Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Thursday July 8, 2010
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The Rio Costilla 54 cfs below Costilla Reservoir; Very Good
The flows are absolutely ideal right now! I've already had a couple of good reports for the Costilla and Shuree Ponds. The Valle Vidal unit of the Carson National Forest opened Thursday July 1st. This area is truly a scenic gem for New Mexico. It's loaded with elk, bison, and turkey, but it usually draws people for the fishing. The Rio Costilla is one place you can reliably catch a Rio Grande Cutthroat and Shuree Ponds are known for it's large rainbows. The stream is dry fly fishing at it's best. High riding attractor like PMX's and Aerial Assault's, and yellow sallies and caddis flies work very well on those quick striking cutties. Take damsel nymphs and some aquatic snail patterns for the lunkers at Shuree. All of the streams in the Valle Vidal are no kill. The bag limit for Shuree is only 2 fish over 15 inches. Please report anyone breaking thes rules to New Mexico Game and Fish at 800-432-4263 or the Forest Service at 575-586-0520.
San Juan River 1060 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The release is up below Navajo Dam as flows have declined on the Animas. The extra flow makes for better boat fishing and hopefully spreads some of the angler out. There are reports of PMD's and caddis on the lower river. There ahs been one ant fall but it was rather week and it will probably take a good downpour to get it going. From Texas Hole up to the Cable, fishing is good on #24-24 olive, gray, black, or brown midge pupa and larva in the morning and up towards the dam all day. Afternoons below Texas Hole have been best with olive or gray baetis emergers like a #22 foam wing, RS2, or WD40. The baetis are active from 11:00 am to about 5:00 pm. It's back to the black midge larva after 5. The mosquitoes are out, so be prepared! 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 89 cfs below Terrero; Good: At Villanueva State Park; Poor:
The river is a little murky with the best clarity above Dalton Canyon. River wide, there are caddis hatches, PMD's, yellow sallies, especially up high, and some gray drakes coming off about mid-day. Western March Browns, or Rithrogenia mayflies are starting their emergence as well. This is some of the best in dry fly fishing on the Pecos. Remember, the first public access is at Dalton Day Use. Fly choices would be anato-mays, hares ears, red quills, headlight sallies, neversink caddis, and extended body PMD's. The summer fishing program at Pecos National Historical Park began 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 136 cfs at Cerro; Fair: 344 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is at it's summer flow. Trout fishing at Pilar is fair early or late in the day or better most of the day up in the gorge where there is more spring inflow and cooler water. Smallmouth, however will eat during the heat of the day 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 stonefly 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 18 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 fishing fairly 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 streams slow during mid-day. As far as flies go, try a black cricket, small neversink caddis, headlight sallies, and PMD's, or go to a red legged hopper in the afternoons. The South Fork Fire is not affecting any of the waters we typically fish in the Jemez Mountains. The Valles Caldera is open to fishing. 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 36 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good: 33 cfs at Cimarron
Finally we have more water in the stream. It's brushier on the upper end, but there is more open water the further east you go especially below Clear Creek. PMD's 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. The Red River around the corner is pretty much done with runoff and is fishing well as is the Rio Costilla outside the Valle Vidal boundary.
Jicarilla Nation Lakes
Enbom Lake has been hit or miss. The Rainbows have been quite active lately chasing adult damselflies throughout the day. On average, the best action has been in the mornings and evenings. The water temps are in the high 60’s so if you are practicing catch and release please land and release the fish as soon as possible, and avoid placing them in weedy areas if you can. Enbom Lake is the first stop for the weed harvester and we will hopefully be at it by Thursday (7/1) afternoon. Float tubes and boats will help you avoid the weeds, but they are getting pretty thick. Stone Lake has had its first confirmed catch reported in weeks. This big Bow measured 23 inches and had the typical Stone Lake body type, in other words, it was FAT! That was the one and only report this week. The preceeeding report was excerpted from the Jicarilla Nation weblog fishing report by Kevin Terry.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Good: 48 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Good: 782 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow to Fair: and 790 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow
Runoff is finally done on the Chama. The river flowing into El Vado is perfect. I'm not sure of clarity, but I'd hit it now! This section of river warms alot in mid summer from irrigation return so don't wait. 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 typically fish well over the summer. Currently the release is moderate and fairly clear 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.
Off The Beaten Path Abiquiu Lake
Water temps have finally reached a point where the bass fishing has really picked up. They can be caught at this time of year right from the shore. The best time of day to catch them on poppers, a bass fishing dry fly basically, is in the morning. Get there at day break when the water is the most calm. Cast your poppers right at the submerged trees just off of the shore. They'll often give you a second chance if you blow your first hook set. Around 11:00 am or so when the sun is high and it's getting warm, switch to a subsurface pattern like a clouser minnow. Again, work the trees and be prepared to lose a few flies. The southern side of the lake has alot of submerged trees and can be accessed from NM Highway 96. Find a pullout and hike down to the lake. Another good spot is to walk north of the boat ramp and fish off of the ledges as you go. There are some coves with a lot off trees in the water. Sometimes you can get a carp to eat in there as well. Stay within the high water mark as there is some private land along the northeast shore. I love going to a place like this when I can't find enough room to cast on my favorite trout stream. It's a perfect place to fish when you have those afternoon honeydo's. I'll get there early and enjoy the sunrise. I'll fish hard until 9 or 10, then swim the dogs and headout as the powerboat crowd shows up.
In Southern Colorado:
Conejos River 207 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Good: 281 cfs at Mogote; Good
July 7, 2010. "We get alot of calls right now asking "What are they bitin' on?" and "How's the fishin'?" well that is our job to answer those but after another week guiding it hits me there are a couple of answers to "How's the fishin'?" Both fantastic and tough. Skill level, whether you are fishing with a guide or not and which part of the drainage you are fishing in has a huge part in your success. After being out on a few guide trips I have observed that the client fishing with the guide catches about 85% of the fish. I would also say that 10% of the fisherman catch 90% of the fish. If you feel like you are one of the 90 then I would say take a few dollars and split a guide with a buddy and see how this is happening. For almost the entire year starting in late March we have been consistently catching fish and on average bigger fish. Its just that we are constantly changing where, how, and when to do so. With that said I have been up higher for the most part this week and have run into alot of stones of several varieties as well as sparse hatches of Drakes. Most of the fish we have caught have been on dries. Yesterday a client I was fishing with occasionally deemed a fish to be a "guide fish" because of the difficulty of the cast and had a chance to land a male cutt that was just under 20" on a #6 Salmonfly. He was under a tree in the tree roots and came out and sipped it so slow I almost did not wait long enough for him to get it. Several days ago I guided down by the shop and ran into a beautiful Drake hatch that lasted a few hours and alot of larger browns ate hard during that time. Alot of fish in some really fast water that day until the hatch dropped off and all of a sudden there were big fish in lazy edges in the shade and they crushed a G String worm for another hour until they vanished at about 3:00. The river is very buggy right now and so just expect good opportunities to land bigger fish on dries."Jon Harp of Conejos River Anglers provided the preceeding report.
Rio Grande 91 cfs below Thirty Mile Bridge; Fair: 312 cfs below Windy Gap; Fair
Releases out of Rio Grande Reservoir have been steady for over two weeks now. Currently the flows are fairly low and the upper river is very fishable. It' sounds like the best fishing is below Creede to South Fork. Lots of caddis river wide and brown stones and green and gray drakes moving upstream of South Fork every day. Nymph fishing with stoneflies, caddis and drake nymphs has been good. Rainfall over the weekend has reduced the visibility, but should improve unless the area sees more rain.
Pagosa Area Piedra River 104 cfs at Arboles; Slow: San Juan at Pagosa 160 cfs; Slow
Flows are way down on the Piedra and fishing is good. The upper forks and the Williams are fishing great with alot of dry fly action on big stones. The San Juan in town is fishing very well. The East Fork of the San Juan as well as Turkey and Fourmile are lower and fishing well. Take a box full of PMD's, golden sotones, neversink caddis, and a few nitro caddis pupa and double bead golden nymphs for a droppper set up. Or swing that caddis dropper at the end of your drift and hang on!
Arkansas River 455 cfs at Granite; Good: 767 cfs at Salida; Good
The river is dropping fast opening more possibilities along the Ark. Above Buena Vista, it's all about caddis although the plae morning duns are starting to emerge, The are tight to the bank so fish along the edges. At Hayden Meadows, try hoppers, yellow sallies, and small caddis. The water is low and clear so use some stealth. Around Salida, PMD's are emerging but the fish are taking most of them below the suface. Lotas of caddis here as well with the best action in the afternoons. Antero Reservoir continues to fish very well.
Animas River 476 cfs at Durango; Good
The Animas is dropping in flow and has some clarity the fishing is good. Lots of caddis around as well as golden stones and PMD's. Best fishing is in the afternoons, especially for dry fly action. Don't forget to try a swinging caddis pupa!
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 summer 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.
For the most current fire information go to http://nmfireinfo.wordpress.com/
Click on Public Lands Information Center from our links page for a list of fire restrictions or closures.
The Rio Costilla 54 cfs below Costilla Reservoir; Very Good
The flows are absolutely ideal right now! I've already had a couple of good reports for the Costilla and Shuree Ponds. The Valle Vidal unit of the Carson National Forest opened Thursday July 1st. This area is truly a scenic gem for New Mexico. It's loaded with elk, bison, and turkey, but it usually draws people for the fishing. The Rio Costilla is one place you can reliably catch a Rio Grande Cutthroat and Shuree Ponds are known for it's large rainbows. The stream is dry fly fishing at it's best. High riding attractor like PMX's and Aerial Assault's, and yellow sallies and caddis flies work very well on those quick striking cutties. Take damsel nymphs and some aquatic snail patterns for the lunkers at Shuree. All of the streams in the Valle Vidal are no kill. The bag limit for Shuree is only 2 fish over 15 inches. Please report anyone breaking thes rules to New Mexico Game and Fish at 800-432-4263 or the Forest Service at 575-586-0520.
San Juan River 1060 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The release is up below Navajo Dam as flows have declined on the Animas. The extra flow makes for better boat fishing and hopefully spreads some of the angler out. There are reports of PMD's and caddis on the lower river. There ahs been one ant fall but it was rather week and it will probably take a good downpour to get it going. From Texas Hole up to the Cable, fishing is good on #24-24 olive, gray, black, or brown midge pupa and larva in the morning and up towards the dam all day. Afternoons below Texas Hole have been best with olive or gray baetis emergers like a #22 foam wing, RS2, or WD40. The baetis are active from 11:00 am to about 5:00 pm. It's back to the black midge larva after 5. The mosquitoes are out, so be prepared! 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 89 cfs below Terrero; Good: At Villanueva State Park; Poor:
The river is a little murky with the best clarity above Dalton Canyon. River wide, there are caddis hatches, PMD's, yellow sallies, especially up high, and some gray drakes coming off about mid-day. Western March Browns, or Rithrogenia mayflies are starting their emergence as well. This is some of the best in dry fly fishing on the Pecos. Remember, the first public access is at Dalton Day Use. Fly choices would be anato-mays, hares ears, red quills, headlight sallies, neversink caddis, and extended body PMD's. The summer fishing program at Pecos National Historical Park began 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 136 cfs at Cerro; Fair: 344 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair for trout, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio Grande is at it's summer flow. Trout fishing at Pilar is fair early or late in the day or better most of the day up in the gorge where there is more spring inflow and cooler water. Smallmouth, however will eat during the heat of the day 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 stonefly 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 18 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 fishing fairly 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 streams slow during mid-day. As far as flies go, try a black cricket, small neversink caddis, headlight sallies, and PMD's, or go to a red legged hopper in the afternoons. The South Fork Fire is not affecting any of the waters we typically fish in the Jemez Mountains. The Valles Caldera is open to fishing. 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 36 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good: 33 cfs at Cimarron
Finally we have more water in the stream. It's brushier on the upper end, but there is more open water the further east you go especially below Clear Creek. PMD's 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. The Red River around the corner is pretty much done with runoff and is fishing well as is the Rio Costilla outside the Valle Vidal boundary.
Jicarilla Nation Lakes
Enbom Lake has been hit or miss. The Rainbows have been quite active lately chasing adult damselflies throughout the day. On average, the best action has been in the mornings and evenings. The water temps are in the high 60’s so if you are practicing catch and release please land and release the fish as soon as possible, and avoid placing them in weedy areas if you can. Enbom Lake is the first stop for the weed harvester and we will hopefully be at it by Thursday (7/1) afternoon. Float tubes and boats will help you avoid the weeds, but they are getting pretty thick. Stone Lake has had its first confirmed catch reported in weeks. This big Bow measured 23 inches and had the typical Stone Lake body type, in other words, it was FAT! That was the one and only report this week. The preceeeding report was excerpted from the Jicarilla Nation weblog fishing report by Kevin Terry.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Good: 48 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Good: 782 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow to Fair: and 790 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow
Runoff is finally done on the Chama. The river flowing into El Vado is perfect. I'm not sure of clarity, but I'd hit it now! This section of river warms alot in mid summer from irrigation return so don't wait. 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 typically fish well over the summer. Currently the release is moderate and fairly clear 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.
Off The Beaten Path Abiquiu Lake
Water temps have finally reached a point where the bass fishing has really picked up. They can be caught at this time of year right from the shore. The best time of day to catch them on poppers, a bass fishing dry fly basically, is in the morning. Get there at day break when the water is the most calm. Cast your poppers right at the submerged trees just off of the shore. They'll often give you a second chance if you blow your first hook set. Around 11:00 am or so when the sun is high and it's getting warm, switch to a subsurface pattern like a clouser minnow. Again, work the trees and be prepared to lose a few flies. The southern side of the lake has alot of submerged trees and can be accessed from NM Highway 96. Find a pullout and hike down to the lake. Another good spot is to walk north of the boat ramp and fish off of the ledges as you go. There are some coves with a lot off trees in the water. Sometimes you can get a carp to eat in there as well. Stay within the high water mark as there is some private land along the northeast shore. I love going to a place like this when I can't find enough room to cast on my favorite trout stream. It's a perfect place to fish when you have those afternoon honeydo's. I'll get there early and enjoy the sunrise. I'll fish hard until 9 or 10, then swim the dogs and headout as the powerboat crowd shows up.
In Southern Colorado:
Conejos River 207 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Good: 281 cfs at Mogote; Good
July 7, 2010. "We get alot of calls right now asking "What are they bitin' on?" and "How's the fishin'?" well that is our job to answer those but after another week guiding it hits me there are a couple of answers to "How's the fishin'?" Both fantastic and tough. Skill level, whether you are fishing with a guide or not and which part of the drainage you are fishing in has a huge part in your success. After being out on a few guide trips I have observed that the client fishing with the guide catches about 85% of the fish. I would also say that 10% of the fisherman catch 90% of the fish. If you feel like you are one of the 90 then I would say take a few dollars and split a guide with a buddy and see how this is happening. For almost the entire year starting in late March we have been consistently catching fish and on average bigger fish. Its just that we are constantly changing where, how, and when to do so. With that said I have been up higher for the most part this week and have run into alot of stones of several varieties as well as sparse hatches of Drakes. Most of the fish we have caught have been on dries. Yesterday a client I was fishing with occasionally deemed a fish to be a "guide fish" because of the difficulty of the cast and had a chance to land a male cutt that was just under 20" on a #6 Salmonfly. He was under a tree in the tree roots and came out and sipped it so slow I almost did not wait long enough for him to get it. Several days ago I guided down by the shop and ran into a beautiful Drake hatch that lasted a few hours and alot of larger browns ate hard during that time. Alot of fish in some really fast water that day until the hatch dropped off and all of a sudden there were big fish in lazy edges in the shade and they crushed a G String worm for another hour until they vanished at about 3:00. The river is very buggy right now and so just expect good opportunities to land bigger fish on dries."Jon Harp of Conejos River Anglers provided the preceeding report.
Rio Grande 91 cfs below Thirty Mile Bridge; Fair: 312 cfs below Windy Gap; Fair
Releases out of Rio Grande Reservoir have been steady for over two weeks now. Currently the flows are fairly low and the upper river is very fishable. It' sounds like the best fishing is below Creede to South Fork. Lots of caddis river wide and brown stones and green and gray drakes moving upstream of South Fork every day. Nymph fishing with stoneflies, caddis and drake nymphs has been good. Rainfall over the weekend has reduced the visibility, but should improve unless the area sees more rain.
Pagosa Area Piedra River 104 cfs at Arboles; Slow: San Juan at Pagosa 160 cfs; Slow
Flows are way down on the Piedra and fishing is good. The upper forks and the Williams are fishing great with alot of dry fly action on big stones. The San Juan in town is fishing very well. The East Fork of the San Juan as well as Turkey and Fourmile are lower and fishing well. Take a box full of PMD's, golden sotones, neversink caddis, and a few nitro caddis pupa and double bead golden nymphs for a droppper set up. Or swing that caddis dropper at the end of your drift and hang on!
Arkansas River 455 cfs at Granite; Good: 767 cfs at Salida; Good
The river is dropping fast opening more possibilities along the Ark. Above Buena Vista, it's all about caddis although the plae morning duns are starting to emerge, The are tight to the bank so fish along the edges. At Hayden Meadows, try hoppers, yellow sallies, and small caddis. The water is low and clear so use some stealth. Around Salida, PMD's are emerging but the fish are taking most of them below the suface. Lotas of caddis here as well with the best action in the afternoons. Antero Reservoir continues to fish very well.
Animas River 476 cfs at Durango; Good
The Animas is dropping in flow and has some clarity the fishing is good. Lots of caddis around as well as golden stones and PMD's. Best fishing is in the afternoons, especially for dry fly action. Don't forget to try a swinging caddis pupa!
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 summer 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.
For the most current fire information go to http://nmfireinfo.wordpress.com/
Click on Public Lands Information Center from our links page for a list of fire restrictions or closures.
posted by High Desert Angler at Thursday, July 08, 2010
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