Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Friday September 28, 2012
Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! Learn more at http://www.tu.org/science/aquatic-invasive-species-ais
San Juan River 792 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The release out of Navajo Dam will slowly ramp down to it's winter level around 485 cfs. Fish the Jaun now if you like a little extra water up there. Midging in the morning especially up from Texas Hole has been very good. Try size #22-24 gray, olive, cream, brown, and black midge larvae and pupa in the mornings. There has been a consistent midge hatch from 11:00 till 2:00. Baetis start becoming more active from noon on. Good dry fly action, especially on cloudy days from 1:00 to 5:00 in the afternoons. Size #20-22 gray, olive, or chocolate baetis emergers and dries in the afternoons will pick up fish. The hatches are better below Texas Hole. Midges will again, become more relevant in late afternoons into the evening. Don't forget your mosquito repellent! Spetember is one of the worst months for contracting West Nile! No reports of anyone getting it on the San Juan, but better to be safe than sorry. 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!
Pecos River 28 cfs below Terrero; Fair to Good
The river is low and clear. Use a long leader (nine foot 6x is fine), fine tippets and a longer cast to avoid spooking fish in these conditions. With the cooler weather, the better fishing starts late morning on into the late afternoons. A dry fly dropper rig fishes best in the cooler mornings before the water warms up. Try a tungsten zebra midge or a caddis larvae below your dry fly in the mornings. Blue winged olives will come off in the afternoons anywhere from 1:00 till 5:00. Small caddis dries are also working, especially when there aren't any blue winged olives hatching. Keep your fly choices small. Size #16-18 caddis and stimis, #18-20 BWO's, olive anato-mays, Barr's emergers, micro-mays, hotwire caddis, cased caddis larva, and ants have been the top producers. Please respect the landowners along the Pecos and don't trespass. The Pecos National Historical Park's Fishing Summer Program has ended on Monday August 6th. The Park's Fall Season will start on Thursday September 6th and run through Monday November 5th. To make a reservation, see the Park's website at: http://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/fishing.htm for more info.
Rio Costilla 2.9 cfs below Costilla Dam; Slow to Fair
The release has been lowered again, pretty much signaling an end to this seasons fishing on the Rio Costilla within the Valle Vidal. Just a sign of the times with our ongoing drought. There is usually more water coming out of the dam during the week, which makes the fishing better so check the flows before you go. I didn't get as favorable reports from Shuree Ponds either. The water levels are very low and the weed growth seemed to reduce the amount of open water.
Rio Grande 72 cfs at Cerro; Fair: 215 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair to Good for trout, Fair to Good for smallmouth bass
Trout fishing has improved some with cooler water temperatures. The better fishing seems to be in the afternoons. Nymphing with big stonefly nymphs or crane fly larvae with a trailing caddis arvae or baetis nymph are picking up trout sub surface. Smallmouth bass are biting pretty good and you can target them specifically. The smallies are taking woolly buggers and crayfish patterns dredged in the slower eddies. Pike fishing is slow and the best pike fishing may not happen umtil fall. Large streamers that move water will still get a pike's attention. Vary your retrieves and change up the color of your flies to see which ones trigger a bite.
Jemez Mountain Streams 10 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Fair to Good
The streams of the Jemez Mountains are very low and clear. Stealth has to be practiced for you to catch fish. Long leaders, fine tippets, and smaller flies are in order. Fishing will slow mid-day especially if it's hot and sunny out. A dry fly dropper rig will improve your catching while the sun is high. Also look for some shaded water. Smaller PMD dries and caddis dries as well as hopper, ants, and beetles are picking trout on top. Suspend a small beadhead like a yellow copper john or a big eye hares ear if no one is taking your dry. The fishing program at the Valles Caldera National Preserve is continuing through the fall. See our announcements page or their website for more information. They are also offering fly fishing clinics on Saturdays through the summer. See their website at: http://www.vallescaldera.gov/comevisit/fish/index.aspx for the details.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Good: 31 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Slow to Fair: 605 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 321 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Fair
The Chama flowing into El Vado Reservoir is warm and low and the fishing there is very slow. The water being pulled off for irrigation upstream and the return from the ditches has adversely affected the fishing here and will continue throughout the summer. For the sake of the trout, do not fish here, at least until things cool off in the fall. The Chama coming over the border from Colorado is also low and clear. The fishing in the canyon up from the Sargent Wildlife Area is the best fishing on the Chama. Smaller attractors like stimis, royal wulffs, and hoppers are working the best. The release below both dams has been all over the place. The water below Abiquiu is very murky and fishing is slow. The release below El Vado is a little too high for safe wading. 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 25 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Fair to Good: 75 cfs at Mogote; Fair to Good
The release out of Platoro Reservoir is down just a little from last weekend. The low level of water in the lake may mean some lower releases here through out the summer. This may adversely affect the meadows, the pocket water below, and the Pinnacles. Check the flows before you go, because a release higher than 150 cfs makes the Pinnacles unfishable for everyone but the strongest waders. The trib flow has picked up with some recent rainfall. The river between Horca and Conejos campground has been fishing well. The water is fairly clear.
Pagosa Area: Piedra River 61 cfs at Arboles; Good: San Juan River 47 cfs at agosa Springs; Good
The Piedra has benefitted from some recent rain. Reports are that the area above Williams Reservoir is closed. Contact the District Ranger Office at 970-264-2268 to check on closures. The upper forks of the Piedra may offer cooler water and happier fish. The San Juan is clear. Look for PMD's and caddis especially in the evenings. Just over Wolf Creek Pass, the South Fork and it's tribs are also fishing well on the same flies.
Rio Grande 50 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge; Good: 209 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Good
PMD's and caddis are what's for dinner. These fish really key in on dries more than nymphs when there are bugs on the water. Small #16-18 caddis, hoppers, and PMD's are bringing fish up. Cast tight to the banks. The river below South Fork is low and getting warm by mid-day. Consider fishing elsewhere during the afternoons.
Animas River 172 at Durango; Fair to Good
The Animas is has come up and cooled off with some recent rainfall. Caddis, PMD's and blue winged olives are all about. Dry fly dropper rigs or streamers seem to be the better producers.
Arkansas River 109 cfs at Granite; Good: 252 cfs at Salida; Good
The fishing here is remains quite good. One of the benefits of the drought if you can look at it that way. Normally, the Arkansas would have much higher water and consequently tougher fishing. Hayden Meadows down to Buena Vista is fishing very well and is free from the rafting traffic on the middle and lower river. Smaller offerings like little yellow saliies, PMD's and caddis both nymphs and dries are making up the fare. Down around Salida bigger golden stones, nymphs and dries with yellow sallies in the mix are still the top producers. Cooler water temps in Bighorn Sheep Canyon is making the fishing better. Look for fish on the edges early in the day and expect them to go into deeper water mid-day.
It's early autumn 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.
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.
Click on Public Lands Information Center from our links page for a full list of fire restrictions or closures.
San Juan River 792 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The release out of Navajo Dam will slowly ramp down to it's winter level around 485 cfs. Fish the Jaun now if you like a little extra water up there. Midging in the morning especially up from Texas Hole has been very good. Try size #22-24 gray, olive, cream, brown, and black midge larvae and pupa in the mornings. There has been a consistent midge hatch from 11:00 till 2:00. Baetis start becoming more active from noon on. Good dry fly action, especially on cloudy days from 1:00 to 5:00 in the afternoons. Size #20-22 gray, olive, or chocolate baetis emergers and dries in the afternoons will pick up fish. The hatches are better below Texas Hole. Midges will again, become more relevant in late afternoons into the evening. Don't forget your mosquito repellent! Spetember is one of the worst months for contracting West Nile! No reports of anyone getting it on the San Juan, but better to be safe than sorry. 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!
Pecos River 28 cfs below Terrero; Fair to Good
The river is low and clear. Use a long leader (nine foot 6x is fine), fine tippets and a longer cast to avoid spooking fish in these conditions. With the cooler weather, the better fishing starts late morning on into the late afternoons. A dry fly dropper rig fishes best in the cooler mornings before the water warms up. Try a tungsten zebra midge or a caddis larvae below your dry fly in the mornings. Blue winged olives will come off in the afternoons anywhere from 1:00 till 5:00. Small caddis dries are also working, especially when there aren't any blue winged olives hatching. Keep your fly choices small. Size #16-18 caddis and stimis, #18-20 BWO's, olive anato-mays, Barr's emergers, micro-mays, hotwire caddis, cased caddis larva, and ants have been the top producers. Please respect the landowners along the Pecos and don't trespass. The Pecos National Historical Park's Fishing Summer Program has ended on Monday August 6th. The Park's Fall Season will start on Thursday September 6th and run through Monday November 5th. To make a reservation, see the Park's website at: http://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/fishing.htm for more info.
Rio Costilla 2.9 cfs below Costilla Dam; Slow to Fair
The release has been lowered again, pretty much signaling an end to this seasons fishing on the Rio Costilla within the Valle Vidal. Just a sign of the times with our ongoing drought. There is usually more water coming out of the dam during the week, which makes the fishing better so check the flows before you go. I didn't get as favorable reports from Shuree Ponds either. The water levels are very low and the weed growth seemed to reduce the amount of open water.
Rio Grande 72 cfs at Cerro; Fair: 215 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair to Good for trout, Fair to Good for smallmouth bass
Trout fishing has improved some with cooler water temperatures. The better fishing seems to be in the afternoons. Nymphing with big stonefly nymphs or crane fly larvae with a trailing caddis arvae or baetis nymph are picking up trout sub surface. Smallmouth bass are biting pretty good and you can target them specifically. The smallies are taking woolly buggers and crayfish patterns dredged in the slower eddies. Pike fishing is slow and the best pike fishing may not happen umtil fall. Large streamers that move water will still get a pike's attention. Vary your retrieves and change up the color of your flies to see which ones trigger a bite.
Jemez Mountain Streams 10 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Fair to Good
The streams of the Jemez Mountains are very low and clear. Stealth has to be practiced for you to catch fish. Long leaders, fine tippets, and smaller flies are in order. Fishing will slow mid-day especially if it's hot and sunny out. A dry fly dropper rig will improve your catching while the sun is high. Also look for some shaded water. Smaller PMD dries and caddis dries as well as hopper, ants, and beetles are picking trout on top. Suspend a small beadhead like a yellow copper john or a big eye hares ear if no one is taking your dry. The fishing program at the Valles Caldera National Preserve is continuing through the fall. See our announcements page or their website for more information. They are also offering fly fishing clinics on Saturdays through the summer. See their website at: http://www.vallescaldera.gov/comevisit/fish/index.aspx for the details.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Good: 31 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Slow to Fair: 605 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 321 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Fair
The Chama flowing into El Vado Reservoir is warm and low and the fishing there is very slow. The water being pulled off for irrigation upstream and the return from the ditches has adversely affected the fishing here and will continue throughout the summer. For the sake of the trout, do not fish here, at least until things cool off in the fall. The Chama coming over the border from Colorado is also low and clear. The fishing in the canyon up from the Sargent Wildlife Area is the best fishing on the Chama. Smaller attractors like stimis, royal wulffs, and hoppers are working the best. The release below both dams has been all over the place. The water below Abiquiu is very murky and fishing is slow. The release below El Vado is a little too high for safe wading. 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 25 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Fair to Good: 75 cfs at Mogote; Fair to Good
The release out of Platoro Reservoir is down just a little from last weekend. The low level of water in the lake may mean some lower releases here through out the summer. This may adversely affect the meadows, the pocket water below, and the Pinnacles. Check the flows before you go, because a release higher than 150 cfs makes the Pinnacles unfishable for everyone but the strongest waders. The trib flow has picked up with some recent rainfall. The river between Horca and Conejos campground has been fishing well. The water is fairly clear.
Pagosa Area: Piedra River 61 cfs at Arboles; Good: San Juan River 47 cfs at agosa Springs; Good
The Piedra has benefitted from some recent rain. Reports are that the area above Williams Reservoir is closed. Contact the District Ranger Office at 970-264-2268 to check on closures. The upper forks of the Piedra may offer cooler water and happier fish. The San Juan is clear. Look for PMD's and caddis especially in the evenings. Just over Wolf Creek Pass, the South Fork and it's tribs are also fishing well on the same flies.
Rio Grande 50 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge; Good: 209 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Good
PMD's and caddis are what's for dinner. These fish really key in on dries more than nymphs when there are bugs on the water. Small #16-18 caddis, hoppers, and PMD's are bringing fish up. Cast tight to the banks. The river below South Fork is low and getting warm by mid-day. Consider fishing elsewhere during the afternoons.
Animas River 172 at Durango; Fair to Good
The Animas is has come up and cooled off with some recent rainfall. Caddis, PMD's and blue winged olives are all about. Dry fly dropper rigs or streamers seem to be the better producers.
Arkansas River 109 cfs at Granite; Good: 252 cfs at Salida; Good
The fishing here is remains quite good. One of the benefits of the drought if you can look at it that way. Normally, the Arkansas would have much higher water and consequently tougher fishing. Hayden Meadows down to Buena Vista is fishing very well and is free from the rafting traffic on the middle and lower river. Smaller offerings like little yellow saliies, PMD's and caddis both nymphs and dries are making up the fare. Down around Salida bigger golden stones, nymphs and dries with yellow sallies in the mix are still the top producers. Cooler water temps in Bighorn Sheep Canyon is making the fishing better. Look for fish on the edges early in the day and expect them to go into deeper water mid-day.
It's early autumn 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.
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.
Click on Public Lands Information Center from our links page for a full list of fire restrictions or closures.
posted by High Desert Angler at Friday, September 28, 2012
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