be down to 500 by this date and the Bureau of Rec may start to lower the flows any day now. Boat and wade fishing has been good with the better spots being the upper flats toward the cable, baetis bend and below Simon Canyon. Flies for the San Juan include red disco midges, red desert storms, chocolate johnny flash, chocolate RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, and black or olive bunny leeches.

Rio Grande 887 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky but fishable. Fishing for smallmouth bass has been fair. Some of the bigger eddies that aren't blown out around Pilar do hold smallies. Fish for them on sinking or better yet sink tip lines with crayfish patterns. There is cooler water and better trout fishing in the gorge. Other flies for the Rio Grande are elk hair caddis, emergent sparkle pupa, submarine softhackle, black, brown or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, double hackle peacocks, poundmeisters, and caddis nymphs. No recent reports of people catching pike on the Rio but, the reports from Cochiti Lake have been good.

Pecos River ? cfs below Terrero; Slow
The Pecos River is flowing high but, the stream guage isn't functioning and our best guess is the flows are near 275 cfs. Fishing is a little tough until runoff is completely over in a week or two. The end of runoff usually means the start of the giant stonefly hatch. Some stoneflies have made their first appearance just above the village of Pecos. Nymphing will be the most productive during high water. Big stone fly nymphs, prince nymphs, and copper johns were working for several anglers. The Pecos was recently stocked. Brightly colored flies like red, chartreuse, and blue copper higgins, and purple prince nymphs usually work on the stockers. Contrary to other websites stream reports, you cannot "fish wherever you can get in" and the river adjacent to Monastery Lake and all the way up to and behind the fish hatchery is private. Please respect all of the landowners along the Pecos and stay out of all posted private waters. The FIRST PUBLIC access is Dalton Day Use. Dalton is approximately 6 miles upstream of the village of Pecos. Please report anyone over harvesting fish to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Cimarron River 37 cfs at Cimarron; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Flows out of the dam are less than 10 cfs. The remaining water comes from a few small tributaries with biggest being Clear Creek at the eastern end of the State Park. Flies for the Cimarron are yellow stimulators, bwo's, parachute adams, tungsten copper johns, copper higgins, pheasant tails, HDA favorites, and orange scuds should the release out of the dam come up.

Jemez Mountain Streams 60 cfs on main stem Jemez above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The Jemez streams are clearing and done with runoff. The stonefly hatch is well up into the Guadalupe and Rio de Las Vacas above Porter's Landing. The headwater streams like the East Fork, San Antonio and the Cebolla are at their summertime low and quite clear. Forest Road 376 to the upper San Antonio is open. Dry fly dropper rigs over the shallower runs or dead drifting big nymphs in the deeper pools will pick up most of the fish. Fly choices are orange and yellow stimulators, sofa pillows, Clark' salmonfly, foam stone, pale morning duns, red quills, adams, pink cahills, copper higgins, pheasant tails, Theo's biot stonefly nymph, and HDA favorites.

The Chama River 405 cfs below the town of Tierra Amarilla; Slow: 445 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 498 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
The fishing is a little tough right now until the flows come back down below 400 cfs below El Vado and stay there for a while. The Chama below Abiquiu Dam is aslo likey going to be mostly unfishable for most of the summer. The flows on the Chama River flowing into El Vado lake are tapering off indicating we are near the end of runoff. Look for a small stonefly hatch here in any day now. The nearby Brazos River is still high with snowmelt. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. The areas below Abiquiu Dam and above El Vado Lake are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. The density of fish is very low there and is not stocked. Please report anyone over harvesting here to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Stone Lake on the Jicarilla Nation is currently fishing fair. Bank fishing has slowed some and float tubes or other small watercraft is the best way to fish Stone Lake. Flies for Stone Lake are hellgramites, woolly buggers, and damsel nymphs. Places like these are somewhere you can fish while everything else is in runoff. The High Desert Angler is an official Jicarilla Nation fishing permit vendor.

McAllister Lake was heavily stocked again a couple of weeks ago. I haven't had many reports from MacAllister, and the few have been fair at best. Please use caution on any lake as the spring winds can make float tubing difficult or dangerous. Woolly Buggers, leeches, midges, and aquatic snails, and damsel flies have been the best producers. Better reports for lake fishing have come from Hopewell and Eagle Nest.

Santa Fe River 14 cfs through Santa Fe; Fair
The Santa Fe River was stocked on May 18th. Game and Fish will stock the Santa Fe River any time there is sufficient water to do so. So, no joke, you can catch fish out of this often dry river, at least for the time being. There are plans to shut the outflow out of the resevoirs soon. Any location east of downtown Santa Fe is generally preferred for it's access and ambience. With the talk of the Santa Fe River having a year round flow, it could be a good thing to show the demand for a nearby fishery by actually fishing the Santa Fe River. If any one goes, please e-mail me a report.

In Southern Colorado:

The Conejos River 706 cfs at Magote; Slow
The Conejos River is in runoff. The river below Platoro Resevoir is currently flowing a little high with releases at 108 cfs but, it is quite fishable. Stoneflies should be coming off on the Conejos in a couple of weeks. At a few hours drive from Santa Fe, it's within the same driving distance to the San Juan and should be as great of a summer fishery as it was last year.

Arkansas River; Slow
The Arkansas River has come up with the melting snowpack. The river above Lake Creek to Hayden Meadows is now experiencing a lot of high water. The Ark is about four hours from Santa Fe and another river worth exploring, especially if you are one of the many to miss out on the caddis hatch on the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande 2360 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Poor
The upper Rio Grande is obviously in runoff. High water will continue for at least a few weeks. Look for hatching stoneflies as the water recedes in mid June.

The San Juan River 1090 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Poor
The upper San Juan and Piedra rivers are in runoff as well. The only fishable water in this area is the Williams Creek below the dam. Runoff will last a few weeks to a month here, but should give way to some awsome summer fishing within a few hours drive of Santa Fe.

Water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

Please see our announcements page for more news and upcoming events!

Call us at the shop for conditions on waters not listed here. 888-988-7688 out of Santa Fe or 988-7688 in Santa Fe.

For the latest in stream flows, see our links page and click on New Mexico Stream Flows.

Stream Report for Friday June 8, 2007

Stream Report for Friday June 8, 2007 at 10:00 am MDT

San Juan River 1400 cfs below Navajo Dam; Fair
The San Juan has been holding at 1400 cfs since Wednesday May 23rd. The water is quite clear and fishing is good. Now is the time to fish the Juan, especially if you like a little more water than the usual summer flow of 500. The published release schedule calls for the releases to be down to 500 by this date and the Bureau of Rec may start to lower the flows any day now. Boat and wade fishing has been good with the better spots being the upper flats toward the cable, baetis bend and below Simon Canyon. Flies for the San Juan include red disco midges, red desert storms, chocolate johnny flash, chocolate RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, and black or olive bunny leeches.

Rio Grande 887 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky but fishable. Fishing for smallmouth bass has been fair. Some of the bigger eddies that aren't blown out around Pilar do hold smallies. Fish for them on sinking or better yet sink tip lines with crayfish patterns. There is cooler water and better trout fishing in the gorge. Other flies for the Rio Grande are elk hair caddis, emergent sparkle pupa, submarine softhackle, black, brown or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, double hackle peacocks, poundmeisters, and caddis nymphs. No recent reports of people catching pike on the Rio but, the reports from Cochiti Lake have been good.

Pecos River 320 cfs below Terrero; Slow
The Pecos River is flowing high. Fishing will be tough until runoff is over in a week or two. The end of runoff usually means the start of the giant stonefly hatch. Some stoneflies have made their first appearance just above the village of Pecos. Nymphing will be the most productive during high water. Big stone fly nymphs, prince nymphs, and copper johns were working for several anglers. The Pecos was recently stocked. Brightly colored flies like red, chartreuse, and blue copper higgins, and purple prince nymphs usually work on the stockers. Please report anyone over harvesting fish to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Cimarron River 31 cfs at Cimarron; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Flows out of the dam are less than 2 cfs. The remaining water comes from a few small tributaries with biggest being Clear Creek at the eastern end of the State Park. Flies for the Cimarron are yellow stimulators, bwo's, parachute adams, tungsten copper johns, copper higgins, pheasant tails, HDA favorites, and orange scuds should the release out of the dam come up.

Jemez Mountain Streams 40 cfs on main stem Jemez above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The Jemez streams are clearing and done with runoff. The stonefly hatch is well up into the Guadalupe and Rio de Las Vacas above Porter's Landing. The headwater streams like the East Fork, San Antonio and the Cebolla are at their summertime low and quite clear. Forest Road 376 to the upper San Antonio is open. Dry fly dropper rigs over the shallower runs or dead drifting big nymphs in the deeper pools will pick up most of the fish. Fly choices are orange and yellow stimulators, sofa pillows, Clark' salmonfly, foam stone, pale morning duns, red quills, adams, pink cahills, copper higgins, pheasant tails, Theo's biot stonefly nymph, and HDA favorites.

The Chama River 405 cfs below the town of Tierra Amarilla; Slow: 445 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 498 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
The fishing is a little tough right now until the flows come back down below 400 cfs below El Vado and stay there for a while. The Chama below Abiquiu Dam is aslo likey going to be mostly unfishable for most of the summer. The flows on the Chama River flowing into El Vado lake are tapering off indicating we are near the end of runoff. Look for a small stonefly hatch here in any day now. The nearby Brazos River is still high with snowmelt. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. The areas below Abiquiu Dam and above El Vado Lake are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. The density of fish is very low there and is not stocked. Please report anyone over harvesting here to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Stone Lake on the Jicarilla Nation is currently fishing fair. Bank fishing has slowed some and float tubes or other small watercraft is the best way to fish Stone Lake. Flies for Stone Lake are hellgramites, woolly buggers, and damsel nymphs. Places like these are somewhere you can fish while everything else is in runoff. The High Desert Angler is an official Jicarilla Nation fishing permit vendor.

McAllister Lake was heavily stocked again a couple of weeks ago. I haven't had many reports from MacAllister, and the few have been fair at best. Please use caution on any lake as the spring winds can make float tubing difficult or dangerous. Woolly Buggers, leeches, midges, and aquatic snails, and damsel flies have been the best producers. Better reports for lake fishing have come from Hopewell and Eagle Nest.

Santa Fe River 14 cfs through Santa Fe; Fair
The Santa Fe River was stocked on May 18th. Game and Fish will stock the Santa Fe River any time there is sufficient water to do so. So, no joke, you can catch fish out of this often dry river, at least for the time being. There are plans to shut the outflow out of the resevoirs soon. Any location east of downtown Santa Fe is generally preferred for it's access and ambience. With the talk of the Santa Fe River having a year round flow, it could be a good thing to show the demand for a nearby fishery by actually fishing the Santa Fe River. If any one goes, please e-mail me a report.

In Southern Colorado:

The Conejos River 706 cfs at Magote; Slow
The Conejos River is in runoff. The river below Platoro Resevoir is currently flowing a little high with releases at 108 cfs but, it is quite fishable. Stoneflies should be coming off on the Conejos in a couple of weeks. At a few hours drive from Santa Fe, it's within the same driving distance to the San Juan and should be as great of a summer fishery as it was last year.

Arkansas River; Slow
The Arkansas River has come up with the melting snowpack. The river above Lake Creek to Hayden Meadows is now experiencing a lot of high water. The Ark is about four hours from Santa Fe and another river worth exploring, especially if you are one of the many to miss out on the caddis hatch on the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande 2360 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Poor
The upper Rio Grande is obviously in runoff. High water will continue for at least a few weeks. Look for hatching stoneflies as the water recedes in mid June.

The San Juan River 1090 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Poor
The upper San Juan and Piedra rivers are in runoff as well. The only fishable water in this area is the Williams Creek below the dam. Runoff will last a few weeks to a month here, but should give way to some awsome summer fishing within a few hours drive of Santa Fe.

Water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

Please see our announcements page for more news and upcoming events!

Call us at the shop for conditions on waters not listed here. 888-988-7688 out of Santa Fe or 988-7688 in Santa Fe.

For the latest in stream flows, see our links page and click on New Mexico Stream Flows.

Stream Report for Thursday June 7, 2007

Stream Report for Thursday June 7, 2007 at 10:00 am MDT

San Juan River 1400 cfs below Navajo Dam; Fair
The San Juan has been holding at 1400 cfs since Wednesday May 23rd. The water is quite clear and fishing is good. Now is the time to fish the Juan, especially if you like a little more water than the usual summer flow of 500. The published release schedule calls for the releases to be down to 500 by this date and the Bureau of Rec may start to lower the flows any day now. Boat and wade fishing has been good with the better spots being the upper flats toward the cable, baetis bend and below Simon Canyon. Flies for the San Juan include red disco midges, red desert storms, chocolate johnny flash, chocolate RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, and black or olive bunny leeches.

Rio Grande 913 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky but fishable. Fishing for smallmouth bass has been fair. Some of the bigger eddies that aren't blown out around Pilar do hold smallies. Fish for them on sinking or better yet sink tip lines with crayfish patterns. There is cooler water and better trout fishing in the gorge. Other flies for the Rio Grande are elk hair caddis, emergent sparkle pupa, submarine softhackle, black, brown or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, double hackle peacocks, poundmeisters, and caddis nymphs. No recent reports of people catching pike on the Rio but, the reports from Cochiti Lake have been good.

Pecos River 286 cfs below Terrero; Slow
The Pecos River is flowing high. Fishing will be tough until runoff is over in a week or two. The end of runoff usually means the start of the giant stonefly hatch. Some stoneflies have made their first appearance just above the village of Pecos. Nymphing will be the most productive during high water. Big stone fly nymphs, prince nymphs, and copper johns were working for several anglers. The Pecos was recently stocked. Brightly colored flies like red, chartreuse, and blue copper higgins, and purple prince nymphs usually work on the stockers. Please report anyone over harvesting fish to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Cimarron River 32 cfs at Cimarron; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Flows out of the dam are less than 2 cfs. The remaining water comes from a few small tributaries with biggest being Clear Creek at the eastern end of the State Park. Flies for the Cimarron are yellow stimulators, bwo's, parachute adams, tungsten copper johns, copper higgins, pheasant tails, HDA favorites, and orange scuds should the release out of the dam come up.

Jemez Mountain Streams 45 cfs on main stem Jemez above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The Jemez streams are clearing and done with runoff. The stonefly hatch is well up into the Guadalupe and Rio de Las Vacas above Porter's Landing. The headwater streams like the East Fork, San Antonio and the Cebolla are at their summertime low and quite clear. Forest Road 376 to the upper San Antonio is open. Dry fly dropper rigs over the shallower runs or dead drifting big nymphs in the deeper pools will pick up most of the fish. Fly choices are orange and yellow stimulators, sofa pillows, Clark' salmonfly, foam stone, pale morning duns, red quills, adams, pink cahills, copper higgins, pheasant tails, Theo's biot stonefly nymph, and HDA favorites.

The Chama River 463 cfs below the town of Tierra Amarilla; Slow: 439 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 657 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
The fishing is a little tough right now until the flows come back down below 400 cfs below El Vado and stay there for a while. The Chama below Abiquiu Dam is aslo likey going to be mostly unfishable for most of the summer. The flows on the Chama River flowing into El Vado lake are tapering off indicating we are near the end of runoff. Look for a small stonefly hatch here in any day now. The nearby Brazos River is still high with snowmelt. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. The areas below Abiquiu Dam and above El Vado Lake are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. The density of fish is very low there and is not stocked. Please report anyone over harvesting here to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Stone Lake on the Jicarilla Nation is currently fishing fair. Bank fishing has slowed some and float tubes or other small watercraft is the best way to fish Stone Lake. Flies for Stone Lake are hellgramites, woolly buggers, and damsel nymphs. Places like these are somewhere you can fish while everything else is in runoff. The High Desert Angler is an official Jicarilla Nation fishing permit vendor.

McAllister Lake was heavily stocked again a couple of weeks ago. I haven't had many reports from MacAllister, and the few have been fair at best. Please use caution on any lake as the spring winds can make float tubing difficult or dangerous. Woolly Buggers, leeches, midges, and aquatic snails, and damsel flies have been the best producers. Better reports for lake fishing have come from Hopewell and Eagle Nest.

Santa Fe River 20 cfs through Santa Fe; Fair
The Santa Fe River was stocked on May 18th. Game and Fish will stock the Santa Fe River any time there is sufficient water to do so. So, no joke, you can catch fish out of this often dry river, at least for the time being. Any location east of downtown Santa Fe is generally preferred for it's access and ambience. With the talk of the Santa Fe River having a year round flow, it could be a good thing to show the demand for a nearby fishery by actually fishing the Santa Fe River. If any one goes, please e-mail me a report.

In Southern Colorado:

The Conejos River 881 cfs at Magote; Slow
The Conejos River is in runoff. The river below Platoro Resevoir is currently flowing a little high with releases at 106 cfs but, it is quite fishable. Stoneflies should be coming off on the Conejos in a couple of weeks. At a few hours drive from Santa Fe, it's within the same driving distance to the San Juan and should be as great of a summer fishery as it was last year.

Arkansas River; Slow
The Arkansas River has come up with the melting snowpack. The river above Lake Creek to Hayden Meadows is now experiencing a lot of high water. The Ark is about four hours from Santa Fe and another river worth exploring, especially if you are one of the many to miss out on the caddis hatch on the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande 2560 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Poor
The upper Rio Grande is obviously in runoff. High water will continue for at least a few weeks. Look for hatching stoneflies as the water recedes in mid June.

The San Juan River 1350 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Poor
The upper San Juan and Piedra rivers are in runoff as well. The only fishable water in this area is the Williams Creek below the dam. Runoff will last a few weeks to a month here, but should give way to some awsome summer fishing within a few hours drive of Santa Fe.

Water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

Please see our announcements page for more news and upcoming events!

Call us at the shop for conditions on waters not listed here. 888-988-7688 out of Santa Fe or 988-7688 in Santa Fe.

For the latest in stream flows, see our links page and click on New Mexico Stream Flows.

Stream Report for Tuesday June 5, 2007

Stream Report for Tuesday June 5, 2007 at 10:00 am MDT

San Juan River 1400 cfs below Navajo Dam; Fair
The San Juan has been holding at 1400 cfs since Wednesday May 23rd. The water is quite clear and fishing is good. Now is the time to fish the Juan, especially if you like a little more water than the usual summer flow of 500. The published release schedule calls for the releases to be down to 500 by this date and the Bureau of Rec may start to lower the flows any day now. Boat and wade fishing has been good with the better spots being the upper flats toward the cable, baetis bend and below Simon Canyon. Flies for the San Juan include red disco midges, red desert storms, chocolate johnny flash, chocolate RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, and black or olive bunny leeches.

Rio Grande 801 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky but fishable. Fishing for smallmouth bass has been fair. Some of the bigger eddies that aren't blown out around Pilar do hold smallies. Fish for them on sinking or better yet sink tip lines with crayfish patterns. There is cooler water and better trout fishing in the gorge. Other flies for the Rio Grande are elk hair caddis, emergent sparkle pupa, submarine softhackle, black, brown or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, double hackle peacocks, poundmeisters, and caddis nymphs. No recent reports of people catching pike on the Rio but, the reports from Cochiti Lake have been good.

Pecos River 320 cfs below Terrero; Slow
The Pecos River is flowing high. Fishing will be tough until runoff is over in a week or two. The end of runoff usually means the start of the giant stonefly hatch. Some stoneflies have made their first appearance just above the village of Pecos. Nymphing will be the most productive during high water. Big stone fly nymphs, prince nymphs, and copper johns were working for several anglers. The Pecos was recently stocked. Brightly colored flies like red, chartreuse, and blue copper higgins, and purple prince nymphs usually work on the stockers. Please report anyone over harvesting fish to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Cimarron River 38 cfs at Cimarron; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Flows out of the dam are less than 2 cfs. The remaining water comes from a few small tributaries with biggest being Clear Creek at the eastern end of the State Park. Flies for the Cimarron are yellow stimulators, bwo's, parachute adams, tungsten copper johns, copper higgins, pheasant tails, HDA favorites, and orange scuds should the release out of the dam come up.

Jemez Mountain Streams 53 cfs on main stem Jemez above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The Jemez streams are clearing and done with runoff. The Guadalupe and Rio de Las Vacas are still a little high and off color but, the stoneflies are already up to Porter's Landing. The headwater streams like the East Fork, San Antonio and the Cebolla are at their summertime low and quite clear. Forest Road 376 to the upper San Antonio is open. Dry fly dropper rigs over the shallower runs or dead drifting big nymphs in the deeper pools will pick up most of the fish. Fly choices are orange and yellow stimulators, sofa pillows, Clark' salmonfly, foam stone, Theo's biot stonefly nymph, and HDA favorites.

The Chama River 561 cfs below the town of Tierra Amarilla; Slow: 504 cfs below El Vado Dam; Poor: and 614 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
The fishing is probably done until the flows come back down below 400 cfs below El Vado and stay there for a while. The Chama below Abiquiu Dam is aslo likey going to be mostly unfishable for most of the summer. The Chama River flowing into El Vado lake is in runoff. Look for a small stonefly hatch here in any day now. The nearby Brazos River is also still high with snowmelt. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. The areas below Abiquiu Dam and above El Vado Lake are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. The density of fish is very low there and is not stocked. Please report anyone over harvesting here to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Stone Lake on the Jicarilla Nation is currently fishing fair. Bank fishing has slowed some and float tubes or other small watercraft is the best way to fish Stone Lake. Flies for Stone Lake are hellgramites, woolly buggers, and damsel nymphs. Places like these are somewhere you can fish while everything else is in runoff. The High Desert Angler is an official Jicarilla Nation fishing permit vendor.

McAllister Lake was heavily stocked again a couple of weeks ago. I haven't had many reports from MacAllister, and the few have been fair at best. Please use caution on any lake as the spring winds can make float tubing difficult or dangerous. Woolly Buggers, leeches, midges, and aquatic snails, and damsel flies have been the best producers. Better reports for lake fishing have come from Hopewell and Eagle Nest.

Santa Fe River 20 cfs through Santa Fe; Fair
The Santa Fe River was stocked on May 18th. Game and Fish will stock the Santa Fe River any time there is sufficient water to do so. So, no joke, you can catch fish out of this often dry river, at least for the time being. Any location east of downtown Santa Fe is generally preferred for it's access and ambience. With the talk of the Santa Fe River having a year round flow, it could be a good thing to show the demand for a nearby fishery by actually fishing the Santa Fe River. If any one goes, please e-mail me a report.

In Southern Colorado:

The Conejos River 1150 cfs at Magote; Slow
The Conejos River is in runoff. The river below Platoro Resevoir is currently flowing a little high with releases at 152 cfs. Stoneflies should be coming off on the Conejos in a couple of weeks. At a few hours drive from Santa Fe, it's within the same driving distance to the San Juan and should be as great of a summer fishery as it was last year.

Arkansas River; Slow
The Arkansas River has come up with the melting snowpack. The river above Lake Creek to Hayden Meadows is now experiencing a lot of high water. The Ark is about four hours from Santa Fe and another river worth exploring, especially if you are one of the many to miss out on the caddis hatch on the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande 3310 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Poor
The upper Rio Grande is obviously in runoff. High water will continue for at least a few weeks. Look for hatching stoneflies as the water recedes in mid June.

The San Juan River 1510 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Poor
The upper San Juan and Piedra rivers are in runoff as well. The only fishable water in this area may be the Williams Creek below the dam. Runoff will last a few weeks to a month here, but should give way to some awsome summer fishing within a few hours drive of Santa Fe.

Water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

Please see our announcements page for more news and upcoming events!

Call us at the shop for conditions on waters not listed here. 888-988-7688 out of Santa Fe or 988-7688 in Santa Fe.

For the latest in stream flows, see our links page and click on New Mexico Stream Flows.

Stream Report for Monday June 4, 2007

Stream Report for Monday June 4, 2007 at 10:00 am MDT

San Juan River 1400 cfs below Navajo Dam; Fair
The San Juan has been holding at 1400 cfs since Wednesday May 23rd. The water is quite clear and fishing is good. Now is the time to fish the Juan, especially if you like a little more water than the usual summer flow of 500. The published release schedule calls for the releases to be down to 500 by this date and the Bureau of Rec may start to lower the flows any day now. Boat and wade fishing has been good with the better spots being the upper flats toward the cable, baetis bend and below Simon Canyon. Flies for the San Juan include red disco midges, red desert storms, chocolate johnny flash, chocolate RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, and black or olive bunny leeches.

Rio Grande 801 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky but fishable. Fishing for smallmouth bass has been fair. Some of the bigger eddies that aren't blown out around Pilar do hold smallies. Fish for them on sinking or better yet sink tip lines with crayfish patterns. There is cooler water and better trout fishing in the gorge. Other flies for the Rio Grande are elk hair caddis, emergent sparkle pupa, submarine softhackle, black, brown or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, double hackle peacocks, poundmeisters, and caddis nymphs. No recent reports of people catching pike on the Rio but, the reports from Cochiti Lake have been good.

Pecos River 332 cfs below Terrero; Slow
The Pecos River is flowing high. Fishing will be tough until runoff is over in a week or two. The end of runoff usually means the start of the giant stonefly hatch. Some stoneflies have made their first appearance just above the village of Pecos. Nymphing will be the most productive during high water. Big stone fly nymphs, prince nymphs, and copper johns were working for several anglers. The Pecos was recently stocked. Brightly colored flies like red, chartreuse, and blue copper higgins, and purple prince nymphs usually work on the stockers. Please report anyone over harvesting fish to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Cimarron River 40 cfs at Cimarron; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Flows out of the dam are less than 5 cfs. The remaining water comes from a few small tributaries with biggest being Clear Creek at the eastern end of the State Park. Flies for the Cimarron are yellow stimulators, bwo's, parachute adams, tungsten copper johns, copper higgins, pheasant tails, HDA favorites, and orange scuds should the release out of the dam come up.

Jemez Mountain Streams 54 cfs on main stem Jemez above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The Jemez streams are clearing and done with runoff. The Guadalupe and Rio de Las Vacas are still a little high and off color but, the stoneflies are already up to Porter's Landing. The headwater streams like the East Fork, San Antonio and the Cebolla are at their summertime low and quite clear. Forest Road 376 to the upper San Antonio is open. Dry fly dropper rigs over the shallower runs or dead drifting big nymphs in the deeper pools will pick up most of the fish. Fly choices are orange and yellow stimulators, sofa pillows, Clark' salmonfly, foam stone, Theo's biot stonefly nymph, and HDA favorites.

The Chama River 569 cfs below the town of Tierra Amarilla; Slow: 593 cfs below El Vado Dam; Poor: and 887 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
The fishing is probably done until the flows come back down below 400 cfs below El Vado and stay there for a while. The Chama below Abiquiu Dam is aslo likey going to be mostly unfishable for most of the summer. The Chama River flowing into El Vado lake is in runoff. Look for a small stonefly hatch here in a week or two. The Brazos River is also still high with snowmelt. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. The areas below Abiquiu Dam and above El Vado Lake are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. The density of fish is very low there and is not stocked. Please report anyone over harvesting here to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Stone Lake on the Jicarilla Nation is currently fishing fair. Bank fishing has slowed some and float tubes or other small watercraft is the best way to fish Stone Lake. Flies for Stone Lake are hellgramites, woolly buggers, and damsel nymphs. Places like these are somewhere you can fish while everything else is in runoff. The High Desert Angler is an official Jicarilla Nation fishing permit vendor.

McAllister Lake was heavily stocked again a couple of weeks ago. I haven't had many reports from MacAllister, and the few have been fair at best. Please use caution on any lake as the spring winds can make float tubing difficult or dangerous. Woolly Buggers, leeches, midges, and aquatic snails, and damsel flies have been the best producers. Better reports for lake fishing have come from Hopewell and Eagle Nest.

Santa Fe River 20 cfs through Santa Fe; Fair
The Santa Fe River was stocked on May 18th. Game and Fish will stock the Santa Fe River any time there is sufficient water to do so. So, no joke, you can catch fish out of this often dry river, at least for the time being. Any location east of downtown Santa Fe is generally preferred for it's access and ambience. With the talk of the Santa Fe River having a year round flow, it could be a good thing to show the demand for a nearby fishery by actually fishing the Santa Fe River. If any one goes, please e-mail me a report.

In Southern Colorado:

The Conejos River 1250 cfs at Magote; Slow
The Conejos River is in runoff. The river below Platoro Resevoir is currently flowing high with release at 298 cfs. Stoneflies should be coming off on the Conejos in a couple of weeks. At a few hours drive from Santa Fe, it's within the same driving distance to the San Juan and should be as great of a summer fishery as it was last year.

Arkansas River; Slow
The Arkansas River has come up with the melting snowpack. The river above Lake Creek to Hayden Meadows is now experiencing a lot of high water. The Ark is about four hours from Santa Fe and another river worth exploring, especially if you are one of the many to miss out on the caddis hatch on the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande 3230 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Poor
The upper Rio Grande is obviously in runoff. High water will continue for at least a few weeks. Look for hatching stoneflies as the water recedes in mid June.

The San Juan River 1570 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Poor
The upper San Juan and Piedra rivers are in runoff as well. The only fishable water in this area may be the Williams Creek below the dam. Runoff will last a few weeks to a month here, but should give way to some awsome summer fishing within a few hours drive of Santa Fe.

Water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

Please see our announcements page for more news and upcoming events!

Call us at the shop for conditions on waters not listed here. 888-988-7688 out of Santa Fe or 988-7688 in Santa Fe.

For the latest in stream flows, see our links page and click on New Mexico Stream Flows.

Stream Report for Saturday June 2, 2007

Stream Report for Monday June 4, 2007 at 10:00 am MDT

San Juan River 1400 cfs below Navajo Dam; Fair
The San Juan has been holding at 1400 cfs since Wednesday May 23rd. The water is quite clear and fishing is good. Now is the time to fish the Juan, especially if you like a little more water than the usual summer flow of 500. The published release schedule calls for the releases to be down to 500 by this date and the Bureau of Rec may start to lower the flows any day now. Boat and wade fishing has been good with the better spots being the upper flats toward the cable, baetis bend and below Simon Canyon. Flies for the San Juan include red disco midges, red desert storms, chocolate johnny flash, chocolate RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, and black or olive bunny leeches.

Rio Grande 801 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky but fishable. Fishing for smallmouth bass has been fair. Some of the bigger eddies that aren't blown out around Pilar do hold smallies. Fish for them on sinking or better yet sink tip lines with crayfish patterns. There is cooler water and better trout fishing in the gorge. Other flies for the Rio Grande are elk hair caddis, emergent sparkle pupa, submarine softhackle, black, brown or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, double hackle peacocks, poundmeisters, and caddis nymphs. No recent reports of people catching pike on the Rio but, the reports from Cochiti Lake have been good.

Pecos River 332 cfs below Terrero; Slow
The Pecos River is flowing high. Fishing will be tough until runoff is over in a week or two. The end of runoff usually means the start of the giant stonefly hatch. Some stoneflies have made their first appearance just above the village of Pecos. Nymphing will be the most productive during high water. Big stone fly nymphs, prince nymphs, and copper johns were working for several anglers. The Pecos was recently stocked. Brightly colored flies like red, chartreuse, and blue copper higgins, and purple prince nymphs usually work on the stockers. Please report anyone over harvesting fish to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Cimarron River 40 cfs at Cimarron; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Flows out of the dam are less than 5 cfs. The remaining water comes from a few small tributaries with biggest being Clear Creek at the eastern end of the State Park. Flies for the Cimarron are yellow stimulators, bwo's, parachute adams, tungsten copper johns, copper higgins, pheasant tails, HDA favorites, and orange scuds should the release out of the dam come up.

Jemez Mountain Streams 54 cfs on main stem Jemez above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The Jemez streams are clearing and done with runoff. The Guadalupe and Rio de Las Vacas are still a little high and off color but, the stoneflies are already up to Porter's Landing. The headwater streams like the East Fork, San Antonio and the Cebolla are at their summertime low and quite clear. Forest Road 376 to the upper San Antonio is open. Dry fly dropper rigs over the shallower runs or dead drifting big nymphs in the deeper pools will pick up most of the fish. Fly choices are orange and yellow stimulators, sofa pillows, Clark' salmonfly, foam stone, Theo's biot stonefly nymph, and HDA favorites.

The Chama River 569 cfs below the town of Tierra Amarilla; Slow: 593 cfs below El Vado Dam; Poor: and 887 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
The fishing is probably done until the flows come back down below 400 cfs below El Vado and stay there for a while. The Chama below Abiquiu Dam is aslo likey going to be mostly unfishable for most of the summer. The Chama River flowing into El Vado lake is in runoff. Look for a small stonefly hatch here in a week or two. The Brazos River is also still high with snowmelt. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. The areas below Abiquiu Dam and above El Vado Lake are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. The density of fish is very low there and is not stocked. Please report anyone over harvesting here to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Stone Lake on the Jicarilla Nation is currently fishing fair. Bank fishing has slowed some and float tubes or other small watercraft is the best way to fish Stone Lake. Flies for Stone Lake are hellgramites, woolly buggers, and damsel nymphs. Places like these are somewhere you can fish while everything else is in runoff. The High Desert Angler is an official Jicarilla Nation fishing permit vendor.

McAllister Lake was heavily stocked again a couple of weeks ago. I haven't had many reports from MacAllister, and the few have been fair at best. Please use caution on any lake as the spring winds can make float tubing difficult or dangerous. Woolly Buggers, leeches, midges, and aquatic snails, and damsel flies have been the best producers. Better reports for lake fishing have come from Hopewell and Eagle Nest.

Santa Fe River 20 cfs through Santa Fe; Fair
The Santa Fe River was stocked on May 18th. Game and Fish will stock the Santa Fe River any time there is sufficient water to do so. So, no joke, you can catch fish out of this often dry river, at least for the time being. Any location east of downtown Santa Fe is generally preferred for it's access and ambience. With the talk of the Santa Fe River having a year round flow, it could be a good thing to show the demand for a nearby fishery by actually fishing the Santa Fe River. If any one goes, please e-mail me a report.

In Southern Colorado:

The Conejos River 1250 cfs at Magote; Slow
The Conejos River is in runoff. The river below Platoro Resevoir is currently flowing high with release at 298 cfs. Stoneflies should be coming off on the Conejos in a couple of weeks. At a few hours drive from Santa Fe, it's within the same driving distance to the San Juan and should be as great of a summer fishery as it was last year.

Arkansas River; Slow
The Arkansas River has come up with the melting snowpack. The river above Lake Creek to Hayden Meadows is now experiencing a lot of high water. The Ark is about four hours from Santa Fe and another river worth exploring, especially if you are one of the many to miss out on the caddis hatch on the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande 3230 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Poor
The upper Rio Grande is obviously in runoff. High water will continue for at least a few weeks. Look for hatching stoneflies as the water recedes in mid June.

The San Juan River 1570 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Poor
The upper San Juan and Piedra rivers are in runoff as well. The only fishable water in this area may be the Williams Creek below the dam. Runoff will last a few weeks to a month here, but should give way to some awsome summer fishing within a few hours drive of Santa Fe.

Water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

Please see our announcements page for more news and upcoming events!

Call us at the shop for conditions on waters not listed here. 888-988-7688 out of Santa Fe or 988-7688 in Santa Fe.

For the latest in stream flows, see our links page and click on New Mexico Stream Flows.