Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Wednesday November 28, 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 389 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The release below Navajo Dam was reduced a week ago and will remain at this level for the foreseeable future. Hopefully this won't be the flow we see all winter. Game and Fish stocked over 16,000 fish throughout the quality water of the San Juan a month ago. 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. Midges have been hatching pretty much all day with the thickest portion of the hatch is 11:00 to 2:00 . Midging, or presenting midge pupa in the middle of the water column, has been good in the late mornings, especially up from Texas Hole. They are small so try size #22-24 gray, olive, cream, brown, and black midge larvae and pupa. A Griffith's Gnat, dead chicken, or single midge dry has been picking up fish mid-day on the surface. 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. Make sure to clean off any moss that accumulates on your rig. 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 13 cfs below Terrero; Fair to Good
We have had some really cold nights on the Pecos. Mora Creek has had ice on it in the morning and the main stem is cold as far as water temps go. The better fishing will be in the afternoons after the river has had a chance to warm up. 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. Fish the deeper runs and cover the water very thoroughly. Try a tungsten zebra midge or a small caddis larvae below your indicator. Sporadic hatches of midges will come off in the afternoons anywhere from 1:00 till 5:00. Keep your fly choices small. Size #20-22 bling midge, miracle nymphs, and jujube midges, barr's emergers, egg patterns have been the top producers.  Villanueva Stae Park has received it's first stocking this winter. No reports, but the stockers typically go for egg patterns, and bright colors like copper johns. Please respect the landowners along the Pecos and don't trespass. The Pecos National Historical Park's Fall Fishing season has ended Monday November 5th. To make a reservation for their spring season, see the Park's website at: http://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/fishing.htm for more info.

Rio Grande 225 cfs at Cerro; Fair to Good: 393 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair to Good for trout, Fair to Good for smallmouth bass
Like I said, the Rio will come up in natural flows when they stop filling ditches in Colorado. This has murked up the water and displaced the fish from where they were found before the increase in flows. Nonetheless, I keep getting good reports from all of the usual places. With the change in clarity, think big and flashy. Nymphing with big stonefly nymphs or crane fly larvae with a trailing caddis larvae or baetis nymph will pick up trout sub surface. 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 futher 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 13 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 slow early in the morning before the sun has a chance to warm things up. A dry fly dropper rig will present your flies better than fishing under a typical indicator. Keep the dry fly small like a #16 and drop a #18-20 copper john, pheasant tail or caddis nymph offf of that. The smaller darker flies are the top producers. 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 Tierrra Amarilla; Fair: 462 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair to Good: and 509 cfs below Abiquiu Dam;  Fair to Good
The Chama in the Sargent Wildlife Area is low and clear and cold. There are better choices for fishing lower down. The Chama flowing into El Vado Reservoir is low and clear. The fishing there is best in the afternoons and the best place is below the Heron Dam spillway. Afternoons are better than the mornings. The release below both dams has just been raised, hopefully making the fish less vulnerable to the slaughter.  The water below Abiquiu is murky. Despite that, the fishing is pretty good and getting better. The water will get clearer as we move into winter. The release below El Vado is high but wadeable for the confident angler. The water there is murky also. The top fly choices below both dams are bigger flies, especially with flash, like craneflies, big golden stones, with a trailing midge or baetis nymph. Streamers are a good choice. 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:

Animas River 144 at Durango; Fair to Good
The Animas is fishing well. The blue winged olive hatches are waning. Nymphing or throwing streamers has been the best tactics. Be ware of spawning browns and give them a wide berth if you happen upon them or their redds. 

Arkansas River 46 cfs at Granite; Good: 220 cfs at Salida; Good
The fishing here is remains fair to good especially on the middle and lower river. The mornings are a little slow, but things pick up in the afternoons.  Hayden Meadows down to Buena Vista has been the slowest section of river due to cooler water temps and low water. 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, midges, and golden stones still the top producers. Stay away from the spawing fish and their redds!     

It's almost winter 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

Friday, November 23, 2012

Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Saturday November 24, 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 384 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The release below Navajo Dam was reduced on Tuesday. Hopefully this won't be the flow we see all winter. Game and Fish stocked over 16,000 fish throughout the quality water of the San Juan a couple of weeks ago. 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. Midges have been hatching pretty much all day with the thickest portion of the hatch is 11:00 to 2:00 . Midging, or presenting midge pupa in the middle of the water column, has been good in the late mornings, especially up from Texas Hole. They are small so try size #22-24 gray, olive, cream, brown, and black midge larvae and pupa. A Griffith's Gnat, dead chicken, or single midge dry has been picking up fish mid-day on the surface. 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. Make sure to clean off any moss that accumulates on your rig. 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 17 cfs below Terrero; Fair to Good
We have had some really cold nights on the Pecos. Mora Creek has had ice on it in the morning and the main stem is cold as far as water temps go. The better fishing will be in the afternoons after the river has hafd a chance to warm up. 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. Try a tungsten zebra midge or a caddis larvae below your dry fly in the mornings. Sporadic hatches of midges and blue winged olives will come off in the afternoons anywhere from 1:00 till 5:00, especially with some cloud cover. 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, griffith's gnat, renegades, Barr's emergers, bling midge, miracle nymphs, and jujube midges 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 has ended Monday November 5th. To make a reservation for their spring season, see the Park's website at: http://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/fishing.htm for more info.

Rio Grande 230 cfs at Cerro; Fair to Good: 393 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair to Good for trout, Fair to Good for smallmouth bass
Like I said, the Rio will come up in natural flows when they stop filling ditches in Colorado. This has murked up the water and displaced the fish from where they were found before the increase in flows. With the change in clarity, think big and flashy. Nymphing with big stonefly nymphs or crane fly larvae with a trailing caddis larvae or baetis nymph willare pick up trout sub surface. 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 futher 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 14 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 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, and midges are working  for trout. The smaller darker flies are the top producers. The fishing program at the Valles Caldera National Preserve has ended for the season.

The Chama River above the village of Chama; Good: 40 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Fair: 400 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair to Good: and 463 cfs below Abiquiu Dam;  Fair to Good
The Chama in the Sargent Wildlife Area is low and clear and cold. There are better choices for fishing lower down. The Chama flowing into El Vado Reservoir is low and clear. The fishing there is best in the afternoons and the best place is below the Heron Dam spillway. Afternoons are better than the mornings. The release below both dams has just been raised, hopefully making the fish less vulnerable to the slaughter.  The water below Abiquiu is murky. Despite that, the fishing is pretty good and getting better. The water will get clearer as we move into winter. The release below El Vado is high but wadeable for the confident angler. The water there is murky also. The top fly choices below both dams are bigger flies, especially with flash, like craneflies, big golden stones, with a trailing midge or baetis nymph. Streamers are a good choice. 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:

Animas River 152 at Durango; Fair to Good
The Animas is fishing well. The blue winged olive hatches are waning. Nymphing or throwing streamers has been the best tactics. Be ware of spawning browns and give them a wide berth if you happen upon them or their redds. 

Arkansas River 78 cfs at Granite; Good: 196 cfs at Salida; Good
The fishing here is remains fair to good especially on the middle and lower river. The mornings are a little slow, but things pick up in the afternoons.  Hayden Meadows down to Buena Vista has been the slowest section of river due to cooler water temps and low water. 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, midges, and golden stones still the top producers. Stay away from the spawing fish and their redds!     

It's almost winter 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

Friday, November 16, 2012

Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Friday November 16, 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 369 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The release below Navajo Dam was reduced on Tuesday. Hopefully this won't be the flow we see all winter. Game and Fish stocked over 16,000 fish throughout the quality water of the San Juan a couple of weeks ago. 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. Midges have been hatching pretty much all day with the thickest portion of the hatch is 11:00 to 2:00 . Midging, or presenting midge pupa in the middle of the water column, has been good in the late mornings, especially up from Texas Hole. They are small so try size #22-24 gray, olive, cream, brown, and black midge larvae and pupa. A Griffith's Gnat, dead chicken, or single midge dry has been picking up fish mid-day on the surface. 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. Make sure to clean off any moss that accumulates on your rig. 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 21 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. Sporadic hatches of midges and blue winged olives will come off in the afternoons anywhere from 1:00 till 5:00, especially with some cloud cover. 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, griffith's gnat, renegades, 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 has ended Monday November 5th. To make a reservation for their spring season, see the Park's website at: http://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/fishing.htm for more info.

Rio Grande 105 cfs at Cerro; Fair to Good: 224 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair to Good for trout, Fair to Good for smallmouth bass
Easy wading and fairly clear water right now with about three feet plus of visibility. The Rio will come up in natural flows when they stop filling ditches in Colorado any day now. Take advantage of the lower water while you can. 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 18 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 smaller darker flies are the top producers. The fishing program at the Valles Caldera National Preserve has ended for the season.

The Chama River above the village of Chama; Good: 32 cfs below the town of ierrra Amarilla; Fair: 251 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair to Good: and 212 cfs below Abiquiu Dam;  Fair to Good
The Chama flowing into El Vado Reservoir is low and clear. The fishing there is fair for a couple of 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 just been raised, hopefully making the fish less vulnerable to the slaughter.  The water below Abiquiu is murky. Despite that, the fishing is pretty good and getting better. The water will get clearer as we move into winter. The release below El Vado is a little lower than normal, but is fishing well. The water there is murky also. Use bigger flies, especially with flash, like craneflies, big golden stones, with a trailing midge or baetis nymph, and streamers are the fly choices below both dams. 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:

Animas River 152 at Durango; Fair to Good
The Animas is fishing well. The blue winged olive hatches are waning. Nymphing or throwing streamers has been the best tactics. Be ware of spawning browns and give them a wide berth if you happen upon them or their redds. 

Arkansas River 66 cfs at Granite; Good: 184 cfs at Salida; Good
The fishing here is remains quite good especially on the middle and lower river. The morning are a little slow, but things pick up in the afternoons.  Hayden Meadows down to Buena Vista has been a little slower due to cooler water temps and low water. 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, midges, and golden stones still the top producers. Stay away from the spawing fish and their redds!     

It's almost winter 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.

Friday, November 09, 2012

Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Friday November 9, 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 336 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The release below Navajo Dam was reduced on Tuesday. Hopefully this won't be the flow we see all winter. Game and Fish stocked over 16,000 fish throughout the quality water of the San Juan a couple of weeks ago. 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. Midges have been hatching pretty much all day with the thickest portion of the hatch is 11:00 to 2:00 . Midging, or presenting midge pupa in the middle of the water column, has bee good in the late mornings, especially up from Texas Hole. They are small so try size #22-24 gray, olive, cream, brown, and black midge larvae and pupa. A Griffith's Gnat, dead chicken, or single midge dry has been picking up fish mi-day on the surface. 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 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. Sporadic hatches of midges and blue winged olives will come off in the afternoons anywhere from 1:00 till 5:00, especially with some cloud cover. 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, griffith's gnat, renegades, 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 has ended Monday November 5th. To make a reservation for their spring season, see the Park's website at: http://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/fishing.htm for more info.

Rio Grande 95 cfs at Cerro; Fair to Good: 242 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair to Good for trout, Fair to Good for smallmouth bass
Easy wading and fairly clear water right now with about three feet plus of visibility. The Rio will come up in natural flows when they stop filling ditches in Colorado any day now. Take advantage of the lower water while you can. 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 smaller darker flies are the top producers. The fishing program at the Valles Caldera National Preserve has ended for the season.

The Chama River above the village of Chama; Good: 26 cfs below the town of ierrra Amarilla; Fair: 57 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair to Good: and 72 cfs below Abiquiu Dam;  Fair to Good
The Chama flowing into El Vado Reservoir is low and clear. The fishing there is fair for a couple of 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 month making wading alot easier and safer. The release below Abiquiu is quite a bit lower than we normally see and the water is murky. The fishing is pretty good and getting better. The water will get clearer as we move into winter. The release below El Vado is also a little lower than normal. All signs of the times with our ongoing drought. Craneflies, big golden stones, with a trailing midge or baetis nymph, and streamers are the fly choices below both dams. 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 6 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Slow: 41 cfs at Mogote; Fair to Good
I'm keeping the Conejos report up for now as I've had some really good reports from there. The best fishing is from Mogote campground throughout the fly water. The release out of Platoro Reservoir has been lowered to it's usual winter level. This has shut the fishing down on the upper river. Places where there is a faster gradient and riffles are still holding fish. Midges and blue-winged olives are the name of the game here as well.   

Animas River 152 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 spawning browns and give them a wide berth if you happen upon them or their redds. 

Arkansas River 66 cfs at Granite; Good: 184 cfs at Salida; Good
The fishing here is remains quite good especially on the middle and lower river. The morning are a little slow, but things pick up in the afternoons.  Hayden Meadows down to Buena Vista has been a little slower due to cooler water temps and low water. 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, midges, and golden stones still the top producers. Stay away from the spawing fish and their redds!     

It's almost winter 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.

Friday, November 02, 2012

Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Friday November 2, 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 522 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. Midges have been hatching pretty much all day with the thickest portion of the hatch is 11:00 to 2:00 . Midging, or presenting midge pupa in the middle of the water column, has bee good in the late mornings, especially up from Texas Hole. They are small so try size #22-24 gray, olive, cream, brown, and black midge larvae and pupa. A Griffith's Gnat, dead chicken, or single midge dry has been picking up fish mi-day on the surface. 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
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. Sporadic hatches of blue winged olives will come off in the afternoons anywhere from 1:00 till 5:00, especially with some cloud cover. 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, griffith's gnat, renegades, 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 76 cfs at Cerro; Fair to Good: 224 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair to Good for trout, Fair to Good for smallmouth bass
Easy wading and fairly clear water right now with about three feet plus of visibility. The Rio will nearly double in natural flows when they stop filling ditches in Colorado any day now. Take advantage of the lower water while you can. 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 18 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 smaller darker flies are the top producers. 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: 57 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair to Good: and 43 cfs below Abiquiu Dam;  Fair to Good
The Chama flowing into El Vado Reservoir is low and clear. The fishing there is fair 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 month making wading alot easier and safer. The release below Abiquiu is quite a bit lowerthan we normally see and the water is murky. The fishing is pretty good and getting better. The water will get clearer as we move into winter. The release below El Vado is also a little lower than normal. All signs of the times with our ongoing drought. Craneflies, big golden stones, with a trailing midge or baetis nymph, and streamers are the fly choices below both dams. 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 8 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Slow: 56 cfs at Mogote; Fair to Good
I'm keeping the Conejos report up for now as I've had some really good reports from there. The best fishing is from Mogote campground throughout the fly water. The release out of Platoro Reservoir has been lowered to it's usual winter level. This has shut the fishing down on the upper river. Places where there is a faster gradient and riffles are still holding fish. Midges and blue-winged olives are the name of the game here as well.   

Animas River 137 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 spawning browns and give them a wide berth if you happen upon them or their redds. 

Arkansas River 72 cfs at Granite; Good: 196 cfs at Salida; Good
The fishing here is remains quite good especially on the middle and lower river. The morning are a little slow, but things pick up in the afternoons.  Hayden Meadows down to Buena Vista has been a little slower due to cooler water temps and low water. 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, midges, and golden stones still the top producers. Stay away from the spawing fish and their redds!     

It's almost winter 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.