Weekly Fishing Report: April 28, 2021
Los Alamos Daily Post
The spring fishing season is in full swing. This is one of the best times to go fishing. The lakes remain cool enough for trout to be active and cruising the shallows looking for food. Insect activity increases and there are hatches of caddis flies and blue-winged olive mayflies happening, triggering surface feeding.
Streamflows are rising thanks to the melting snow, but they are still well-below normal. It’s going to be another challenging year for farmers as reservoir levels are already very low, The recreational rafting and kayaking on the Rio Grande will have another tough year as streamflows will likely limit the season and make it hard to make the popular trip through the Rio Grande Box.
Weekly Fishing Report: April 20, 2021
Los Alamos Daily Post
Despite the recent return of winter weather over the weekend, snowpacks in New Mexico and Southern Colorado remain well- below normal. Streamflows are running less-than normal and reservoir levels are well-below capacity. The outlook for water supply this summer is grim.
The fishing is currently pretty good as the lower streamflows favor anglers. The problem is we need those heavy spring runoffs that used to put a damper on spring fishing conditions in previous years. They also helped fill our reservoirs and maintain the streamflows through the heat of summer to the benefit of the trout.
Weekly Fishing Report: April 13, 2021
Los Alamos Daily Post
The signs of spring are all around us. Fruit trees are blooming. Daffodils are brightening flower beds. Bees are buzzing around flowers. People are setting out their hummingbird feeders and watching for the first of these little buzz bombs to show up.
Gardens are being tilled in preparation for planting. The white snow of winter is melting and disappearing from the mountains. The streams are swelling with the increased water from the runoff.
With the warming temperatures, more water is opening up for fishing in Northern New Mexico. Lakes that just a few weeks ago still had ice on them. They are now open water and the fish that held over through the winter are hungry. They will be found in shallow water closer to shore because that’s where most of their food is.
Weekly Fishing Report: April 6, 2021
Los Alamos Daily Post
The temperatures are rising. In Southern New Mexico, the temperatures are now reading consistently in the 80-degree range. Here in Northern New Mexico temperatures are climbing into the 70’s and spring runoff has begun. It will be several weeks before it peaks.
For two out of the last three years streamflows and water temperatures during the summer have reached dangerous levels for the survival of trout in New Mexico. Low streamflows and high water temperatures can prove fatal to trout, which are adapted to cold water. Once the water temperatures reach 70-degrees, trout become lethargic. Above that they start to die and at 80 degrees they are nearly all dead. Wild trout populations suffer the most during these conditions. Unfortunately, it is the larger trout that start dying first and suffer the most.
Weekly Fishing Report: March 11, 2021
Los Alamos Daily Post
With the official beginning of spring (Saturday March 20) less than two weeks away, the weather is certainly indicating a changing of the seasons.
Temperatures have been climbing into the 60’s and 70’sand some mornings the low temperatures have been above freezing.
Much of New Mexico is locked into an exceptional drought and this winter has not delivered what was needed to pull us out of it. Snowpacks remain below normal and the weather pattern is typical of a La Nina winter with the strongest storms passing to the north of New Mexico.