Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Sunday June 7, 2009
Learn more about Aquatic Invasive Species at www.protectyourwaters.net
Pecos River approximately 183 cfs below Terrero; Good
The river is still a little high but coming down in flow more and more every day signaling the end of runoff. Fish the edges next to the bank or any obvious seams or pockets. Smaller or unweighted stonefly patterns and a trailing pheasant tail drifted then fished on the swing at the end of your drift is what's working. Stonelies have been out for a week already and are up to Terrero. Work your dry fly. Skate it, hop it,swing it, smack it, to get them to come up top. Rogue foam stones, Candy Corns, Clarks Slamon Fly will do as well as a buggy stone or peacock biot stone nymph as a dropper. Don't be a poacher! Please respect all of the landowners along the Pecos and stay out of all posted private waters. Please report anyone over harvesting fish or poaching to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.
San Juan River 5140 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The High Spring Release for the San Juan is happening now. The river hit 5000 cfs on Monday June 1st. It will stay at 5000 for a week and ramp back down by 500 cfs per day starting tomorrow Monday June 8th. You can fish some places safely during the higher flows, just be smart and careful, and seek professional advice from the local San Juan shops and guides. Generally it's time to fish junk. We're talking worms, eggs, and leeches; anything that is big enough to get the fish's attention when the water is turbid. Bump up the size of your trailing midge and baetis nymphs as well. Streamers fished in the beaver ponds has also saved me a skunking when I couldn't hit the more productive water during the high release. Fishing the drop can be very good as well and I find the river near perfect at 2000 cfs. There is a two fly only rule for the quality waters of the San Juan. This rule went into effect on July 1st. Game and Fish officers have been heavy handed and are checking people for licenses, barbless flies, and the number of flies on your rig! File those barbs or go barbless, as the fines are steep!
Jicarilla Nation Lakes; Good for trout
Fishing at Stone Lake is still your best bet at fish over twenty inches. Damsel nymphs seem to be the ticket right now as well as some dry dly action on calibaetis. Takes are very light so try a slow hand twist retrieve to remain in constant contact with your flies. Take caution on the windy days if you are in a boat. Enbom is more protected from wind than Stone. Catching in general has been better here. There have been good calibaetis hatches there as well mid-day. Damsel nymphs are producing very well here also.
Rio Grande 961 cfs at Cerro; Slow: 1410 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky and the flows are going up again. It's most likely from a two day high release out of Platoro Reservoir but should trend downward as the release was lowered this morning. Smallmouth eat crayfish patterns and wooly buggers in the eddies and you can pick out some trout in the tailouts of larger runs or in the pockets. The rafting and kayaking traffic is dimishing. 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. Cover the deeper slower runs and change flies frequently to see which ones trigger a strike.
Cimarron River 7.4 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Although the release is low, the tributaries are still flowing well so there is enough water in the Cimarron. There are golden stone and baetis hatches. PMD's or Ginger duns will be adding to the mix soon. Flies for the Cimarron are PMD's caddis, yellow sallies, scuds, hares ear nymphs, and Barr's PMD emergers. Coyote Creek State Park, somewhat near the Cimarron continues to fish well.
Jemez Mountain Streams 42 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The bottom dropped out of the smaller streams of the Jemez Mountains. Flows are near summer levels and they are fishing well. The Cebolla, the East Fork, and the San Antonio are nymphing well with a dry and a dropper with size 14-18 prince nymphs, pheasant tails, and black or blue copper johns are the tactics. Forest Road 376 to the San Antonio hot springs is open. The Guadalupe is wadeable and the stonefly hatch is up on the de las Vacas above Porter's Landing.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Slow to Fair: 483 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Slow to Fair: 843 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 1630 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
The Chama River upstream of Tierra Amarilla is fishing slow and the flows are still high. Runoff is waning but it'll be a week or two to be wadeable, so keep checking the reports. Stoneflies are off upstream of El Vado. Wading is very tough but flows are dropping rapidly and it should be on fire this next week. Also, check the flows before you make that drive to one of the tailwaters. The fishing is generally fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers. The release is back up for the moment, and the water is murky coming out of the dam. Wading is generally difficult at these flows. Cover the tailouts of pools and hit the obvious seams. Releases from Abiquiu Dam are quite high for safe wading, and the water looks like liquid sand. Releases here fluctuate greatly depending on irrigation need and municipal water supplies so it's best to find someplace else to fish most of the summer. Baetis nymphs, midges, and crane fly larva are the usual flies for the Chama below Abiquiu. Even though this stretch does have some decent natural reproduction, most of the fish that get caught, get kept. The tailwater sections usually fish best below 300 cfs. The best fishing here is up on the lake for smallmouth and walleye from the shore. 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 354 cfs below Platoro, 1260 cfs at Mogote; Fair to Good
May 28, 2009. "Wow the lower Conejos is now under 900 with excellent water clarity by the end of May?! Not sure what to take of that but for now it is good. No longer neccesary to drive all the way up unless you want a gorgeous drive. Flows out of the dam continue to be around 50 cfs and fishing on the entire upper river system is good. Stoneflies on the lower river with a #16 Hares ear or SJ Worm are a great option. The upper river sllightly different but fish some midge / annelid patterns close to the dam. The La Jara and Lake Fork are perfect right now and expect the Los Pinos to look good very soon. Sanchez, Trujillo Meadows, and La Jara Reservoir as well as the hike in lakes are great right now. Try something different and check them out." Jon Harp of Conejos River Anglers provided the preceding report. The Los Pinos is still high, but clear. It's fishable but just barely. The release out of Platoro went up Friday only to come back down a little today. Anything over 175 cfs puts the Pinnacles and some portions of the meadows out of play. I'm guessing that stoneflies could become more abundant here this wee or early next. Keep checking.
Arkansas River 1580 cfs below Granite; Good: 1940 cfs at Salida; Fair
Flows are down with the cooler weather. Fishing from Brown's Canyon to Buena Vista has been great on big dries and stonefly droppers or double nymph rigs fished tight to the banks or in the deeper holes. Caddis continue to hatch each afternoon from Granite upstream. Visibility is better the further upstream, but fishing the edges around Salida can pick you up some fish.
Animas River 1730 cfs at Durango; Slow to Fair
The Animas is coming down slowly and we'll see better fishing conditions here soon. Stonefly nymphs with a trailing midge or pheasant tail drifted and swung along the banks will pick up some fish. The release on the Delores below McPhee has been reduced futher to 77 cfs. While not as perfect of a flow for the "D", fish it now before the aquatic vegetation grows too high.
Pagosa Area: Piedra River 699 cfs at Arboles; Slow to Good: San Juan River 966 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Fair
There is generally a two to three week longer duration of runoff in southern Colorado than we see here locally in New Mexico. The Pagosa area streams are still high, but coming down quick. Streamers fished in the softer water may pick you up a few fish on the mian stem San Juan and lower Piedra. Good reports on Williams Creek below the dam and some stoneflies on the Piedra just below Williams Creek confluence, even though it is still a little high.
Rio Grande 691 cfs at Creede; Slow to Fair: 1650 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Slow to Fair
Releases out of Rio Grande Reservoir are all over the place, but despite that, waning runoff has made much of the river more fishable to the wading angler. The flows are high so do be careful. This is another place to put on your radar as the salmon fly hatch is just beginning below South Fork. The South Fork of the Rio Grande seems to have the areas best fishing right now. The PMD hatch and Green Drake hatch will be a couple of weeks away. We'll keep you posted so keep checking the reports.
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 runoff time in New Mexico and water and fishing condtitions are changing frequently! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.
For the most current stream flows, see our links page and click on New Mexico Stream Flows.
Pecos River approximately 183 cfs below Terrero; Good
The river is still a little high but coming down in flow more and more every day signaling the end of runoff. Fish the edges next to the bank or any obvious seams or pockets. Smaller or unweighted stonefly patterns and a trailing pheasant tail drifted then fished on the swing at the end of your drift is what's working. Stonelies have been out for a week already and are up to Terrero. Work your dry fly. Skate it, hop it,swing it, smack it, to get them to come up top. Rogue foam stones, Candy Corns, Clarks Slamon Fly will do as well as a buggy stone or peacock biot stone nymph as a dropper. Don't be a poacher! Please respect all of the landowners along the Pecos and stay out of all posted private waters. Please report anyone over harvesting fish or poaching to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.
San Juan River 5140 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The High Spring Release for the San Juan is happening now. The river hit 5000 cfs on Monday June 1st. It will stay at 5000 for a week and ramp back down by 500 cfs per day starting tomorrow Monday June 8th. You can fish some places safely during the higher flows, just be smart and careful, and seek professional advice from the local San Juan shops and guides. Generally it's time to fish junk. We're talking worms, eggs, and leeches; anything that is big enough to get the fish's attention when the water is turbid. Bump up the size of your trailing midge and baetis nymphs as well. Streamers fished in the beaver ponds has also saved me a skunking when I couldn't hit the more productive water during the high release. Fishing the drop can be very good as well and I find the river near perfect at 2000 cfs. There is a two fly only rule for the quality waters of the San Juan. This rule went into effect on July 1st. Game and Fish officers have been heavy handed and are checking people for licenses, barbless flies, and the number of flies on your rig! File those barbs or go barbless, as the fines are steep!
Jicarilla Nation Lakes; Good for trout
Fishing at Stone Lake is still your best bet at fish over twenty inches. Damsel nymphs seem to be the ticket right now as well as some dry dly action on calibaetis. Takes are very light so try a slow hand twist retrieve to remain in constant contact with your flies. Take caution on the windy days if you are in a boat. Enbom is more protected from wind than Stone. Catching in general has been better here. There have been good calibaetis hatches there as well mid-day. Damsel nymphs are producing very well here also.
Rio Grande 961 cfs at Cerro; Slow: 1410 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is murky and the flows are going up again. It's most likely from a two day high release out of Platoro Reservoir but should trend downward as the release was lowered this morning. Smallmouth eat crayfish patterns and wooly buggers in the eddies and you can pick out some trout in the tailouts of larger runs or in the pockets. The rafting and kayaking traffic is dimishing. 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. Cover the deeper slower runs and change flies frequently to see which ones trigger a strike.
Cimarron River 7.4 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good
The Cimarron River is dam controlled for the most part by Eagle Nest dam. Although the release is low, the tributaries are still flowing well so there is enough water in the Cimarron. There are golden stone and baetis hatches. PMD's or Ginger duns will be adding to the mix soon. Flies for the Cimarron are PMD's caddis, yellow sallies, scuds, hares ear nymphs, and Barr's PMD emergers. Coyote Creek State Park, somewhat near the Cimarron continues to fish well.
Jemez Mountain Streams 42 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The bottom dropped out of the smaller streams of the Jemez Mountains. Flows are near summer levels and they are fishing well. The Cebolla, the East Fork, and the San Antonio are nymphing well with a dry and a dropper with size 14-18 prince nymphs, pheasant tails, and black or blue copper johns are the tactics. Forest Road 376 to the San Antonio hot springs is open. The Guadalupe is wadeable and the stonefly hatch is up on the de las Vacas above Porter's Landing.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Slow to Fair: 483 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Slow to Fair: 843 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 1630 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
The Chama River upstream of Tierra Amarilla is fishing slow and the flows are still high. Runoff is waning but it'll be a week or two to be wadeable, so keep checking the reports. Stoneflies are off upstream of El Vado. Wading is very tough but flows are dropping rapidly and it should be on fire this next week. Also, check the flows before you make that drive to one of the tailwaters. The fishing is generally fair below El Vado using big nymphs with flash and sparkle or streamers. The release is back up for the moment, and the water is murky coming out of the dam. Wading is generally difficult at these flows. Cover the tailouts of pools and hit the obvious seams. Releases from Abiquiu Dam are quite high for safe wading, and the water looks like liquid sand. Releases here fluctuate greatly depending on irrigation need and municipal water supplies so it's best to find someplace else to fish most of the summer. Baetis nymphs, midges, and crane fly larva are the usual flies for the Chama below Abiquiu. Even though this stretch does have some decent natural reproduction, most of the fish that get caught, get kept. The tailwater sections usually fish best below 300 cfs. The best fishing here is up on the lake for smallmouth and walleye from the shore. 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 354 cfs below Platoro, 1260 cfs at Mogote; Fair to Good
May 28, 2009. "Wow the lower Conejos is now under 900 with excellent water clarity by the end of May?! Not sure what to take of that but for now it is good. No longer neccesary to drive all the way up unless you want a gorgeous drive. Flows out of the dam continue to be around 50 cfs and fishing on the entire upper river system is good. Stoneflies on the lower river with a #16 Hares ear or SJ Worm are a great option. The upper river sllightly different but fish some midge / annelid patterns close to the dam. The La Jara and Lake Fork are perfect right now and expect the Los Pinos to look good very soon. Sanchez, Trujillo Meadows, and La Jara Reservoir as well as the hike in lakes are great right now. Try something different and check them out." Jon Harp of Conejos River Anglers provided the preceding report. The Los Pinos is still high, but clear. It's fishable but just barely. The release out of Platoro went up Friday only to come back down a little today. Anything over 175 cfs puts the Pinnacles and some portions of the meadows out of play. I'm guessing that stoneflies could become more abundant here this wee or early next. Keep checking.
Arkansas River 1580 cfs below Granite; Good: 1940 cfs at Salida; Fair
Flows are down with the cooler weather. Fishing from Brown's Canyon to Buena Vista has been great on big dries and stonefly droppers or double nymph rigs fished tight to the banks or in the deeper holes. Caddis continue to hatch each afternoon from Granite upstream. Visibility is better the further upstream, but fishing the edges around Salida can pick you up some fish.
Animas River 1730 cfs at Durango; Slow to Fair
The Animas is coming down slowly and we'll see better fishing conditions here soon. Stonefly nymphs with a trailing midge or pheasant tail drifted and swung along the banks will pick up some fish. The release on the Delores below McPhee has been reduced futher to 77 cfs. While not as perfect of a flow for the "D", fish it now before the aquatic vegetation grows too high.
Pagosa Area: Piedra River 699 cfs at Arboles; Slow to Good: San Juan River 966 cfs at Pagosa Springs; Fair
There is generally a two to three week longer duration of runoff in southern Colorado than we see here locally in New Mexico. The Pagosa area streams are still high, but coming down quick. Streamers fished in the softer water may pick you up a few fish on the mian stem San Juan and lower Piedra. Good reports on Williams Creek below the dam and some stoneflies on the Piedra just below Williams Creek confluence, even though it is still a little high.
Rio Grande 691 cfs at Creede; Slow to Fair: 1650 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Slow to Fair
Releases out of Rio Grande Reservoir are all over the place, but despite that, waning runoff has made much of the river more fishable to the wading angler. The flows are high so do be careful. This is another place to put on your radar as the salmon fly hatch is just beginning below South Fork. The South Fork of the Rio Grande seems to have the areas best fishing right now. The PMD hatch and Green Drake hatch will be a couple of weeks away. We'll keep you posted so keep checking the reports.
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 runoff time in New Mexico and water and fishing condtitions are changing frequently! Please CALL the fly shop for the latest in stream flows and water conditions.
For the most current stream flows, see our links page and click on New Mexico Stream Flows.
posted by High Desert Angler at Sunday, June 07, 2009
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