2002 Conejos River Fly Fishing Report Archives
The Conejos is the largest
tributary to the Rio Grande. It flows out of Platoro Resevoir which at over
10,000' elevation is the highest man made impoundment in the USA. Its flow
is augmented by numerous smaller tributaries that drain surrounding areas.
This drainage historically gets a lot of snow and rain and runoff often
continues into July with the best fishing being usually from early July
thru September. Recently with successive mild, dry winters the best fishing
has often been in June and July. Low flows and high water temps has made
August and September less predictable.
June: The Conejos is starting to see the effect of our successive
mild, dry winters. Flows were 200 thru the Pinnacles and 300 in Mogote and
the Flywater along Hiway #17 was the best area. We fished a Stimulator and
a Prince dropper early and late and between 11am and 2pm the fish were really
hot on a Green Drake #10. Casting to rising fish repeatedly until they either
took or stopped rising. By mid June flows were down to 60cfs and water temps
were getting to be a problem later in the day, especially in the lower areas.
With low flows and high temps the upper river was more productive and the
Pinnacles and above afforded the best angling. By late June flows were down
to 40cfs and the temperature problem got worse.
July: Flows dropped to 2cfs in early July and the tributaries weren't
adding much flow to the river. No one had seen flows this low and fishing
was very poor for those with nowhere else to fish. Flows stayed between
2 and 40cfs all month.
August: Same as July.
September: Same as
July & August.
Conejos River
Fly Fishing Reports
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
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New Mexico Fly Fishing Report Archives