Saturday, July 26, 2008

Fly Fishing Report for Saturday July 26, 2008

San Juan River 508 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The San Juan is at it's lowest flow in a long time. We may see a higher summer time release once spring snowmelt on the Animas is done. This is thought by many guides and anglers to be the best time to fish the Juan. A lot of fish that usually see every drift good and bad, hadn't seen much during the higher release. As a result, those fish are usually quite hot and willing to eat. There have already been a coouple of ant falls following some heavy rain. Midge nymphing in the morning is the most productive, and fish start to rise for baetis and midges as well as ants in the afternoon. Size 20 and 22 gray, black, brown, and cream midge larvae, and size 22-24 gray rs2's and gray foam back emergers have been the better producers. The mosquitoes are out in force so don't forget the bug repellent! Please note; the New Mexico State Game Commission has enacted a two fly only rule for the quality waters of the San Juan. This rule will go into effect on July 1st. As a result, Game and Fish officers are starting to make their appearance on the San Juan. They are informing fly fishers of the "two fly" rule, but also checking licenses and for barbed flies. They recommend that you completely file the barb down or risk a citation as a pinched barb may still snag the tippet that is being used to check barbs!

Rio Grande 344 cfs at Cerro; Slow: 633 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is still a little murky and will likely remain so now that we are into our summer monsoon season. Contrary to other reports, you can pick up trout on the edges dry fly dropper style with caddis nymphs, pheasant tails, or crane fly larvae. Trout move into the shallows to feed when they can no longer see in deeper water and heavy currents. The best time to fish for trout is early morining or in the evenings. Smallmouth inhabit the eddies and can be picked up on crayfish patterns or woolly buggers on a sinking tip or sinking line. 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. There is cooler water and easier wading around John Dunn Bridge and further upstream into the gorge. 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 in dark colors.

Pecos River 77 cfs below Terrero; Very Good
The river above the village of Pecos is fishing very well. Caddis hatches in the afternoons are bringing up fish as well as lots of Blue Winged Olives during cloud cover. PMD's are out as well. The Pecos and most of it's tributaries were heavily stocked a couple of weeks ago. Egg patterns, and red and chartreuse copper johns generally work on the stockers. Pmd's, red quills, tan elk hair caddis, yellow stimulators, blue winged olives, and little yellow sallies are all working pretty much the length of the public water. 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 Costilla 69 cfs below Costilla Reservoir; Very Good
Arguably the most beautiful stream in New Mexico just opened to fishing earlier in the month. The release is a little high for an optimum flow. Generally the release is higher during the week than the weekend and makes for better fishing. The reports I had recently have been very good especially on dry flies. Royal Wulffs, irrestibles, humpies, and stimulators, as well as crane fly larvae and big pheasant tails.

Cimarron River 23 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. The release from the dam went back up a couple of days ago. There is more water at the eastern end of the park below Clear Creek. Fishing is good with hatches of golden stones, caddis, and pmd's. Flies for the Cimarron are golden stonefly nymphs, yellow stimulators, pink cahills, pmd's, hares ear nymphs, Barr's emergers, and gray and olive scuds.

Jemez Mountain Streams 23 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The Jemez streams are all fishing well especially in the morings and evenings. Afternoon thundershowers have been murking up the water. Fortunately there are lots of streams and the rain storms have been rather isolated leaving you some where to fish. The lower reaches of the Jemez streams can get warm and slow mid-day but they fish well mornings and evenings. The headwater streams don't slow as much mid-day, but are low and clear making a stealthy approach a challenge. Dry fly fishing with size 12-14 yellow stimulators, red quills, and small parachute adams, dennis hoppers, ants, and yellow sallies has been excellent.

The Chama River above the village of Chama; Very Good: 180 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Good: 795 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 240 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow to Fair
The Chama River above the village of Chama has decent visibility between rain storms. There are caddis hatches in the afternoons and PMD's, BWO's and other sporadic mayfly hatches coming off between Tierra Amarilla and Chama. The fishing is generally fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers, but the current flows are high and the water is murky. The release below El Vado usually goes up on Friday afternoons this time of year for the rafters. Expect flows to drop to 100 or so cfs on Sunday afternoon. Reduced releases from Abiquiu Dam have made the Chama below it fishable, but I've had no reports from there yet. The tailwater sections usually fish best below 300 cfs. The nearby Brazos is fishing well. 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:

Conejos River 226 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Good: 516 cfs at Mogote; Good
July 21. "Our small team of fisherman have been very busy so I apologize for the lack of reports. Flows on almost every tributary and the Conejos are almost perfect. Drakes continue to sputter off daily on the upper river and even the tribs. The lower river with the full moon and warmer days has been more moody but for those hitting the fish in the head with a good presentation fishing continues to be good. Expect the fishing to slow on hot sunny afternoons but the group that fished the lower river with us yesterday was into fish all day including nice fish. Lots of Drakes and stones of almost every variety. Hot sunny afternoon shut things down about 2:30 but alot of fun prior. Expect the fishing in the high country to just get better and the upper Conejos to continues to be a bug factory. Meadows below Platoro have been hit pretty hard and fish are tough most days. Fly water has fished really well the last few weeks, expect that to continue for certain parts of the day. I would fish it starting really early until it got hot or the bugs slowed down. PMD's, caddis, yellow sallies, and assorted mayflies. The old Chironocone is now heading back into all of the guides boxes and expect the fish to look more and more at small midge offerings." Jon Harp, of Conejos River Anglers provided the preceeding report. The release out of Platoro is still too high to fish the pinnacles safely. Look for flows below 180 cfs and don't forget the bug repellent; there are mosqitoes everywhere!

Rio Grande 265 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge near Creede; Good: 658 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Good
Fishing has been good mon the upper Rio. Green Drakes PMD's and caddis are all out in abundance, with Green Drakes bringing up most of the fish. There is decent water clarity and the fish are feeding. Big stonefly nymphs and pheasant tails seem to be picking up the most fish on a heavily weighted leader in the deeper runs and pools. Cast tight to the banks with hoppers or Green Drakes in the shalllower water.

Arkansas River 1100 cfs at Salida: Slow to Fair
The river still has above average flows but the fishing is good. There have been some afternoon PMD and caddis hatches and Blue Winged Olives on the cloudy days. The better wading is above Lake Creek from above Granite to Hayden Meadows. Fish the softer pocket water with dry fly dropper rigs. Large patterns like stimulators, hoppers, parachute madam x's, with a trailing copper johns, princes, pheasant tails, and stonefly nymphs in size #8-12.

Piedra River 397 cfs at Arboles; Fair: San Juan River 247 cfs at Pagosa; Good
Finally we have some fishable flows on the Piedra, although locally heavy rainfall over the last several days have muddied up the river. It's still a little high to venture into the boxes but the edges are holding lots of fish. The Williams Creek below the dam also has been fishing well. The San Juan is also experiencing daily rainfall affecting the clarity. Still a little high but not as murked up as the Piedra. Some of the smaller tributaries are clear and fishable.

Animas River 1170 cfs at Durango; Fair to Good
The Animas River near Durango is a little high but has good visibility. There have been lots of caddis coming off right through town. The Delores below McPhee is finally down and currently flowing at 108 cfs. The upper forks of the Delores are still a little high but clear and fishing well.

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.

It's spring time in New Mexico and water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

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

Friday, July 25, 2008

Fly Fishing Report for Friday July 25, 2008

San Juan River 508 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The San Juan is at it's lowest flow in a long time. We may see a higher summer time release once spring snowmelt on the Animas is done. This is thought by many guides and anglers to be the best time to fish the Juan. A lot of fish that usually see every drift good and bad, hadn't seen much during the higher release. As a result, those fish are usually quite hot and willing to eat. There have already been a coouple of ant falls following some heavy rain. Midge nymphing in the morning is the most productive, and fish start to rise for baetis and midges as well as ants in the afternoon. Size 20 and 22 gray, black, brown, and cream midge larvae, and size 22-24 gray rs2's and gray foam back emergers have been the better producers. The mosquitoes are out in force so don't forget the bug repellent! Please note; the New Mexico State Game Commission has enacted a two fly only rule for the quality waters of the San Juan. This rule will go into effect on July 1st. As a result, Game and Fish officers are starting to make their appearance on the San Jaun. They are informing fly fishers of the "two fly" rule, but also checking licenses and for barbed flies. They recommend that you completely file the barb down or risk a citation as a pinched barb may still snag the tippet that is being used to check barbs!

Rio Grande 349 cfs at Cerro; Slow: 656 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is still a little murky and will likely remain so now that we are into our summer monsoon season. Contrary to other reports, you can pick up trout on the edges dry fly dropper style with caddis nymphs, pheasant tails, or crane fly larvae. Trout move into the shallows to feed when they can no longer see in deeper water and heavy currents. The best time to fish for trout is early morining or in the evenings. Smallmouth inhabit the eddies and can be picked up on crayfish patterns or woolly buggers on a sinking tip or sinking line. 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. There is cooler water and easier wading around John Dunn Bridge and further upstream into the gorge. 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 in dark colors.

Pecos River 82 cfs below Terrero; Very Good
The river above the village of Pecos is fishing very well. Caddis hatches in the afternoons are bringing up fish as well as lots of Blue Winged Olives during cloud cover. PMD's are out as well. The Pecos and most of it's tributaries were heavily stocked a couple of weeks ago. Egg patterns, and red and chartreuse copper johns generally work on the stockers. Pmd's, red quills, tan elk hair caddis, yellow stimulators, blue winged olives, and little yellow sallies are all working pretty much the length of the public water. 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 Costilla 68 cfs below Costilla Reservoir; Good
Arguably the most beautiful stream in New Mexico just opened to fishing earlier in the month. The release is a little high for an optimum flow. Generally the release is higher during the week than the weekend and makes for better fishing. The reports I had recently have been very good especially on dry flies. Royal Wulffs, irrestibles, humpies, and stimulators, as well as crane fly larvae and big pheasant tails.

Cimarron River 23 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. The release from the dam went back up a couple of days ago. There is more water at the eastern end of the park below Clear Creek. Fishing is good with hatches of golden stones, caddis, and pmd's. Flies for the Cimarron are golden stonefly nymphs, yellow stimulators, pink cahills, pmd's, hares ear nymphs, Barr's emergers, and gray and olive scuds.

Jemez Mountain Streams 27 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Very Good
The Jemez streams are all fishing well especially in the morings and evenings. Afternoon thundershowers have been murking up the water. Fortunately there are lots of streams and the rain storms have been rather isolated leaving you some where to fish. The lower reaches of the Jemez streams can get warm and slow mid-day but they fish well mornings and evenings. The headwater streams don't slow as much mid-day, but are low and clear making a stealthy approach a challenge. Dry fly fishing with size 12-14 yellow stimulators, red quills, and small parachute adams, dennis hoppers, ants, and yellow sallies has been excellent.

The Chama River above the village of Chama; Very Good: 153 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Good: 100 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 244 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow to Fair
The Chama River above the village of Chama has decent visibility between rain storms. There are caddis hatches in the afternoons and PMD's, BWO's and other sporadic mayfly hatches coming off between Tierra Amarilla and Chama. The fishing is generally fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers, but the current flows are high and the water is murky. The release below El Vado usually goes up on Friday afternoons this time of year for the rafters. Expect flows to drop to 100 or so cfs on Sunday afternoons. Reduced releases from Abiquiu Dam have made the Chama below it fishable, but I've had no reports from there yet. The tailwater sections usually fish best below 300 cfs. The nearby Brazos is fishing well. 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:

Conejos River 229 cfs below Platoro Reservoir, 475 cfs at Mogote; Good
July 21. "Our small team of fisherman have been very busy so I apologize for the lack of reports. Flows on almost every tributary and the Conejos are almost perfect. Drakes continue to sputter off daily on the upper river and even the tribs. The lower river with the full moon and warmer days has been more moody but for those hitting the fish in the head with a good presentation fishing continues to be good. Expect the fishing to slow on hot sunny afternoons but the group that fished the lower river with us yesterday was into fish all day including nice fish. Lots of Drakes and stones of almost every variety. Hot sunny afternoon shut things down about 2:30 but alot of fun prior. Expect the fishing in the high country to just get better and the upper Conejos to continues to be a bug factory. Meadows below Platoro have been hit pretty hard and fish are tough most days. Fly water has fished really well the last few weeks, expect that to continue for certain parts of the day. I would fish it starting really early until it got hot or the bugs slowed down. PMD's, caddis, yellow sallies, and assorted mayflies. The old Chironocone is now heading back into all of the guides boxes and expect the fish to look more and more at small midge offerings." Jon Harp, of Conejos River Anglers provided the preceeding report. The release out of Platoro is still too high to fish the pinnacles safely. Look for flows below 180 cfs and don't forget the bug repellent; there are mosqitoes everywhere!

Rio Grande 185 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge near Creede; Good: 544 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Good
Fishing has been good mon the upper Rio. Green Drakes PMD's and caddis are all out in abundance, with Green Drakes bringing up most of the fish. There is decent water clarity and the fish are feeding. Big stonefly nymphs and pheasant tails seem to be picking up the most fish on a heavily weighted leader in the deeper runs and pools. Cast tight to the banks with hoppers or Green Drakes in the shalllower water.

Arkansas River 1510 cfs at Salida: Slow to Fair
The river still has above average flows but the fishing is good. There have been some afternoon PMD and caddis hatches and Blue Winged Olives on the cloudy days. The better wading is above Lake Creek from above Granite to Hayden Meadows. Fish the softer pocket water with dry fly dropper rigs. Large patterns like stimulators, hoppers, parachute madam x's, with a trailing copper johns, princes, pheasant tails, and stonefly nymphs in size #8-12.

Piedra River 281 cfs at Arboles; Good: San Juan River 271 cfs at Pagosa; Fair
Finally we have some fishable flows on the Piedra. It's still a little high to venture into the boxes but the edges are holding lots of fish. The Williams Creek below the dam also has been fishing well. The San Juan is still a little high but some of the smaller tributaries are clear and fishable.

Animas River 1140 cfs at Durango; Fair to Good
The Animas River near Durango is a little high but has good visibility. There have been lots of caddis coming off right through town. The Delores below McPhee is finally down and currently flowing at 108 cfs. The upper forks of the Delores are clear and fishing well.

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.

It's spring time in New Mexico and water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

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

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Fly Fishing Report for Tuesday July 15, 2008

San Juan River 519 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The San Juan is at it's lowest flow in a long time. We may see a higher summer time release once spring snowmelt on the Animas is done. This is thought by many guides and anglers to be the best time to fish the Juan. A lot of fish that usually see every drift good and bad, hadn't seen much during the higher release. As a result, those fish are usually quite hot and willing to eat. Yesterday was the first day of the ant fall. Midge nymphing in the morning is the most productive, and fish start to rise for baetis and midges as well as ants in the afternoon. Size 20 and 22 gray, black, brown, and cream midge larvae, and size 22-24 gray rs2's and gray foam back emergers have been the better producers. The mosquitoes are out in force so don't forget the bug repellent! Please note; the New Mexico State Game Commission has enacted a two fly only rule for the quality waters of the San Juan. This rule will go into effect on July 1st. As a result, Game and Fish officers are starting to make their appearance on the San Jaun. They are informing fly fishers of the "two fly" rule, but also checking licenses and for barbed flies. They recommend that you completely file the barb down or risk a citation as a pinched barb may still snag the tippet that is being used to check barbs!

Rio Grande 431 cfs at Cerro; Slow: at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is still a little murky and will likely remain so now that we are into our summer monsoon season. Contrary to other reports, you can pick up trout on the edges dry fly dropper style with caddis nymphs, pheasant tails, or crane fly larvae. Trout move into the shallows to feed when they can no longer see in deeper water and heavy currents. Smallmouth inhabit the eddies and can be picked up on crayfish patterns or woolly buggers on a sinking tip or sinking line. 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. There is no rafting and kayaking above John Dunn Bridge and further upstream into the gorge. 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 in dark colors.

Pecos River 94 cfs below Terrero; Very Good
The river above the village of Pecos is fishing very well. Caddis hatches in the afternoons are bringing up fish as well as lots of Blue Winged Olives during cloud cover. PMD's are out as well as Rithrogenia (Red Quills) and Golden Stones in the morning. The Pecos and most of it's tributaries were heavily stocked recently. Egg patterns, and red and chartreuse copper johns generally work on the stockers. Pmd's, red quills, tan elk hair caddis, yellow stimulators, and little yellow sallies are all working pretty much the length of the public water. 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 Costilla 74 cfs below Costilla Reservoir; Good
Arguably the most beautiful stream in New Mexico just opened to fishing last week. The release is a little high for an optimum flow. Generally the release is higher during the week than the weekend and makes for better fishing. The reports I had recently have been very good especially on dry flies. Royal Wulffs, irrestibles, humpies, and stimulators, as well as crane fly larvae and big pheasant tails.

Cimarron River 23 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. The release from the dam went back up a couple of days ago. There is more water at the eastern end of the park below Clear Creek. Fishing is good with hatches of golden stones, caddis, and pmd's. Flies for the Cimarron are golden stonefly nymphs, yellow stimulators, pink cahills, pmd's, hares ear nymphs, Barr's emergers, and gray and olive scuds.

Jemez Mountain Streams 34 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Very Good
The Jemez streams are all fishing well especially in the morings and evenings. Afternoon thundershowers have been murking up the water. Fortunately there are lots of streams and the rain storms have been rather isolated leaving you some where to fish. The lower reaches of the Jemez streams can get warm and slow mid-day but they fish well mornings and evenings. The headwater streams don't slow as much mid-day, but are low and clear making a stealthy approach a challenge. Dry fly fishing with size 12-14 yellow stimulators, red quills, and small parachute adams, dennis hoppers, ants, and yellow sallies has been excellent.

The Chama River above the village of Chama; Very Good: 184 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Good: 105 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 244 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow to Fair
The Chama River above the village of Chama has decent visibility between rain storms. There are caddis hatches in the afternoons and PMD's, BWO's and other sporadic mayfly hatches coming off between Tierra Amarilla and Chama. The fishing is generally fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers, but the current flows are high and the water is murky. The release below El Vado usually goes up on Friday afternoons this time of year for the rafters. Expect flows to drop to 100 or so cfs on Sunday afternoons. Reduced releases from Abiquiu Dam have made the Chama below it fishable, but I've had no reports from there yet. The tailwater sections usually fish best below 300 cfs. The nearby Brazos is coming down, but still a little high and murky. 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:

Conejos River 235 cfs below Platoro Reservoir, 480 cfs at Mogote; Good
July 5, 2008. "Sorry for the delay we have been on the water and fairly busy this week. The Conejos this am is right at 700 cfs and looks great. Drakes were sputtering off yesterday at around their usual time of just before high noon and we had a great couple of hours throwing a #10 Meaty Drake and they ate that with no hesitation. Green Drake nymphs before the hatch seemed to be the best bugs. Hatch was light but that should change day by day. Still alot of caddis in the air and the Goldens and Salmon flies are up higher Flows in the meadow are still perfect for nymph fishing but expect some bugs to pop up there very soon as well if not already. No good reports from there in 6 days. Still the flows up in the high country are very pushy and probobly not ready for a fly yet." Jon Harp, of Conejos River Anglers provided the preceeding report. The release out of Platoro is still too high to fish the pinnacles safely. Look for flows below 180 cfs and don't forget the bug repellent; there are mosqitoes everywhere!

Rio Grande 162 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge near Creede; Good: 825 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Good
Releases have been coming down out of Rio Grande Reservoir seemingly every other day. There is decent water clarity and the fish are feeding. Big stonefly nymphs and pheasant tails seem to be picking up the most fish on a heavily weighted leader in the deeper runs and pools. Green drakes are appearing around South Fork as well as PMD's and lots of caddis. There is lots of water below Wagon Wheel Gap making the river floatable all the way to South Fork.

Arkansas River 1460 cfs at Salida: Slow to Fair
Flows this morning are 1460 in Salida. The river still has above average flows but the fishing is good. There have been some afternoon PMD and caddis hatches and Blue Winged Olives on the cloudy days. The better wading is above Lake Creek in Hayden Meadows. Fish the softer pocket water with dry fly dropper rigs. Large patterns like stimulators, hoppers, parachute madam x's, with a trailing copper johns, princes, pheasant tails, and stonefly nymphs in size #8-12.

Piedra River 206 cfs at Arboles; Good: San Jaun River 330 cfs at Pagosa; Fair
Finally we have some fishable flows on the Piedra. It's still a little high to venture into the boxes but the edges are holding lots of fish. The Williams Creek below the dam also has been fishing well, but can be crowded, at least until flows drop even more on the Piedra. The San Juan is still a little high but some of the smaller tributaries are clear and fishable.

Animas River 1050 cfs at Durango; Fair to Good
The Animas River near Durango is a little high but has good visibility. There have been lots of caddis coming off right through town. The Delores below McPhee is finally down and currently flowing at 119 cfs. The upper forks of the Delores are still a little high but clear and fishing well.

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.

It's spring time in New Mexico and water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

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

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Fly Fishing Report for Saturday July 12, 2008

San Juan River 519 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The San Juan is at it's lowest flow in a long time. We may see a higher summer time release once spring snowmelt on the Animas is done. This is thought by many guides and anglers to be the best time to fish the Juan. A lot of fish that usually see every drift good and bad, hadn't seen much during the higher release. As a result, those fish are usually quite hot and willing to eat. Also this time of year brings large ant falls with the summer rains. Midge nymphing will still be the most productive. Size 20 and 22 gray, black, brown, and cream midge larvae, and size 22-24 gray rs2's and gray foam back emergers have been the better producers. The mosquitoes are out in force so don't forget the bug repellent! Please note; the New Mexico State Game Commission has enacted a two fly only rule for the quality waters of the San Juan. This rule will go into effect on July 1st. As a result, Game and Fish officers are starting to make their appearance on the San Jaun. They are informing fly fishers of the "two fly" rule, but also checking licenses and for barbed flies. They recommend that you completely file the barb down or risk a citation as a pinched barb may still snag the tippet that is being used to check barbs!

Rio Grande 562 cfs at Cerro; Slow: at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is still a little murky and will likely remain so now that we are into our summer monsoon season. Contrary to other reports, you can pick up trout on the edges dry fly dropper style with caddis nymphs, pheasant tails, or crane fly larvae. Trout move into the shallows to feed when they can no longer see in deeper water and heavy currents. Smallmouth inhabit the eddies and can be picked up on crayfish patterns or woolly buggers on a sinking tip or sinking line. 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. There is no rafting and kayaking above John Dunn Bridge and further upstream into the gorge. 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 in dark colors.

Pecos River 113 cfs below Terrero; Very Good
The river above the village of Pecos has started to come down slowly over the past several weeks. Wading is a lot easier and a lot of the pockets are starting to reappear and there is more soft water on the edges. The stonefly hatch is pretty well done although there are a few small ones coming off up past Terrero. Caddis hatches in the afternoons are bringing up fish as well as some sporadic mayfly activity. The Pecos and most of it's tributaries were heavily stocked recently. Egg patterns, and red and chartreuse copper johns generally work on the stockers. Pmd's, red quills, tan elk hair caddis, yellow stimulators, and little yellow sallies are all working pretty much the length of the public water. 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 Costilla 714 cfs below Costilla Reservoir; Good
Arguably the most beautiful stream in New Mexico just opened to fishing last week. The release is a little high for an optimum flow. Generally the release is higher during the week than the weekend and makes for better fishing. The reports I had from the opening week have been very good especially on dry flies. Royal Wulffs, irrestibles, humpies, and stimulators, as well as crane fly larvae and big pheasant tails.

Cimarron River 3.6 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Fair
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. The release from the dam went down a couple of days ago. There is more water at the eastern end of the park below Clear Creek. Fishing is good to fair with hatches of golden stones, caddis, and pmd's. Flies for the Cimarron are golden stonefly nymphs, yellow stimulators, pink cahills, pmd's, hares ear nymphs, Barr's emergers, and gray and olive scuds.

Jemez Mountain Streams 27 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Very Good
The Jemez streams are all fishing well especially in the morings and evenings. Afternoon thundershowers have been murking up the water. Fortunately there are lots of streams and the rain storms have been rather isolated leaving you some where to fish. The lower reaches of the Jemez streams can get warm and slow mid-day but they fish well mornings and evenings. The headwater streams don't slow as much mid-day, but are low and clear making a stealthy approach a challenge. Dry fly fishing with size 12-14 yellow stimulators, red quills, and small parachute adams, dennis hoppers, ants, and yellow sallies has been excellent.

The Chama River above the village of Chama; Very Good: 172 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Good: 978 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 244 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow to Fair
The Chama River above the village of Chama has decent visibility and is coming down daily. There are caddis hatches in the afternoons and pmd's and other sporadic mayfly hatches coming off between Tierra Amarilla and Chama. The fishing is generally fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers, but the current flows are high and the water is murky. The release below El Vado usually goes up on Friday afternoons this time of year for the rafters. Expect flows to drop to 100 or so cfs. Reduced releases from Abiquiu Dam have made the Chama below it fishable, but I've had no reports from there yet. The tailwater sections usually fish best below 300 cfs. The nearby Brazos is coming down, but still a little high and murky. 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:

Conejos River 229 cfs below Platoro Reservoir, 566 cfs at Mogote; Good
July 5, 2008. "Sorry for the delay we have been on the water and fairly busy this week. The Conejos this am is right at 700 cfs and looks great. Drakes were sputtering off yesterday at around their usual time of just before high noon and we had a great couple of hours throwing a #10 Meaty Drake and they ate that with no hesitation. Green Drake nymphs before the hatch seemed to be the best bugs. Hatch was light but that should change day by day. Still alot of caddis in the air and the Goldens and Salmon flies are up higher Flows in the meadow are still perfect for nymph fishing but expect some bugs to pop up there very soon as well if not already. No good reports from there in 6 days. Still the flows up in the high country are very pushy and probobly not ready for a fly yet." Jon Harp, of Conejos River Anglers provided the preceeding report. Don't forget the bug repellent; there are mosqitoes everywhere!

Rio Grande 323 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge near Creede; Good: 1170 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Good
Releases have been coming down out of Rio Grande Reservoir seemingly every other day. There is decent water clarity and the fish are feeding. Big stonefly nymphs and pheasant tails seem to be picking up the most fish on a heavily weighted leader in the deeper runs and pools. No word yet on green drakes, but there are PMD's coming off and big skated stonefly dries cast along the banks are also bringing up some good fish. There is lots of water below Wagon Wheel Gap making the river floatable all the way to South Fork.

Arkansas River 1520 cfs at Salida: Slow to Fair
Flows this morning are 2199 at Leadville and 1520 in Salida. The river is returning to fishable conditions along the edges. There have been some afternoon caddis hatches above Granite and is producing a lot of bugs and good feeding activity. Size 16 black caddis dries and an olive caddis pupa have been working during the hatch. The better wading is above Lake Creek in Hayden Meadows. Fish the softer pocket water with dry fly dropper rigs. Large patterns like stimulators, hoppers, parachute madam x's, with a trailing copper johns, princes, pheasant tails, and stonefly nymphs in size #8-12.

Piedra River 253 cfs at Arboles; Good: San Jaun River 406 cfs at Pagosa; Fair
Finally we have some fishable flows on the Piedra. It's still a little high to venture into the boxes but the edges are holding lots of fish. The Williams Creek below the dam also has been fishing well, but can be crowded, at least until flows drop even more on the Piedra. The San Juan is still a little high but some of the smaller tributaries are clearing and fishable.

Animas River 1320 cfs at Durango; Fair to Good
The Animas River near Durango is a little high but has good visibility. There have been lots of caddis coming off right through town. The Delores below McPhee is finally down and currently flowing at 120 cfs. The upper forks of the Delores are still a little high but clear and fishinhg well.

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.

It's spring time in New Mexico and water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

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

Monday, July 07, 2008

Fly Fishing Report for Monday July 7, 2008

San Juan River 572 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The San Juan is at it's lowest flow in a long time. We may see a higher summer time release once spring snowmelt on the Animas is done. This is thought by many guides and anglers to be the best time to fish the Juan. A lot of fish that usually see every drift good and bad, hadn't seen much during the higher release. As a result, those fish are usually quite hot and willing to eat. Also this time of year brings large ant falls with the summer rains. Midge nymphing will still be the most productive. Size 20 and 22 gray, black, brown, and cream midge larvae, and size 22-24 gray rs2's and gray foam back emergers have been the better producers. The mosquitoes are out in force so don't forget the bug repellent! Please note; the New Mexico State Game Commission has enacted a two fly only rule for the quality waters of the San Juan. This rule will go into effect on July 1st. As a result, Game and Fish officers are starting to make their appearance on the San Jaun. They are informing fly fishers of the "two fly" rule, but also checking licenses and for barbed flies. They recommend that you completely file the barb down or risk a citation as a pinched barb may still snag the tippet that is being used to check barbs!

Rio Grande 631 cfs at Cerro; Slow: at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is still a little murky and will likely remain so now that we are into our summer monsoon season. Contrary to other reports, you can pick up trout on the edges dry fly dropper style with caddis nymphs, pheasant tails, or crane fly larvae. Trout move into the shallows to feed when they can no longer see in deeper water and heavy currents. Smallmouth inhabit the eddies and can be picked up on crayfish patterns or woolly buggers on a sinking tip or sinking line. 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. There is no rafting and kayaking above John Dunn Bridge and further upstream into the gorge. 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 in dark colors.

Pecos River 100 cfs below Terrero; Very Good
The river above the village of Pecos has started to come down slowly over the past several weeks. Wading is a lot easier and a lot of the pockets are starting to reappear and there is more soft water on the edges. The stonefly hatch is pretty well done although there are a few small ones coming off up past Terrero. Caddis hatches in the afternoons are bringing up fish as well as some sporadic mayfly activity. The Pecos and most of it's tributaries were heavily stocked recently. Egg patterns, and red and chartreuse copper johns generally work on the stockers. Pmd's, red quills, tan elk hair caddis, yellow stimulators, and little yellow sallies are all working pretty much the length of the public water. 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 Costilla 71 cfs below Costilla Reservoir; Good
Arguably the most beautiful stream in New Mexico just opened to fishing last week. The release is a little high for an optimum flow. Generally the release is higher during the week than the weekend and makes for better fishing. The reports I had from the opening week have been very good especially on dry flies. Royal Wulffs, irrestibles, humpies, and stimulators, as well as crane fly larvae and big pheasant tails.

Cimarron River 36 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Fair
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. The release from the dam went down this morning. There is more water at the eastern end of the park below Clear Creek. Fishing is good to fair with hatches of golden stones, caddis, and pmd's. Flies for the Cimarron are golden stonefly nymphs, yellow stimulators, pink cahills, hares ear nymphs, Barr's emergers, and gray and olive scuds.

Jemez Mountain Streams 25 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Very Good
The bottom dropped out of the Jemez streams and runoff is over. The lower reaches of the Jemez streams can get warm and slow mid-day but they fish well mornings and evenings. The headwater streams don't slow as much mid-day, but are low and clear making a stealthy approach a challenge. Dry fly fishing with size 12-14 yellow stimulators, red quills, and small parachute adams, dennis hoppers, and yellow sallies has been excellent.

The Chama River above the village of Chama; Good: 246 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Good: 100 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 249 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow to Fair
The Chama River above the village of Chama is still a little high but has decent visibility and is coming down daily. There are caddis hatches in the afternoons and the stoneflies are coming off between Tierra Amarilla and Chama. The fishing is generally fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers, and the current flows are near ideal although the water is murky. Reduced releases from Abiquiu Dam have made the Chama below it fishable, but I've had no reports from there yet. The tailwater sections usually fish best below 300 cfs. The nearby Brazos is coming down, but still a little high and murky. 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:

Conejos River 381 cfs below Platoro Reservoir, 839 cfs at Mogote; Good
July 5, 2008. "Sorry for the delay we have been on the water and fairly busy this week. The Conejos this am is right at 700 cfs and looks great. Drakes were sputtering off yesterday at around their usual time of just before high noon and we had a great couple of hours throwing a #10 Meaty Drake and they ate that with no hesitation. Green Drake nymphs before the hatch seemed to be the best bugs. Hatch was light but that should change day by day. Still alot of caddis in the air and the Goldens and Salmon flies are up higher Flows in the meadow are still perfect for nymph fishing but expect some bugs to pop up there very soon as well if not already. No good reports from there in 6 days. Still the flows up in the high country are very pushy and probobly not ready for a fly yet." Jon Harp, of Conejos River Anglers provided the preceeding report. Don't forget the bug repellent; there are mosqitoes everywhere!

Rio Grande 443 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge near Creede; Good: 1450 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Good
Releases have been coming down out of Rio Grande Reservoir seemingly every other day. There is decent water clarity and the fish are feeding. Big stonefly nymphs and pheasant tails seem to be picking up the most fish on a heavily weighted leader in the deeper runs and pools. Big skated stonefly dries cast along the banks are also bringing up some good fish. There is lots of water below Wagon Wheel Gap making the river floatable all the way to South Fork.

Arkansas River 2790 cfs at Salida: Slow to Fair
Hot weather has raised the flows on the Arkansas again. Flows this morning are 309 at Leadville and 2790 in Salida. The river is returning to fishable conditions along the edges. There have been some afternoon caddis hatches above Granite and is producing a lot of bugs and good feeding activity. Size 16 black caddis dries and an olive caddis pupa have been working during the hatch. The better wading is above Lake Creek in Hayden Meadows. Fish the softer pocket water with dry fly dropper rigs. Large patterns like stimulators, hoppers, parachute madam x's, with a trailing copper johns, princes, pheasant tails, and stonefly nymphs in size #8-12.

Animas River 1790 cfs at Durango; Slow to Fair
The Animas River near Durango is still high but has good visibility. There have been lots of caddis coming off right through town. The Delores below McPhee is finally down and currently flowing at 120 cfs. The upper forks of the Delores are still a little high with runoff. Closer to Pagosa Springs, the San Juan is also still high with runoff. The Piedra has come down a lot over the past week and is getting more fishable by the day. Williams Creek also has had good fishing but has also been crowded with other area waters being high with snowmelt.

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.

It's spring time in New Mexico and water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

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

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Fly Fishing Report for Sunday July 6, 2008

San Juan River 579 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The San Juan is at it's lowest flow in a long time. We may see a higher summer time release once spring snowmelt on the Animas is done. This is thought by many guides and anglers to be the best time to fish the Juan. A lot of fish that usually see every drift good and bad, hadn't seen much during the higher release. As a result, those fish are usually quite hot and willing to eat. Also this time of year brings large ant falls with the summer rains. Midge nymphing will still be the most productive. Size 20 and 22 gray, black, brown, and cream midge larvae, and size 22-24 gray rs2's and gray foam back emergers have been the better producers. The mosquitoes are out in force so don't forget the bug repellent! Please note; the New Mexico State Game Commission has enacted a two fly only rule for the quality waters of the San Juan. This rule will go into effect on July 1st. As a result, Game and Fish officers are starting to make their appearance on the San Jaun. They are informing fly fishers of the "two fly" rule, but also checking licenses and for barbed flies. They recommend that you completely file the barb down or risk a citation as a pinched barb may still snag the tippet that is being used to check barbs!

Rio Grande 789 cfs at Cerro; Slow: 1250 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is still a little murky and will likely remain so now that we are into our summer monsoon season. Contrary to other reports, you can pick up trout on the edges dry fly dropper style with caddis nymphs, pheasant tails, or crane fly larvae. Trout move into the shallows to feed when they can no longer see in deeper water and heavy currents. Smallmouth inhabit the eddies and can be picked up on crayfish patterns or woolly buggers on a sinking tip or sinking line. 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. There is no rafting and kayaking above John Dunn Bridge and further upstream into the gorge. 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 in dark colors.

Pecos River 89 cfs below Terrero; Very Good
The river above the village of Pecos has started to come down slowly over the past several weeks. Wading is a lot easier and a lot of the pockets are starting to reappear and there is more soft water on the edges. The stonefly hatch is pretty well done although there are a few small ones coming off up past Terrero. Caddis hatches in the afternoons are bringing up fish as well as some sporadic mayfly activity. The Pecos and most of it's tributaries were heavily stocked recently. Egg patterns, and red and chartreuse copper johns generally work on the stockers. Pmd's, red quills, tan elk hair caddis, yellow stimulators, and little yellow sallies are all working pretty much the length of the public water. 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 60 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Fair
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Currently, the flows are quite high for the Cimarron. There is less water at the western end of the park below Tolby Creek. Fishing is good to fair with hatches of golden stones, caddis, and pmd's. Flies for the Cimarron are golden stonefly nymphs, yellow stimulators, pink cahills, hares ear nymphs, Barr's emergers, and gray and olive scuds.

Jemez Mountain Streams 25 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Very Good
The bottom dropped out of the Jemez streams and runoff is over. The lower reaches of the Jemez streams can get warm and slow mid-day but they fish well mornings and evenings. The headwater streams don't slow as much mid-day, but are low and clear making a stealthy approach a challenge. Dry fly fishing with size 12-14 yellow stimulators, red quills, and small parachute adams, dennis hoppers, and yellow sallies has been excellent.

The Chama River above the village of Chama; Good: 265 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Good: 803 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 244 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow to Fair
The Chama River above the village of Chama is still a little high but has decent visibility and is coming down daily. There are caddis hatches in the afternoons and the stoneflies should be coming off any day now. The fishing is generally fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers, but the current flows are high and the water is murky. Reduced releases from Abiquiu Dam have made the Chama below it fishable, but I've had no reports from there yet. The tailwater sections usually fish best below 300 cfs. The nearby Brazos is coming down, but still a little high and murky. 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:

Conejos River 376 cfs below Platoro Reservoir, 818 cfs at Mogote; Good
July 5, 2008. "Sorry for the delay we have been on the water and fairly busy this week. The Conejos this am is right at 700 cfs and looks great. Drakes were sputtering off yesterday at around their usual time of just before high noon and we had a great couple of hours throwing a #10 Meaty Drake and they ate that with no hesitation. Green Drake nymphs before the hatch seemed to be the best bugs. Hatch was light but that should change day by day. Still alot of caddis in the air and the Goldens and Salmon flies are up higher Flows in the meadow are still perfect for nymph fishing but expect some bugs to pop up there very soon as well if not already. No good reports from there in 6 days. Still the flows up in the high country are very pushy and probobly not ready for a fly yet." Jon Harp, of Conejos River Anglers provided the preceeding report.

Rio Grande 453 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge near Creede; Good: 1460 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Good
Releases have been coming down out of Rio Grande Reservoir seemingly every other day. There is decent water clarity and the fish are feeding. Big stonefly nymphs and pheasant tails seem to be picking up the most fish on a heavily weighted leader in the deeper runs and pools. Big skated stonefly dries cast along the banks are also bringing up some good fish. There is lots of water below Wagon Wheel Gap making the river floatable all the way to South Fork.

Arkansas River 2790 cfs at Salida: Slow to Fair
Hot weather has raised the flows on the Arkansas again. Flows this morning are 309 at Leadville and 2790 in Salida. The river is returning to fishable conditions along the edges. There have been some afternoon caddis hatches above Granite and is producing a lot of bugs and good feeding activity. Size 16 black caddis dries and an olive caddis pupa have been working during the hatch. The better wading is above Lake Creek in Hayden Meadows. Fish the softer pocket water with dry fly dropper rigs. Large patterns like stimulators, hoppers, parachute madam x's, with a trailing copper johns, princes, pheasant tails, and stonefly nymphs in size #8-12.


Animas River 1770 cfs at Durango; Slow to Fair
The Animas River near Durango is still high but has good visibility. There have been lots of caddis coming off right through town. The Delores below McPhee is finally down and currently flowing at 120 cfs. The upper forks of the Delores are still a little high with runoff. Closer to Pagosa Springs, the San Juan is also still high with runoff. The Piedra has come down a lot over the past week and is getting more fishable by the day. Williams Creek also has had good fishing but has also been crowded with other area waters being high with snowmelt.

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.

It's spring time in New Mexico and water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

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

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Fly Fishing Report for Tuesday July 1, 2008

San Juan River 548 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The San Juan is at it's lowest flow in a long time. We may see a higher summer time release once spring snowmelt on the Animas is done. This is thought by many guides and anglers to be the best time to fish the Juan. A lot of fish that usually see every drift good and bad, hadn't seen much during the higher release. As a result, those fish are usually quite hot and willing to eat. Also this time of year brings large ant falls with the summer rains. Midge nymphing will still be the most productive. Size 20 and 22 gray, black, and cream midge larvae, and olive rs2's and baetis nymphs have been the better producers. The mosquitoes are out in force so don't forget the bug repellent! Please note; the New Mexico State Game Commission has enacted a two fly only rule for the quality waters of the San Juan. This rule will go into effect on July 1st. As a result, Game and Fish officers are starting to make their appearance on the San Jaun. They are informing fly fishers of the "two fly" rule, but also checking licenses and for barbed flies. They recommend that you completely file the barb down or risk a citation as a pinched barb may still snag the tippet that is being used to check barbs!

Rio Grande 984 cfs at Cerro; Slow: 1560 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky and will likely remain so for a little while. Contrary to other reports, you can pick up trout on the edges dry fly dropper style with caddis nymphs, pheasant tails, or crane fly larvae. Trout move into the shallows to feed when they can no longer see in deeper water and heavy currents. Smallmouth inhabit the eddies and can be picked up on crayfish patterns or woolly buggers on a sinking tip or sinking line. 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. There is no rafting and kayaking above John Dunn Bridge and further upstream into the gorge. 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 in dark colors.

Pecos River 106 cfs below Terrero; Very Good
The river above the village of Pecos has started to come down slowly over the past few weeks. Wading is a lot easier and a lot of the pockets are starting to reappear and there is more soft water on the edges. The stonefly hatch is pretty well done although there are a few small ones coming off up past Terrero. Caddis hatches in the afternoons are bringing up fish as well as some sporadic mayfly activity. The Pecos and most of it's tributaries were heavily stocked recently. Egg patterns, and red and chartreuse copper johns 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 60 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Currently, the flows are quite high for the Cimarron. There is less water at the western end of the park below Tolby Creek. FIshing is very good with hatches of golden stones, caddis, and pmd's. Flies for the Cimarron are golden stonefly nymphs, yellow stimulators, pink cahills, hares ear nymphs, Barr's emergers, and gray and olive scuds.

Jemez Mountain Streams 29 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Very Good
The bottom dropped out of the Jemez streams and runoff is over. The lower reaches of the Jemez streams can get warm and slow mid-day but they fish well mornings and evenings. The headwater streams don't slow as much mid-day, but are low and clear making a stealthy approach a challenge. Dry fly fishing with size 12-14 yellow stimulators, red quills, and small parachute adams, dennis hoppers, and yellow sallies has been excellent.

The Chama River above the village of Chama; Slow: 417 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Slow: 197 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 897 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
The Chama River above the village of Chama is still high but has decent visibility and is coming down daily. There are caddis hatches in the afternoons and the stoneflies should be coming off any day now. The fishing is generally fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers, and the current flows are near ideal although the water is murky. The tailwater sections usually fish best below 300 cfs. The nearby Brazos is coming down, but still high and murky. 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:

Conejos River 408 cfs below Platoro Reservoir, 1010 cfs at Mogote; Fair to Good
June 25, 2008. "All the flows on the river headed towards much better. Water clarity good everywhere. Large caddis hatches, salmon flies, and goldens starting on the lower river. Upper river very good nymphing with occasional fish taking the dry, expect all that to change very soon. Just seems like the river is about to burst with bug life and expect the fish to match the activity level of the bugs. Still mostly nymph fishing below the dam on very small midge and mayfly insects. Water flows at this time were 140 cfs at Platoro and about 900 at Mogote. The nymph fishing has been very predictable and very good on the lower with mostly stonefly nymphs. The dry fly fishing has been sporadic but we are seeing more and more fish each day looking up. Great week of weather on tap with mild daytime temps (80 or so) should continue to cook up more bugs." Jon Harp, of Conejos River Anglers provided the preceeding report. Lots of bugs on the lower river with stonflies making their first appearances and tons of caddis in the afternoons.

Rio Grande 906 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge near Creede; 1670 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap: Slow to Fair
Releases have been changing out of Rio Grande Reservoir seemingly every other day. There is decent water clarity and the fish are feeding. Big stonefly nymphs and pheasant tails seem to be picking up the most fish on a heavily weighted leader in the deeper runs and pools. There is lots of water below Wagon Wheel Gap making the river floatable all the way to South Fork.

Arkansas River 3060 cfs at Salida: Slow
Visibility has declinded although the edgewater is still rather fishable. The clarity improves above Buena Vista. Try a stimulator or PMX with a big prince or copper john dropper, or go deep into the slower holding water with a double stonefly nymph rig. Hayden Meadows stretch is a little high but there is good clarity and it is fishing fair.

Animas River 2120 cfs at Durango; Slow to Fair
The Animas River near Durango is still high but has good visibility. There have been lots of caddis coming off right through town. The Delores below McPhee is finally down and currently flowing at 120 cfs. The upper forks of the Delores are still a little high with runoff. Closer to Pagosa Springs, the San Juan is also still high with runoff. The Piedra has come down a lot over the past week and is getting more fishable by the day. Williams Creek also has had good fishing but has also been crowded with other area waters being high with snowmelt.

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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.

It's spring time in New Mexico and water and fishing condtitions are changing daily! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.

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