The San Luis Valley Outdoor Report for the week of June 4, 2024. This time we’re talking fishing with two of the best anglers in the San Luis Valley – Larry Zaragoza and Larry Mortensen.
In this episode the Larrys and Marty Jones talk Valley fishing. They give their insights to what they’re seeing, how often they’re getting out on the water, all while reminiscing about their days fishing on the San Luis Valley’s waters. Which there is no shortage of.
We’re back in the studio in early July to record more Outdoor Citizen episodes. In the meantime, tune in here, or wherever you get your podcasts. We hope you enjoy.
BIKE SURVEY
Our Bicycling in the San Luis Valley survey received 129 responses with a series of data and written responses that gives us a much better sense of just how deeply connected the Valley’s residents are with their bikes.
The survey data is just the start of a culture shift toward increasing cyclist and pedestrian safety and access in the San Luis Valley. The people who took the time to share with us their observations, suggestions, and wants for the future of cycling gave us more than enough. We’re working on an in-depth recap of the data and responses and what we learned from this two-wheeled endeavor.
While we work on compiling data, catch up on our four-part podcast series on the Valley’s cyclists. We chatted with a good-sized handful of people from around Alamosa and the SLV, as well as experts and government officials who are seeing a need for change.
OUTDOOR CONDITIONS
Spring river flows:
The Conejos River near Mogote is reading flows of 1220 cfs, while the Rio Grande at Del Norte has a discharge of 3350 cfs.
High Desert Field Notes:
What are YOU noticing? Have any specific birds, plants, or insects caught your eye this season? What changes have you seen in the landscape you live in? Send your field notes or observations to jocelyncatterson@gmail.com or post to social media with #highdesertfieldnotes.
Here’s the quarterly journal High Desert Field Notes by Jocelyn Catterson. What you discover feeds into this.
Fishing Conditions
Lower Basin Salida to Canon City
ArkAnglers report: Warmer weather is starting to ramp up the rate of snowmelt again and as scouring increases the river below Salida has dropped below 12″ of visibility at best. Fish are adjusting daily to the rising flows so you’ll work hard for those looking for a meal. Expect challenging fishing on the river for the next month or so until we pass peak flow and see the river begin to recede. At this level your productive water will be constrained to right along the banks or along mid-stream structure like boulders. We recommend fishing from shore wherever possible. Don’t wade where you can’t see the river bottom.
San Juan River at Pagosa Springs
Fishing is picking up with the warming weather, but so are the flows. Discolored water can cause fish to move to bigger nymphs such as stoneflies, worms, or cranefly larva. Fish closer to the banks Streamer fishing is good this time of year too.
San Juan River near Archuleta, N.M.
Duranglers report: Flows have been dropped to about 350 and the water clarity is getting better every day. Fishing has also been great with good bug hatches. Midges and baetis have been hatching in the Quality Waters, but lower down there have been pretty solid caddis and PMD hatches going on as well with lots of fishing looking up..
Conejos River below Platoro
Conejos River Anglers report: High flows at -480 cfs. Worm patterns and drake nymphs should get fish to eat. High flows also mean flows through pocket water will be high but fishing along the lower river should stay decent through spring runoff.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
SLV GO! Nature RX walk and runs are every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Alamosa Disc Golf Course and every Monday at 5:30 p.m. at the Skeff Nature Trail in Monte Vista.
The Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project will be having their first public input meeting for the Alamosa Riverfront Project June 20 at 6p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Spanish translation will also be available. The idea behind this plan is to bring river recreation near Cole Park, while improving river health and agricultural infrastructure downstream. This phase of the project will be held at the Rio Grande Farm Park at 6935 CO Hwy 17. This is an opportunity to meet the team behind the project, learn more about it, and provide your own feedback and input.
The second Community Traffic Study will be staged Friday, June 14, at 8 a.m. The ride will start at Boyd Park and end at Safeway. These commuting studies are put on by the Alamosa Bicycle Coalition and San Luis Valley Great Outdoors to gain as much data as they can to better understand the commute and travel times for non-vehicular modes of transportation. This event is free and open to the public. Bring a bike or your own two feet, good clothing, and a way to time your route.
Join the annual Bike-2-Build fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity June 29 at 7:00 a.m. Beginning at the Alamosa Senior Citizen Center at 92 Colorado Avenue, riders can tackle a 35-mile loop bike ride or the 65-mile Metric Century ride. $125 per rider for the metric century ride and $100 for the 35-mile loop ride. Rest stops and support vehicles, with snacks and refreshments for the riders, are provided. If you are not a bike rider, feel free to sponsor the ride through the fundraising page here. The goal is to raise $5,000.
OUTDOOR NEWS
Here are a couple of news items from Bureau of Land Management’s San Luis Valley Field office:
The Rocky Mountain Resource Advisory Council will meet June 20 at the Bureau of Land Management’s San Luis Valley Field office in Monte Vista. The June 20 meeting is open to the public and will begin at 10 a.m. Agenda items include a discussion on national conservation areas, the Lobatos Bridge project, status updates on solar development, the field office’s acquisition of the Middle Creek parcel, and an update on fire mitigation efforts in the area around Poncha Pass.
Separately, the BLM will host a field tour on June 21. The field tour will meet at the Monte Vista Field Office at 9 a.m. and is tentatively slated to visit Penitente Canyon, the Limekiln area, and La Jara creek. Members of the public who choose to attend must provide their own transportation.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife will be holding a meeting on June 13 in Monte Vista to discuss proposed fishing regulation changes aimed at advancing conservation goals for the Rio Grande cutthroat trout. The first of the proposals is to restrict harvest and tackle fishing in the Sand Creek drainage and Rito Hondo reservoir and the creek above it to help reestablish a self-sustaining Rio Grande cutthroat trout population. The proposed regulations are aimed at protecting populations during the rebuilding process, which can take up to five years.
Additionally, another regulation change is also proposed for Kerr Lake within the Rio Grande National Forest south of South Fork. CPW has proposed the removal of special regulations involving fly-and-lure only fishing that’s been in place since 1955. CPW has also proposed removing the limit of two fish and returning Kerr Lake to statewide regulations on bag and possession limits of four and eight. The meeting is open to the public. It will be held at CPW’s Monte Vista office at 722 Henderson Road, from 6 to 8 p.m.