Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Friday August 5, 2011
Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! Learn more at http://www.tu.org/science/aquatic-invasive-species-ais
ALL FIRE CLOSURES FOR NORTHERN NEW MEXICO HAVE BEEN LIFTED. OUR SUMMER RAINS HAVE COOLED OFF THE STREAMS AND THE FISH ARE HAPPY!!!
San Juan River 499 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
Fishing is good but fly choices have become smaller with the lower and clear water. In the mornings, use a red midge larva as your point fly and trail a size #24-26 black or gray midge pupa like a UV flash midge emerger. As the afternoon progresses, change your flies to baetis, such as a gray or chocolate RS2 or foam wing emerger. Small #16-18 ants fished along the banks are also bringing up fish. The PMD hatch on the lower river is waning but, there are some still around from Simon downstream. The Special Trout Water section is all catch and release and has a two fly only rule. 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 Costilla 57 cfs below Costilla Reservoir; Good: Shurree Ponds; Slow to Fair
The release out of Costilla Reservoir was unbelievably high last weekend through Wednesday. Finally the flows have come down to the perfect level for the Costilla High riding attractors cast tight to the banks is the way to go. Shuree Ponds are quite low and weedy. Fishing from the bank is tough with the weed growth except for the dam side.
Pecos River 43 cfs below Terrero; Good:
ALL OF THE PUBLIC ACCESSES IN THE PECOS CANYON ARE OPEN!!!! The river has come up a little, but is clear especially the higher you go. Use small flies during clear water and switch to a bigger more flashy fly if the water is murky. Caddis, yellow sallies, hoppers ants, and beetles have been the best producers. The first PUBLIC access is Dalton Day Use. I know we all want a place to fish, but don't be a poacher. Please respect the landowners along the Pecos and don't trespass. The Pecos National Historical Park's Fishing Program for the summer ends August 8th. You have a chance at a walk-on beat until then. You can make a reservation for the fall season starting August 8th. The fall season runs from September 8th through November 7th. Please see their website for the details at http://www.nps.gov/peco/index.htm and click on "2011 Fishing Program".
Rio Grande 333 cfs at Cerro; Slow: 452 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow to Fair for trout, Fair to Good for smallmouth bass
The best fishing is on the lower Red or the Hondo as the mainstem Rio Grande has had some fluctuations in flow and is murked up. Not much for hatching bugs on the Rio right now. Trout need oxygen and the faster churning water is the place to find those fish. Fish big bugs like golden stonefly nymphs, cranefly larvae, or buggers. Remember to finish your drift off with a swing! Hold you rod tip over the lane of your drift and let you flies swing upwards as your line tightens. If you feel a take, coach yourself into waiting just a second before you set the hook otherwise you'll just pull it away from them. Try a slow retrieved streamer in some of the slower eddies for smallies. Pike hunt by feel. Large streamers that moves water will still get a pikes attention. Vary your retrieves and change up the color of your flies to see which ones trigger a bite.
Jemez Mountain Streams 24 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Fair to Good
The Las Conchas Fire area will off limits and Paliza and Jemez Falls Campgrounds also will remain closed for fire suppression activities. The Valles Caldera National Preserve is open but with limied access. The visitor center is open and the Valles Caldera will resume normal summer activities excluding those which normally occur in the burned areas. The Rio San Antonio fishing program on the Preserve is suspended for the remainder of this year. They will resume the fishing progam on the East Fork starting August 17th and it runs through October 9th. Please call the Valles Caldera or visit their website at www.vallescaldera.gov for more information.
Cimarron River 15 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good: 12 cfs at Cimarron
Cimarron Canyon State Park is now open!. The release out of Eagle's Nest Dam is a little low for optimum fishing. Look for flows around 30-50 cfs for a better experience. Nearby over Bobcat Pass, the Red River all the way to Questa is open. Eagle Nest State Park is also open to camping and fishing .
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Fair to Good: 46 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Slow to Fair: 605 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 509 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow
The upper Chama in the Sargent Wildlife area has the most consistent good fishing on the Chama as a whole. The stretch flowing downstream of the village of Chama into El Vado reservoir is low and the water temps are high making fishing very slow. The river below El Vado is open within Cooper's El Vado Ranch. Big nympsh dead drifted and finished with a swing or stripping streamers is the way to go there. The stretch below Abiquiu Dam typically won't really fish well until autumn when irrigators aren't calling for water. 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 168 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Good: 381 cfs at Magote; Good
August 3, 2011. "Oh Boy! Sorry for the 17 day guide coma/lapse in reports! It has been blur and I must say thank you to all of you for supporting such a small business in the middle of nowhere! All of the guides have worked every day for many weeks and we all thank you. The Conejos in the last several weeks has changed from a diverse and prolific bug factory to summer with a more mixed bag of fishing. We have spent a lot of time on the tributaries lately and they have been good to great. The Conejos has been tricky on some days and some days just fantastic. When the browns come out it can be really really good right now and when they don’t it can be more tricky than you were hoping for. Both Jasmine and I guided the Hamilton several times in the last week and it has been very good for larger fish. Many on the dry some on a streamer some on Jimmy Legs, tan chenille worms, Salvation’s, and some small stuff! Meadow has had some great hatches and the flows still perfect but very complex some days trying to figure out which but they want. Pocket water below the meadows more predictable with a lot of good days. I will post more later but wanted to check in. The guides schedules now have some slots open so for those of you wanting to spend a day with us we would love to see you! We will be posting some of the pics from the last week on the blog soon!" The preceeding report was provided by Jon Harp of the Conejos River Anglers.
Rio Grande 206 cfs at Thirty Mile bridge in Creede; Good: 445 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Good
Dropping flows and a lower release have made the upper river from Creede to South Fork more wadable. The upper Rio and the streams around Pagosa Springs have the best fishing going! Still good reports of stoneflies and caddis on this section. Green and gray drakes are in the mix and we are seeing more PMD's everyday. The water is fairly clear and fishing is very good, with most action on dry flies.
Animas River 664 at Durango; Fair to Good
Raw sewage has spilled into the Animas a couple of weeks ago. You might want to fish elsewhere or above the town of Durango. Dropping flows have made the Animas more fishable. Some caddis and stoneflies, but if your not finding the bugs, nymph the pockets. Watch out for the river runners and the afore mentioned sewage.
Piedra River 186 cfs at Arboles; Good
The lower sections below Williams Ceek can get warm and fish slow. It seems that there has been some rain lately which would help the fishing. Better reports on the upper forks above Willims Creek. Caddis, yellow salliies, beetles and hoppers round out the summer fare. Williams Creek below the reservoir is sslow and the water is warm. Same for the reservoir.
San Juan River 127 cfs in Pagosa Springs; Good
Flows have finally come down to where the town stretch can now be waded. Nymphing around town has been more productive than dry flies. Check out Turkey, or Four Mile for clear water if something blows out from a rain storm. The South Fork of the Rio Grande over Wolf Creek Pass is also fishing well. Yellow sallies and caddis are most prevalent, but there are more still some more drakes and PMD's.
Arkansas River 822 cfs at Granite; Good: 1250 cfs at Salida; Good
Good fishing from Granite all the way to Swissvale. The broader sections of river around Salida and down into Bighorn Sheep Canyon offer easier wading. Focus on the banks as most fish aren't in the main channel. A big bug like a size #8 PMX with a golden stone dropper cast tight to the banks has been the most productive. Be careful wading from Brown's Canyon upstream, You'll be confined to one bank or the other. Yellow Sallies, caddis and PMD's are the bugs to choose.
For the most current fire information go to http://nmfireinfo.wordpress.com/
Click on Public Lands Information Center from our links page for a full list of fire restrictions or closures.
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.
ALL FIRE CLOSURES FOR NORTHERN NEW MEXICO HAVE BEEN LIFTED. OUR SUMMER RAINS HAVE COOLED OFF THE STREAMS AND THE FISH ARE HAPPY!!!
San Juan River 499 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
Fishing is good but fly choices have become smaller with the lower and clear water. In the mornings, use a red midge larva as your point fly and trail a size #24-26 black or gray midge pupa like a UV flash midge emerger. As the afternoon progresses, change your flies to baetis, such as a gray or chocolate RS2 or foam wing emerger. Small #16-18 ants fished along the banks are also bringing up fish. The PMD hatch on the lower river is waning but, there are some still around from Simon downstream. The Special Trout Water section is all catch and release and has a two fly only rule. 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 Costilla 57 cfs below Costilla Reservoir; Good: Shurree Ponds; Slow to Fair
The release out of Costilla Reservoir was unbelievably high last weekend through Wednesday. Finally the flows have come down to the perfect level for the Costilla High riding attractors cast tight to the banks is the way to go. Shuree Ponds are quite low and weedy. Fishing from the bank is tough with the weed growth except for the dam side.
Pecos River 43 cfs below Terrero; Good:
ALL OF THE PUBLIC ACCESSES IN THE PECOS CANYON ARE OPEN!!!! The river has come up a little, but is clear especially the higher you go. Use small flies during clear water and switch to a bigger more flashy fly if the water is murky. Caddis, yellow sallies, hoppers ants, and beetles have been the best producers. The first PUBLIC access is Dalton Day Use. I know we all want a place to fish, but don't be a poacher. Please respect the landowners along the Pecos and don't trespass. The Pecos National Historical Park's Fishing Program for the summer ends August 8th. You have a chance at a walk-on beat until then. You can make a reservation for the fall season starting August 8th. The fall season runs from September 8th through November 7th. Please see their website for the details at http://www.nps.gov/peco/index.htm and click on "2011 Fishing Program".
Rio Grande 333 cfs at Cerro; Slow: 452 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Slow to Fair for trout, Fair to Good for smallmouth bass
The best fishing is on the lower Red or the Hondo as the mainstem Rio Grande has had some fluctuations in flow and is murked up. Not much for hatching bugs on the Rio right now. Trout need oxygen and the faster churning water is the place to find those fish. Fish big bugs like golden stonefly nymphs, cranefly larvae, or buggers. Remember to finish your drift off with a swing! Hold you rod tip over the lane of your drift and let you flies swing upwards as your line tightens. If you feel a take, coach yourself into waiting just a second before you set the hook otherwise you'll just pull it away from them. Try a slow retrieved streamer in some of the slower eddies for smallies. Pike hunt by feel. Large streamers that moves water will still get a pikes attention. Vary your retrieves and change up the color of your flies to see which ones trigger a bite.
Jemez Mountain Streams 24 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Fair to Good
The Las Conchas Fire area will off limits and Paliza and Jemez Falls Campgrounds also will remain closed for fire suppression activities. The Valles Caldera National Preserve is open but with limied access. The visitor center is open and the Valles Caldera will resume normal summer activities excluding those which normally occur in the burned areas. The Rio San Antonio fishing program on the Preserve is suspended for the remainder of this year. They will resume the fishing progam on the East Fork starting August 17th and it runs through October 9th. Please call the Valles Caldera or visit their website at www.vallescaldera.gov for more information.
Cimarron River 15 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good: 12 cfs at Cimarron
Cimarron Canyon State Park is now open!. The release out of Eagle's Nest Dam is a little low for optimum fishing. Look for flows around 30-50 cfs for a better experience. Nearby over Bobcat Pass, the Red River all the way to Questa is open. Eagle Nest State Park is also open to camping and fishing .
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Fair to Good: 46 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Slow to Fair: 605 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 509 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow
The upper Chama in the Sargent Wildlife area has the most consistent good fishing on the Chama as a whole. The stretch flowing downstream of the village of Chama into El Vado reservoir is low and the water temps are high making fishing very slow. The river below El Vado is open within Cooper's El Vado Ranch. Big nympsh dead drifted and finished with a swing or stripping streamers is the way to go there. The stretch below Abiquiu Dam typically won't really fish well until autumn when irrigators aren't calling for water. 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 168 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Good: 381 cfs at Magote; Good
August 3, 2011. "Oh Boy! Sorry for the 17 day guide coma/lapse in reports! It has been blur and I must say thank you to all of you for supporting such a small business in the middle of nowhere! All of the guides have worked every day for many weeks and we all thank you. The Conejos in the last several weeks has changed from a diverse and prolific bug factory to summer with a more mixed bag of fishing. We have spent a lot of time on the tributaries lately and they have been good to great. The Conejos has been tricky on some days and some days just fantastic. When the browns come out it can be really really good right now and when they don’t it can be more tricky than you were hoping for. Both Jasmine and I guided the Hamilton several times in the last week and it has been very good for larger fish. Many on the dry some on a streamer some on Jimmy Legs, tan chenille worms, Salvation’s, and some small stuff! Meadow has had some great hatches and the flows still perfect but very complex some days trying to figure out which but they want. Pocket water below the meadows more predictable with a lot of good days. I will post more later but wanted to check in. The guides schedules now have some slots open so for those of you wanting to spend a day with us we would love to see you! We will be posting some of the pics from the last week on the blog soon!" The preceeding report was provided by Jon Harp of the Conejos River Anglers.
Rio Grande 206 cfs at Thirty Mile bridge in Creede; Good: 445 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Good
Dropping flows and a lower release have made the upper river from Creede to South Fork more wadable. The upper Rio and the streams around Pagosa Springs have the best fishing going! Still good reports of stoneflies and caddis on this section. Green and gray drakes are in the mix and we are seeing more PMD's everyday. The water is fairly clear and fishing is very good, with most action on dry flies.
Animas River 664 at Durango; Fair to Good
Raw sewage has spilled into the Animas a couple of weeks ago. You might want to fish elsewhere or above the town of Durango. Dropping flows have made the Animas more fishable. Some caddis and stoneflies, but if your not finding the bugs, nymph the pockets. Watch out for the river runners and the afore mentioned sewage.
Piedra River 186 cfs at Arboles; Good
The lower sections below Williams Ceek can get warm and fish slow. It seems that there has been some rain lately which would help the fishing. Better reports on the upper forks above Willims Creek. Caddis, yellow salliies, beetles and hoppers round out the summer fare. Williams Creek below the reservoir is sslow and the water is warm. Same for the reservoir.
San Juan River 127 cfs in Pagosa Springs; Good
Flows have finally come down to where the town stretch can now be waded. Nymphing around town has been more productive than dry flies. Check out Turkey, or Four Mile for clear water if something blows out from a rain storm. The South Fork of the Rio Grande over Wolf Creek Pass is also fishing well. Yellow sallies and caddis are most prevalent, but there are more still some more drakes and PMD's.
Arkansas River 822 cfs at Granite; Good: 1250 cfs at Salida; Good
Good fishing from Granite all the way to Swissvale. The broader sections of river around Salida and down into Bighorn Sheep Canyon offer easier wading. Focus on the banks as most fish aren't in the main channel. A big bug like a size #8 PMX with a golden stone dropper cast tight to the banks has been the most productive. Be careful wading from Brown's Canyon upstream, You'll be confined to one bank or the other. Yellow Sallies, caddis and PMD's are the bugs to choose.
For the most current fire information go to http://nmfireinfo.wordpress.com/
Click on Public Lands Information Center from our links page for a full list of fire restrictions or closures.
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.
posted by High Desert Angler at Friday, August 05, 2011
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