From the June 2017 newsletter The endangered Colorado Pikeminnow is showing signs of recovering its diminished population in the San Juan River basin. The lower reaches of the San Juan River provide habitat for this federally listed fish. Conservation of this fishery is a priority of the New Mexico Game and Fish Department, and staff spend a considerable amount of time monitoring, stocking, and enhancing habitat to ensuring the long-term persistence of this resource. Based on data gathered last year following the spring peak release from Navajo Dam, scientists said they have found evidence the Colorado pikeminnow is reproducing in ... Read More
November 2, 2017
by Noah Parker, reprinted with permission from https://loeflyfishing.com With the beginning of the new licensing period on April 1st, 2017, the new catch and release area on the Chama River below El Vado Dam was implemented and became a reality. The New Mexico Game and Fish Commission (NMDG&F) approved catch and release regulations on this section of the Chama River at its November 17, 2016 meeting in Grants. The new regulation, as written by NMDG&F staff, applies to a three-mile stretch of the river that starts 1.3 miles below the El Vado Dam. The first 1.3 mile section of the ... Read More
November 2, 2017
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is proposing new rules. Some of the changes are:
- Modifications to the Special Trout Water (STW) program including increasing designated waters by 52 miles, reducing the number of Special Trout Water classifications from over eleven to four, and removing some waters that no longer meet the STW designation.
- Lifting catch-and-release only designation at Brantley Lake
- Adding Alumni Pond, Corona Pond, Estancia Pond, Perch Lake, Rancho Grande Ponds, Roswell Kids Ponds, and Rio Grande below Elephant Butte as winter trout waters
November 2, 2017
Pattern, notes & photo by John Kreft Used by permission From the October 2017 newsletter Hook: Dai Riki 270 # 8 - 10 Thread: Black Body: Orange wool Rib: Small gold wire Hackle: Brown furnace Underwing: Black krystal flash Wing: Black dyed elk Summer's over. It's Fall and the weather is just beginning to turn. My wife doesn't like hearing that. But what does that mean to a fly fisher? Well, October is just around the corner and I saw a few October Caddis on the river last week. I thought about how important they are to the fish. These ... Read More
November 2, 2017
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is recommending that two large national monuments in New Mexico be reviewed to allow increased access and other uses. The plan does not change the boundaries of the Rio Grande del Norte monument near the New Mexico-Colorado state line and the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks monument along the southern border. It does call for making public access a priority and congressional authority to enable Native American tribes to co-manage cultural areas within the monuments' boundaries. Zinke's plan also urges more grazing, hunting and fishing at these sites, and requests a new assessment of border-safety risks at the ... Read More
November 2, 2017
Commission members Jim Dunlap of Farmington and James Wilcox of Carlsbad submitted resignation letters to Gov. Susana Martinez on 11 October, a day after commission Chairman Caleb Chandler of Clovis tendered his resignation. Dunlap wrote in his resignation letter that he had "great concern for lack of direction from the State Engineer and adherence to New Mexico State Statutes." The commission has also come under fire in recent years for open meetings violations. The resignations leave the commission with just four active members out of nine board positions, because there were previously two vacancies.The Interstate Stream Commission has broad powers ... Read More
November 2, 2017
Fishing report by Tina and Mike Stalled about Resolution Guide Service and Rainbow Lodge, New Mexico Trout sponsors ... Read More
November 2, 2017
Fishing is permitted year-round as long as streams are not frozen. All anglers are required to check in at the Valle Grande Contact Station before fishing the waters within the preserve to obtain a free fishing permit. However, vehicle access to certain streams may not be available year-round and may require a backcountry vehicle permit. Up to 35 backcountry vehicle permits are available daily from mid-May through October as conditions allow. Elk hunting is in progress thru December 6, 2017, so wearing bright colors is advised outside of the preserve's "no hunting" zone. A series of prescribed burn projects will be ... Read More
November 2, 2017