Stream Report for Thursday November 15, 2007
Stream Report for Thursday November 15, 2007 at 11:00 am MDT
WE'VE MOVED, AGAIN! This time we'll be a lot easier to find as we've only moved next door in the space formerly occupied by Wild Mountain Outfitters. We are gaining a bigger and brighter space with better visibility on Cerrillos Road. Come see our new home and celebrate our move on Friday November 23rd.
Please be aware that New Mexico's most abundant wild trout, brown trout, are into their spawn on many rivers and streams throughout the state. Wade carefully, don't cast at spawning fish and look out for their spawning beds known as redds. A redd is a circular area of clean gravel usually found at the tail of a pool. Sometimes the spawning pair can be seen over their redd. Do not wade through or over a redd and please leave these fish alone as the clearly have something very important to do.
San Juan River 765 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
Releases out of Navajo Dam are holding steady and the water is incredibly clear and fishing is good. Some anglers haven't had the best fishing as it is quite technical at this clarity and flow. Midge nymphing has been the most productive and expect to use flies as small as #24's and 26's. There is usually less fish in the flats and more in the channels with the lower flows. There have been some very good midge hatches, but the baetis hatches are tapering off. Flies for the San Juan include red disco midges, UFO's, chocolate johnny flash, chocoalte RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, hatching midges, griffith's gnats, dead chickens, parachute baetis, CDC BWO comparaduns, and black or olive bunny leeches.
Rio Grande 404 cfs at Cerro; Good: 602 cfs at Pilar; Fair for pike, Fair for trout, Slow for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is stable and getting clearer by the day. All of the irrigation diversions in Colorado have been shut off and we will be seeing flows near 550 to 600 cfs most of the winter. Friends of ours did pretty well for some small pike at Pilar on Sunday. Trout flies for the Rio Grande are parachute baetis, CDC blue winged olive comparadun, olive RS2's, softhackle pheasant tail, black, brown or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, double hackle peacocks, poundmeisters, and caddis nymphs. Fishing for pike has been good however, the ones eating flies are on the small side. Show them big rabbit strip flies, large deceivers, or any other large streamer. Best colors have been red and white, yellow, and chartreuse.
Pecos River 31 cfs below Terrero; Fair
The Pecos is fishing well. Dry fly dropper rigs are the most productive in the mornings but, dry fly fishing in the afternoons has been good. The water is clear and low making the fish quite spooky. Use longer leaders, finer tippets, and make longer casts to fool these fish that have seen everything. The stocked rainbows are less selective. Egg patterns, red or green copper higgins, and prince nymphs generally work on them. Flies for the Pecos include baetis emergers, small stimulators, Barr's PMD emerger, fluttering caddis, spent partridge caddis, and 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 fair. The better fishing is during daylight hours on the Pueblo and afternoons the Santa Barbara. 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 one 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. Early in the day fishing is a quite slow on the Santa Barbara because of the gradients, abundant stream cover, and northerly aspect, all of which makes for colder water. The unfortunate thing is that you have to hike a ways above Santa Barbara campground to find cutthroats.
Cimarron River 6.9 cfs at Cimarron; Fair
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Releases out of the dam are below 1 cfs and the water is extremely low and clear. Some of the warmer days we are experiencing make the fishing OK in the eastern end of Cimarron Canyon state park downstream of Clear Creek. As it gets colder however, the Cimarron won't fish well until spring. Another area water, the Red River is fishing fair along NM Highway 38 above Fawn Lakes campground. Due to a fish kill on the lower Red, please consider another fishery besides the Lower Red River. The lower Red is an important spawning tributary to the Rio Grande. The remaining fish, mainly brown trout, are nearing their spawn and would be a lot more successful if left alone! Flies for the Cimarron and upper Red are yellow stimulators, little yellow sallies, parachute adams, copper higgins, pheasant tails, and HDA favorites.
Jemez Mountain Streams 25 cfs on main stem Jemez above Jemez Pueblo; Fair
The Jemez streams are fishing well especially on dry flies in the afternoons. Hatches of midges and small baetis mayflies have been bring most fish to the surface. 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, adams, spent partridge caddis, caddis pupa, BLM's, and HDA favorites.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Slow: 35 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Fair: 93 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 60 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Fair
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 Abiquiu have been fluctuating. The Chama River above the village of Chama is low, clear and quite cold. The nearby Brazos River is also fishing a little slow. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. The flies for the upper Chama and Brazos are spent partridge caddis, Furimsky's fluttering foam caddis, adams, small stimulators, and small beadheads. The first access to the Chama in the Rio Chama Wildlife Area, off of NM Highway 112 has been closed by the landowner. The better acces is off of NM Highway 95 near the Heron Dam outlet. 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.
In Southern Colorado:
The Conejos River 62 cfs at Magote; Slow
The fishing on the Conejos may reurn to fair as the releases out of Platoro Reservoir have dropped. The window here is small as the fishing will only slow down as colder weather settles in. The river immediately below Platoro Resevoir is currently flowing at 14 cfs. Caddis, hoppers and BWO's have been bringing some fish up to the surface, although nymph fishing on a heavily weighted leader is the most productive. Try dry fly dropper rigs and nymphing the edges. Fall is coming fast to the Conejos so fish it now before it slows way down.
Arkansas River; Slow
The Arkansas River was fishing well until cold releases out of Twin Lakes Reservoir went up last week. The river above Lake Creek to Hayden Meadows is clear and the fish are feeding in the afternoons. Flows at Granite are 260 cfs. The Ark is about four hours from Santa Fe and another river worth exploring.
Rio Grande near Creede; Fair
The upper Rio Grande is being micro managed with releases coming out of Rio Grande Reservoir. The releases are way down at the moment. Fishing had been good on the upper Rio, just adjust your tactics to the conditions. Long leaders, fine tippets and small flies if it's clear or nymphing and streamer fishing will be most productive if the river is murky. There are still some hatching blue winged olives and midges. Midges and BWO's, and their nymphs are the flies for the upper Rio.
The San Juan River 62 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Fair; Piedra River 69 cfs at Arboles; Fair
The east and west forks of the San Juan and upper Piedra rivers are fishing slow. The main stem San Juan near Pagosa is fair in the afternoons. The Piedra on the Southern Ute below US Highway 160 is also fishing fair. Afternoons offer the best fishing and warmer water. This area is within a few hours drive of Santa Fe.
Animas River 319 cfs at Durango; Good
The Animas River near Durango is has good visiblity and fishing well. The Delores River below McPhee Reservoir is flowing at 29 cfs. This is a little low for the Delores. Fishing will be tougher and the fish spookier. Access to the river below McPhee will close soon.
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.
WE'VE MOVED, AGAIN! This time we'll be a lot easier to find as we've only moved next door in the space formerly occupied by Wild Mountain Outfitters. We are gaining a bigger and brighter space with better visibility on Cerrillos Road. Come see our new home and celebrate our move on Friday November 23rd.
Please be aware that New Mexico's most abundant wild trout, brown trout, are into their spawn on many rivers and streams throughout the state. Wade carefully, don't cast at spawning fish and look out for their spawning beds known as redds. A redd is a circular area of clean gravel usually found at the tail of a pool. Sometimes the spawning pair can be seen over their redd. Do not wade through or over a redd and please leave these fish alone as the clearly have something very important to do.
San Juan River 765 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
Releases out of Navajo Dam are holding steady and the water is incredibly clear and fishing is good. Some anglers haven't had the best fishing as it is quite technical at this clarity and flow. Midge nymphing has been the most productive and expect to use flies as small as #24's and 26's. There is usually less fish in the flats and more in the channels with the lower flows. There have been some very good midge hatches, but the baetis hatches are tapering off. Flies for the San Juan include red disco midges, UFO's, chocolate johnny flash, chocoalte RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, hatching midges, griffith's gnats, dead chickens, parachute baetis, CDC BWO comparaduns, and black or olive bunny leeches.
Rio Grande 404 cfs at Cerro; Good: 602 cfs at Pilar; Fair for pike, Fair for trout, Slow for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is stable and getting clearer by the day. All of the irrigation diversions in Colorado have been shut off and we will be seeing flows near 550 to 600 cfs most of the winter. Friends of ours did pretty well for some small pike at Pilar on Sunday. Trout flies for the Rio Grande are parachute baetis, CDC blue winged olive comparadun, olive RS2's, softhackle pheasant tail, black, brown or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, double hackle peacocks, poundmeisters, and caddis nymphs. Fishing for pike has been good however, the ones eating flies are on the small side. Show them big rabbit strip flies, large deceivers, or any other large streamer. Best colors have been red and white, yellow, and chartreuse.
Pecos River 31 cfs below Terrero; Fair
The Pecos is fishing well. Dry fly dropper rigs are the most productive in the mornings but, dry fly fishing in the afternoons has been good. The water is clear and low making the fish quite spooky. Use longer leaders, finer tippets, and make longer casts to fool these fish that have seen everything. The stocked rainbows are less selective. Egg patterns, red or green copper higgins, and prince nymphs generally work on them. Flies for the Pecos include baetis emergers, small stimulators, Barr's PMD emerger, fluttering caddis, spent partridge caddis, and 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 fair. The better fishing is during daylight hours on the Pueblo and afternoons the Santa Barbara. 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 one 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. Early in the day fishing is a quite slow on the Santa Barbara because of the gradients, abundant stream cover, and northerly aspect, all of which makes for colder water. The unfortunate thing is that you have to hike a ways above Santa Barbara campground to find cutthroats.
Cimarron River 6.9 cfs at Cimarron; Fair
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Releases out of the dam are below 1 cfs and the water is extremely low and clear. Some of the warmer days we are experiencing make the fishing OK in the eastern end of Cimarron Canyon state park downstream of Clear Creek. As it gets colder however, the Cimarron won't fish well until spring. Another area water, the Red River is fishing fair along NM Highway 38 above Fawn Lakes campground. Due to a fish kill on the lower Red, please consider another fishery besides the Lower Red River. The lower Red is an important spawning tributary to the Rio Grande. The remaining fish, mainly brown trout, are nearing their spawn and would be a lot more successful if left alone! Flies for the Cimarron and upper Red are yellow stimulators, little yellow sallies, parachute adams, copper higgins, pheasant tails, and HDA favorites.
Jemez Mountain Streams 25 cfs on main stem Jemez above Jemez Pueblo; Fair
The Jemez streams are fishing well especially on dry flies in the afternoons. Hatches of midges and small baetis mayflies have been bring most fish to the surface. 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, adams, spent partridge caddis, caddis pupa, BLM's, and HDA favorites.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Slow: 35 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Fair: 93 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 60 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Fair
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 Abiquiu have been fluctuating. The Chama River above the village of Chama is low, clear and quite cold. The nearby Brazos River is also fishing a little slow. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. The flies for the upper Chama and Brazos are spent partridge caddis, Furimsky's fluttering foam caddis, adams, small stimulators, and small beadheads. The first access to the Chama in the Rio Chama Wildlife Area, off of NM Highway 112 has been closed by the landowner. The better acces is off of NM Highway 95 near the Heron Dam outlet. 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.
In Southern Colorado:
The Conejos River 62 cfs at Magote; Slow
The fishing on the Conejos may reurn to fair as the releases out of Platoro Reservoir have dropped. The window here is small as the fishing will only slow down as colder weather settles in. The river immediately below Platoro Resevoir is currently flowing at 14 cfs. Caddis, hoppers and BWO's have been bringing some fish up to the surface, although nymph fishing on a heavily weighted leader is the most productive. Try dry fly dropper rigs and nymphing the edges. Fall is coming fast to the Conejos so fish it now before it slows way down.
Arkansas River; Slow
The Arkansas River was fishing well until cold releases out of Twin Lakes Reservoir went up last week. The river above Lake Creek to Hayden Meadows is clear and the fish are feeding in the afternoons. Flows at Granite are 260 cfs. The Ark is about four hours from Santa Fe and another river worth exploring.
Rio Grande near Creede; Fair
The upper Rio Grande is being micro managed with releases coming out of Rio Grande Reservoir. The releases are way down at the moment. Fishing had been good on the upper Rio, just adjust your tactics to the conditions. Long leaders, fine tippets and small flies if it's clear or nymphing and streamer fishing will be most productive if the river is murky. There are still some hatching blue winged olives and midges. Midges and BWO's, and their nymphs are the flies for the upper Rio.
The San Juan River 62 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Fair; Piedra River 69 cfs at Arboles; Fair
The east and west forks of the San Juan and upper Piedra rivers are fishing slow. The main stem San Juan near Pagosa is fair in the afternoons. The Piedra on the Southern Ute below US Highway 160 is also fishing fair. Afternoons offer the best fishing and warmer water. This area is within a few hours drive of Santa Fe.
Animas River 319 cfs at Durango; Good
The Animas River near Durango is has good visiblity and fishing well. The Delores River below McPhee Reservoir is flowing at 29 cfs. This is a little low for the Delores. Fishing will be tougher and the fish spookier. Access to the river below McPhee will close soon.
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.
posted by High Desert Angler at Thursday, November 15, 2007
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