2001 Cimarron River Fly Fishing Report Archives
The Cimarron
flows out of Eagle Nest Lake and is an irrigation impoundment like the Costilla.
The releases
here are "on demand" so there is no predicting what the flow will be on any
given day. Best flows are betwween 15 and 50cfs. Some of the water in Eagle
Nest Lake is also owned by the downstream towns of Springer and Raton which
uses the water to supplement their domestic water supply. The Cimarron River
is a roadside stream with easy access but unlike the Rio Costilla is very
brushy. The fish here are mainly Brown trout to 16" and
stocked Rainbows. This stream also gets a lot of fishing presure and isn't
recommended on weekends.
May: I fished the
Cita on 5/16, 5/23, 5/27 and 5/31 and altho release from the dam was 1-10cfs
over this period the flow on the Cita was
20-30cfs. We fished D&D combos with a big, visible dry on top and a cased
Caddis dropper. Almost all the fish were on the dropper 12-14" below the
dry. On 5/31 I saw a few Stones flying about.
June: The flows were 25-50cfs all month and the tributaries weren't contributing
much to the downstream flow. Water temps were getting into the high 60*s and
fishing slowed down after 2pm on sunny days. Clouds help keep the temps lower
and its advisable to fish closer to the dam after 2pm on sunny days. There
is a 3-4* temperature difference from the top of the Public Water to the bottom
end. Stimulator #12 got all the attention as it does every June.
July: I only fished the Cimarron twice, on 7/1 and 7/2 and the flow was 40cfs
and a little off-color from a big rain on 6/29. We fished the Cita both days
and it was excellent both days on dry Caddis with a cased Caddis dropper. Slightly
murky water makes the fish a little less paranoid and fishing usually improves.
August: No first hand reports but temps were high and flows were around 10cfs
most of the month. This combined with mid summer fishing pressure made for
poor fishing.
September: I fished the Cita with clients on 9/10 and 9/12 at 30cfs and cooler
weather and better flows made for good fishing. Most of the action was on dry
Caddis {#14} and small Para-Adams {#18}..
October: no reports
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