Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Wednesday April 23, 2014
Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! Learn more at http://www.100thmeridian.org/emersion.asp
Runoff has started on almost all of the area waters and irrigators are calling for water releases from the reservoirs around northern New Mexico. These are the conditions when the report was written. Conditions are changing daily! Expect to see higher flows with warmer weather. You can check on current flows before you go by clicking on New Mexico Stream Flows from our links page.
San Juan River 255 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
Higher flows on the Animas River means lower releases out of Navajo Dam. Expect to see these flows for a while until runoff recedes on the Animas. Despite the reduction in the release, I am still getting very good reports on the Juan. The clarity of the river below the dam is getting better every day and is around 30 inches. As a result, the fish are turning their attention to midges and baetis and are more reluctant to eat eggs and worms. A little flash in your flies is still a good thing. Dry fly fishing is coming back with some afternoon baetis hatches below Texas Hole, especially on the overcast days. Black and olive midge larvae and pupa are the top producers near the dam especially in the mornings. Move down river after lunch to get the baetis hatch. Chocolate and olive have been the best baetis colors. Johnny flash and foam wing emergers are among the favorites. 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 118 cfs near Pecos; Fair to Good
The fishing is good but the wading is getting a little tougher with the increase in flow. There is less water the higher upriver you go. Stoneflies are molting and moving about making themselves available to fish. Baetis are also very active and can provide a hatch after lunch especially if it's cloudy. All of the Santa Fe National Forest Service and Game and Fish public accesses are open below Terrero. Game and Fish has planted fish from Terrero downstream and many of the ares devoid of fish are now stocked. The river looks great after the ton of rain we had in September flushed a lot of the ash and sediment from the streambed. Please respect the landowners out there and stay out of any private property along the river. The National Park Service and New Mexico Game & Fish staff performed fish surveys within Pecos National Historical Park in late 2013, and found no trout. Park staff attributed this due to siltation from flooding from the Tres Lagunas fire area upstream. The 2014 fishing program has been suspended, and the three miles of river inside the park boundaries will be closed to public access. The NPS will evaluate fish populations and allow it to recover from last season's extreme fire and flooding impacts. The Park and NM Game & Fish will conduct another fish survey in late 2014. See the Park's website at http://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/fishing.htm for more info. This is only on Pecos NHP downstream from the village of Pecos and not on Forest Service Lands above the village of Pecos.
Rio Grande 337 cfs at Cerro; Fair to Good: 580 cfs at Pilar; Fair to Good for trout, Slow for pike, Slow for smallmouth bass
The caddis hatch is underway and well up into the gorge by now. Dry fly fishing has been very sporadic mainly due to the winds, but also the cooler weather and influx of snowmelt is affecting the hatch. Caddis and blue winged olives are providing the dry fly action, but as usual, most of the fish are eating underwater. The best dry fly time for caddis is late in the evening. Blue winged olives are out from noon to four or five in the afternoon which is about the time the caddis adults are coming back to the water. Fishing with big crane flies or stoneflies and caddis pupa and larvae should be among the fly choices. Pike fishing is slow. Gauge your success by how many you see, if you got a follow or not and of course an eat. Some days you get'em and some days a follow is as good as it gets. 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 69 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Fair to Good
A litte reduction in flows today that I can only attribute to the cloud cover and cooler weather. The lower Jemez and Guadalupe are high and fast compared to the upper reaches of the San Antonio, East Fork, and Cebolla. Try a dry dropper rig just as an easy presentation in the lower flows and clearer water you'll see upriver. The Fishing Program on the Valles Caldera National Preserve will resume starting May 16th. Please see their website for details or to make a reservation for the 2014 season at http://www.vallescaldera.gov/comevisit/fish/index.aspx
Chama River 1430 cfs above El Vado Reservoir; Slow: 256 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow to Fair: and 445 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow
The river below Abiquiu is stirred up and murky. Pretty typical after running so low for so long. It's really time to fish elsewhere anyway. The release below El Vado has also been increased a little over a week ago, but has been reduced yesterday. I like flows of around 150 to 400 cfs below El Vado. The extra water aids your drift and increases the opportunities downstream from Coopers. Streamers, stonefly nymphs and cranefly larvae have been the top flies. The river flowing into El Vado is in full runoff and it'll only increase in flow for another few weeks to a month. Look elsewhere. 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.
Cimarron River 21 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good: 25 cfs at Cimarron; Good
The release out of Eagle Nest Dam went up from 3 cfs for the first time this spring last week. The water is a little murky which is typical of the outflow when the release first goes up. Blue winged olives have been providing the dry fly action. Scuds, red midge larvae, baetis nymphs, and golden stonefly nymphs have been reported to be working on the river. This place will provide somewhere to fish now that runoff seems to be affecting most of the other local waters.
In Southern Colorado:
Animas River 1180 cfs at Durango; Slow to Fair
The Animas is in spring runoff. The water is high and murky. Fishing with atreamers and big nymphs like stoneflies with some flash will still get the trout's attention just take caution while wading. .
Arkansas River 485 cfs at Granite; Fair to Good: 725 cfs at Salida; Fair to Good
The fishing is best from Salida upstream to Granite. You can fish downstream of Salida into Big Horn Sheep Canyon although the flows there make fishiing out of a boat your best option. Alot of the extra water is coming out of Twin Lakes, but the tribs to the Ark are also starting to run high and murky. The clearest water will be above the Clear Creek reservoir outlet upstream into Hayden Meadows. The best fishing will be in the warmest part of the day, generally from 11-3. Fish in the deeper runs mid-channel in the and cover the shallow riffles from mid-day on if you see active surface feeding. .
It's spring in New Mexico and water and fishing conditions and water flows 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 home 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.
Runoff has started on almost all of the area waters and irrigators are calling for water releases from the reservoirs around northern New Mexico. These are the conditions when the report was written. Conditions are changing daily! Expect to see higher flows with warmer weather. You can check on current flows before you go by clicking on New Mexico Stream Flows from our links page.
San Juan River 255 cfs below Navajo Dam; Good
Higher flows on the Animas River means lower releases out of Navajo Dam. Expect to see these flows for a while until runoff recedes on the Animas. Despite the reduction in the release, I am still getting very good reports on the Juan. The clarity of the river below the dam is getting better every day and is around 30 inches. As a result, the fish are turning their attention to midges and baetis and are more reluctant to eat eggs and worms. A little flash in your flies is still a good thing. Dry fly fishing is coming back with some afternoon baetis hatches below Texas Hole, especially on the overcast days. Black and olive midge larvae and pupa are the top producers near the dam especially in the mornings. Move down river after lunch to get the baetis hatch. Chocolate and olive have been the best baetis colors. Johnny flash and foam wing emergers are among the favorites. 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 118 cfs near Pecos; Fair to Good
The fishing is good but the wading is getting a little tougher with the increase in flow. There is less water the higher upriver you go. Stoneflies are molting and moving about making themselves available to fish. Baetis are also very active and can provide a hatch after lunch especially if it's cloudy. All of the Santa Fe National Forest Service and Game and Fish public accesses are open below Terrero. Game and Fish has planted fish from Terrero downstream and many of the ares devoid of fish are now stocked. The river looks great after the ton of rain we had in September flushed a lot of the ash and sediment from the streambed. Please respect the landowners out there and stay out of any private property along the river. The National Park Service and New Mexico Game & Fish staff performed fish surveys within Pecos National Historical Park in late 2013, and found no trout. Park staff attributed this due to siltation from flooding from the Tres Lagunas fire area upstream. The 2014 fishing program has been suspended, and the three miles of river inside the park boundaries will be closed to public access. The NPS will evaluate fish populations and allow it to recover from last season's extreme fire and flooding impacts. The Park and NM Game & Fish will conduct another fish survey in late 2014. See the Park's website at http://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/fishing.htm for more info. This is only on Pecos NHP downstream from the village of Pecos and not on Forest Service Lands above the village of Pecos.
Rio Grande 337 cfs at Cerro; Fair to Good: 580 cfs at Pilar; Fair to Good for trout, Slow for pike, Slow for smallmouth bass
The caddis hatch is underway and well up into the gorge by now. Dry fly fishing has been very sporadic mainly due to the winds, but also the cooler weather and influx of snowmelt is affecting the hatch. Caddis and blue winged olives are providing the dry fly action, but as usual, most of the fish are eating underwater. The best dry fly time for caddis is late in the evening. Blue winged olives are out from noon to four or five in the afternoon which is about the time the caddis adults are coming back to the water. Fishing with big crane flies or stoneflies and caddis pupa and larvae should be among the fly choices. Pike fishing is slow. Gauge your success by how many you see, if you got a follow or not and of course an eat. Some days you get'em and some days a follow is as good as it gets. 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 69 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Fair to Good
A litte reduction in flows today that I can only attribute to the cloud cover and cooler weather. The lower Jemez and Guadalupe are high and fast compared to the upper reaches of the San Antonio, East Fork, and Cebolla. Try a dry dropper rig just as an easy presentation in the lower flows and clearer water you'll see upriver. The Fishing Program on the Valles Caldera National Preserve will resume starting May 16th. Please see their website for details or to make a reservation for the 2014 season at http://www.vallescaldera.gov/comevisit/fish/index.aspx
Chama River 1430 cfs above El Vado Reservoir; Slow: 256 cfs below El Vado Dam; Slow to Fair: and 445 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow
The river below Abiquiu is stirred up and murky. Pretty typical after running so low for so long. It's really time to fish elsewhere anyway. The release below El Vado has also been increased a little over a week ago, but has been reduced yesterday. I like flows of around 150 to 400 cfs below El Vado. The extra water aids your drift and increases the opportunities downstream from Coopers. Streamers, stonefly nymphs and cranefly larvae have been the top flies. The river flowing into El Vado is in full runoff and it'll only increase in flow for another few weeks to a month. Look elsewhere. 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.
Cimarron River 21 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Good: 25 cfs at Cimarron; Good
The release out of Eagle Nest Dam went up from 3 cfs for the first time this spring last week. The water is a little murky which is typical of the outflow when the release first goes up. Blue winged olives have been providing the dry fly action. Scuds, red midge larvae, baetis nymphs, and golden stonefly nymphs have been reported to be working on the river. This place will provide somewhere to fish now that runoff seems to be affecting most of the other local waters.
In Southern Colorado:
Animas River 1180 cfs at Durango; Slow to Fair
The Animas is in spring runoff. The water is high and murky. Fishing with atreamers and big nymphs like stoneflies with some flash will still get the trout's attention just take caution while wading. .
Arkansas River 485 cfs at Granite; Fair to Good: 725 cfs at Salida; Fair to Good
The fishing is best from Salida upstream to Granite. You can fish downstream of Salida into Big Horn Sheep Canyon although the flows there make fishiing out of a boat your best option. Alot of the extra water is coming out of Twin Lakes, but the tribs to the Ark are also starting to run high and murky. The clearest water will be above the Clear Creek reservoir outlet upstream into Hayden Meadows. The best fishing will be in the warmest part of the day, generally from 11-3. Fish in the deeper runs mid-channel in the and cover the shallow riffles from mid-day on if you see active surface feeding. .
It's spring in New Mexico and water and fishing conditions and water flows 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 home 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 Wednesday, April 23, 2014
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