NM fishing report — March 23

This fishing report, provided by the Department of Game and Fish and thefishphone.com, has been generated from the best information available from area officers, anglers, guides and local businesses. Conditions may vary as stream, lake and weather conditions alter fish and angler activities.

Northwest

Animas River - The flow is 162 cfs. Fishing is reported as good for trout on upper stretches near Colorado border. Fly anglers are having good success with bead headed pheasant tails, prince nymphs and copper johns all size 14-16. The river was stocked two weeks ago with 499 triploid rainbow trout.

Chama River - Upper section flow no read due to ice; no report on the fishing there. Below El Vado Dam, the flow is 158 cfs and the water is clear and low. Reports are slow for trout with not much success from anglers. The river below Abiquiu Lake was stocked two weeks ago with 1,300 triploid rainbow trout. Flow below Abiquiu is at 160 cfs.

San Juan River - Upper section - Catch and Release flow is 504 cfs. The visibility is reported at two to three feet in the river below the dam. The midge hatch has been epic, large clusters from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The best fishing will be with midge pupa and larvae, size 22 and 24, clusters are working well. You can find fish eating midges of all colors, dark midges have been best, black, brown, dark gray and olive. Some fish have been eating cream as well. Try fishing BWO's from 11 a.m. to about 3 p.m. Dark brown and olive been the best colors in a size 22 and 24. Back to midges in the evenings. Black and brown have been killing it! Colored larvae will catch fish all day long, red, orange, white, black, pink, apricot. Bunny leaches are great attractors and white eggs the size of a pea in pink, orange, apricot, peach and cheese are all working well. Lower section - Open waters, fishing is good with night crawlers, salmon eggs and the same flies as for the upper section.

Abiquiu Lake- Fishing is very slow. The Army Corps of Engineers have switched over to winter staffing until April