Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Saturday June 28, 2014
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San Juan River 357 cfs below Navajo Dam; Very Good
The slight increase in the release out of Navajo Dam.is to attempt to maintain a target base flow through the endangered fish critical habitat reach of the San Juan River from Farmington to Lake Powell. As flows on the Animas River decrease, the releases out of Navajo Dam will go up. Expect to see an increase in the release over the next month. Good fishing continues on the Juan. Midges are hatching from 10:00 am till noon. The baetis are still hatching in the afternoon below Texas Hole. Black and olive midge larvae and pupa are the top producers near the dam especially in the mornings.Black and olive midge larvae and pupa are the top producers near the dam especially in the mornings.. 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 66 cfs near Pecos; Very Good
The Pecos river is dropping in flow a little bit every day amking for some great dry fly fishing. .The stoneflies are pretty much done although a few are being spotted above Terrero. Many of the fish on the lower Pecos are stocked rainbows that seem to take nymphs more than dries however. Alot of the fish above Terrero are looking up for caddis, hoppers and small mayflies like red quills and PMD's. for that smaller bug. Nymphs like rainbow warriors, glint nymphs, and HDA favorites below a big dry work well through the sunny hot part of the day. Please respect the landowners out there and stay out of any private property along the river. The National Park Service has suspended the 2014 fishing program on Pecos National Historical Park and the three miles of river inside the park boundaries will be closed to public access. The NPS is trying to allow it to recover from last season's extreme fire and flooding impacts. 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 UPSTREAM of the village of Pecos.
Rio Grande 413 cfs at Cerro; Fair to Good: 656 cfs at Pilar; Fair trout, Slow for pike, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio is at a nice level for fishing and is fairly clear with some consistent flows. There can be alot of rafting traffic around Pilar. Consider fishing the take outs at County Line or in the Orilla Verde section early to avoid the rafters and than swith to the put ins for the afternoon. The gorge up through the Wild and Scenic stretch. wion't have any rafts and has cooler water temps. Not much dry fly action except on hopper late in the day. Mostly, the fish are eating underwater. Fishing with big crane flies or stoneflies and streamers.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 5.2 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Fair
The fishing on most of the Jemez mountain streams is slsowing mid-day. It's typical this time of year before our monsoons start. Mornings and late afternoons have been best. The stonefly hatch is done on the lower Jemez and Guadalupe. It's mostly hoppers and caddis and small attractors like humpies, wulffs, and stimulators that are catching fish on top. If the fish are reluctant to hit your dry try tying a dropper nymph on like micromays, small HDA Favorites, and Anato-mays, or caddis pupa. The Fishing Program on the Valles Caldera National Preserve has resumed in May. Fishing has been very good depending on the reach you've been assigned. 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 above the town of Chama; Good: 57 cfs above El Vado Reservoir; Fair: 598 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair to Good: and 739 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow
The best fishing on the Chama River is the uppermost section accessed from Sargent WMA. Attractor style dries like stimulators, humpies, wulffs, chubby chernobyls, and hoppers are working very well. The river flowing into El Vado is getting low and the fishing is slowing on this stretch. es are off. The release below El Vado goes up on Friday afternoons and gets reduced on Sunday afternoons. Plan your trip here on the weekdays to avoid the higher water and tougher wading. I like flows of around 150 to 400 cfs below El Vado at Coopers. Streamers, stonefly nymphs and cranefly larvae have been the top flies. The river below Abiquiu isn't very consistent mostly from higher releases out of the dam. 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 14 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Slow to Fair: 11 cfs at Cimarron; Slow to Fair
The release out of Eagle Nest Dam is back up and has been at this level for over a week. Better than earlier in the month when the release was nearly ZERO!! Check those flows before you go. Avoid the Cimarron when the release out of Eagle Nest dam is below 10 cfs. The fish get really stressed and the available fishing areas are greatly reduced. Consider fishing lower down on the Cimarron to take advantage of increase water from tributary flow and better fishing. Scuds, red midge larvae, baetis nymphs, and golden stonefly nymphs, PMD'S, and yellow PMX's have been reported to be working on the river.
In Southern Colorado:
Conejos River 177 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Good: 316 cfs at Mogote; Good
Stoneflies are out on the lower river up to the fly water and green drakes are making an appearance down low. These hatches will move upriver and we should see some PMD's on the fly water by the end of next week. The meadow section is at a great level and should fish better with a reduction in dam release. The Pinnacles are still out of play at these flows. Look for a release out of Platoro below 150 to fish the Pinnacles. Big stimulators, chubby chernobyls and green drakes for the dries, and tungsten twenty inchers, pats rubber legs, and wardens worries, drake bombs, for your nymph selection.
Rio Grande 842 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge; Fair to Good: 1330 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Fair to Good
Stoneflies are making their annual appearance on the Rio and green drakes are starting to show up. The release out of Rio Grande Reservoir is high and perfect for floatiing the Rio but it makes for difficult wading. Look for a reduction in flows if you are wading and concentrate on the soft water against the banks.
Pagosa Area: 148 cfs on the Piedra at Arboles; Good: 180 cfs on the San Juan at Pogosa Springs; Fair
The upper forks of the Piedra and Williams Creek are all fishing very well. Stoneflies are out on on the whole drainage and flows have finally come down to a wadeable level. The flows are coming down and making for easy wading on the San Juan. Float fishing has also been good. No reports of stoneflies here yet but the hatch is imminent.
Animas River 1200 cfs at Durango; Slow to Fair
The Animas is in it's waning days of spring runoff, but it is still big water. Look at fishing the tribs around Durango rather than the Animas. Fishing with streamers and big nymphs like stoneflies with some flash will still get the trout's attention in the softer waer just take caution while wading. .
Arkansas River 1290 cfs at Granite; Fair to Good: 1920 cfs at Salida; Fair to Good
The fishing is tough with spring runoff affecting the Ark. The best fishing will be above Lake Creek flowing out of Twin Lakes towards Hayden Meadows. You can fish downstream of Salida into Big Horn Sheep Canyon although the flows there make fishing out of a boat your best option. 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 all about stoneflies and caddis here.
It's summer 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.
San Juan River 357 cfs below Navajo Dam; Very Good
The slight increase in the release out of Navajo Dam.is to attempt to maintain a target base flow through the endangered fish critical habitat reach of the San Juan River from Farmington to Lake Powell. As flows on the Animas River decrease, the releases out of Navajo Dam will go up. Expect to see an increase in the release over the next month. Good fishing continues on the Juan. Midges are hatching from 10:00 am till noon. The baetis are still hatching in the afternoon below Texas Hole. Black and olive midge larvae and pupa are the top producers near the dam especially in the mornings.Black and olive midge larvae and pupa are the top producers near the dam especially in the mornings.. 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 66 cfs near Pecos; Very Good
The Pecos river is dropping in flow a little bit every day amking for some great dry fly fishing. .The stoneflies are pretty much done although a few are being spotted above Terrero. Many of the fish on the lower Pecos are stocked rainbows that seem to take nymphs more than dries however. Alot of the fish above Terrero are looking up for caddis, hoppers and small mayflies like red quills and PMD's. for that smaller bug. Nymphs like rainbow warriors, glint nymphs, and HDA favorites below a big dry work well through the sunny hot part of the day. Please respect the landowners out there and stay out of any private property along the river. The National Park Service has suspended the 2014 fishing program on Pecos National Historical Park and the three miles of river inside the park boundaries will be closed to public access. The NPS is trying to allow it to recover from last season's extreme fire and flooding impacts. 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 UPSTREAM of the village of Pecos.
Rio Grande 413 cfs at Cerro; Fair to Good: 656 cfs at Pilar; Fair trout, Slow for pike, Fair for smallmouth bass
The Rio is at a nice level for fishing and is fairly clear with some consistent flows. There can be alot of rafting traffic around Pilar. Consider fishing the take outs at County Line or in the Orilla Verde section early to avoid the rafters and than swith to the put ins for the afternoon. The gorge up through the Wild and Scenic stretch. wion't have any rafts and has cooler water temps. Not much dry fly action except on hopper late in the day. Mostly, the fish are eating underwater. Fishing with big crane flies or stoneflies and streamers.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 5.2 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Fair
The fishing on most of the Jemez mountain streams is slsowing mid-day. It's typical this time of year before our monsoons start. Mornings and late afternoons have been best. The stonefly hatch is done on the lower Jemez and Guadalupe. It's mostly hoppers and caddis and small attractors like humpies, wulffs, and stimulators that are catching fish on top. If the fish are reluctant to hit your dry try tying a dropper nymph on like micromays, small HDA Favorites, and Anato-mays, or caddis pupa. The Fishing Program on the Valles Caldera National Preserve has resumed in May. Fishing has been very good depending on the reach you've been assigned. 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 above the town of Chama; Good: 57 cfs above El Vado Reservoir; Fair: 598 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair to Good: and 739 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow
The best fishing on the Chama River is the uppermost section accessed from Sargent WMA. Attractor style dries like stimulators, humpies, wulffs, chubby chernobyls, and hoppers are working very well. The river flowing into El Vado is getting low and the fishing is slowing on this stretch. es are off. The release below El Vado goes up on Friday afternoons and gets reduced on Sunday afternoons. Plan your trip here on the weekdays to avoid the higher water and tougher wading. I like flows of around 150 to 400 cfs below El Vado at Coopers. Streamers, stonefly nymphs and cranefly larvae have been the top flies. The river below Abiquiu isn't very consistent mostly from higher releases out of the dam. 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 14 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Slow to Fair: 11 cfs at Cimarron; Slow to Fair
The release out of Eagle Nest Dam is back up and has been at this level for over a week. Better than earlier in the month when the release was nearly ZERO!! Check those flows before you go. Avoid the Cimarron when the release out of Eagle Nest dam is below 10 cfs. The fish get really stressed and the available fishing areas are greatly reduced. Consider fishing lower down on the Cimarron to take advantage of increase water from tributary flow and better fishing. Scuds, red midge larvae, baetis nymphs, and golden stonefly nymphs, PMD'S, and yellow PMX's have been reported to be working on the river.
In Southern Colorado:
Conejos River 177 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Good: 316 cfs at Mogote; Good
Stoneflies are out on the lower river up to the fly water and green drakes are making an appearance down low. These hatches will move upriver and we should see some PMD's on the fly water by the end of next week. The meadow section is at a great level and should fish better with a reduction in dam release. The Pinnacles are still out of play at these flows. Look for a release out of Platoro below 150 to fish the Pinnacles. Big stimulators, chubby chernobyls and green drakes for the dries, and tungsten twenty inchers, pats rubber legs, and wardens worries, drake bombs, for your nymph selection.
Rio Grande 842 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge; Fair to Good: 1330 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Fair to Good
Stoneflies are making their annual appearance on the Rio and green drakes are starting to show up. The release out of Rio Grande Reservoir is high and perfect for floatiing the Rio but it makes for difficult wading. Look for a reduction in flows if you are wading and concentrate on the soft water against the banks.
Pagosa Area: 148 cfs on the Piedra at Arboles; Good: 180 cfs on the San Juan at Pogosa Springs; Fair
The upper forks of the Piedra and Williams Creek are all fishing very well. Stoneflies are out on on the whole drainage and flows have finally come down to a wadeable level. The flows are coming down and making for easy wading on the San Juan. Float fishing has also been good. No reports of stoneflies here yet but the hatch is imminent.
Animas River 1200 cfs at Durango; Slow to Fair
The Animas is in it's waning days of spring runoff, but it is still big water. Look at fishing the tribs around Durango rather than the Animas. Fishing with streamers and big nymphs like stoneflies with some flash will still get the trout's attention in the softer waer just take caution while wading. .
Arkansas River 1290 cfs at Granite; Fair to Good: 1920 cfs at Salida; Fair to Good
The fishing is tough with spring runoff affecting the Ark. The best fishing will be above Lake Creek flowing out of Twin Lakes towards Hayden Meadows. You can fish downstream of Salida into Big Horn Sheep Canyon although the flows there make fishing out of a boat your best option. 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 all about stoneflies and caddis here.
It's summer 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 Saturday, June 28, 2014
