The rapidly falling water levels in Northern New Mexico’s rivers and streams are a mixed blessing for trout fishermen.
Low water slows down fishing on some rivers while improving conditions at others.
On the Rio Chama below Heron Lake, low water levels led to a total lack of success on a fishing trip Sunday.
Where water had been flowing there at a healthy 599 cubic feet per second two weeks prior, by June 27 it had dropped to a meager 78 cubic feet per second. That is less than a third of the 285 cubic feet per second the federal Geological Survey considers normal.
Low water tends to drive trout, which prefer cool water and low light conditions, into the deeper parts of the stream and beneath shelter. As a result, a recent fishing trip yielded not even a nibble in spots where June 13 healthy rainbows and browns were biting.
To make matters worse, the sand gnats were out with a vengeance. These tiny pests were swarming in the streamside willows, crawling in your nose, ears and hair. The only way to escape them was to fish standing in the water.
The fishing might be better in the early mornings, late evenings or even at night, but for now the Rio Chama below Heron will be a poor choice for fishing if water levels don’t improve. Better to wait until fall, when the water will be cooler and brown trout become more active as they prepare to spawn.
One area of the Rio Chama that might be worth exploring is the section above the foot bridge that crosses the river above Heron Dam.
The bulk of the fishing pressure occurs right at the bridge and downstream from it. By hiking upstream, you’ll find water that has not been pounded as hard by anglers. Much of this section is limited to the use of artificial flies and lures with a single, barbless hook and the limit is two fish of any length.
To get to this area of the Rio Chama, take Highway 84 north to Tierra Amarilla, then turn left onto State Road 95 to Heron Lake State Park. Just before crossing Heron Dam, turn left onto a dirt road marked “Chama River Canyon Pay your $5 day use fee at the self-pay station.” You can hike down to the Rio Chama on the trail at the parking area or walk down the access road to Heron Dam. Once on the river watch for poison ivy growing along the river banks and rattlesnakes that live in the rocky canyon walls.
While low water levels on the Rio Chama below Heron Lake tend to hurt fishing, areas of of the river where the flow is controlled by water released from reservoirs tend to offer better fishing at lower flows.
For example, the Rio Chama is flowing well below El Vado and Abiquiú dams, each flowing at better than 700 cubic feet per second. Below Abiquiú might be slow because the water tends to be very murky at these levels, limiting the vision of the trout. Below El Vado might be your best bet, as this area is well-stocked with rainbows and holds some big browns.
One resource that anglers should use to help determine where fishing conditions might be good is the Geological Survey’s real-time stream flow data for New Mexico, found online at waterdata.usgs.gov/NM.
At Abiquiú and El Vado, lower levels make for better fishing. Higher flows at these locations turn the water murky. At lower flows the water clears, improving visibility for both fish and fisherman.
Low water on large rivers like the Rio Grande open up more opportunities for anglers, allowing them to fish spots they wouldn’t even be able to see during high water periods. The lower flow allows anglers to get their bait down to fish hugging the bottom of the Rio Grande’s deep pools and riffles.
Low water levels are common right now in Northern New Mexico’s rivers and streams. The Rio Grande was flowing at less than a third of its normal flow Monday, creeping along at 422 cubic feet per second at Taos Junction Bridge. Normal flow for this time of year would be 1,380 cubic feet.
At these lower levels, fly fishing would be a good choice of technique in the Rio Grande. A stonefly or caddis nymph would be a good fly pattern to try. The low water level will enable anglers to fish spots that normally would be difficult to reach. Low water levels improve fishing conditions on the Rio Grande, while hurting them on the Rio Chama
The water flow through the Rio Grande gorge from Taos Junction Bridge upstream to the Colorado-New Mexico state line is also running low. Normally, hiking into the gorge this time of year wouldn’t yield good fishing because of high water levels, but the low water levels this year might make for better angling conditions now.