Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Stream Report for Wednesday August 8, 2007

Stream Report for Wednesday August 8, 2007 at 9:00 am MDT

The western portion of the Valle Vidal area in the Carson National Forest will be mostly closed from today through August 20th. Travelers can drive through on Forest Road 1950, but are not allowed to stop anywhere west of the boundary between Taos and Colfax counties. Shuree Ponds, a popular fishing spot located near Cimarron Campground, will remain open. Rio Costilla will also remain open. The closure will only affect Commanche Creek upstream of Commanche Point to it's headwaters. Commanche Point is at the confluence of Commanche Creek and the Rio Costilla. The closure is to allow the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish to apply a chemical to Comanche Creek and its tributaries to kill non-native fish and to re-establish the native Rio Grande cutthroat trout to its home waters. The chemical, called a piscicide, affects the gills on fish and their ability to take in oxygen. Although the chemical is reportedly not dangerous when used correctly, forest officials want to limit public exposure. The eastern portion of the Valle Vidal remains open. For more information, go to www.fs.fed.us/r3/carson, or call 505-758-6200.

San Juan River 780 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The San Juan is quite clear and fishing is still very good. Wade fishing has been awesome 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 476 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is still off color but a decent flow for wading. It may take awhile to clear as runoff from the summer rains are a constant source of silt. Fishing for smallmouth bass has been fair. Some of the bigger eddies 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 172 cfs below Terrero; Good
The Pecos was fishing very well, but went way up a couple of nights ago because of some heavy rainfall. Mornings have been the best over the last few days as the afternoon rains have been muddying up the river. It seems as our monsooon season is here so plan on daily afternoon rains in the mountains for the next month or so. Dry fly dropper rigs are the most productive in the mornings but, dry fly fishing in the afternoons has been awesome if the river doesn't blow out. Flies for the Pecos include caddis nymphs, small stimulators, HDA favorites, tungsten rubber leg copper johns, bivisibles, red quills, elk hair caddis, spent partridge caddis, 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 or poaching to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.

Rio del Pueblo and Rio Santa Barbara are both fishing well. Recent rainstorms may bring river levels up and murk up the water. The clearest water is usually found in the mornings. 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 tends 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 19 cfs at Cimarron; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Releases out of the dam are at 1 cfs. 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. Given the very low releases out of the dam and the crowds, there is better fishing on the smaller streams south of Taos. Please note that the Red River has very limited access between Questa and the village of Red River. Highway 38 is still open over Bobcat Pass to Eagle's Nest. Flies for the Cimarron are yellow stimulators, little yellow sallies, parachute adams, copper higgins, pheasant tails, and HDA favorites.

The Rio Costilla 71 cfs below Costilla Reservoir; Good
The Rio Costilla is currently flowing a little high still with releases out of Costilla Reservoir at 71 cfs. The reports I've had earlier in the month were very good before the releases went up. The Costilla fishes best between 30 to 60 cfs. Flies like royal wulffs, stimulators, madam x's, dennis hoppers, and yellow sallies were some of the favorites. It's one of the few places to reliably catch a Rio Grande cutthroat trout. High floating dry flies cast tight to the banks are usually the best producers. Shuree Ponds are also fishing very good and is one place for a chance at hooking a rainbow over 20 inches. Flies for Shuree include double hackle peacocks, snails, small prince nymphs, and diving caddis.

Jemez Mountain Streams 27 cfs on main stem Jemez above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The Jemez streams are fishing well especially on dry flies in the evenings. The headwater streams like the East Fork, San Antonio and the Cebolla are at their summertime low and quite clear. The lower stretches of most streams are heating up and fishing has slowed some. Hatches of little yellow sallies and a small black bodied caddis have been bring most fish to the surface. We are into our monsoon season so plan on it raining somewhere up in the Jemez every afternoon for the next month. 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 high clearance vehicle like 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 yellow stimulators, yellow sallies, pale morning duns, red quills, adams, spent partridge caddis, red legged hoppers, dennis hoppers, copper higgins, pheasant tails, and HDA favorites.

The Chama River above the village of Chama; Good: 106 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Fair: 98 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 255 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
The fishing is generally 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 both dams have been fluctuating every couple of days. The Chama below Abiquiu Dam is aslo likey to be fishing slow as long as the releases keep fluctuating wildly. The Chama flowing into El Vado is warm and fishing is slow. The Chama River above the village of Chama has nice water and is fishing well. Afternoon rains can murk this section up so plan accordingly. The nearby Brazos River is also fishing very well. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. The flies for the upper Chama and Brazos are elk hair caddis, Furimsky's fluttering 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 slow. Float tubes or other small watercraft is the best way to fish Stone Lake. Mundo Lake is currently fishing the best of all Jicarilla Nation lakes. There are largemouth bass in Mundo as well and evening fishing for them has been good. Flies for Jicarilla Nation Lakes are bass poppers, hellgramites, woolly buggers, and damsel nymphs. The High Desert Angler is an official Jicarilla Nation fishing permit vendor.

MacAllister Lake has had a fish kill. Unfortunately all of the trout were affected and hopefully all the mirror carp as well. Currently there are no plans to restock the lake till next year.

Limited angling opportunities for Gila trout began 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.

In Southern Colorado:

The Conejos River 538 cfs at Magote; Good
The Conejos River is back up with higher releases out of Platoro Reservoir. The river immediately below Platoro Resevoir is currently flowing at 435 cfs. Releases this high make wading the Pinnacles dangerous to downright impossible. PMD's and green drakes have been bringing some good fish up to the surface, although nymph fishing on a heavily weighted leader is probably the way to go now. Dry fly dropper rigs and nymphing the edges with big nymphs or streamers will be the most productive. Stop by Conejos River Anglers on your way to the river and talk to John or Devon for the latest info on the Conejos. They may be able to offer you an alternative. 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; Good
The flows on Arkansas River are down as well. The river above Lake Creek to Hayden Meadows is clear and the fish are feeding. The Ark below Lake Creek coming out of Twin Lakes Resevoir has come up slightly with releases out of Twin Lakes. Often water is released out of Twin Lakes or Clear Creek Reservoirs for the rafters and kayakers, so the better fishing when this occurs is upstream towards Leadville. However, the releases have come down some overall and there is good fishing all the way to Salida. The Ark is about four hours from Santa Fe and another river worth exploring just over the border.

Rio Grande 384 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge; Good
The upper Rio Grande is being micro managed with releases coming out of Rio Grande or Continental Reservoirs. The release have been fluctuating every few days it seems, fortunately they are on the way down at the moment. Fishing had been good on the upper Rio, just adjust your tactics to the conditions. Nymphing and streamer fishing will be most productive if the river is murky. Consider fishing the South Fork for easier wading. There have been some hatching green drakes and lots of caddis. Caddis and green drakes, and their nymphs are the flies for the upper Rio.

The San Juan River 591 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Good
The east and west forks of the San Juan and Piedra rivers were fishing very well, but are running high with runoff from some heavy rainfall. There has been afternoon rains over most of southern Colorado and may affect afternoon fishing in the Pagosa area. The good news is usually only one or two streams get hit hard by rain leaving somewhere to fish like the tributaries to the Piedra or Williams Creek. Mornings may offer the best fishing and clear water before the rains hit. This area provides some awesome summer fishing within a few hours drive of Santa Fe.

Animas River 2130 cfs at Durango; Fair
The Animas River near Durango has come up with a lot of local rainfall, which is a boon for the rafters and kayakers. The Delores River below McPhee Reservoir is flowing at 79 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 Animas, 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.