Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Monday October 22, 2012
Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! Learn more at http://www.tu.org/science/aquatic-invasive-species-ais
This message has to be reiterated every year. Please for the sake of better fishing, especially in our times of severe drought, stay off of the spawing beds and don't target spawning fish. The brown trout which inhabit many of the streams in northern New Mexico have just undergone or are going through their spawn right now. Stay off of the spawing beds known as redds. You can tell a redd by the area of clean gravel near the tailouts of pools. Often the spawning pair can be seen over their redd. A lot of unethical anglers target these bigger spawning fish. Shame on them! Fish in a manner that you won't be outed as a dirt bag and that leaves a future of better fishing. Only you can improve the fishing for next year!
San Juan River 659 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
Game and Fish stocked over 16,000 fish throughout the quality water of the San Juan. The average size is 10", so there may be a period of anglers catching the smaller fish than the big fish they are accustomed to catching on this world famous fishery. 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. 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 27 cfs below Terrero; Fair to Good
There is a Pecos River Canyon trash pick-up this Sunday. See our announcements page for the details. 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 Fall Fishing season will end 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 Grande 67 cfs at Cerro; Fair: 219 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair to Good for trout, Fair to Good for smallmouth bass
Trout fishing has improved with the onset of fall. The better fishing seems to be in the afternoons. Nymphing with big stonefly nymphs or crane fly larvae with a trailing caddis larvae or baetis nymph are picking up trout sub surface. Smallmouth bass are still 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, but will just get better as we move into 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 16 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 is a little slow early in the morning before the sun has a chance to warm things up. A dry fly dropper rig will improve your until the sun gets higher. Small blue-winged olive dries and nymphs, small caddis dries and nymphs, well as hoppers, ants, and beetles are working for trout. The fishing program at the Valles Caldera National Preserve has ended for the season.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Good: 24 cfs below the town of ierrra Amarilla; Fair: 55 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair to Good: and 164 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Fair to Good
The Chama flowing into El Vado Reservoir is low and clear. The fishing there is good for a few more weeks or so until winter arrives. The Chama in the Sargent Wildlife Area is low and clear. Afternoons are better than the mornings. Smaller attractors like stimis, royal wulffs, and hoppers are working the best. The release below both dams has been lowered over the past few days making wading alot easier and safer. The water below Abiquiu is murky but fishing is picking up. The water will get clearer as we move into winter. The release below El Vado is at a great level. Craneflies, big golden stones, and streamers are the fly choices. 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 20 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Fair to Good: 55 cfs at Mogote; Fair to Good
The release out of Platoro Reservoir has been increased for a little while anyway. The meadows surely won't fish well at this level, but the pocket water below the meadows, the pinnacles, and places where there is a faster gradient and riffles are still holding fish. Blue-winged olives are the name of the game here as well.
Animas River 156 at Durango; Good
The Animas is fishning well. The blue winged olive hatches are waning. Nymphing or throwing streamers has been the best tactics. Be ware of spawniong browns and give them a wide berth if you happen upon them or their redds.
Arkansas River 88 cfs at Granite; Good: 202 cfs at Salida; Good
The fishing here is remains quite good. The morning are a little slow, but thing pick up in the afternoons. Hayden Meadows down to Buena Vista has been a little slower due to cooler water temps. Warmer water and better fishing can be had from Salida down into Bighorn Sheep Canyon. Blue-winged olives are waning here also. Nymphing with caddis nymphs, baetis nymphs, and golden stones still the top producers. Stay away from the spawing fish and their redds!
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.
This message has to be reiterated every year. Please for the sake of better fishing, especially in our times of severe drought, stay off of the spawing beds and don't target spawning fish. The brown trout which inhabit many of the streams in northern New Mexico have just undergone or are going through their spawn right now. Stay off of the spawing beds known as redds. You can tell a redd by the area of clean gravel near the tailouts of pools. Often the spawning pair can be seen over their redd. A lot of unethical anglers target these bigger spawning fish. Shame on them! Fish in a manner that you won't be outed as a dirt bag and that leaves a future of better fishing. Only you can improve the fishing for next year!
San Juan River 659 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
Game and Fish stocked over 16,000 fish throughout the quality water of the San Juan. The average size is 10", so there may be a period of anglers catching the smaller fish than the big fish they are accustomed to catching on this world famous fishery. 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. 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 27 cfs below Terrero; Fair to Good
There is a Pecos River Canyon trash pick-up this Sunday. See our announcements page for the details. 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 Fall Fishing season will end 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 Grande 67 cfs at Cerro; Fair: 219 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair to Good for trout, Fair to Good for smallmouth bass
Trout fishing has improved with the onset of fall. The better fishing seems to be in the afternoons. Nymphing with big stonefly nymphs or crane fly larvae with a trailing caddis larvae or baetis nymph are picking up trout sub surface. Smallmouth bass are still 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, but will just get better as we move into 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 16 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 is a little slow early in the morning before the sun has a chance to warm things up. A dry fly dropper rig will improve your until the sun gets higher. Small blue-winged olive dries and nymphs, small caddis dries and nymphs, well as hoppers, ants, and beetles are working for trout. The fishing program at the Valles Caldera National Preserve has ended for the season.
The Chama River above the village of Chama; Good: 24 cfs below the town of ierrra Amarilla; Fair: 55 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair to Good: and 164 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Fair to Good
The Chama flowing into El Vado Reservoir is low and clear. The fishing there is good for a few more weeks or so until winter arrives. The Chama in the Sargent Wildlife Area is low and clear. Afternoons are better than the mornings. Smaller attractors like stimis, royal wulffs, and hoppers are working the best. The release below both dams has been lowered over the past few days making wading alot easier and safer. The water below Abiquiu is murky but fishing is picking up. The water will get clearer as we move into winter. The release below El Vado is at a great level. Craneflies, big golden stones, and streamers are the fly choices. 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 20 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Fair to Good: 55 cfs at Mogote; Fair to Good
The release out of Platoro Reservoir has been increased for a little while anyway. The meadows surely won't fish well at this level, but the pocket water below the meadows, the pinnacles, and places where there is a faster gradient and riffles are still holding fish. Blue-winged olives are the name of the game here as well.
Animas River 156 at Durango; Good
The Animas is fishning well. The blue winged olive hatches are waning. Nymphing or throwing streamers has been the best tactics. Be ware of spawniong browns and give them a wide berth if you happen upon them or their redds.
Arkansas River 88 cfs at Granite; Good: 202 cfs at Salida; Good
The fishing here is remains quite good. The morning are a little slow, but thing pick up in the afternoons. Hayden Meadows down to Buena Vista has been a little slower due to cooler water temps. Warmer water and better fishing can be had from Salida down into Bighorn Sheep Canyon. Blue-winged olives are waning here also. Nymphing with caddis nymphs, baetis nymphs, and golden stones still the top producers. Stay away from the spawing fish and their redds!
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 Monday, October 22, 2012
