Fly Fishing New Mexico Guides

New Mexico Fly Fishing Report & News

New Mexico fly fishing report, current local water and fishing conditions along with general fly fishing news and information.

Please scroll down the page to see all of the articles. Good luck fishing!
May 8th, 2012

Spring "Flush" on the San Juan River:

The BOR (Bureau of Reclamation) announced changes in flow for the San Juan River spring runoff/"flush". As a result of cooler temperatures observed and forecasted for this week, the Bureau of Reclamation has postponed the beginning of the Navajo Reservoir spring peak release until at least May 21st. This decision was made with assistance of the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center (CBRFC), which has indicated there would be a 75% probability the Animas River peak would occur after May 18th, which was the date of the center of the previously announced release hydrograph. The goal of the Navajo Reservoir spring peak release is to match the timing of the peak of the Animas River in Farmington.

The flows will be increased beginning early Monday morning, May 21, 2012 and will be ramped-up to reach 5,000 cfs (cubic feet per second) on Wednesday, May 23. The flow will remain at 5,000 cfs from May 23 through May 29 and will begin ramping back down beginning May 29 through June 1. After ramping down, the flow in the San Juan will be held in the 500 cfs to 1000 cfs range, depending on flows from the Animas River. If the water levels on the Animas are still running low after the release, the flows in San Juan will be held at higher levels (closer to 1,000 cfs) to make up the difference downstream. It is very likely that this will be what will happen but there is a slight chance it will be changed again. We will post any changes as soon as we receive them. Feel free to contact us anytime for more information.

NM Fishing Report:

Get ready, it is almost time! With the warm weather we have had for the last month or so, the run-off in all of our rivers and streams has occurred about 5 to 6 weeks earlier than normal. In many spots the big water flows have already started to subside. At the current rate, we are anticipating good water levels and great fishing within the next week or two. Please give us a call anytime for current fishing conditions and for information on what spots are fishing well.

The Fishing Report pictures were taken within the last 2 weeks...
CHAMA & LOWER BRAZOS: The releases out of the Abiquiu and El Vado dams on the Chama have just been raised to the 650cfs range and this is making these sections of the Chama River a bit hard to fish. Previous to the flow increases, the fishing was very good and, if the flows are cut back down, it should be great. The upper Chama and the lower Brazos have been in full run-off conditions for the last 3 to 4 weeks and are just starting to drop back to fishable water levels. In a week or so they should be just right and the bite will be on!
Picture: Nymphing the "big water" on the Chama last week

ABEYTA RANCH: We have made about 8 or 10 trips up to the Abeyta Ranch on the Conejos within the last month and the fishing has been pretty good. Though the water is still very cold, the fish are starting get pretty active and we have caught some real beauties. As with the Chama and the Brazos, the run-off should be tapering off within the next week or two and the fishing on the Abeyta Ranch should be superb.

BRAZOS RIVER RANCH: Just a heads-up: A couple of weeks ago, the owners of the ranch made it up to the ranch and got the roads cleared and opened up. There is very little snow for this time of year and we may be able to start doing day trips up there by mid-May. This will depend on run-off conditions in the river but, as of right now, it looks like we will have a very early start to the season up in the high country. Right after the flows start to back off, the fish go absolutely crazy for a few weeks, giving us some of the best fishing of the whole season.

SAN JUAN: As usual, the San Juan is fishing great. We have been over there almost every week for the last few months and it has continued to be amazing, with lots of big fish to be caught. The nice thing so far this season is that it doesn't seem to have been as windy as usual and the weather has been great. The water is also starting to clear up quite a bit and the visibility is in the 3' to 5' range, depending on the day. The fishing should hold up until they do the "spring flush" which usually occurs sometime towards the end of May.
Picture: An average size San Juan rainbow.

RIO GRANDE: Right now, with the warm weather we just had over the last few days, the Rio is running pretty hard again, in the 700cfs to 850cfs range, and the water is off color. The fishing was great just before the flows bumped back up and should be good again, once the flows come back down a bit.

OTHER SPOTS: The Pecos is running fairly high and the water is pretty dirty with poor clarity. If you want to fish deep with bright and/or large flies you can do fairly well. The Vallecitos' run-off seems to have peaked and is almost over with streamflows currently in the 100cfs range. The fishing is starting to get pretty good and will get even better in the very near future. The Valles Caldera is still closed (see article below). The fishing is still quite spotty in the Jemez drainage streams even though the run-off is almost over.

2012 Fishing on the Valles Caldera National Preserve:

As you probably know, the streams in the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) sustained some serious damage last summer after the Las Conchas fire. Initially it was thought that the E. Fork of the Jemez was in good shape but after a few months, it appeared that the fish population had actually sustained some serious losses. The San Antonio, which was probably the hardest hit of all the streams on the VCNP, lost almost all of the fish in its upper reaches. In the lower reaches, there are a fair number of trout but not what it used to be before the fire.

The original plan was to open up the E. Fork and possibly the lower reaches of the San Antonio to fishing on May 12th this year but, as of a few weeks ago, the plan has changed and the fishing program is not going to open as was intended. We spoke at length with Dennis Trujillo, the executive director of the VCNP in early March. He assured us that there was going to be a fishing program at some point during the 2012 season but just when it would start and what it would be is still unknown. Mr. Trujillo said that the VCNP's current plan is to do two or three days of fish sampling, starting around May 10th , just after the major spring run-off is finished. The results of these population samplings will help to make the best decisions as to how to setup this season's fishing program and areas that will (or will not) be open to fishing.

There have been many different concepts floated as to the best way to make the VCNP fishing program viable again. Fish stocking, stream improvements, catch and release only and creating a Rio Grande Cutthroat stretch, possibly on the Rito de los Indios, are just a few of the ideas that are being discussed. As soon as we know what is happening and when the VCNP is going to be open for fishing, we will let everyone know.
Picture above: San Antonio Creek ~ Springtime on the VCNP


Rio Chama Flow Optimization Project:

The Chama River needs our help. The best way that we, as individuals, can do something to help the situation on the Chama River is to become involved. On May 10th, 2011 a group called The Rio Chama Flow Optimization Project (RCFOP) was formed to address the many issues facing the river. The primary focus of the RCFOP is to band together concerned individuals and organizations and establish a collaborative effort to manage streamflow/discharges in the Chama River system. The project's primary goal is to reinvigorate natural functions of the Chama river while satisfying water management objectives and improving fishing and whitewater recreation. The RCFOP is funded by a grant from the River Ecosystem Restoration Initiative and managed by Rio Grande Restoration.

Please take some time to read the following report/article on the conditions on the Chama River this fall. On the last page you will find contact information for the Rio Chama Flow Optimization Project - please consider supporting them in whatever way you can. Click on the link below to open the report (PDF file):

Report/Article on Low Flows Below El Vado Dam - Fall & Winter, 2011/2012