Making the most of a low water year.
Fly fishing here in New Mexico this summer has been tougher than most years past. A lot of our smaller mountain waterways have been running extremely low—too low, in many cases, to comfortably fish for trout. At this point, the goal is simply to give these fish the best chance to survive the low-water conditions until we get some real moisture or make it to next season.
We still have opportunities to get out and fish, but the selection of water has been pretty limited compared to what we would consider a “normal” year.
This time of year, I would typically be spending most of my guiding days up in the Valle Vidal on the Rio Costilla. Unfortunately, the reservoir is so low that very little water is being released, leaving the river in poor shape. The Rio del Pueblo off Highway 518, which is normally a really fun little dry-fly fishery, is also too low to fish. A lot of our smaller creeks are just barely hanging on, making it challenging to find water that is both fishable and healthy for the trout.
Most days, I’ve found myself dreaming about what a typical summer looks like here in Northern New Mexico.
Thankfully, we still have a few options. The Cimarron and the Red River below the hatchery have been fishing pretty well in the mornings, with dry flies and dry-dropper rigs producing fish. Once those waters start getting too warm, we would normally head to higher-elevation water to keep chasing trout. Unfortunately, those options have been pretty limited this summer as well.
A lack of moisture over the winter, combined with a very poor monsoon season so far, has left us high and dry.
One bright spot has been the Rio Grande Gorge. Thankfully, there isn't a tremendous amount of water crossing the Colorado border into New Mexico, so much of the flow in the Gorge, from around Ute Mountain downstream, is spring-fed. The river picks up roughly 100 CFS from these springs, which helps keep the water temperatures cooler in the early morning hours.
That has allowed us to have a couple of fantastic hours of trout fishing in the mornings, generally until around 11 a.m. or noon, depending on the section of river. First-light hikes in and very hot, mid-day hikes back out have been the name of the game most of the summer. It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you're willing to put in the miles, those early-morning hours can be well worth the hike.
Once the water temperatures climb too high for trout, we're fortunate to have a decent population of smallmouth bass and carp in the lower stretches of the Rio Grande. They aren't necessarily what most people picture when they think about fly fishing in Northern New Mexico, but they provide a great way to scratch the fly-fishing itch when the trout need a break.
There’s just something about getting out on the water, stalking a feeding fish, and watching it eat a fly. Whether it’s a bass or a carp, it’s still a hoot and a holler and a great way to spend a day.
Another option is crossing the border into Colorado and seeking out some of the higher mountain streams in the Rio Grande National Forest. Those waters are running low as well, but the higher elevations are keeping water temperatures in a more fishable range. There are also plenty of streams up there holding the precious Rio Grande cutthroat trout, which makes for a pretty special day on the water.
While this might not be the typical world-class summer fishing that Northern New Mexico is known for, we still have opportunities to get outside and make the best of the conditions we've been given. And we're thankful for that.
The good news is that we're getting close to the time of year when things start to turn around. In another month or so, water temperatures on the Rio Grande should be back down into fishable ranges throughout the day, and we'll be heading into one of my favorite times of year.
The browns will soon start getting fired up for their spawn, and the fishing will begin to get red hot again before we know it.
In the meantime, early mornings on the water and tying flies for the rest of the day have been the jam. We'll get through this hot and dry summer, and before long, it'll be a thing of the past.
