Ed's Fly Fishing Report for Saturday September 27, 2014
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Please join us for the latest showing of the Fly Fishing Film Tour on Friday October 17th at the South Broadway Cultural Center in Albuquerque. The film tour is a series of short films or trailers sure to inspire you to get out and fly fish! Doors open at 6:00 pm for a social hour and the films start at 7:00 pm. Tickets can be purchased online at www. newmexicotrout.org or from Los Pinos Fly and Tackle shop. For more information or for other dates and tour schedules, see the film tour website at www.The F3T.com. Brought to you by New Mexico Trout.
Rio Costilla 27 cfs below Costilla Dam; Good
The release out of the dam has been reduced over the last few weeks. I anticipate that flows will go down even more as the need for water downstream is diminished. Get up here soon while there is a fishable flow left in the creek. The Costilla continues to fish fairly well. Ideal flows on this stream are from 30 to 50 cfs. The lack of pressure here during the week days will make for some good fishing. Those cutthroats strike fast so be quick on the hook set. Concentrate on the soft water along the banks. Hoppers make an obvious choice as well as any high riding attractor like royal wulff, stimulators, chubby chernobyls, and pmx's.
San Juan River 357 cfs below Navajo Dam; Very Good
Heavy rainfall over the past two weeks in the Animas watershed has kept the Bureau of Rec from releasing any more water into the San Juan out of Navajo Dam. As a result of a steady flow rate, fishing continues to be good. Like any fishing situation, it pays to be in the right place at the right time. Midges are hatching from 10:00 am till noon and baetis are still hatching in the afternoon below Texas Hole. Black, gray, brown, 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. Simon Canyon flashed after a heavy rain in August that sent a lot of sand into the river. The fishing downstream of Simon Canyon has been affected. 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 48 cfs near Pecos; Good
The Pecos River is currently running clear however, the river downstream of Holy Ghost Creek can muddy up after rainfall in those areas burned during last year's Tres Lagunas Fire. The Pecos River above Terrero will be much clearer and is fishing well. Dry dropper rigs have been the top producers in the morning. Dry fly fishing improves once things warm up. Many of the fish on the lower Pecos are stocked rainbows that seem to take nymphs more than dries; however, a lot of the fish above Terrero are looking up for caddis, hoppers, and small mayflies like blue winged olives. Dark nymphs like oops flies, psycho mays, feeding caddis, and bruised baetis's hung below a big dry work well in the morning and in the deeper runs for most 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 106 cfs at Cerro; Fair to Good: 266 cfs at Pilar; Fair to Good for trout, Slow for pike, Goood for smallmouth bass
The Rio has been clearing although it may get murky if we get any more local rainfall. Good fall fishing on the Rio isn't far off. Rafting around Pilar is done for the season. The gorge up through the Wild and Scenic stretch has cooler water temps. Not much dry fly action except on hoppers late in the day. The fish are mostly eating underwater. Fishing with big crane flies or stoneflies and streamers, and caddis 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 one gets an eat.
Jemez Mountain Streams 15 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Good
Cooler weather and much needed rainfall has improved the fishing on most of the Jemez mountain streams. The San Antonio, originating in the Valles Caldera can muddy up after heavy rains, but the other streams aren't as affected. 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 runs through October 12th. Fishing is limited to the East Fork only. Please see their website for details or to make a reservation at http://www.vallescaldera.gov/comevisit/fish/index.aspx
Chama River above the town of Chama; Good: 20 cfs above El Vado Reservoir; Fair: 270 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair to Good: and 274 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow
The best fishing on the Chama River is the uppermost section accessed from Sargent WMA. This section can get murky after heavy rainfall so check clarity in Chama before you commit. Attractor style dries like stimulators, humpies, wulffs, chubby chernobyls, and hoppers are working very well. The river flowing into El Vado is low although fishing has improved some this stretch. The release below El Vado has been rather steady over the past few weeks. Weekend river rafting below El Vado is over for the season. Fishing will onlyh improve as we move into fall here. 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 release below Abiquiu has been somewhat consistent although the river is very murky. The clarity will improve here in a month or so when they change the release out of a higher penstock. 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 9.3 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Slow: 11 cfs at Cimarron; Slow
The release out of Eagle Nest Dam is down once again making for some terrible fishing here over the summer. I suspect that we won't see any higher flows as the irrigation season iis pretty much done. 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 in water from tributary flow and better fishing. Nearby Red River over Bobcat Pass is another alternative and is fishing very well. 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 51 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Fair to Good: 78 cfs at Mogote; Fair to Good
Blue winged olives are more active and one of the few bugs to bring fish to the surface especially on the cloudier days. Hoppers and other terrestrials are also working up top. The meadow section is at a great level and the Pinnacles are wadeable. Look for a release out of Platoro below 150 to fish the Pinnacles. Big stimulators, chubby chernobyls, BWO's, red quills and caddis for the dries, and tungsten twenty inchers, pats rubber legs, PMD emergers, and bat wing mergers for your nymph selection.
Rio Grande 154 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge; Fair to Good: 481 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Fair to Good
Red quills and baetis are the main hatches with some caddis in the mix. The release out of Rio Grande Reservoir is up for the moment but may go down to 60 cfs or less without any notice. This is good for the wading angler, however floatiing has become difficult unless you are below Wagon Wheel Gap.
Pagosa Area: 235 cfs on the Piedra at Arboles; Fair to Good: 117 cfs on the San Juan at Pagosa Springs; Good
Heavy rainfall last week has made most of the area waters high and murky. They are all clearing now but taking a while to come down in flow. I am still geting favorable reports from the upper forks of the Piedra and Williams Creek.The lower Piedra is getting better with more water and cooler temps. Red quills, blue winged olives, and caddis are out and the summer standard, a hopper pattern are making for some good dry fly fishing. The monsoon rains are still affecting the fishing so consider some of the other streams in the area as a fallback if something muddies up. .
Animas River 649 cfs at Durango; Fair to Good
The Animas is murky but will clearer if we get a few days break from the rain. Look at fishing the tribs around Durango for some clearer water and happier fish or as a back up in case the Animas gets muddy again. Fishing with streamers and big nymphs like stoneflies with some flash will still get the trout's attention in the softer water just take caution while wading. .
Arkansas River 228 cfs at Granite; Good: 415 cfs at Salida; Good
The fishing is is good and the wading is easier now that the releases out of Twin lakes have come down for the season. The instream work at Hayden Meadows is over and the muddy water is gone. The river below Salida can muddy after heavy rain. 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 BWO's, red quills, and caddis lately.
It's autumn 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.
Please join us for the latest showing of the Fly Fishing Film Tour on Friday October 17th at the South Broadway Cultural Center in Albuquerque. The film tour is a series of short films or trailers sure to inspire you to get out and fly fish! Doors open at 6:00 pm for a social hour and the films start at 7:00 pm. Tickets can be purchased online at www. newmexicotrout.org or from Los Pinos Fly and Tackle shop. For more information or for other dates and tour schedules, see the film tour website at www.The F3T.com. Brought to you by New Mexico Trout.
Rio Costilla 27 cfs below Costilla Dam; Good
The release out of the dam has been reduced over the last few weeks. I anticipate that flows will go down even more as the need for water downstream is diminished. Get up here soon while there is a fishable flow left in the creek. The Costilla continues to fish fairly well. Ideal flows on this stream are from 30 to 50 cfs. The lack of pressure here during the week days will make for some good fishing. Those cutthroats strike fast so be quick on the hook set. Concentrate on the soft water along the banks. Hoppers make an obvious choice as well as any high riding attractor like royal wulff, stimulators, chubby chernobyls, and pmx's.
San Juan River 357 cfs below Navajo Dam; Very Good
Heavy rainfall over the past two weeks in the Animas watershed has kept the Bureau of Rec from releasing any more water into the San Juan out of Navajo Dam. As a result of a steady flow rate, fishing continues to be good. Like any fishing situation, it pays to be in the right place at the right time. Midges are hatching from 10:00 am till noon and baetis are still hatching in the afternoon below Texas Hole. Black, gray, brown, 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. Simon Canyon flashed after a heavy rain in August that sent a lot of sand into the river. The fishing downstream of Simon Canyon has been affected. 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 48 cfs near Pecos; Good
The Pecos River is currently running clear however, the river downstream of Holy Ghost Creek can muddy up after rainfall in those areas burned during last year's Tres Lagunas Fire. The Pecos River above Terrero will be much clearer and is fishing well. Dry dropper rigs have been the top producers in the morning. Dry fly fishing improves once things warm up. Many of the fish on the lower Pecos are stocked rainbows that seem to take nymphs more than dries; however, a lot of the fish above Terrero are looking up for caddis, hoppers, and small mayflies like blue winged olives. Dark nymphs like oops flies, psycho mays, feeding caddis, and bruised baetis's hung below a big dry work well in the morning and in the deeper runs for most 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 106 cfs at Cerro; Fair to Good: 266 cfs at Pilar; Fair to Good for trout, Slow for pike, Goood for smallmouth bass
The Rio has been clearing although it may get murky if we get any more local rainfall. Good fall fishing on the Rio isn't far off. Rafting around Pilar is done for the season. The gorge up through the Wild and Scenic stretch has cooler water temps. Not much dry fly action except on hoppers late in the day. The fish are mostly eating underwater. Fishing with big crane flies or stoneflies and streamers, and caddis 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 one gets an eat.
Jemez Mountain Streams 15 cfs above Jemez Pueblo; Good
Cooler weather and much needed rainfall has improved the fishing on most of the Jemez mountain streams. The San Antonio, originating in the Valles Caldera can muddy up after heavy rains, but the other streams aren't as affected. 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 runs through October 12th. Fishing is limited to the East Fork only. Please see their website for details or to make a reservation at http://www.vallescaldera.gov/comevisit/fish/index.aspx
Chama River above the town of Chama; Good: 20 cfs above El Vado Reservoir; Fair: 270 cfs below El Vado Dam; Fair to Good: and 274 cfs below Abiquiu Dam; Slow
The best fishing on the Chama River is the uppermost section accessed from Sargent WMA. This section can get murky after heavy rainfall so check clarity in Chama before you commit. Attractor style dries like stimulators, humpies, wulffs, chubby chernobyls, and hoppers are working very well. The river flowing into El Vado is low although fishing has improved some this stretch. The release below El Vado has been rather steady over the past few weeks. Weekend river rafting below El Vado is over for the season. Fishing will onlyh improve as we move into fall here. 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 release below Abiquiu has been somewhat consistent although the river is very murky. The clarity will improve here in a month or so when they change the release out of a higher penstock. 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 9.3 cfs below Eagle Nest Dam; Slow: 11 cfs at Cimarron; Slow
The release out of Eagle Nest Dam is down once again making for some terrible fishing here over the summer. I suspect that we won't see any higher flows as the irrigation season iis pretty much done. 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 in water from tributary flow and better fishing. Nearby Red River over Bobcat Pass is another alternative and is fishing very well. 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 51 cfs below Platoro Reservoir; Fair to Good: 78 cfs at Mogote; Fair to Good
Blue winged olives are more active and one of the few bugs to bring fish to the surface especially on the cloudier days. Hoppers and other terrestrials are also working up top. The meadow section is at a great level and the Pinnacles are wadeable. Look for a release out of Platoro below 150 to fish the Pinnacles. Big stimulators, chubby chernobyls, BWO's, red quills and caddis for the dries, and tungsten twenty inchers, pats rubber legs, PMD emergers, and bat wing mergers for your nymph selection.
Rio Grande 154 cfs at Thirty Mile Bridge; Fair to Good: 481 cfs at Wagon Wheel Gap; Fair to Good
Red quills and baetis are the main hatches with some caddis in the mix. The release out of Rio Grande Reservoir is up for the moment but may go down to 60 cfs or less without any notice. This is good for the wading angler, however floatiing has become difficult unless you are below Wagon Wheel Gap.
Pagosa Area: 235 cfs on the Piedra at Arboles; Fair to Good: 117 cfs on the San Juan at Pagosa Springs; Good
Heavy rainfall last week has made most of the area waters high and murky. They are all clearing now but taking a while to come down in flow. I am still geting favorable reports from the upper forks of the Piedra and Williams Creek.The lower Piedra is getting better with more water and cooler temps. Red quills, blue winged olives, and caddis are out and the summer standard, a hopper pattern are making for some good dry fly fishing. The monsoon rains are still affecting the fishing so consider some of the other streams in the area as a fallback if something muddies up. .
Animas River 649 cfs at Durango; Fair to Good
The Animas is murky but will clearer if we get a few days break from the rain. Look at fishing the tribs around Durango for some clearer water and happier fish or as a back up in case the Animas gets muddy again. Fishing with streamers and big nymphs like stoneflies with some flash will still get the trout's attention in the softer water just take caution while wading. .
Arkansas River 228 cfs at Granite; Good: 415 cfs at Salida; Good
The fishing is is good and the wading is easier now that the releases out of Twin lakes have come down for the season. The instream work at Hayden Meadows is over and the muddy water is gone. The river below Salida can muddy after heavy rain. 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 BWO's, red quills, and caddis lately.
It's autumn 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, September 27, 2014
