Cabresto Lake: The most recent report was received Aug. 28. At that time, fishing for trout was fair to good when using olive bead head caddis flies.
Cimarron River: Streamflow near Cimarron Wednesday morning was 12.9 cubic feet per second (cfs).
Conchas Lake: The most recent report was received Aug. 21. At that time, fishing for largemouth bass was very good when using poor house curly tails.
Coyote Creek: Fishing for trout was good when using spinners.
Eagle Nest Lake: The New Mexico Environment Department has reported a potentially harmful algae bloom at the lake and the public is advised to take precautions, including keeping pets out of the water and avoiding swimming in the algae bloom. For updated lake conditions and potential hazards, visit the park’s webpage or call the park office at 575-377-1594.
Gallinas River: The river was recently stocked the first time since the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire.
Hopewell Lake: The most recent report was received Sept. 4. At that time, fishing for trout was slow to fair when using worms.
Lake Maloya: The most recent report was received Aug. 28. At that time, fishing for trout was fair to good when using PowerBait Mice Tails and Pistol Pete flies.
Monastery Lake: The most recent report was received Aug. 28. At that time, fishing for trout was slow when using worms and Pistol Petes. The lake is part of the Department’s Open Gate Program. Please visit our website for more information about this property.
Pecos River: Streamflow near Pecos Wednesday morning was 146 cfs. The most recent report was received Sept. 4. At that time, fishing for trout was very good when using PowerBait and good when using elk-hair caddis and Adams flies.
Red River: Streamflow below the Red River Hatchery on Wednesday morning was 32.8 cfs. The most recent report was received Sept. 4. At that time, fishing for rainbow trout below the hatchery was very good when using Nymph Emerger and Prince Nymph flies.
Red River Hatchery: The most recent report was received Sept. 4. At that time, fishing for rainbow trout was good when using salmon eggs and slow to fair when using leech-like flies.
Rio Costilla: Fishing for trout was slow when using size 16-18 bead head Baetis Nymph flies past the fish barrier.
Rio Grande: Streamflow below the Taos Junction Bridge on Wednesday morning was 207 cfs. The most recent report was received Sept. 4. At that time, fishing for rainbow trout, brown trout and smallmouth bass was fair to good when using red worms.
Rio Hondo: Streamflow near Valdez Wednesday morning was 9.25 cfs.
Rio Mora: Streamflow near Terrero Wednesday morning was 69.3 cfs.
Rio Pueblo: The most recent report was received Aug. 28. At that time, fishing for trout was good when using worms. Streamflow near Peñasco Wednesday morning was 13.4 cfs.
Santa Cruz Reservoir: The most recent report was received Sept. 4. At that time, fishing for trout was slow when using PowerBait and spinners.
Shuree Ponds: The most recent report was received Sept. 4. At that time, fishing for trout was slow to fair when using leech-like flies from a kayak.
Storrie Lake: Fishing for bluegill was good when using worms.
We received no reports for the following waterbodies over the past three weeks: Clayton Lake, Charette Lakes, Cowles Ponds, Eagle Rock Lake, Harris Pond, Lake Alice, Los Pinos River, Maxwell Lake 13, Morphy Lake, Red River City Ponds, Springer Lake, Stubblefield Lake and Ute Lake. |
In the nearly 20 years since the gates closed on Navajo Dam and water began backing up the San Juan and Pine River canyons, many thousands of anglers have fished from its banks and docks, or cast from their boats into secluded coves. Still other thousands have worked their lines below the dam, where the relatively constant water temperatures of the flow helped set the environment for New Mexico's premier trout river.
The lake offers largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish and northern pike among its warm-water species, but it also offers some very good trout fishing.
Trout fishing, both in the stream and lake, has had its ups and downs — like the water levels.
Indeed, one of the most frequently asked questions about the San Juan River these days is, "What is the water flow?" The past months have seen water flows ranging from 1,200 to 5,000 cubic feet per second (cfs); but it was a long dry spell between July 1976 and February 1979, when the water flows were seldom above 550 cfs. To a fisheries manager, the periodic water flows of 5,000 cfs look pretty good: These periods of higher flow give the river a reprieve from heavy fishing pressure, and they also provide the environment needed by the invertebrates necessary to provide the good growth rate so common in the San Juan. At this writing, the water flow forecast for the summer of 1981 is well below normal, so we may again be in for another period of low water flows — perhaps some late snows or early rains will give the basin the moisture it needs.
The first 2¾-mile stretch of the San Juan below the dam has for some years been designated a quality-water section, with minimum size limits, reduced bag limits and restrictions on terminal gear to help develop a quality fishery. In October of 1979, the size limit was increased to 16 inches and the bag limit cut to two fish to further the growth of trophy fish. Fishing restrictions such as these are quite common in many states with goals of quality fisheries on certain waters. (See "Catch-and-Release" by Gary Thorne, March-April 1981 N.M. Wildlife.) All special fisheries regulations should be developed and evaluated by data to determine if they are in fact beneficial as far as the fishery is concerned.
Most San Juan fishermen would agree that by the fall of 1978, after the preceding 26 months of low water flows, there were few really big trout available that could be caught. Certainly fish could still be caught, but the accessibility of the trout during low water flows seemed to have depleted the trout populations.
During this time the Game and Fish Department continued to stock the annual allotment of nearly 150,000 rainbow fingerlings in the six to seven miles of trout water. In addition 15,000 catchable sized rainbows (eight-nine inches) were being stocked in the regular regulation section. This provided a put-and-take fishery for the San Juan angler.
So, are the special regulations and stocking programs working on the San Juan River? Along with the help of a summer aide and very cooperative district conservation officers, data are being gathered about the San Juan angler as well as the fish.
This information has shown that fishing pressure quadrupled in 1980 over past years. (Part of this can probably be attributed to the mild fall and winter months.) Approximately 30 percent of the San Juan anglers fish the quality section of the river, the other 70 percent fish the regular regulation section. The most popular spot on the river is from the lower end of the quality section to the brush diversion. This area receives about 40 percent of the total San Juan River fishing pressure. The Texas Hole area below the old church is the most popular spot on the quality section.
Although fishermen come from all over the country to fish the San Juan, 54 percent are local people. Forty percent of the fishermen come from outlying areas of the state, and six percent are out-of-state visitors. In the quality section exclusively, 49 percent of the fisher- men are local people, 46 percent are non-locals and 5 percent are from out- of-state.
The trout harvest on the river produces about .25 to .28 fish per hour for the average fisherman. Rainbow trout comprise 97 percent of the creel on the quality section and 88 percent of the fish harvest on the regular regulation section. The remainder of the trout were divided between brown trout and a newcomer, the Snake River cutthroat trout.
The Snake River cutthroat are not as flamboyant as their Rio Grande cutthroat cousins but are doing quite well in the river. They were first stocked as fry in 1977, and three- and four- pounders are showing up at the taxidermy shops. |
|
.png?upscale=true&width=308&upscale=true&name=NMDGF_Logo%20(1).png)
