Fly Fishing Report for Monday April 14, 2008
The annual fishing license year begins April 1st. New Mexico state fishing licenses for the 2008-2009 license year are available for sale NOW. The annual permits for the Jicarilla Nation (Stone Lake) are also available now.
Jicarilla Nation Lakes. "The excruciating waiting period continues, as the lakes are still muddy from runoff. The few folks who have braved the adverse conditions have met with failure. Stone lake has had approximately 20 anglers, and to the best of my knowledge one fish was landed between all of them. With numbers like that, it is hard to be optimistic. However, everything seems to be about a month behind this year, so hopefully we will see some action in two weeks or so. Mundo is also very turbid and there were no reports from the weekend, so the prognosis is poor there as well. One group of three anglers spent five days at Stone without a single bite, so traveling any significant distance is not recommended right now. We will continue to monitor conditions, and will update on any changes. Stay tuned, and be ready when the lake clears up." Kevin Terry Fisheries Biologist. Overall, the prospects for fishing on the Jicarilla Nation look very good. Drought years of the past have taken their toll, but this years snowpack means ample water for the lakes. Most rivers like the Chama, San Juan, Conejos, and Rio Grande are going to have an extended runoff, so dust off your float tube and get out to the Jicarilla lakes this spring: fishing is going to be awesome!
San Juan River 2290 cfs below Navajo Dam; Fair
Releases out of the dam went down last week. Work was being performed on the outlets at the dam. Releases are expected to stay at the current flow 2200 cfs, with a scheduled increase to 5000 cfs in alte May. The water is murky. The reports prior to this latest change in flows had been fair. Fish the upper flats, cable hole, and lower flats for easier wading. Crossing the main channel isn't advised at higher flows! The best reports have been from anglers fishing out of boats. Midge nymphing has been the most productive and expect to use flies as large as #18's and 20's. Flashy flies and red worms and red midge larvae generally work in the stained water. The best producers are red and orange San Juan worms, chamois leeches, or egg patterns, with a trailing red or black midge. Black, olive, or flesh bunny leeches round out the fly choices. Don't forget your wading staff!
Rio Grande 723 cfs at Cerro; Slow: 1240 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow to Fair for trout, Slow for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky and will likely remain so as long as this spring weather continues. Most of the tributaries have also started to come up, and are adding to the the excess water pouring into the gorge from the rim. Fishing can be good on the Rio, just look at flows or call for a report before you go. The caddis hatch has started and is above Pilar and into the gorge and is very sporadic. You have to wait till evening to throw dries. We'll be sure to keep you posted on The Hatch. Even though the water is quite murky, fish the edges dry fly dropper style with caddis nymphs. Fish move into the shallows to feed when they can no longer see in deeper water and heavy currents. Pike hunt by feel and they'll take large streamers that move water regardless of water clarity, just be sure to cover the water more thoroughly. Flies for the Rio are black or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, caddis nymphs, and pheasant tails. For pike, show them big rabbit strip flies, large streamers or diving flies.
Pecos River 96 cfs below Terrero; Slow to Fair
The river above the village of Pecos has come up over the last week. Fishing is better mid-day after things have warmed up a bit. Fish the deeper pools with a nymph rigs. The best producers have been a stonefly nymph with a trailing pheasant tail or black midge. Egg patterns, and red and chartreuse copper higgins generally 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 or poaching to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.
Cimarron River 6.6 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Slow
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Releases out of the dam are still just below 3 cfs today. There is more water at the eastern end of the park below Clear Creek. Fishing may pick up with a little more runoff and warmer days.
Jemez Mountain Streams 176 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Slow to Fair
The Jemez streams are in of runoff and are a little high and murky. There was a peak in flows early last week, although we may get another flush if the air temps climb at higher elevations. The lower elevation streams like the Jemez River and the Guadalupe are quite high so fish the East Fork, Cebolla, or the San Antonio, or Jemez River above Jemez Springs. The best rports have come from the East Fork draining the Caldera. Fishing is slow to fair, so be methodical and fish small nymphs.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Poor: 490 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Poor: 1210 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 1700 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
Releases out of El Vado dam went up again two weeks ago. The fishing is generally fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers, however the current flows make the river unwadeable and have stirred things up quite a bit. Fish the edges and obvious eddies. Releases are expected to stay at these levels for awhile. The Chama River above the village of Chama is running high and quite cold. The tailwater sections usually fish best at about 150 cfs. Water managers are making room in the reservoirs for the expected above average runoff. 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.
Clayton, Charette, and Maxwell Lakes all opened Saturday, March 1st. MacAllister Lake however, will remain closed to fishing until further notice. I've had very few reports since they've opened and most are rated slow at best with the more favorable reports coming from Charette. Fishing is expected to be slow as water temps are still relatively cold. If you go, please use caution as the spring winds can make boating and float tubing dangerous. MacAllister Lake has had a lake wide fish kill and the water levels are really low. Game and Fish has no plans currently to stock MacAllister Lake.
In Southern Colorado:
Conejos River 179 cfs at Mogote; Slow to Fair
While we are happy to have record snows in the Conejos Basin, fishing prospects are going to be tough here this spring before runoff, then again in mid-summer. It was tough fishing during this weekend's Conejos Superfly competition. Fishing will pick up once things warm up. A lot of the upper river above Rocky Mountain Angling Club is hemmed in by deep snows. We could see an increase in the release out of Platoro Reservoir to make room for melting snows which would only add to the runoff out of South Fork, Elk Creek and the other lower tributaries. On the other side of the divide, the Piedra River is already in runoff. As much as we love to fish here, it could be the summer to go and (re)explore some water closer to home. We'll keep the report on the Conejos updated.
Rio Grande 517 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Slow to Fair
The upper Rio Grande has been fishing fair lately, altough it appears that releases may have began out of Continental otr Rio Grande reservoirs. There is open water and the fish are feeding. Big stonefly nymphs and pheasant tails and midges seem to be picking up the most fish. The snow along many of the banks is still waist high and just getting to the water is incredibly difficult with out skis or snowshoes in some places.
Arkansas River 715 cfs at Salida: Slow to Fair
The Arkansas River is fishing slow above Salida. The river downstream of Salida was fishing fair towards Canon City but, water managers have began to increase the release of water out of Twin Lakes. The Ark is still fishable, but that could change with more warmer weather and snowmelt. Blue winged olives have been coming off lately. Hopefully the extra water doesn't blow out the caddis hatch. Just in case it doesn't, start your fly tying now. Streamers, midges, caddis, and baetis are the flies for the Ark.
Animas River 683 cfs at Durango; Slow
The Animas River near Durango is fishing slow. The warmer days of spring have made the Animas double in flow over the past three weeks. The river is a little stirred up and the water is cold. The Delores below McPhee is also way up and currently flowing at a whopping 719 cfs! Spring fishing may be tough here as it seems as runoff is already starting and is expected to last well into June.
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.
Jicarilla Nation Lakes. "The excruciating waiting period continues, as the lakes are still muddy from runoff. The few folks who have braved the adverse conditions have met with failure. Stone lake has had approximately 20 anglers, and to the best of my knowledge one fish was landed between all of them. With numbers like that, it is hard to be optimistic. However, everything seems to be about a month behind this year, so hopefully we will see some action in two weeks or so. Mundo is also very turbid and there were no reports from the weekend, so the prognosis is poor there as well. One group of three anglers spent five days at Stone without a single bite, so traveling any significant distance is not recommended right now. We will continue to monitor conditions, and will update on any changes. Stay tuned, and be ready when the lake clears up." Kevin Terry Fisheries Biologist. Overall, the prospects for fishing on the Jicarilla Nation look very good. Drought years of the past have taken their toll, but this years snowpack means ample water for the lakes. Most rivers like the Chama, San Juan, Conejos, and Rio Grande are going to have an extended runoff, so dust off your float tube and get out to the Jicarilla lakes this spring: fishing is going to be awesome!
San Juan River 2290 cfs below Navajo Dam; Fair
Releases out of the dam went down last week. Work was being performed on the outlets at the dam. Releases are expected to stay at the current flow 2200 cfs, with a scheduled increase to 5000 cfs in alte May. The water is murky. The reports prior to this latest change in flows had been fair. Fish the upper flats, cable hole, and lower flats for easier wading. Crossing the main channel isn't advised at higher flows! The best reports have been from anglers fishing out of boats. Midge nymphing has been the most productive and expect to use flies as large as #18's and 20's. Flashy flies and red worms and red midge larvae generally work in the stained water. The best producers are red and orange San Juan worms, chamois leeches, or egg patterns, with a trailing red or black midge. Black, olive, or flesh bunny leeches round out the fly choices. Don't forget your wading staff!
Rio Grande 723 cfs at Cerro; Slow: 1240 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow to Fair for trout, Slow for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky and will likely remain so as long as this spring weather continues. Most of the tributaries have also started to come up, and are adding to the the excess water pouring into the gorge from the rim. Fishing can be good on the Rio, just look at flows or call for a report before you go. The caddis hatch has started and is above Pilar and into the gorge and is very sporadic. You have to wait till evening to throw dries. We'll be sure to keep you posted on The Hatch. Even though the water is quite murky, fish the edges dry fly dropper style with caddis nymphs. Fish move into the shallows to feed when they can no longer see in deeper water and heavy currents. Pike hunt by feel and they'll take large streamers that move water regardless of water clarity, just be sure to cover the water more thoroughly. Flies for the Rio are black or olive woolly buggers, autumn splendors, zoo cougars, conehead madonna’s, caddis nymphs, and pheasant tails. For pike, show them big rabbit strip flies, large streamers or diving flies.
Pecos River 96 cfs below Terrero; Slow to Fair
The river above the village of Pecos has come up over the last week. Fishing is better mid-day after things have warmed up a bit. Fish the deeper pools with a nymph rigs. The best producers have been a stonefly nymph with a trailing pheasant tail or black midge. Egg patterns, and red and chartreuse copper higgins generally 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 or poaching to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.
Cimarron River 6.6 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Slow
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Releases out of the dam are still just below 3 cfs today. There is more water at the eastern end of the park below Clear Creek. Fishing may pick up with a little more runoff and warmer days.
Jemez Mountain Streams 176 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Slow to Fair
The Jemez streams are in of runoff and are a little high and murky. There was a peak in flows early last week, although we may get another flush if the air temps climb at higher elevations. The lower elevation streams like the Jemez River and the Guadalupe are quite high so fish the East Fork, Cebolla, or the San Antonio, or Jemez River above Jemez Springs. The best rports have come from the East Fork draining the Caldera. Fishing is slow to fair, so be methodical and fish small nymphs.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Poor: 490 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Poor: 1210 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 1700 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
Releases out of El Vado dam went up again two weeks ago. The fishing is generally fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers, however the current flows make the river unwadeable and have stirred things up quite a bit. Fish the edges and obvious eddies. Releases are expected to stay at these levels for awhile. The Chama River above the village of Chama is running high and quite cold. The tailwater sections usually fish best at about 150 cfs. Water managers are making room in the reservoirs for the expected above average runoff. 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.
Clayton, Charette, and Maxwell Lakes all opened Saturday, March 1st. MacAllister Lake however, will remain closed to fishing until further notice. I've had very few reports since they've opened and most are rated slow at best with the more favorable reports coming from Charette. Fishing is expected to be slow as water temps are still relatively cold. If you go, please use caution as the spring winds can make boating and float tubing dangerous. MacAllister Lake has had a lake wide fish kill and the water levels are really low. Game and Fish has no plans currently to stock MacAllister Lake.
In Southern Colorado:
Conejos River 179 cfs at Mogote; Slow to Fair
While we are happy to have record snows in the Conejos Basin, fishing prospects are going to be tough here this spring before runoff, then again in mid-summer. It was tough fishing during this weekend's Conejos Superfly competition. Fishing will pick up once things warm up. A lot of the upper river above Rocky Mountain Angling Club is hemmed in by deep snows. We could see an increase in the release out of Platoro Reservoir to make room for melting snows which would only add to the runoff out of South Fork, Elk Creek and the other lower tributaries. On the other side of the divide, the Piedra River is already in runoff. As much as we love to fish here, it could be the summer to go and (re)explore some water closer to home. We'll keep the report on the Conejos updated.
Rio Grande 517 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Slow to Fair
The upper Rio Grande has been fishing fair lately, altough it appears that releases may have began out of Continental otr Rio Grande reservoirs. There is open water and the fish are feeding. Big stonefly nymphs and pheasant tails and midges seem to be picking up the most fish. The snow along many of the banks is still waist high and just getting to the water is incredibly difficult with out skis or snowshoes in some places.
Arkansas River 715 cfs at Salida: Slow to Fair
The Arkansas River is fishing slow above Salida. The river downstream of Salida was fishing fair towards Canon City but, water managers have began to increase the release of water out of Twin Lakes. The Ark is still fishable, but that could change with more warmer weather and snowmelt. Blue winged olives have been coming off lately. Hopefully the extra water doesn't blow out the caddis hatch. Just in case it doesn't, start your fly tying now. Streamers, midges, caddis, and baetis are the flies for the Ark.
Animas River 683 cfs at Durango; Slow
The Animas River near Durango is fishing slow. The warmer days of spring have made the Animas double in flow over the past three weeks. The river is a little stirred up and the water is cold. The Delores below McPhee is also way up and currently flowing at a whopping 719 cfs! Spring fishing may be tough here as it seems as runoff is already starting and is expected to last well into June.
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 Monday, April 14, 2008
<< Home