Thursday, May 1st, 2014
Hi Everybody,
Spring has certainly sprung here in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. With the really warm weather we have had in the last week to 10 days, the run-off has started. This is about 3 weeks earlier than what is to be expected. The spring fishing has been great before the run-off so we are optimistic that the fishing should be excellent this late spring and early summer. Right now the San Juan river is fishing really well as are the lakes on both the Quinlan and the Spear U ranches (see the report below for more details). At the rate things are going, the run-off should be done by mid-May and almost all of our rivers and streams should very fishable by then. This is one of the best times of the year to be on the water.
We hope you all had a good winter and are ready for a great fishing season. Don't hesitate to contact us for up to date information, if you have any questions and/or would like to book a trip.
Enjoy the newsletter.
The picture above was taken a few weeks ago at the Bar X Bar Ranch. One of many nice rainbows Ben W. caught at the ranch. What an great angler Ben is for 9 years old - he is amazing!
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Fishing Report
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THE MK & SPEAR U RANCHES: The fishing on the Spear U Ranch (on the Navajo river) has been really, really good recently. The fishing in the lakes has been exceptional and the river, though still a bit spotty, is starting to produce some nice fish as well. All manner of setups are working in the lakes - streamers, nymphs and midges and even the odd take on a dry fly. There are some amazing fish in both lakes as well as some nice ones in the river. Four miles of river and two lakes to fish in a day. How can you beat it?
We checked out the MK Ranch (which is about 10 miles upstream of the Spear U and the diversion) and, as of right now, the river there is running very high and off color. As the flows subside in the next week or two the fishing should be very good.
Picture: Pat R. with a heavy 23" brown from the smaller lake on the Spear U - Nice!
SAN JUAN: We have been doing quite a few trips on the San Juan in the last month or so and, especially with the good weather, it has been really good. As of this writing, the flows being released out of Navajo Dam have been holding steady in the 250 to 265 cfs (cubic feet per second) range. This flow level has made for great wade fishing throughout the quality water stretch. Nothing has changed that much since our last report in early April; the bigger fish have started to move up into shallower water and are becoming quite aggressive. The rainbows are thinking about spawning and are not as spooky as they can be. The water clarity is improving daily and we are starting to see many hatches of both midges and mayflies. Along with the standard array of lava and pupa patterns, fishing with streamers, leeches and egg patterns has still been a great bet, bringing some very large fish to the net. Even though some days have been pretty windy, with the flows so low and the easy wading, we can usually find an area that offers some protection from the heavier gusts. Check out the all-inclusive "fish & stay" package we offer on the Fishing Packages page of our website for more information on this option.
Picture Above: Terry G. with a nice bow that fell for an RS2 on the lower flats.
BAR X BAR RANCH: What good fishing! The lakes on the Bar X Bar made it through the winter in fine form and there are some really big fish to be caught right now. Streamers, wet flies, nymphs and midges; they're all working well. The fish are really hungry and are starting to come to the surface - who knows, it might already be time to try some dry flies. All five of the ranch's lakes are full of water and there is very little weed to contend with. These conditions should hold until at least the middle of June. There isn't much snow in the mountains so we'll just have to see what happens as far as fishing conditions go throughout the summer months. This is the time of year to think about a trip out to the Bar X Bar. It is super-easy fishing and is the best location to fish that is close to Santa Fe; a little under an hour drive from the Plaza.
Picture: One of the five lakes/ponds on the Bar X Bar Ranch.
QUINLAN RANCH: The fishing on the Quinlan Ranch lakes has been good and will continue to get better throughout the early part of the summer. The fish in the higher altitude lakes have made it through the winter in fine form and are really chunky and strong. We are catching mostly rainbows but have landed a fair number of Snake River Fine-spot cutthroats as well. We have already started doing our 4 night/3 day packages up at the ranch. If you are interested in specific dates, please don't wait too long to get the ball rolling on making a reservation. Please check out the Fishing Packages page for more information.
Picture: Pete's Pond in the afternoon last week. Pete's is an alpine lake on the Quinlan that is full of nice rainbows.
PECOS: The river looks great and there are lots of bugs, just not that many fish. Even so we have had a couple of really good trips on the Pecos within the last couple of weeks. You can still have a fun day above where last year's fire was and there aren't that many people on the water. This is a gorgeous time of year to be on the Pecos so if you go with the attitude of enjoying the experience as a whole, you won't be disappointed. The lower river is not producing that many fish but should improve as the season progresses. All of the Pecos is now open to fishing and considering the how bad the fire was last June, it has come back amazingly well.
RIO GRANDE: With the warmer weather, the flows on the lower Rio Grande have bumped back up into the 400 to 600 cfs range and the fishing has slowed a bit in the last week or so. Considering how great the fishing was before the run-off started, we are expecting good fishing again as soon as the flows come back down a bit.
ABEYTA RANCH: The run-off has started on the Conejos and the water is quite high and off color at the Abeyta Ranch. At the rate things are going, we should again have good river conditions within another week or so. Please contact us for up to date information about the river and fishing conditions.
Picture: Raulo F. with an amazing 24" cuttbow caught just before the run-off started - wow!
CHAMA & LOWER BRAZOS: The fishing below El Vado is pretty slow these days but should improve. The Bureau of Reclamation did a two day "flush" (2,000 cfs release) to clear out sediment and debris from the river below the dam. As soon as we can get up there to fish, we'll report on the effect of this release - certainly will help the river conditions. The Chama above El Vado and the Brazos are in full run-off conditions and running to hard to fish. As with the Conejos, the conditions should be good within the next week or two.
THE VALLES CALDERA: The VCNP will be opening up to fishing on May 15th. We are going to go fishing and check out the stream conditions as soon as possible - we'll keep you posted.
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We are pleased to announce that we have a new guide working with us this season, Jesse Lee. Jesse has been a close friend and fishing buddy for many years and we are incredibly pleased to now have him as part of the Land of Enchantment Guides crew.
Jesse has always had a love for the outdoors and a passion for sharing it with others. A native of Santa Fe, he grew up hiking, skiing, rafting, rock climbing and fly fishing in the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez Mountains. Jesse has been a fishing guide for over 9 years and, before coming to Land of Enchantment Guides, he was the manager of a local Santa Fe fly shop (The Reel Life). Jesse has taught fly fishing classes on everything from entomology to fly casting and fly tying. He is also popular with young anglers and has taught fishing basics to kids at the Santa Fe School for the Arts & Sciences and the Children's Adventure Company. An avid traveler, Jesse has fished in Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, California, Louisiana, Mexico, Belize, and Honduras. Along with fishing for trout here in New Mexico, he is always chasing the most elusive of fish species. Jesse has honed his ability to catch everything from Rio Grande northern pike, Ascension Bay tarpon and East Cape roosterfish on the fly rod. He also loves to tie flies and has hosted fly tying night at Marble Brewery for the past couple of winters (ask to see his fly boxes - you'll be amazed!). When not fishing or guiding, Jesse can be found spending time outside with his family and fiancé. He is our most patient and enthusiastic teacher, who thoroughly enjoys sharing the art of fly fishing with others. Jesse's genuine character and love for people make a fly fishing trip with him one to be remembered for a lifetime.
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Tips & Skills
Covering the Water...
Often when folks get to a fishing spot they immediately make their first cast all the way across the river to the far bank (it always has to be the best spot on the other side of the stream, right?). When the water is clear, this can be an issue. If the water is off color, as is often the case with run-off conditions, you want to grid the area off and fish very methodically to cover all of an area.
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When you fish a pool or run, you need to try and get your flies to go through every part of it, especially the best holding water. If you look at the illustration to the right, the dotted lines show where the fisherman has made each cast. From where all the casts land, the flies are then dead-drifted downstream well past where the fisherman is standing. At the end of each drift, they are picked up and cast again to the next location in the run. The run in the illustration has been divided up into five sections (A thru E). The first cast was made in section A; the next cast in section B and so on across the river. You always want to fish the water closest to you first and then work your way across the river. This is so you don't scare any fish that are closer to you by casting over them towards the far bank, before fishing for them directly. In sections C and D the holding water and structure looked better so more casts were made there than in sections A, B and E. Before you start fishing any type of spot in a stream or river, divide it up visually and make your casts and drifts so you get your flies to go through all of the water.
For more fishing tips and skills, please go to the "Fishing Tips & Skills" page on our website. It is primarily excerpts from the literature we use in the fly fishing classes we give. Hopefully you will find some things that will help to make fishing more fun and enjoyable! Click on the below link to check it out:
FISHING TIPS & SKILLS
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Give us a call anytime for up to date fishing and weather conditions or just to say hi and "talk trout". We hope to see you this season!
For all of us at Land of Enchantment Guides...
Stay Well,
Noah Parker
Land of Enchantment Guides
(505) 629-5688 or (505) 927-5356
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THE OSO PICCOLO RANCHES
Comprised of two sections of water on two separate rivers, the Oso Piccolo ranches offer anglers the opportunity to fish on both of these completely different fishing locations in one day. The first ranch, known as La Barranca, has 1.5 miles of the upper Chama River. Flowing through big, open meadows, this part of the Chama has very easy access, easy wading and good fishing. There are long riffle stretches, deep pools and runs that undercut the banks - all with an abundance of good sized rainbows and wild brown trout that are ready to take both nymphs and dry flies. Because the river flows through fields and meadows for the length of the ranch, long casts are not a problem. In the summer and early fall dry hopper and stonefly patterns will often bring the larger fish to the surface, especially in the late afternoon.
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The second ranch (the Wolf Creek Ranch) has 3 miles of a gorgeous, high mountain stream. At an altitude of 8,800 feet and flowing through a canyon stretch, an alpine meadow and an area of aspens and pines, Wolf Creek is the quintessential Rocky Mountain trout stream. The fish are 100% wild and they are very aggressive as many have never been hooked before. In the summer small dry flies, hoppers and dry-dropper rigs are the way to go. In the early fall larger browns will move up out of the Chama (of which Wolf creek is a tributary) to spawn, giving fishermen a chance of hooking a real beauty in this smaller water. A plan for fishing on the Oso Piccolo Ranches would be to start on the La Barranca in the morning and then head up to the Wolf Creek Ranch for lunch and an afternoon's fishing - what a great day!
Land of Enchantment Guides are now the exclusive fishing guides for the Oso Piccolor Ranches in the Chama Area.
Please contact us for more information on fishing these two ranches.
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