The habitat project on the San Juan River below Navajo Dam has been completed and flows have been restored to 500 cfs on December 1, 2011.

Descriptively, the work has included creating a detention pond in the outlet of the Rex Smith Wash so as to prevent siltation of the area in and below the “Kiddie Hole”; placement of rock, topsoil and willows so as to close off some of the unproductive braids; and creation of 20 fish holding areas, “holes” if you will.

On 11/30/11 Buck Skillen of Duranglers got a guided tour of the work from New Mexico Game & Fish fishery biologist Marc Wethington.  Here is Buck’s reaction to what he saw.

“The result of all of this work is just short of INCREDIBLE!  There are now a lot more places to fish up through the braids and this will spread people out more and, perhaps, reduce some of the crowding.  The fish have already moved into the holes that were created.  I stood next to one such hole and was able to fish to probably 30 or 40 fish within an easy cast.  I hate to say it but shooting fish in a barrel came to mind.  Fortunately, they were hungry and ate readily.  I wont ask you to suspend belief or strain my credibility by mentioning numbers; suffice to say I had fun.  And, perhaps, best of all it doesn’t look fabricated.  I really believe inside of a year we won’t be able to notice what was done.  All in all a very exciting development for our San Juan Quality Waters.”

Midges and BWO’s still coming off and fishing has been very good with only a few anglers on the water.

Tight Lines,

Tom

November is a great time to get out on the river; no crowds and still good fishing. With the recent moisture, flows in the Animas are holding up and should make for some great nymphing or possibly dries on the right day (there is the chance for midges and olives to start coming off). If it warms up and the river gets a little color, don’t be afraid to chuck a streamer or wooly bugger.

The San Juan is also a great bet as it has been fishing quite good. As always there will be midges in water.  Look for Blue Wing Olive hatches, especially in the afternoon. Nymphing with RS2’s and Baetis emergers is a good bet, but look for rising fish on those overcast days.

Most all of our summer clothes are on sale as well as selected Sage Rods and reels and Lamson Litespeed Reels.  Come in and check out the good deals for early Christmas presents.

We will begin are winter fly tying classes soon. Please give us a call if you are interested in these lessons, as class size is limited. Dates will be posted soon.

Tight Lines

Lets Go Fishing!!

Duranglers Tom Knopick will be hosting our 3rd annual trip to Andros South Lodge on Andros Island in the Bahamas.  The staff at Andros South Lodge does an awesome job and this is truly a great trip.  Andros is without question one of the great Bonefish destination on the planet with endless diverse flats and creeks, the opportunities here are boundless.  Andros South Lodge is focused on providing the finest bone fishing in the world.

Trip Dates are April 21-28, 2012.  Join us for a trip of a lifetime!  Please contact Tom for details.

This brute of a Bonefish could not resist a well-placed size 4 Gotcha.

Come on in to the shop and check out the new Sage One fly rod.   The Sage One is quickly developing a reputation as an easy casting rod with a huge sweet spot. Both new and experienced anglers will appreciate how easy it is to make accurate casts at any distance.  The One is a light, fast action fly rod, with a sensitivity that allows for increased feel.  A blend of power and finesse result in a revolutionary rod that is unmatched when it comes to accuracy and line control.    The One is available in a wide range of sizes from a three weight to a ten weight and has proven itself in demanding fresh and saltwater conditions.

This really  is a great Fly Rod and an improvement in Fly Rod technology!

Fall is here in the Southwest, the leaves are looking great, and we have received our first blast of snow in the high country.  Despite the recent snowfall many of our local waters are still fishing great!  The San Juan is flowing at a steady 500 cfs and is fishing well.  The fall is one of our favorite times of the year on the San Juan and there have been some great afternoon mayfly hatches resulting in some really productive dry fly fishing with small BWO patterns.  Nymph rigs with a mix of analids, midge pupa, and small mayfly nymphs have been a great choice on the Juan as well.  The Animas and The Piedra have both recovered from our rescent round of snowy, wet weather and are clear and at great flows for fall fishing.  On the Animas the fish have been suspended high in the water in the afternoon actively eating small mayfy emergers, small midge pupa, and we have even recently spotted Trico duns later in the morning.  Trico spinners have been a solid source of food for the Animas fish later in the day.  As always, streamers and buggers are a fun and effective way for fishing the Animas.  One of our favorite drainages, the Piedra, has been fishing well recently and a attractor dry with a attractor nymph as a dropper has been producing some nice browns and rainbows recently.  We are excited about the recent catch and release designation on the Piedra and it seems like the fish are healthy, colorful and happy this fall!

Thanks to the recent rains in late September the Animas, the Piedra and the high elevation creeks continue to have decent flows and are quite fishable.  The Piedra and creeks should fish well into late October and, possibly, November. Fish the creeks mid day when day time temps come up a bit. The Animas fishes well through the winter. Look for Blue Wing Olives for possible dry fly action and don’t forget that streamers can be very effective now as we see good numbers of aggressive Brown trout this time of year. As long as the warmer weather holds, hopper patterns with a dropper should continue to be a good strategy.  Also, skittering a dry muddler can be a good tactic.

The San Juan should continue to fish well through the fall with flows in the 500 to 750 cfs range.  As usual midges and blue winged olives are the bugs to mimic. Since the river is subject to flow changes from dam operations, call us for up to the minute info.

We will be scheduling fly tying classes to begin in early December. And, we continue to offer one hour casting and four hour dry land fishing clinics.  Contact us for options.

SALE! – Most of the 2011 LILLYPOND bags and totes and Selected Simms Waders and Boots, Cloudveil Wading Pants and Boots, Fishing Shirts (men’s and women’s summer wear) and selected Sage Rods (TCR, Z-Axis, Xi2), and Reels (4550).

Good summer rains have us going into fall with good flows on all of our local streams and rivers, some of which may be temporarily off.  On the Animas, hopper and hopper/dropper rigs are working well. We are also seeing some midge and small mayfly activity so nymphing small San Juan patterns might help find some of the better fish.  The high creeks are fishing great with dries but as the mornings get cooler it might take a bead head dropper early in the day. 

The San Juan Quality Water flows are about 900 cfs. The river is subject to flow changes from dam operations but expect flows between 500-900 cfs, call us for up to the minute info.  Water conditions are good and the fishing has been solid all summer.  As always, Durangler’s can supply all your needs for the San Juan including NM fishing licenses.

Glenn Tinnen continues to offer his Fly Fishing Clinics on an as needed basis.  Check in with the shop for cost and to schedule.

BIG SALE: Sage Z-Axis and Xi3 and Scott A3 rods.

                     Simms Freestone boots and Pursuit Sandals.

                     Much of our summer clothing.

Tight lines, from the guys and gals at Durangler’s.

Last Friday and Saturday (Aug 5 & 6) was the 15^th Annual Dos Mosca Fly Fishing Tournament.  It is a great fundraiser for our local Big Brothers Big Sisters and celebrates the Animas River, which runs through Durango.   The basic rules are each anglers gets two flies (Dos Mosca) each day, one dry and one wet.  If you lose your flies you are done for the day.  It is a great event with all participating anglers and guides enjoying the activities along with raising much-needed funds for BBBS.   Local angler David Temple (the guy with the fish) won big fish for the contest with this 23 ½ Brown.  Duranglers guide Rob Coddington was on the ores when this sweet Brown crushed a giant articulated Animas River Special.  Tight Lines,  TK

Well, the monsoons are active and the hot weather has abated somewhat.  As we go into August our area waters are holding up nicely and fishing well.  As our monsoon rains continue, we should see our waters fish well on through the month.  It’s terrestrial season so don’t be without hoppers, ants and beetle patterns.  Dry/dropper on the Animas and the Piedra and the occasional Slump Buster should be a good bet.  Attractor dries are the ticket for the high creeks.

The San Juan Quality Waters releases are holding steady at 500 cfs, but, of course, that is subject to change if the Animas flows drop low enough.   For the most part the river is fishing well with decent mayfly hatches at times.   As always, we strive to be your full service fly shop, so check with us for any flow changes and for suggestions on flies to use

SALE!  20% off remaining Sage Z-Axis fly rods; Scott A-3 fly rods and Simms fleece and layering.

The photo is of the Animas River on 7/25/11.  Tight Lines,TK