Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Saturday October 31, 2013
Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! Learn more at http://www.100thmeridian.org/emersion.asp
San Juan River 279 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
Fishing is great. Midges are hatching up and down the whole quality water section. Fish above Texas Hole up to the dam in the morning for midging fish. Pay attention to the behavior of the fish. They are working mid-column and are not on the bottom. The best colors are a black larvae or pupa, or gray or olive larvae and pupa.The BWO hatch is still coming off below Texas Hole around 12:30. The hatch is anywhere from lower Texas hole down to the end of bait water. Foam wings and Johnny flash are working while the baetis are active. Watch out for moss on your flies. The fish will not take them if your rig isn't clean. With lower flows the bites will be lighter and you will have to fish shallow rigs to avoid hanging up on the bottom of the river. Whenever there is a change in water flows, the fish will start eating! San Juan worms, leaches, red or orange larvae or egg patterns become more useful. 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 33 cfs near Pecos; Fair to Good
All of the public accesses to the Pecos are now open along NM Highway 63! Game and Fish has not re-stocked the lower sections below Jamie Koch day use area, but some fish may have moved downstream over the course of the last few weeks. Better fish density and I suspect better fishing is still above Terrero. The river looks great after the ton of rain we had in September flushed a lot of the ash and sediment from the streambed. We have seen some bug life as far down as Windy Bridge and are seeing some fish down here as well. The outlook for the Pecos for next year is looking more promising everyday. Keep your fingers crossed that we don't get a lot of flooding with next summer's rains. Dry dropper rigs are the top producers. For dries, use #10-12 grasshoppers, or other large attractor dries. For the nymphs, use #16-18 HDA Favorites, anato mays, cased caddis larva, #16 tungsten salvations, and microstones. Currently the fishing program is suspended at Pecos National Historical Park, south of Pecos. To check for dates and availability for the 2014 spring fishing season see the Park's website at http://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/fishing.htm for more info.
Rio Grande 126 cfs at Cerro; Fair to Good: 312 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair to Good for trout, Slow for smallmouth bass
The Rio has been fishing really well over the past two weeks. The water is fairly clear by Rio Grande standards. Baetis is the name of the game. The hatches of blue winged olives has been sporadic, but nymphing has been very productive. Small pheasant tails, oops fly, anato-mays, and micromays are picking up quite a few of the feeding fish. Streamers and bigger fare like crane fly larva are working on the pre-spawn browns. Please be aware of the spawners and if you see them, leave them alone. The smallmouth are not eating like they did mid-summer but a few are still eating nymphs and streamers.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 28 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Fair to Good
The forest service has lifted their closures on the East Fork of the Jemez. As far as the streams go, small attractor dries and terrestrials are getting the fish's attention. Try suspending a small beadhead nymph under your dry. The fish are more likely to take the nymph early in the day than a dry which is typical this time of year. The headwater streams are fishing slower than the sections down low. Best reports from the Guadalupe, the Jemez below battleship rock and the East Fork above battleship.There still is limited fishing opportunites on the Valles Caldera. Expect fishing to be slower than summer time as the night time temps are below freezing. Please see their website for details or to make a reservation at http://www.vallescaldera.gov/comevisit/fish/index.aspx
Cimarron River .03 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Poor to Slow
The release out of Eagle Nest Dam is probably going to stay at this level for the remainder of the winter. This stream is the poster child for in stream flows. Despite being virtually de-watered over the winter, the fish have a remarkable ability to find shelter, food, and water until spring time. I'd look to fish elsewhere like the Red below the hatchery or the Rio Grande.
Chama River above the village of Chama; Slow to Fair: 91 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Fair to Good: 84 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 312 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Fair
The Chama in the Sargent Wildlife Area is fishing slower every day as we head into the winter months. There is warmer water and more active trout in the accesse below the village of Chama including the stretch flowing into El Vado. Avoid any redds or spawning beds while wading! The water clarity below Abiquiu isn't great but it is fishable with about a foot of visibility. The release is steady and we should see some clearing of the water soon. Bigger flashier nymphs or streamers would be the way to go. The release below El Vado is down. I like a little more water here, but at least it's wadeable. 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 410 cfs at Durango; Fair to Good
The Animas is fishing fair especially near Durango. The water is colder and fishing is slower the farther you go upstream.. Fishing the deeper runs and pools with big stonefly nymphs and a trailing baetis nymph and streamers are getting some fish. Dry fly fishing is waning, but nymphing and throwing srtreamers is a good tactic this time of year.
Arkansas River 111 cfs at Granite; Slow to Fair: 366 cfs at Salida; Fair to Good
The fishing is still fair on the upper river especially in the afternoons. Warmer water and more active fish can be found the further downstream you go. The middle river from Buena Vista on down to Salida is also fishing fairly well with some blue winged olive hatches occuring in the afternoons. There is better fishing and less traffic below Salida. Look for fish in the deeper runs mid-channel in the mornings and cover the shallow riffles from mid-day on. .
Conejos River 20 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Slow to Fair: 70 cfs at Mogote; Fair to Good
The Conejos will be slowing down as we head into winter. There is still some decent fishing from Mogote to Horca. The furhter you go upstream, the water gets colder and ther is less of it making for some slow fishing. Blue winged olives are still hatching and bring fish to feed on them. Big attractor dries with a suspended beadhead dropper make for a good rig at these low and clear flows.
It's autumn in New Mexico and water and fishing conditions 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 279 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
Fishing is great. Midges are hatching up and down the whole quality water section. Fish above Texas Hole up to the dam in the morning for midging fish. Pay attention to the behavior of the fish. They are working mid-column and are not on the bottom. The best colors are a black larvae or pupa, or gray or olive larvae and pupa.The BWO hatch is still coming off below Texas Hole around 12:30. The hatch is anywhere from lower Texas hole down to the end of bait water. Foam wings and Johnny flash are working while the baetis are active. Watch out for moss on your flies. The fish will not take them if your rig isn't clean. With lower flows the bites will be lighter and you will have to fish shallow rigs to avoid hanging up on the bottom of the river. Whenever there is a change in water flows, the fish will start eating! San Juan worms, leaches, red or orange larvae or egg patterns become more useful. 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 33 cfs near Pecos; Fair to Good
All of the public accesses to the Pecos are now open along NM Highway 63! Game and Fish has not re-stocked the lower sections below Jamie Koch day use area, but some fish may have moved downstream over the course of the last few weeks. Better fish density and I suspect better fishing is still above Terrero. The river looks great after the ton of rain we had in September flushed a lot of the ash and sediment from the streambed. We have seen some bug life as far down as Windy Bridge and are seeing some fish down here as well. The outlook for the Pecos for next year is looking more promising everyday. Keep your fingers crossed that we don't get a lot of flooding with next summer's rains. Dry dropper rigs are the top producers. For dries, use #10-12 grasshoppers, or other large attractor dries. For the nymphs, use #16-18 HDA Favorites, anato mays, cased caddis larva, #16 tungsten salvations, and microstones. Currently the fishing program is suspended at Pecos National Historical Park, south of Pecos. To check for dates and availability for the 2014 spring fishing season see the Park's website at http://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/fishing.htm for more info.
Rio Grande 126 cfs at Cerro; Fair to Good: 312 cfs at Pilar; Slow for pike, Fair to Good for trout, Slow for smallmouth bass
The Rio has been fishing really well over the past two weeks. The water is fairly clear by Rio Grande standards. Baetis is the name of the game. The hatches of blue winged olives has been sporadic, but nymphing has been very productive. Small pheasant tails, oops fly, anato-mays, and micromays are picking up quite a few of the feeding fish. Streamers and bigger fare like crane fly larva are working on the pre-spawn browns. Please be aware of the spawners and if you see them, leave them alone. The smallmouth are not eating like they did mid-summer but a few are still eating nymphs and streamers.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 28 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Fair to Good
The forest service has lifted their closures on the East Fork of the Jemez. As far as the streams go, small attractor dries and terrestrials are getting the fish's attention. Try suspending a small beadhead nymph under your dry. The fish are more likely to take the nymph early in the day than a dry which is typical this time of year. The headwater streams are fishing slower than the sections down low. Best reports from the Guadalupe, the Jemez below battleship rock and the East Fork above battleship.There still is limited fishing opportunites on the Valles Caldera. Expect fishing to be slower than summer time as the night time temps are below freezing. Please see their website for details or to make a reservation at http://www.vallescaldera.gov/comevisit/fish/index.aspx
Cimarron River .03 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Poor to Slow
The release out of Eagle Nest Dam is probably going to stay at this level for the remainder of the winter. This stream is the poster child for in stream flows. Despite being virtually de-watered over the winter, the fish have a remarkable ability to find shelter, food, and water until spring time. I'd look to fish elsewhere like the Red below the hatchery or the Rio Grande.
Chama River above the village of Chama; Slow to Fair: 91 cfs below the town of Tierrra Amarilla; Fair to Good: 84 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair: and 312 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Fair
The Chama in the Sargent Wildlife Area is fishing slower every day as we head into the winter months. There is warmer water and more active trout in the accesse below the village of Chama including the stretch flowing into El Vado. Avoid any redds or spawning beds while wading! The water clarity below Abiquiu isn't great but it is fishable with about a foot of visibility. The release is steady and we should see some clearing of the water soon. Bigger flashier nymphs or streamers would be the way to go. The release below El Vado is down. I like a little more water here, but at least it's wadeable. 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 410 cfs at Durango; Fair to Good
The Animas is fishing fair especially near Durango. The water is colder and fishing is slower the farther you go upstream.. Fishing the deeper runs and pools with big stonefly nymphs and a trailing baetis nymph and streamers are getting some fish. Dry fly fishing is waning, but nymphing and throwing srtreamers is a good tactic this time of year.
Arkansas River 111 cfs at Granite; Slow to Fair: 366 cfs at Salida; Fair to Good
The fishing is still fair on the upper river especially in the afternoons. Warmer water and more active fish can be found the further downstream you go. The middle river from Buena Vista on down to Salida is also fishing fairly well with some blue winged olive hatches occuring in the afternoons. There is better fishing and less traffic below Salida. Look for fish in the deeper runs mid-channel in the mornings and cover the shallow riffles from mid-day on. .
Conejos River 20 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Slow to Fair: 70 cfs at Mogote; Fair to Good
The Conejos will be slowing down as we head into winter. There is still some decent fishing from Mogote to Horca. The furhter you go upstream, the water gets colder and ther is less of it making for some slow fishing. Blue winged olives are still hatching and bring fish to feed on them. Big attractor dries with a suspended beadhead dropper make for a good rig at these low and clear flows.
It's autumn in New Mexico and water and fishing conditions 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 Saturday, November 02, 2013
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