Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Wednesday June 9, 2010
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No High Spring Peak Release this year on the San Juan River. The latest Water Supply Forecast for Water Year 2010 has been issued and the April through July inflow into Navajo Lake is forecasted to be at 89% of normal. Given this forecast, there will not be a spring peak release this year. It's a little unfortunate that the river won't see a scouring this year and flush out some of the accumulated sand and silt. The upside is that there shouldn't be a dip in business for the San Juan guides. The high spring release often keeps anglers away despite the fact that fishing is very good during the event.
Our good friend and owner of the Enchanted Hideaway Lodge, Gretchen Lee passed away Sunday, June 6th. She was well known throughout the community of Navajo Dam and the San Juan River. She had the biggest heart and the softest spot in it was for dogs. She rescued dozens and often took in the ones no one else wanted. As a huge lover of dogs myself, Saint Gretchen will always occupy a soft spot in my heart. Those who knew this wonderful woman will surely miss her.
San Juan River 487 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
Visibilty is improving to 4 feet. The suspended moss in the current is less of a problem but, make sure to check your rig and clean off the junk. Fishing is good on #20-22 red and cream midge larva, #22-24 olive and gray midge pupa and emergers in the morning and up towards the dam all day. Afternoons below Texas Hole have been best with chocolate baetis emergers like a #22-24 foam wing, RS2, or WD40. 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!
Pecos River 276 cfs below Terrero; Good: At Villanueva State Park; Poor:
They're here!!! We're seeing them heaviest around Dalton. The hatch will proceed upriver everyday, and is up to Terrero. Remember, the first public access is at Dalton Day Use. The Pecos continues to drop in flow every day, however the water is still a bit high making wading difficult. The river has decent clarity to it and the fish are eating. Fish dry dropper rigs along the banks where there is some soft water with small stonefly nymphs. Fly choices would be twenty inchers, tungstones, pat's rubber legs, wired stones, rogue foam stones, el caminos, or sofa pillows. The summer fishing program at Pecos National Historical Park begins on June 24th. To get a fishing day on Pecos NHP, see their website at http://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/fishing.htm or call 505-757-7272. 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.
Rio Grande 987 cfs at Cerro; Slow: 1820 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Slow for smallmouth bass
The flows on the Rio Grande are trending downward. I think we've seen the peak at Pilar unless there is a monumental release out of reservoirs in Colorado. Currently they are dumping water out of Rio Grande Reservoir on the upper Rio. Once runoff is over, trout fishing will probably be slow in the warmer water temps of the Rio. Smallmouth however will eat and can be picked up on small streamers and crayfish patterns. If you're going to go for trout, try a crane fly larvae or stonelfy nymphs with a trailing caddis pupa or flashback pheasant tail. A streamer fished deep in the pockets could get you a nice trout or even a smallie or a pike!
Jemez Mountain Streams 100 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The upper streams like the East Fork just west of the Caldera, the San Antonio, the Guadalupe, and the Cebolla are still fishing well. Fish are taking dries early and late in the day. Shaded ares like the East Fork from the East Fork Trailhead down to Battleship should fish well all day. Some of the more open streeams slow during mid-day. The Valles Caldera opened up to fishing on May 22nd. Fishing has been very good on the Caldera. Go with a black beatle or cricket in the morning and swith to hopper once things warm up. They no longer have the lottery system in place there. To reserve a space, you can call, visit the website, or take a chance and walk-on before 7:00 am: See the Caldera's website at http://vallescaldera.gov/ for more details.
Cimarron River 11 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good: 40 cfs at Cimarron
Even though the dam release is above a trickle, it's Tolby Creek and a few others that are keeping the Cimarron flowing. It's brushier on the upper end, but there is more water the further east you go especially below Clear Creek. Stoneflies are also starting to pop. Golden stone nymphs, caddis pupa, black WD40's, freestones, pmx's, and fuzzy wuzzy's were reported to be the hot flies.
Jicarilla Nation Lakes
The big news is trout fishing, and both Enbom Lake and Mundo Lake have been great. Enbom Lake has been excellent for Rainbow Trout that average 8-12. These fish are mixed in with larger fish up to and over 20 inches. A young fly fisherman took quite a ride on his float tube before landing a 20 inch Rainbow. The chironomidae midges continue to hatch in good numbers at Enbom and there has been a little dry fly action in the evenings. Grasshoppers are showing up too, so you might try one in windy afternoons. The most commonly reported flies are black and brown woolly buggers but a chironomidae midge pupae should slay them. I also saw a few damselflies crawling out at Enbom Lake yesterday. Enbom still has a rusty hue, but visibility is good to 5 feet. Stone Lake is still very slow, but there have been extremely prolific hatches of damselflies, Chironomidae midges, and more recently the callibaetis mayflies. The surface water temp at all three lakes is approximately 65 degrees. Have a safe and Fun Day!!!! The preceeeding report was excerpted from the Jicarilla Nation weblog fishing report by Kevin Terry.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Poor: 547 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Slow: 316 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow to Fair: and 456 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow
Runoff is still upon the Chama, but it's waning. The river flowing into El Vado is still high. Below El Vado, you can use big nymphs with flash and sparkle, but your better off with streamers in the murky water coming out of the dam. Cover the tailouts of pools and hit the obvious seams. The stretch below Abiquiu typically doesn't fish well over the summer. Currently the release is low but water calls downstream may increase the release at any time. Even though this stretch does have some decent natural reproduction, most of the fish that get caught, get kept. 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 300 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Slow: 1570 cfs at Mogote; Slow
June 3, 2010."Seems like this moment just crept up on us. The moment where Devan and I and the guides are taking bets on which day the Stones will crawl out of the river and begin another dry fly season on the Conejos. Looks like flows and conditions should be good and we have more warm weather on the way and a descending water levels. Flows out of the dam are 154 (currently at 250 cfs)and so almost the entire upper river looks great and the fish are eating hard. Last week I guided almost every day and with only one exception the fishing was insane. I fished with Pat Blankenship for a couple of days last week when the releases were 470 out of the dam and the first braid on our lease was so high that we had to buddy cross to get over. The fishing!! He probably hooked 100 fish in 2 days of fishing. Some of the fish were eating worms so hard they had a log jam of them in there gullet and still trying to get "one more' in. It was obsene and alot of fun. A few days later the water had cleared and I had a couple of first timers and the fishing was definately more tricky. No worms eaten. So with the varying flows you must have more than one arrow in your box and be willing to find fish and discover the new item on the menu for the day because it changes and changes frequently. For those wanting to plan some fishing expect to see heavy stonefly activity for nymphing in the next several days and adults to start showing up on the 9th to the 12th or so. The Goldens should follow a week or so after. Caddis and Green Drakes the end of the month." Jon Harp of Conejos River Anglers provided the preceeding report.
Rio Grande 994 cfs below Thirty Mile Bridge; Slow: 2060 cfs below Windy Gap Slow
Releases out of Rio Grande Reservoir have been fluctuating alot, mostly on the high side and the last of spring runoff brought the flows up on the upper river above Creede. This has made the fishing below Creede really tough even though the river is floatable. The South Fork is blown out completely. Beaver Reservoir is being drained and is murking up the South Fork and consequently the lower Rio below South Fork.
Pagosa Area Piedra River 1250 cfs at Arboles; Poor: San Juan at Pagosa 1680 cfs; Poor
Flows are declining, but the area waters are still in runoff. The Piedra and San Juan are big water, and most of the smaller tribs are running high and muddy as well. I've had mixed reports that Williams Creek below the reservoir is fishable or high and muddy.
Arkansas River 2760 cfs at Granite; Slow: 3670 cfs at Salida; Poor
The river murked up. Runoff has finally hit the Arkansas. Most of the tributaries are running high. Streamers in some deeper runs may produce a fish, but it may be wiser to go somewhere else. That is until the water subsides and the stoneflies start coming off later in June. Antero Reservoir sounds like the hot spot up there.
Animas River 3720 cfs at Durango; Poor
Wow! The Animas is ripping and would make for some hairy whitewater boating right now. The water is murky and fishing is slow. Wait till runoff ends.
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 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.
No High Spring Peak Release this year on the San Juan River. The latest Water Supply Forecast for Water Year 2010 has been issued and the April through July inflow into Navajo Lake is forecasted to be at 89% of normal. Given this forecast, there will not be a spring peak release this year. It's a little unfortunate that the river won't see a scouring this year and flush out some of the accumulated sand and silt. The upside is that there shouldn't be a dip in business for the San Juan guides. The high spring release often keeps anglers away despite the fact that fishing is very good during the event.
Our good friend and owner of the Enchanted Hideaway Lodge, Gretchen Lee passed away Sunday, June 6th. She was well known throughout the community of Navajo Dam and the San Juan River. She had the biggest heart and the softest spot in it was for dogs. She rescued dozens and often took in the ones no one else wanted. As a huge lover of dogs myself, Saint Gretchen will always occupy a soft spot in my heart. Those who knew this wonderful woman will surely miss her.
San Juan River 487 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
Visibilty is improving to 4 feet. The suspended moss in the current is less of a problem but, make sure to check your rig and clean off the junk. Fishing is good on #20-22 red and cream midge larva, #22-24 olive and gray midge pupa and emergers in the morning and up towards the dam all day. Afternoons below Texas Hole have been best with chocolate baetis emergers like a #22-24 foam wing, RS2, or WD40. 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!
Pecos River 276 cfs below Terrero; Good: At Villanueva State Park; Poor:
They're here!!! We're seeing them heaviest around Dalton. The hatch will proceed upriver everyday, and is up to Terrero. Remember, the first public access is at Dalton Day Use. The Pecos continues to drop in flow every day, however the water is still a bit high making wading difficult. The river has decent clarity to it and the fish are eating. Fish dry dropper rigs along the banks where there is some soft water with small stonefly nymphs. Fly choices would be twenty inchers, tungstones, pat's rubber legs, wired stones, rogue foam stones, el caminos, or sofa pillows. The summer fishing program at Pecos National Historical Park begins on June 24th. To get a fishing day on Pecos NHP, see their website at http://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/fishing.htm or call 505-757-7272. 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.
Rio Grande 987 cfs at Cerro; Slow: 1820 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow for trout, Slow for smallmouth bass
The flows on the Rio Grande are trending downward. I think we've seen the peak at Pilar unless there is a monumental release out of reservoirs in Colorado. Currently they are dumping water out of Rio Grande Reservoir on the upper Rio. Once runoff is over, trout fishing will probably be slow in the warmer water temps of the Rio. Smallmouth however will eat and can be picked up on small streamers and crayfish patterns. If you're going to go for trout, try a crane fly larvae or stonelfy nymphs with a trailing caddis pupa or flashback pheasant tail. A streamer fished deep in the pockets could get you a nice trout or even a smallie or a pike!
Jemez Mountain Streams 100 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Good
The upper streams like the East Fork just west of the Caldera, the San Antonio, the Guadalupe, and the Cebolla are still fishing well. Fish are taking dries early and late in the day. Shaded ares like the East Fork from the East Fork Trailhead down to Battleship should fish well all day. Some of the more open streeams slow during mid-day. The Valles Caldera opened up to fishing on May 22nd. Fishing has been very good on the Caldera. Go with a black beatle or cricket in the morning and swith to hopper once things warm up. They no longer have the lottery system in place there. To reserve a space, you can call, visit the website, or take a chance and walk-on before 7:00 am: See the Caldera's website at http://vallescaldera.gov/ for more details.
Cimarron River 11 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good: 40 cfs at Cimarron
Even though the dam release is above a trickle, it's Tolby Creek and a few others that are keeping the Cimarron flowing. It's brushier on the upper end, but there is more water the further east you go especially below Clear Creek. Stoneflies are also starting to pop. Golden stone nymphs, caddis pupa, black WD40's, freestones, pmx's, and fuzzy wuzzy's were reported to be the hot flies.
Jicarilla Nation Lakes
The big news is trout fishing, and both Enbom Lake and Mundo Lake have been great. Enbom Lake has been excellent for Rainbow Trout that average 8-12. These fish are mixed in with larger fish up to and over 20 inches. A young fly fisherman took quite a ride on his float tube before landing a 20 inch Rainbow. The chironomidae midges continue to hatch in good numbers at Enbom and there has been a little dry fly action in the evenings. Grasshoppers are showing up too, so you might try one in windy afternoons. The most commonly reported flies are black and brown woolly buggers but a chironomidae midge pupae should slay them. I also saw a few damselflies crawling out at Enbom Lake yesterday. Enbom still has a rusty hue, but visibility is good to 5 feet. Stone Lake is still very slow, but there have been extremely prolific hatches of damselflies, Chironomidae midges, and more recently the callibaetis mayflies. The surface water temp at all three lakes is approximately 65 degrees. Have a safe and Fun Day!!!! The preceeeding report was excerpted from the Jicarilla Nation weblog fishing report by Kevin Terry.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Poor: 547 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Slow: 316 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow to Fair: and 456 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow
Runoff is still upon the Chama, but it's waning. The river flowing into El Vado is still high. Below El Vado, you can use big nymphs with flash and sparkle, but your better off with streamers in the murky water coming out of the dam. Cover the tailouts of pools and hit the obvious seams. The stretch below Abiquiu typically doesn't fish well over the summer. Currently the release is low but water calls downstream may increase the release at any time. Even though this stretch does have some decent natural reproduction, most of the fish that get caught, get kept. 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 300 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Slow: 1570 cfs at Mogote; Slow
June 3, 2010."Seems like this moment just crept up on us. The moment where Devan and I and the guides are taking bets on which day the Stones will crawl out of the river and begin another dry fly season on the Conejos. Looks like flows and conditions should be good and we have more warm weather on the way and a descending water levels. Flows out of the dam are 154 (currently at 250 cfs)and so almost the entire upper river looks great and the fish are eating hard. Last week I guided almost every day and with only one exception the fishing was insane. I fished with Pat Blankenship for a couple of days last week when the releases were 470 out of the dam and the first braid on our lease was so high that we had to buddy cross to get over. The fishing!! He probably hooked 100 fish in 2 days of fishing. Some of the fish were eating worms so hard they had a log jam of them in there gullet and still trying to get "one more' in. It was obsene and alot of fun. A few days later the water had cleared and I had a couple of first timers and the fishing was definately more tricky. No worms eaten. So with the varying flows you must have more than one arrow in your box and be willing to find fish and discover the new item on the menu for the day because it changes and changes frequently. For those wanting to plan some fishing expect to see heavy stonefly activity for nymphing in the next several days and adults to start showing up on the 9th to the 12th or so. The Goldens should follow a week or so after. Caddis and Green Drakes the end of the month." Jon Harp of Conejos River Anglers provided the preceeding report.
Rio Grande 994 cfs below Thirty Mile Bridge; Slow: 2060 cfs below Windy Gap Slow
Releases out of Rio Grande Reservoir have been fluctuating alot, mostly on the high side and the last of spring runoff brought the flows up on the upper river above Creede. This has made the fishing below Creede really tough even though the river is floatable. The South Fork is blown out completely. Beaver Reservoir is being drained and is murking up the South Fork and consequently the lower Rio below South Fork.
Pagosa Area Piedra River 1250 cfs at Arboles; Poor: San Juan at Pagosa 1680 cfs; Poor
Flows are declining, but the area waters are still in runoff. The Piedra and San Juan are big water, and most of the smaller tribs are running high and muddy as well. I've had mixed reports that Williams Creek below the reservoir is fishable or high and muddy.
Arkansas River 2760 cfs at Granite; Slow: 3670 cfs at Salida; Poor
The river murked up. Runoff has finally hit the Arkansas. Most of the tributaries are running high. Streamers in some deeper runs may produce a fish, but it may be wiser to go somewhere else. That is until the water subsides and the stoneflies start coming off later in June. Antero Reservoir sounds like the hot spot up there.
Animas River 3720 cfs at Durango; Poor
Wow! The Animas is ripping and would make for some hairy whitewater boating right now. The water is murky and fishing is slow. Wait till runoff ends.
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 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 Wednesday, June 09, 2010
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