Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Saturday March 20, 2010
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Charette and Clayton Lakes opened on Monday March 1st. Both of these are trout lakes and will fish slow provided there is open water. I'll post reports as they come in. Bluewater Lake will open later this spring.. Trout fishing will probably be slow here as well, but the tiger muskies should produce some action once the ice is off. I have no reports if any of these lakes are ice-free. Typically they are covered by a layer of thin unsafe ice. If any one goes, let me know what the conditions are and how you did.
Pecos River below Terrero; Slow: At Villanueva State Park; Slow
The upper Pecos has some open water, but water temps are in the mid to high thirties and fishing is a little on the slow side. Big golden stonefly nymphs and small dark nymphs presented close to the bottom in the deeper runs is the way to go. 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 481 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
Visibilty on the river is still around to 2-3 feet. Fishing is good on the usual midge fare. Red, cream, orange, gray and olive larva size 18-24, midge pupa in olive and gray size 22-24, along with black or olive bunny leeches. Blue winged olives have been coming off with the stormy weather. Gray, olive or chocolate RS2's, johnny flashes and foam wing emergers size 22-24 from 11:00am to 5:00 pm have been producing. Fish the deeper slower runs especially after a very cold night. Some of the smaller fish have been eating blue wings off of the surface. Gray CDC biot BWO's and Furimsky's BWO BDE's were the hot surface flies There is a two fly only rule for the quality waters of the San Juan. Also, the Special Trout Water section is all catch and release. If you see someone in violation, turn them into Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263. Officers have been 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!
Rio Grande 633 cfs at Cerro; Slow: 759 cfs at Pilar; Fair for pike, Slow for trout, Poor for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande has come up in flow and the water is a little muked up with 12-18" of visibility. Crane fly larvae, stonelfy nymphs, and caddis larva on a long nymph rig picked up a few for one of our guides scouting at Pilar. Start tying your flies, working on your excuse to your boss, and be ready for the caddis to come off! Pike fishing, or I should say catching, has been a little slow. I think it may be due to pressure and it might be time to explore and find a new honey hole. Pike hunt by feel and they'll take large streamers that move water regardless of water clarity, just be sure to cover the water thoroughly. Cover the deep, slower runs and change flies frequently to see which ones trigger a strike.
Jemez Mountain Streams above Jemez Pueblo; Slow to Fair
The lower streams like the East Fork above Battleship Rock and the main stem Jemez have more water and are fishing fair from mid-day on. Forest Road 376 is closed limiting access on the Guadalupe.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Poor: below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Slow: 135 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow to Fair: and 164 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Fair
The fishing was slow below El Vado, but may pick up with warmer weather and an increase in the release out of the dam. You can use big nymphs with flash and sparkle, but your better off with streamers. Cover the tailouts of pools and hit the obvious seams. The release out of Abiquiu is at a decent level and fishing is slow to fair. It seem that all of the fishing pressure over the winter is taking it's toll and fishing has slowed. 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 Chama River above El Vado and below Abiquiu are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. The density of fish is very low there and is not stocked. Please report anyone over harvesting here to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.
In Southern Colorado:
Arkansas River 60 cfs at Granite; Poor: 202 cfs at Salida; Slow to Fair
Fishing has picked up near Salida. This time of year is about the blue winged olive hatches. The fish are moving out of their winter lies in the deeper pools and coming up into the riffles to feed. They tend to be there during cloud cover and bad weather. Baetis nymphs and emergers worked in the shallow water has been the ticket. Big stone fly nymphs with a size 20 black midge pupa can still be another productive set up.
Animas River 235 cfs at Durango; Fair
The Animas is fairly clear and fishing fair. A weighted nymphs with a trailing midge or pheasant tail drifted tight to the bottom will pick up some fish. Baetis should begin coming off during cloudy weather. Look for them in the riffles. Some good streamer fishing early morning or at dusk.
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 early spring in New Mexico and water and fishing condtitions can change with the weather! 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.
Charette and Clayton Lakes opened on Monday March 1st. Both of these are trout lakes and will fish slow provided there is open water. I'll post reports as they come in. Bluewater Lake will open later this spring.. Trout fishing will probably be slow here as well, but the tiger muskies should produce some action once the ice is off. I have no reports if any of these lakes are ice-free. Typically they are covered by a layer of thin unsafe ice. If any one goes, let me know what the conditions are and how you did.
Pecos River below Terrero; Slow: At Villanueva State Park; Slow
The upper Pecos has some open water, but water temps are in the mid to high thirties and fishing is a little on the slow side. Big golden stonefly nymphs and small dark nymphs presented close to the bottom in the deeper runs is the way to go. 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 481 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
Visibilty on the river is still around to 2-3 feet. Fishing is good on the usual midge fare. Red, cream, orange, gray and olive larva size 18-24, midge pupa in olive and gray size 22-24, along with black or olive bunny leeches. Blue winged olives have been coming off with the stormy weather. Gray, olive or chocolate RS2's, johnny flashes and foam wing emergers size 22-24 from 11:00am to 5:00 pm have been producing. Fish the deeper slower runs especially after a very cold night. Some of the smaller fish have been eating blue wings off of the surface. Gray CDC biot BWO's and Furimsky's BWO BDE's were the hot surface flies There is a two fly only rule for the quality waters of the San Juan. Also, the Special Trout Water section is all catch and release. If you see someone in violation, turn them into Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263. Officers have been 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!
Rio Grande 633 cfs at Cerro; Slow: 759 cfs at Pilar; Fair for pike, Slow for trout, Poor for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande has come up in flow and the water is a little muked up with 12-18" of visibility. Crane fly larvae, stonelfy nymphs, and caddis larva on a long nymph rig picked up a few for one of our guides scouting at Pilar. Start tying your flies, working on your excuse to your boss, and be ready for the caddis to come off! Pike fishing, or I should say catching, has been a little slow. I think it may be due to pressure and it might be time to explore and find a new honey hole. Pike hunt by feel and they'll take large streamers that move water regardless of water clarity, just be sure to cover the water thoroughly. Cover the deep, slower runs and change flies frequently to see which ones trigger a strike.
Jemez Mountain Streams above Jemez Pueblo; Slow to Fair
The lower streams like the East Fork above Battleship Rock and the main stem Jemez have more water and are fishing fair from mid-day on. Forest Road 376 is closed limiting access on the Guadalupe.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Poor: below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Slow: 135 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow to Fair: and 164 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Fair
The fishing was slow below El Vado, but may pick up with warmer weather and an increase in the release out of the dam. You can use big nymphs with flash and sparkle, but your better off with streamers. Cover the tailouts of pools and hit the obvious seams. The release out of Abiquiu is at a decent level and fishing is slow to fair. It seem that all of the fishing pressure over the winter is taking it's toll and fishing has slowed. 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 Chama River above El Vado and below Abiquiu are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. The density of fish is very low there and is not stocked. Please report anyone over harvesting here to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.
In Southern Colorado:
Arkansas River 60 cfs at Granite; Poor: 202 cfs at Salida; Slow to Fair
Fishing has picked up near Salida. This time of year is about the blue winged olive hatches. The fish are moving out of their winter lies in the deeper pools and coming up into the riffles to feed. They tend to be there during cloud cover and bad weather. Baetis nymphs and emergers worked in the shallow water has been the ticket. Big stone fly nymphs with a size 20 black midge pupa can still be another productive set up.
Animas River 235 cfs at Durango; Fair
The Animas is fairly clear and fishing fair. A weighted nymphs with a trailing midge or pheasant tail drifted tight to the bottom will pick up some fish. Baetis should begin coming off during cloudy weather. Look for them in the riffles. Some good streamer fishing early morning or at dusk.
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 early spring in New Mexico and water and fishing condtitions can change with the weather! 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 Saturday, March 20, 2010
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