Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Sunday July 28, 2013
Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! Learn more at http://www.100thmeridian.org/emersion.asp
San Juan River 572 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The first good rainfall on the San Juan gets a good carpenter ant fall on the river and the fish are looking for them. Midges have been hatching late morning with some lingering baetis hatches from noon or so, then back to midges late afternons. For the morning, try drifting a pupa in the middle of the water column, This has been good pretty much from Texas Hole up to the cable. Baetis start becoming more active from noon on especially below Texas Hole. Some 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 97 cfs near Pecos; CLOSED to all public access!
Heavy rainfall over the past month has completely devastated the Pecos River. A lot of ash and sediment have made it into the river, and there has been widespread fish kills. Our fishing leases on the Pecos are in terrible shape and we are having to fish elsewhere. Please consider keeping your bookings as we do have other places to fish. As a public safety measure, NM Highway 63 remains closed at mile marker 15. The Pecos National Historical Park's Summer Fishing has been suspended until further notice. To check for current fire closures or dates and availability for the fall fishing season see the Park's website at http://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/fishing.htm for more info.
Rio Grande 54 cfs at Cerro; Good: 180 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair to Good for trout, Good for smallmouth bass
Lots of water is being diverted for agriculture in Colorado and we are seeing very low flows for this time of year. The Rio is a little murky with runoff from a landslide on the Red River a week ago. It's clearing and fishable, but use darker or flahier nymphs and streamers. Trout fishing is better earlier or later in the day. Dry flies like a caddis drifted along the banks in the last hour of daylight will also pick up fish. The smallmouth will still eat during the brightest part of the day. They take nymphs like trout, but are most reliably caught on streamers and crayfish patterns. Pike fishing is slow. 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 26 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Good
Most of the streams of the Jemez were reopened to fishing except the East Fork of the Jemez. It will remain closed due to concerns over flooding from the areas burned by the Thompson Ridge Fire. The closure affects the East Fork from it's boundary with the Valles Caldera all the way down to Battleship Rock where it joins the San Antonio. As far as the other streams go, small attractor dries and terrestrials are getting the fish's attention. Try suspending a small beadhead nymph under your dry to counter the mid-day slump that is typicall this time of year. The fishing program on the Valles Caldera has resumed as of Thursday July 11th. Please see their website for details or to make a reservation at http://www.vallescaldera.gov/comevisit/fish/index.aspx
Cimarron River 8.1 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good
The release out of Eagle Nest Dam is way down. This makes the fishing tougher as the fish get spooky with very little water going over their backs. The water is fairly clear. There is a little more water below Clear Creek on down. Scuds are always a good choice in gray or olive as are red midge larva. PMD's and yellow sallies are the most abundant and small golden stone nymphs are all producing. Nearby Red River over Bobcat Pass is also fishing well.
Chama River above the village of Chama; Good: 48 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Slow: 256 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 84 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
The Chama in the Sargent Wildlife Area is perfect right now. Dry dropper rigs, or single caddis or a hopper up top is the way to go. The Chama flowing into El Vado Reservoir is low and getting warm especially mid-day. The water clarity below Abiquiu isn't great but it is fishable with about a foot of visibilty. Bigger flashier nymphs or streamers would be the way to go. The release below El Vado will go up on Friday afternoons to accommodate river rafters and will drop back down to 300 cfs during the week. Same flies and tactics as below Abiquiu. The Chama River above El Vado and below Abiquiu are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. Please report anyone over harvesting there to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.
In Southern Colorado:
Animas River 221 cfs at Durango; Fair to Good
The Animas is fishing fair especially from Durango upstream. Fishing the deeper runs and pools with big stonefly nymphs and streamers are getting some fish. PMD's and drakes have been coming off and caddis are always abundant this time of year.
Arkansas River 540 cfs at Granite; Good: 652 cfs at Salida; Good
The fishing is good on the upper river at Hayden Meadows, fishing mostly PMD's, caddis and terrestrials. The middle river from Buena Vista on down to Salida is also fishing well on the same flies , but there is some rafting traffic on this section. Less rafting below Salida. PMD's mid-day or caddis in the evening along with terrestrials are the fly choices here as well.
Conejos River 76 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Good: 174 cfs at Mogote; Good
Green drakes have moved upriver from the flywater and Highway 17. Upstream, PMD's and caddis in the evening are picking up trout. On the lower river it's pretty much terrestrials and PMD's although that hatch is waning. The current release out of Platoro makes fishing the meadows tougher to fish but makes the Pinnacles accessible. Red worms and midges, and dark bodied midges and baetis nymphs are the better producers in the meadow section. Some short lived localized hatches of blue winged olives are bring some fish to the surface in the faster water.
Rio Grande 81 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge above Creede; Good: 286 cfs below Wagon Wheel Gap; Fair to Good
The Rio is murky from Thirty Mile Bridge downstean though Creede. There are some local road and trail closures. Check with the Rio Grande National Forest for any closures. The tribs up above Creede are fishing very well with the influx of cooler water thanks to the rain.
San Juan River 66 at Pagosa Springs; Slow: the Piedra River 52 cfs at Arboles; Slow
The Pagosa area streams are fishing well and accessible except near the fires, Lots of smoke in and around Pagosa until the afternoon winds blow them out. There are some local road and trail closures with the active fires. Check with the San Juan National Forest for the closures. Like every other stream locally, stoneflies, drakes, PMD's, and caddis are all over the place.
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.
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 and closures.
San Juan River 572 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
The first good rainfall on the San Juan gets a good carpenter ant fall on the river and the fish are looking for them. Midges have been hatching late morning with some lingering baetis hatches from noon or so, then back to midges late afternons. For the morning, try drifting a pupa in the middle of the water column, This has been good pretty much from Texas Hole up to the cable. Baetis start becoming more active from noon on especially below Texas Hole. Some 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 97 cfs near Pecos; CLOSED to all public access!
Heavy rainfall over the past month has completely devastated the Pecos River. A lot of ash and sediment have made it into the river, and there has been widespread fish kills. Our fishing leases on the Pecos are in terrible shape and we are having to fish elsewhere. Please consider keeping your bookings as we do have other places to fish. As a public safety measure, NM Highway 63 remains closed at mile marker 15. The Pecos National Historical Park's Summer Fishing has been suspended until further notice. To check for current fire closures or dates and availability for the fall fishing season see the Park's website at http://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/fishing.htm for more info.
Rio Grande 54 cfs at Cerro; Good: 180 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair to Good for trout, Good for smallmouth bass
Lots of water is being diverted for agriculture in Colorado and we are seeing very low flows for this time of year. The Rio is a little murky with runoff from a landslide on the Red River a week ago. It's clearing and fishable, but use darker or flahier nymphs and streamers. Trout fishing is better earlier or later in the day. Dry flies like a caddis drifted along the banks in the last hour of daylight will also pick up fish. The smallmouth will still eat during the brightest part of the day. They take nymphs like trout, but are most reliably caught on streamers and crayfish patterns. Pike fishing is slow. 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 26 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Good
Most of the streams of the Jemez were reopened to fishing except the East Fork of the Jemez. It will remain closed due to concerns over flooding from the areas burned by the Thompson Ridge Fire. The closure affects the East Fork from it's boundary with the Valles Caldera all the way down to Battleship Rock where it joins the San Antonio. As far as the other streams go, small attractor dries and terrestrials are getting the fish's attention. Try suspending a small beadhead nymph under your dry to counter the mid-day slump that is typicall this time of year. The fishing program on the Valles Caldera has resumed as of Thursday July 11th. Please see their website for details or to make a reservation at http://www.vallescaldera.gov/comevisit/fish/index.aspx
Cimarron River 8.1 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good
The release out of Eagle Nest Dam is way down. This makes the fishing tougher as the fish get spooky with very little water going over their backs. The water is fairly clear. There is a little more water below Clear Creek on down. Scuds are always a good choice in gray or olive as are red midge larva. PMD's and yellow sallies are the most abundant and small golden stone nymphs are all producing. Nearby Red River over Bobcat Pass is also fishing well.
Chama River above the village of Chama; Good: 48 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Slow: 256 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow: and 84 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Poor
The Chama in the Sargent Wildlife Area is perfect right now. Dry dropper rigs, or single caddis or a hopper up top is the way to go. The Chama flowing into El Vado Reservoir is low and getting warm especially mid-day. The water clarity below Abiquiu isn't great but it is fishable with about a foot of visibilty. Bigger flashier nymphs or streamers would be the way to go. The release below El Vado will go up on Friday afternoons to accommodate river rafters and will drop back down to 300 cfs during the week. Same flies and tactics as below Abiquiu. The Chama River above El Vado and below Abiquiu are Special Trout Waters with reduced bag limits. Please report anyone over harvesting there to New Mexico Game and Fish at 1-800-432-4263.
In Southern Colorado:
Animas River 221 cfs at Durango; Fair to Good
The Animas is fishing fair especially from Durango upstream. Fishing the deeper runs and pools with big stonefly nymphs and streamers are getting some fish. PMD's and drakes have been coming off and caddis are always abundant this time of year.
Arkansas River 540 cfs at Granite; Good: 652 cfs at Salida; Good
The fishing is good on the upper river at Hayden Meadows, fishing mostly PMD's, caddis and terrestrials. The middle river from Buena Vista on down to Salida is also fishing well on the same flies , but there is some rafting traffic on this section. Less rafting below Salida. PMD's mid-day or caddis in the evening along with terrestrials are the fly choices here as well.
Conejos River 76 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Good: 174 cfs at Mogote; Good
Green drakes have moved upriver from the flywater and Highway 17. Upstream, PMD's and caddis in the evening are picking up trout. On the lower river it's pretty much terrestrials and PMD's although that hatch is waning. The current release out of Platoro makes fishing the meadows tougher to fish but makes the Pinnacles accessible. Red worms and midges, and dark bodied midges and baetis nymphs are the better producers in the meadow section. Some short lived localized hatches of blue winged olives are bring some fish to the surface in the faster water.
Rio Grande 81 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge above Creede; Good: 286 cfs below Wagon Wheel Gap; Fair to Good
The Rio is murky from Thirty Mile Bridge downstean though Creede. There are some local road and trail closures. Check with the Rio Grande National Forest for any closures. The tribs up above Creede are fishing very well with the influx of cooler water thanks to the rain.
San Juan River 66 at Pagosa Springs; Slow: the Piedra River 52 cfs at Arboles; Slow
The Pagosa area streams are fishing well and accessible except near the fires, Lots of smoke in and around Pagosa until the afternoon winds blow them out. There are some local road and trail closures with the active fires. Check with the San Juan National Forest for the closures. Like every other stream locally, stoneflies, drakes, PMD's, and caddis are all over the place.
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.
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 and closures.
posted by High Desert Angler at Sunday, July 28, 2013
