Fish biologists and anglers hope the slow and steady runoff continues
Fly anglers have already lost two popular caddis hatches to high water this season, and the spring runoff has only just begun. But fish biologists and advocates are joining anglers in looking past a tough fishing spring to what could be a banner summer.
“The overall picture is good, because we don’t have to worry about the streams getting low and hot this summer,” said William Schudlich, chairman of the New Mexico Council of Trout Unlimited.
With a heavy snowpack waiting in the mountains of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, a reasonably cool summer could keep the rivers flowing longer and stronger than usual.
A high spring runoff can also wash sediment into the streams, especially on streams like the Rio Guadalupe, which has had fires recently, Schudlich said. If sediment gets too high in a stream, fish can be harmed.
But Kirk Patten, a fisheries biologist with the state Fish and Game Department, said extra moisture can also help speed new growth in damaged areas.
“The systems need it. They need a good flush, they need a good cleaning,” said Jarrett Sasser, owner of High Desert Angler, a Santa Fe fly shop.
In March and early May, caddis came off as usual, but high water made it difficult for anglers to lure fish to the top of the fast, murky water. The next big hatch is a much more forgiving one, however, Sasser said.
The salmon fly, a large stone fly, typically starts coming off in Jemez mountain streams around the first of June. And the water there, while still rising fast in the Pecos River and the Rio Grande, has dropped.
There are some dangers to a high runoff, though, Patten said. Catastrophic flooding can wipe out fish and leave streams less healthy, but so far, the cool spring has made the runoff slow and steady.
With plenty of snow remaining, however, quick warming and rain could result in the worst still happening, Patten said.
“You never want to wish water away,” he said. “But there could still be flooding.”
It all depends on how the snow melts over the next few weeks.
“By the first week of June, we should know how long it’s going to take,” Sasser said.
