Stream Report for Wednesday January 2, 2008
WE'VE MOVED, AGAIN! This time we're 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. Please see the "get directions" link on our home page on how to get here.
Please be aware that there are still populations of cutbows that are into their spawn on some 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 702 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good to Fair
The water is incredibly clear but fishing is fair. 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.The hottetst flies are small red, tan cream, and black midge larvae trailing San Juan worms, chamois leeches, or egg patterns. Disco midge, red hot, or desert storms, and UFO's, chocolate johnny flash, chocolate and gray RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, hatching midges, griffith's gnats, dead chickens, and black or olive bunny leeches round out the fly choices.
Rio Grande at Cerro; Good: 435 cfs at Pilar; Fair for pike, Fair for trout, Slow for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is going to be subject to periods of snowmelt and murky water, to cold and clear as long as we keep getting storms every week or more often. There have been a few riser coming up to blue winged olives, but light line nymphing with pheasant tails and RS2's is more productive for trout. Large streamers that move water and contrast to the murky water are picking up quite a few pike. New Mexico Game and Fish stocked Rio Grande Cutthroats in the Rio earlier this month. Please respect this imperiled fish and consider leaving them in the river instead of taking them home. Current regulations only allow an angler to harvest two cutthroat per day. Please report any violators to Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263. Trout flies for the Rio Grande are 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. The confluence has been fishing well just be careful to avoid redds and leave the spawners alone. For pike, 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 below Terrero; Poor
The river above the village of Pecos is going to fish slow at best until the warmer days of spring. New mexico Game and Fish has not stocked Villanueva State Park since mid-December. The locals pretty much scoop them up, so if you are interested in fishing there, do it right after it's stocked. Egg patterns, and red and chartreuse copper higgins generally work on the stockers. The Pecos upstream of the village of Pecos is clear and many pools are iced over. 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.
Cimarron River Poor
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Releases out of the dam are below 1 cfs today. Fish elsewhere until spring.
Jemez Mountain Streams 19 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Slow
The Jemez streams are a low and clear. They may become high and murky with runoff if air temps get above freezing. Fishing will be slow, so be methodical and fish small nymphs any where below Jemez Springs. Expect the headwater streams to be snowbound and fishing poor. The lower Jemez below Jemez Springs was stocked for winter trout fishing a few of weeks ago.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Poor: below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Slow: 60 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 144 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow
The fishing is generally fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers. The Chama River above the village of Chama is low and quite cold. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. Releases out of both dams are down. Both sections usually fish better at about 150 cfs. 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:
Arkansas River; Slow to Fair
The Arkansas River is fishing slow above Salida. The river downstream of Salida is fishing fair towards Canon City. Streamers, midges and baetis are the flies for the Ark.
The San Juan River at Pagosa Springs; Poor; Piedra River 90 cfs at Arboles; Slow
The San Juan River is fishing very slow. The Piedra can fish fair below Highway 160 on the warmer days, but the recent cold front has pushed water temps way down. A permit from the Southern Ute Nation is required to fish there. The best bet in the Pagosa area is the the Animas in Durango. Afternoons offer the best fishing and warmer water.
Animas River 257 cfs at Durango; Fair
The Animas River near Durango is fishing fair. Big browns are prowling and will take streamers especially if it's overcast. Winter is a great time to fish the Animas on the Southern Ute Reservation. Permits can be obtained at the Durango fly shops, Zia Sporting Goods in Farmington, or Float-n-Fish in Navajo Dam. It makes for a nice diversion from the San Juan River about 45 minutes away.
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.
Please be aware that there are still populations of cutbows that are into their spawn on some 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 702 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good to Fair
The water is incredibly clear but fishing is fair. 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.The hottetst flies are small red, tan cream, and black midge larvae trailing San Juan worms, chamois leeches, or egg patterns. Disco midge, red hot, or desert storms, and UFO's, chocolate johnny flash, chocolate and gray RS2's, UV flash midge emergers, hatching midges, griffith's gnats, dead chickens, and black or olive bunny leeches round out the fly choices.
Rio Grande at Cerro; Good: 435 cfs at Pilar; Fair for pike, Fair for trout, Slow for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is going to be subject to periods of snowmelt and murky water, to cold and clear as long as we keep getting storms every week or more often. There have been a few riser coming up to blue winged olives, but light line nymphing with pheasant tails and RS2's is more productive for trout. Large streamers that move water and contrast to the murky water are picking up quite a few pike. New Mexico Game and Fish stocked Rio Grande Cutthroats in the Rio earlier this month. Please respect this imperiled fish and consider leaving them in the river instead of taking them home. Current regulations only allow an angler to harvest two cutthroat per day. Please report any violators to Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263. Trout flies for the Rio Grande are 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. The confluence has been fishing well just be careful to avoid redds and leave the spawners alone. For pike, 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 below Terrero; Poor
The river above the village of Pecos is going to fish slow at best until the warmer days of spring. New mexico Game and Fish has not stocked Villanueva State Park since mid-December. The locals pretty much scoop them up, so if you are interested in fishing there, do it right after it's stocked. Egg patterns, and red and chartreuse copper higgins generally work on the stockers. The Pecos upstream of the village of Pecos is clear and many pools are iced over. 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.
Cimarron River Poor
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Releases out of the dam are below 1 cfs today. Fish elsewhere until spring.
Jemez Mountain Streams 19 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Slow
The Jemez streams are a low and clear. They may become high and murky with runoff if air temps get above freezing. Fishing will be slow, so be methodical and fish small nymphs any where below Jemez Springs. Expect the headwater streams to be snowbound and fishing poor. The lower Jemez below Jemez Springs was stocked for winter trout fishing a few of weeks ago.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Poor: below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Slow: 60 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 144 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow
The fishing is generally fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers. The Chama River above the village of Chama is low and quite cold. Streamers are the general fly choices below both dams. Releases out of both dams are down. Both sections usually fish better at about 150 cfs. 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:
Arkansas River; Slow to Fair
The Arkansas River is fishing slow above Salida. The river downstream of Salida is fishing fair towards Canon City. Streamers, midges and baetis are the flies for the Ark.
The San Juan River at Pagosa Springs; Poor; Piedra River 90 cfs at Arboles; Slow
The San Juan River is fishing very slow. The Piedra can fish fair below Highway 160 on the warmer days, but the recent cold front has pushed water temps way down. A permit from the Southern Ute Nation is required to fish there. The best bet in the Pagosa area is the the Animas in Durango. Afternoons offer the best fishing and warmer water.
Animas River 257 cfs at Durango; Fair
The Animas River near Durango is fishing fair. Big browns are prowling and will take streamers especially if it's overcast. Winter is a great time to fish the Animas on the Southern Ute Reservation. Permits can be obtained at the Durango fly shops, Zia Sporting Goods in Farmington, or Float-n-Fish in Navajo Dam. It makes for a nice diversion from the San Juan River about 45 minutes away.
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 Wednesday, January 02, 2008
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