Meeting Produces Workable Solutions for Improving San Juan Fishing

It was one of those days that old time anglers of the San Juan’s quality waters like to talk about.

A Baetis hatch that caused the river to roil with rising fish and anglers to howl with glee.

The day began dark and drizzly with low, threatening clouds and a quiet calm that held the promise of such a hatch.

And the river didn’t disappoint this early spring day.

“My God, look at all of them,” a voice exclaimed from downriver. “They’re everywhere.”

I turned from my spot below the island at Baetis Bend to see a couple of late arrivals trudging up the bank, talking and pointing excitedly.

I returned to my quarry, a big rainbow, steadily sipping Baetis bugs off the surface and ignoring every fly I cast her way.

She was wary of me as I had already caught and released several silver-sided, stockers in her immediate vicinity.

These future “hall-of-famers” greedily attacked my flies and fought like crazy but they were hatchery trout, leftovers from a recent, well intended but ill conceived stocking event designed to appease some guides during this controversial period of the river’s life.

As far as I was concerned, all they were doing was getting in the way of my catching a classic, river reared, San Juan rainbow, 18 inches of beautifully colored attitude and fight.

In the end she took a bigger Adams than I would have thought and my day was complete as she broke the surface, shook mightily, spit my fly and swam off unharmed.

As I headed back to the parking lot I couldn’t help but wonder if some of the river’s more vocal critics had been on the water this day, would they still harbor their negative view of this great fishery.

Because in an afternoon of fishing the back channel, the lower flats and the wadeable water at Baetis Bend, I caught on dry flies, plenty of good looking, hard fighting, Rainbow trout.

And while fishing deep with a big nymph and an emerger for a dropper, I managed to snare several of the lower river’s more predominant but stealthier brown trout, with most taking the nymph and steamrolling into the depths.


On this day, it felt like the river had vindicated itself, rejecting the notion that she was in poor health and doomed to die because of the lower flows over the last decade.

And it was apparent that many of the river guides, angler’s groups and others felt the same way at a state Game Commissioner’s Meeting in Farmington just a day before.

Over two hours of public comment about the river produced plenty of constructive suggestions on how to improve the fishery and little of the negative and misleading rhetoric that has dominated some flyfishing forums and the mainstream media of late (see related article ).

Mike Sloan, Chief of Fisheries for the state Department of Game and Fish opened the meeting by providing commissioners with an update on the department’s public outreach efforts in recent months.

The department is gathering feedback as it mulls numerous proposals to improve fishing conditions on the state’s world class, blue ribbon trout stream.

Angling on the river accounts for as much as $40 million a year to the state’s economy and a $250,000 legislative appropriation was earmarked by Governor Bill Richardson for habitat improvements on the river this year.

Sloan advised commissioners that the department has recently sought public imput and comment from groups such as New Mexico Trout, The San Juan Fly Fishing Federation, the San Juan River Guide’s Association, several Trout Unlimited chapters, the group Concerned Citizens for the San Juan and it’s newly created fellow organization, the San Juan Quality Waters Coalition, and Southwest Consolidated Sportsmen.

Sloan said almost everyone seemed to agree that the river has changed due to lower flows imposed just under a decade ago and silt and sediment has built up.

Many said they were seeing more crowding in productive fishing areas, tougher fishing due to warier fish and reduced insect hatches.

“But I also got feedback that the fishing remained excellent,” Sloan said. “And it’s still the best place people want to go to.

James Dominguez, Fisheries Biologist with the State Department of Game and Fish shows off one of the San Juan River's prized trophy trout during an electro-shocking expedition in November, 2008.

To improve conditions, groups like New Mexico Trout, the San Juan Flyfishing Federation and the San Juan River Guides Association said they wanted to work with the department on more in-stream habitat improvements like those that have been installed below Simon Canyon and at Cottonwood Campground (see related article).

One possible project under consideration involves narrowing the river channel and adding gravel, cobble and boulders into areas immediately below the dam to provide fish and insects more habitat in which to thrive.

A silt and sediment diversion at the Rex Smith Wash inflow area adjacent to the Texas Hole parking lot is another project under consideration which could have an immediate and positive impact on the river.

Other proposals include imposing a catch and release only rule on the river’s entire 4.5 mile stretch of quality water where an angler can currently harvest a single trout over 20-inches each day but must cease fishing once they’ve taken that limit.

Proponents argue that the vast majority of San Juan anglers practice catch and release and eliminating any harvest on the quality waters would help reduce poaching and mortality among fish being measured for possible harvest.

Another proposal involves the creation of a San Juan stamp added to state fishing licenses for those who fish the quality waters, something along the line of $3 to $5 with all revenues raised earmarked specifically for San Juan river projects and to fund assignment of a full-time game officer to the river.

Other proposals include improved hiking trails along the river to encourage anglers to spread out, better picnic areas and boating facilities and more trash containers.

Meanwhile, the Concerned Citizens of the San Juan and San Juan Quality Waters Coalition continued their demand for an independent study of the river and higher stream flows.

It was apparent from commissioners remarks, especially after hearing from Bureau of Reclamation and Land Management officials, that commissioners clearly understood that they had no control over the water flows or the oil and gas industry operations on surrounding lands.

Those issues were better addressed by agencies with jurisdiction over them and as far as the commissioners seemed to be concerned, they would concentrate on problems they could actually solve.

Chairman McClintic even went so far as to suggest that those groups seeking an independent study of the river should consider paying for it themselves.

The department has already conducted studies and issued a white paper addressing concerns about the river (see related article )while also continuing to survey insect populations and analyze sediment data for a better idea of what’s going on down on the river.

And for these efforts, San Juan Fisheries Biologist, Marc Wethington and his boss, Sloan, were applauded by commissioners and audience members.

Others in attendance, like oil and gas opponent, former game commissioner and San Juan Quality Waters Coalition front-man - Oscar Simpson - weren’t so fortunate.

Simpson was publicly chastized for his involvement in stirring up negative publicity about the San Juan river to further his political agenda (see related story ) and his tactics and efforts were openly rejected.

And notably absent from the meeting was Associated Press Reporter, Susan Montoya Bryan, whose attendance had been promised and was widely expected.

Many in attendance expressed disappointment, as they were looking forward to her providing coverage of this other side of the San Juan’s story - the one she overlooked when writing about Simpson and the river recently.

For more details and comments from the April 16, 2009 Farmington meeting see the game commission minutes posted on the department's website .

In the meantime, a working group of San Juan River stakeholders is slated to convene shortly to hash out a plan on what projects to pursue so the department can settle back down to doing some real work on improving the river.

To get involved contact your state game commission .

Oscar Simpson - Is it About Him or the River ?

Editorial note: As a frequent angler of the San Juan River and a longtime New Mexico journalist I feel compelled to publish this article in the interest of fairness and to voice an often overlooked side of the story about this great fishery and the decent, hard working folks who live and work there.

Oscar Simpson of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation has apologized to a group of San Juan River fishing guides for his making unsubstantiated claims and stirring up negative publicity about the blue ribbon trout fishery to further his political objectives.

“I’m sorry if I cost you guys some money,” Simpson told a gathering of San Juan River Guides Association members at a tape recorded meeting in Aztec on March 23. “But the only way to get politicians moving is with bad press and a lot of constituents chewing on their ass.”

Arron Carithers, Vice President of the guides’ association said after the meeting that Simpson’s crusade against the oil and gas industry is ruining the fishing guide business on the San Juan River below Navajo Dam.

“He has no evidence to back up some of the things he’s saying and it’s killing us - just so he can further his own agenda,” said Carithers, who runs Anasazi Anglers of Durango, Colo.and has been guiding on the river for 18 years. “Personally, I don’t want anything more to do with him or his cause.”

Simpson who says he’s a paid public lands organizer for the National Wildlife Federation, is one of the oil and gas industry’s most vocal critics and claims that silt and sediment runoff from drilling on surrounding mesas is killing the San Juan river.

“If we don’t have a multiple approach ... this world-class fishery will be lost within a few short years,” Simpson told the Associated Press (AP) for a February article about the river.

The article stated that two thirds of the river had become silt laden, forcing the river’s trout into a small area below the dam, something many guides and locals would have been happy to debate.

After all, the quality waters above Simon Canyon had been scoured clean by an average flow of 3,000 cubic-feet-per-second (cfs) for five straight months last winter and the river saw an average flow of 750 cfs in the seven months before that.

The San Juan is normally flowing at about 500 cfs those times of year.

And plenty of trout have been caught up and down the river all year long, as any parking lot inquiry or flyshop discussion would have revealed.

Nonetheless, Simpson continued to make his apocalyptic claims during the guides’ meeting, arguing that if the group didn’t join in his campaign, then the river would be “dead and gone” in a few more years and the guides would all be out of jobs.

Former state Game Commissioner, Oscar Simpson. Photo Courtesy of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

When questioned during the meeting about some of his public statements about the river’s supposed declining health and loss of fish habitat, Simpson conceded he had no scientific evidence to back those statements.

Simpson then apologized for his use of “political license” and explained he had to “rattle some cages” and “make big statements” to attract political attention to his cause.

Simpson warned the guides that the “press would cut their throats” if there was any “conflicting messages ” from those speaking on behalf of the river and stressed the need to “stay on message” and “stick together.”

Simpson then urged the group to get on board with his newly formed San Juan Quality Waters Coalition which includes members of another group that shares Simpson’s ideology, the Concerned Citizens of the San Juan and its spokesman, Andreas Novak.

Novak was also quoted in the same AP article written by Susan Montoya Bryan that states “Novak and other anglers are worried that erosion from increased gas and oil activity and low flows mandated by federal officials for endangered species and water users downstream could mean the death of the fishery, if something isn’t done.”

Novak and his followers have been calling for increased flows to return the river to its glory days when higher flows routinely scoured silt and sediment from the riverbed, producing prolific insect hatches and easy angling for big fish.

What they don’t explain is how they intend to accomplish that, especially since the Navajos own most of the water behind the dam and the feds that control it have bigger priorities than fishing.

It’s a sticky issue that’s conveniently overlooked in their rhetoric.

Perhaps that’s why Simpson, a self admitted “half-assed” fly fisherman who hasn’t angled much on the San Juan since the 1980s, told the guides that he wants to see an independent, scientific study done on the river to determine what’s going on and recommend solutions.

Simpson said after the meeting during a telephone interview with Outdoors New Mexico that he doesn’t consider the recently completed San Juan River White Paper conducted by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) to be such a valid study.

The department’s White Paper includes results from angler satisfaction interviews, annual electro-shocking surveys, water flow data and government reports that shows despite lower flows in recent years the river still maintains a healthy, stable, population of big trout and that the vast majority of anglers are highly satisfied with the fishing.

The White Paper also cites a US Geological study of the oil and gas industry’s impact of the area that shows 87 percent of silt and sedimentation in the river is produced by naturally occurring runoff.

The White Paper notes that NMDGF routinely replenishes the San Juan River’s stock of rainbow trout and naturally reproducing brown trout also make up a big share of the tailwater’s 70,000 fish found in a 4.5-mile, specially managed, quality water section.

The average trout caught on the San Juan ranges in length from 16 to 18 inches while trophy fish over 20 inches are routinely netted, according to the White Paper.

And what you don’t find in the NMDGF White Paper, many longtime locals can provide with their knowledge of the weather, the surrounding natural environment and the river’s history and behavior.

It should be noted that neither the White Paper’s results, nor any comments from the San Juan River Guides Association, local residents or business owners were included in the AP article about the river.

Carithers noted the AP article was dispersed nationwide due to the news co-op’s reach and that kind of publicity could result in irreparable damage to the river’s reputation as one of the country’s top ten fly fishing destinations.

Simpson explained during the guides’ meeting that he wasn’t satisfied with his fellow Game Commissioner’s conclusion last year that conditions on the San Juan River were acceptable which is why he felt the need to call in a reporter to write the story.

Simpson is a former state Game Commissioner who was replaced in January after serving about a year on the commission.

The governor’s office reports Simpson was replaced because the state senate failed to confirm his appointment in the first place.

During his tenure on the commission Simpson advocated for NMDGF to take a more aggressive stance in its dealings with the oil and gas industry.

Simpson at the time also urged sportsmen to join a new organization he was championing, Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development, which also targets the oil and gas industry.

Simpson said in an interview with Outdoors New Mexico following his appointment to the commission that he once worked for the state’s oil conservation division, which led to his desire to see more oversight of the oil and gas industry.

Simpson claimed that the oil and gas industry was destroying wildlife habitat and having a negative impact on hunting and fishing in New Mexico and he wanted to see tighter regulation and control.

Simpson then found himself a constituency to serve and a battle to fight with the oil and gas industry down on the San Juan River.


San Juan fishing guides and anglers got their first taste of then Commissioner Simpson’s agenda and tactics after he and his organization ran a negative radio ad about the San Juan river in the Albuquerque market late last summer.

The ad came after a black mass was seen floating down the river near Navajo Dam following a thunderstorm. It was captured on video and thought by some who viewed it, such as Simpson, to have been caused by oil pollution from the nearby oil and gas fields.

Shortly thereafter the questionable radio ad was aired in which a youngster asks about going fishing on the San Juan River and is told by an adult that may never happen again because of pollution from the oil and gas industry.

Both the state Oil Conservation Division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department and the Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) investigated the matter and following site inspections and an analysis of the video found no evidence of oil, and no signs of dead or dying fish or other wildlife, according to a press release issued by the NMDGF.

Investigators determined that the most likely explanation for the report was that a large amount of organic debris was flushed out of an arroyo during a heavy rainstorm.

Organic materials such as piñon needles, juniper berries and salt cedar branches contain natural oils and could be mistaken for oil field byproducts, the press release stated.

The Citizen’s Alliance for Responsible Energy blasted the ad in its September 2008 newsletter saying “the ad is wholly deceptive--built on a false premise, making a guilty assumption with no avenue for defense.”

But by the then the damage had already been done and guides were receiving calls from clients asking what the hell was going on down on their river.

Simpson defended airing the ad during an Albuquerque radio talk show regarding new proposed oil and gas regulation during this year’s legislative session.

Simpson was unapologetic and argued the ad was okayed by his organization’s lawyers and only “implied” that the river had been polluted by oil and gas activity.

But Simpson’s willingness to sacrifice the river’s reputation and related businesses to further his campaign against the oil and gas industry has angered many on the San Juan.

Bubba Smith, fishing guide and one of the directors of the San Juan River Foundation complained to Simpson during the guides’ meeting that Simpson’s negative publicity campaign had cost Smith’s foundation $110,000 in pledged contributions from the energy industry.

The foundation’s mission is to raise funds that can be used by the NMDGF for in-stream habitat improvements and other worthy projects on the San Juan River.

And the energy industry was instrumental to NMDGF’s past efforts in constructing in-stream habitat improvements on the San Juan below Simon Canyon and at Cottonwood Campground, providing cash and other assistance.

Those improvements have helped keep silt and sediment suspended and flowing downstream while providing habitat for fish and the insects they feed upon.

The NMDGF’s plan is to manage the fishery for low water flows and expects to continue with similar habitat improvement projects throughout the river.

Smith said energy industry representatives he had been working with were upset that they were the target of negative publicity, especially since they have tried to be good neighbors on the San Juan River.

Smith is credited with bringing Governor Bill Richardson’s down to the river last fall, a trip which resulted in Richardson seeking and obtaining $250,000 from this year’s cash strapped legislature for more improvements to the San Juan fishery.

The governor’s appropriation is earmarked exclusively for in-stream habitat projects on the river and will be the subject of upcoming discussions by the state Game Commission which is meeting in Farmington on April 16th.

Smith said after the guides’ meeting with Simpson that his foundation wants to maintain good working relations with those agencies involved in operating the dam, maintaining the fishery and helping with economic development.

“So I don’t think you’ll see us aligning ourselves with his (Simpson’s) coalition.” Smith said. “We just don’t see oil and gas as the boogeyman here.”

And while some may feel Simpson’s efforts are well intended, after all he was actively involved in helping save the wildly popular Valle Vidal from any oil and gas development, others say his current activities are damaging to his, and his organization’s, integrity.

For instance, during this year’s annual hunting and fishing show at the state fairgrounds in Albuquerque, Simpson angered show promoter and highly respected voice of the outdoors, Bob Gerding, by reportedly harassing attendees and using questionable rhetoric to obtain signatures on a petition opposing a legislative bill favorable to the Valles Caldera National Preserve in the Jemez Mountains.

Gerding said he was forced to tell Simpson to “straighten up” and “shut up” or he would have to leave.

Executive Director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, Jeremy Vesbach, told Outdoors New Mexico when questioned about the show said that he didn’t think the confrontation with Gerding was that big a deal.

But Gerding, who stated after the show that he wouldn’t invite the Wildlife Federation back next year, obviously thinks it is, enough so, that he’s now thinking about not inviting any non-profit groups back next year.

“There’s just too many conflicting agendas,” Gerding said. “And some of these guys just don’t know how to behave.”

Vesbach did not return a call seeking comment on Simpson’s activities nor did Jennifer Jones, Vice President of Strategic Communications for the National Wildlife Federation.

And during his previously mentioned telephone interview with Outdoors New Mexico, Simpson grew irate and hung up when asked to justify some of the statements he’d been making about conditions on the San Juan River.

In the meantime, Peggy Harrell of Abes Motel and Flyshop reports fishing on the San Juan River is fair with the river flowing at 500 cfs and fish up to 20-inches, mostly rainbows, hitting on red larva and egg or apricot colored egg patterns.

Abes Motel and Flyshop Fishing Guide, Peggy Harrell, shows just how easy it is during a little foray down to Baetis Bend in the summer of 2008.

Head East to Lake Sumner for a Winter Angling Oasis

Bosque Redondo Lake is a pretty place to stop on the way to Sumner Lake.

It was the only bright spot in what was otherwise a dismal, mid-winter, fishing report.

The walleye were supposed to be biting out at Sumner Lake, a little known fishing hole far out on the plains of Eastern New Mexico.

A high-pressure system had been parked over the state for a whole week and daily temperatures were soaring into the sixties, sunshine was abundant and the winds were nowhere to be found.

It was too much for me to handle as I muddled through another day of home schooling in website design, digital photo editing and everything else I needed to know to survive my transition to the new media.

I squirmed as I dialed up my wife’s office and begged her for permission to flee.

Once she heard my whining she was all too happy to send me packing.

I was out the door and down the road within minutes, a tuna fish sandwich in hand and my trusty dog, Wiley, nipping at my heels.

I’d never been out to Fort Sumner before despite having lived and traveled throughout the state for close to 30 years.

I was too busy chasing trout, women and work back then.

But now that I’ve settled down some and learned the joys of warm water fishing, I’ve discovered a whole new slate of fishing holes to explore.

But my wife, Wren, suggested that if I was going out that way I needed to stop and see the state’s Bosque Redondo Memorial near Fort Sumner first.

As a reporter with the Farmington Daily Times, she was a member of a three-person team that earned an E. H. Shaffer award for investigative coverage of the Army’s 1860s’ forced march of many Navajos from their homelands in the Four Corners to an ill-suited reservation by the Pecos River.

Painting of "The Journey of Despair" by artist Carlos Ortiz at the Bosque Redondo Memorial at Forst Sumner State Monument.

Being a longtime student of history, I knew I’d want to stop at the memorial so I decided to take my time and enjoy the drive, bask in the remarkable weather and take in some scenery too.

Heading east out of Santa Fe on I-25, I jumped off at U.S. 285 south and proceeded south along a two lane ribbon of blacktop through cattle country.

Bordered by tawny, juniper and piñon studded pastures and the occasional red rocked butte, I found myself humming the “Rawhide” theme song, as I ripped down the road.

Some 50 miles later I rolled into the truck stop straddling I-40 at Clines Corner.

Gas was thirty cents a gallon more here and a quart of oil set me back something like five bucks, but the gift shop had the most amazing assortment of New Mexico trinkets I’d ever seen, so it was a wash.

I’d have to remember this place come Christmas time, I thought to myself as I headed over the interstate and continued south on 285.

Here the road opens up to two lanes each way and runs through some long, fast, flat stretches.

By now I’m listening to AM radio and the last of the right wing pundits who still don’t get it.

Thirty miles later I hit US 60 at the neat, little town of Encino and head east again, chasing a long freight train strung out along the plains.

At one point I jump off the highway and bounce down a narrow, rocky, two track heading down to the tracks. I’m hoping I’ll be able to get a closeup picture of the lead engine bearing down the tracks toward me.

I arrived in a cloud of dust but I am just a few seconds too late. I could only watch as the cars lumbered by, the ground quivering under my feet as I take the opportunity to piss in the sand.

With the tinny squeal of the tracks fading, I lean against my little Jap Jeep and let the silence of the plains envelope me.

Out here the sweeping, uninterrupted grasslands dominate the faded, blue horizon, the only interruption, an occasional speck of a far off head of cattle.

I think what a bummer it would be to have to walk anywhere from here.

Back on the highway I soon cover the 20 miles to the town of Vaughn, a once thriving little railroad town that now looks like its just barely hanging on.

Here two rail lines intersect with one heading northeast and the other jogging south and later east again.

I continue east across the flatlands for a 60-mile dash to Fort Sumner, having lost my companion train to the countryside. But the map shows the tracks reconnecting with the roadway at the little town of Yeso.

I’ll stop here for lunch and get my picture.

I park behind what looks like an old hotel and what had once been the post office.

Leafless elms stand like silent sentries around the run down property. A lone wall made of small rocks leans precariously at an adjoining ruin.

Here I eat my sandwich as a light breeze plays through the open window, the dog leans out, reading the wind and then stares at me and my sandwich for a while.

I give her a potato chip, she bites it and it explodes across the seat.

The train finally arrives and I get my picture, once again enjoying the thrill of standing close to the thundering train as it screeches down the rails.


The conductor rewards my attendance with an extra blast of his lonesome sounding horn.

I return to my seat behind the wheel and shoot a picture of an empty rock house across the road. I wonder who lived here, what did they do and where have they gone?

The plains and abandoned buildings of Eastern New Mexico do that to you, make you stop and wonder.

I finally roll into Fort Sumner, visit their pretty little town hall on the hill, find the old railroad station, stop in at the Billy the Kid Museum for directions, check out his gravesite at another location and then make it over to the memorial.

The parking lot is empty but I can see they’re doing some construction inside so I walk into the building only to find the gift shop closed and no one around.

A lady comes out of a back office and says I can look around but I don’t have to pay because of all the inconveniences of the construction.

I read all the interpretive boards and feel ashamed to be white as I leave the place.

No wonder the Indians act the way they do sometimes, I think to myself.

I sure hope they bring a lot of kids here. Wren was right, we all need to see this.
The Fort Sumner museum at the Bosque Redondo memorial.

I take a quick detour to the Bosque Redondo Lake before heading off to Sumner Lake.

It looks like a great place to hide out for an afternoon and the sign says it’s stocked with 14- to 16-inch catfish with a bag limit of two.

The smell of cattle is thick along this bottomland, with little farms and pastures bordering the road leading back to town.

I finally made it out to Sumner Lake late in the afternoon, passing along the way a windmill farm, way off in the distance, gently producing electricity and hope.

“This is one of the best places for bank fishing and taking the kids,” Shawn Denny, Southeast Area Fisheries Manager for the state Department of Game and Fish says of Sumner Lake. “You can almost always catch something here.”

Sumner Lake has one of the highest fish densities in the state, second only to Caballo Reservoir and is well stocked with walleye, a particularly aggressive fish, a fine fighter and tasty too, Denny says.

Anglers will also find good populations of large and small mouth bass and crappie too, he added.

Denny is a 1995 New Mexico State University graduate with a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Management. He has been with the Department of Game and Fish for the past 12 years and has been the Southeast Area Fisheries Manager since 2001. He works out of the Roswell Office.

Denny says the primary food source for fish in the lake is crawdads.

“And with the warmer weather it won’t be long before they’ll be moving around and getting up into the shallows,” Denny said. “Then you’ll be able to really whack them (the fish).”

Denny says if the weather remains warm anglers can get a jump on the spring season and get into some really good fishing from now through the end of April.

A lone fisherman navigates his way across Sumner Lake.

The lake is productive all summer and into the fall too, he said.

Denny says good spots to fish include down by the gauging tower on the face of the dam, off the rocks in the cove opposite the dam and in the flats on the east side of the lake.

And if the wind gets up and pushes folks off the lake as it’s been know to do, anglers can hide out on the Pecos River below the dam.

The stilling basin there is chock full of trout and is regularly stocked with catchables every other week or so, Denny said.

Powerbait and salmon eggs are the choice of bait here, he said.

Some of these trout even sport cash tags which can earn a lucky angler a cash reward from the nearby Hide Away restaurant, bar, grill, tackle, grocery store, RV park and motel.

Proprietor Mary Sena said supporters chip in every year to tag fish with colored chips that can be redeemed at her store located by the state park entrance.

Yellow tags bring $10, red for $20 and a green tag will earn $50, she said.

Sena said they planted $250 worth of the fish this year and anglers have only redeemed $160 as of mid-February.

The Peco river emerges from below the dam at Sumner Lake.

Sena, a Vaughn native, said she and her husband have been in business at the lake for the past 35 years and absolutely love it.

“And we’ve had a beautiful winter so far this year,” she said.

Sena’s operation is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and provides visitors to the lake with most needs including nightcrawlers and minnows.

Visitors will also find plenty of camping at the state park including RV spots with electricity and a dump station and primitive lakeside tent sites for those seeking a more natural experience.

Sena’s bar overlooking the 2,800-acre lake is within easy walking distance of the camping areas.

Park Ranger Derek Drew says the weather and the fishing has been spectacular and anglers have reported seeing a lot of shad in the water thus minnows have been working well. Red curley tailed jigs sporting a nightcrawler have also worked well in deeper water where 16- to 24-inch walleye have been found lurking at about 20 feet, he said.

The author with a nice walleye.

The park features several boat ramps and docks for public use and the east side of the lake has been producing well for boaters, Drew said. However, those fishing from the bank have also experienced success especially down by the dam, he said.

There's also hiking and biking trails and plenty of wildlife viewing to be had at the Sumner Lake State Park.

For more information about the lake check out the state parks site website at www.emnrd.state.us

If you Go: Take I-40 out of Albuquerque to the US 84 turnoff to Fort Sumner. From Santa Fe take I-25 to US. 285 south to U.S. 60 to Fort Sumner and north of US 84 to the Sumner Lake turnoff. About 150 miles one way from Santa Fe.

Don't MIss the Big Event !

If you like the outdoors then you don’t want to miss Bob Gerding’s Outdoor Adventures annual Hunting and Fishing Show next weekend at the Fairgrounds in Albuquerque.

“With the economy we’re concentrating on staying close to home this year,” Gerding says of his 11th annual show. “So we’ve got a lot more local and regional exhibitors and many are offering great deals.”

For three days, outdoor enthusiasts can find hunting and fishing guides, lodge operators, outfitters, outdoors equipment retailers and nonprofit organizations manning booths at the Manuel Lujan Complex on the state fairgrounds in Albuquerque.

The doors open on Friday, Feb. 13 at noon and close at 7 p.m.. The show picks up again the following day, Saturday. Feb 14, (Valentine’s Day) from 9 a.m. till 6 p.m. and again on Sunday, Feb. 15, from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m.

Admission is $7 for adults while kids under 12-years-old get in for free. Parking on the grounds is $4.

And there’ll be plenty to keep the kids busy while Mom and Dad are chatting up the exhibitors including a rock-climbing wall, a BB gun shooting range supervised by hunter safety instructors and face painting, Gerding says.

Adults can try their hand at shooting a single action pistol, rifle or shotgun or learn to cast a fly rod in the casting pool.

Folks will be able to check out the latest equipment including recreational vehicles, boats and all-terrain vehicles.

“And we’ll have a guy I’ve been trying to get down here for years who sells outdoor gear bags, backpacks and duffel bags at really reasonable prices,” Gerding says.

And with Valentine’s Day being celebrated there’ll be plenty of gifts available for the ladies too including jewelry and beauty products from Martha’s Body Bueno of Albuquerque, Gerding says.

There’ll be over 90 exhibitors including knife makers, cooking ware demonstrators, makers of unique outdoor clothing and taxidermists, including one who will mount a complete deer over the course of the show.


Seminars will include a presentation by Stephen Ausherman, author of “60 hikes within 60 miles of Albuquerque” and Colleen Sloan of Log Cabin Grub, a noted outdoor cook and specialist with the Dutch oven who will share some of her culinary secrets, Gerding said.

Most exhibitors will also be conducting raffles for all sorts of gifts including hunting and fishing trips or equipment like fly rods or float tubes, Gerding says.

And door prizes to be given away will include a guided Tiger Muskie fishing trip to either Bluewater or Quemado Lake with Bob and T.J. Trout of 94-Rock.

A weekend getaway including two nights stay at the Elk Horn Lodge in Chama and a trip on the Cumbres and Toltec Rail Road will be awarded to some lucky ticket holder too, Gerding says.

And a two night stay at the San Juan’s River’s newest lodge, Ayalas, will also be given away to some lucky angler, he added.

There’ll be officers with the state Department of Game and Fish will be on hand to advise the public about hunting and fishing regulations and answer any other questions.

And many of the state’s sportsmen’s groups and other outdoor related, non-profits will be on hand to educate and inform the public.

So who is Bob Gerding anyhow and why does he do this?


“I just love it, these are my people,” Gerding, 70, of Albuquerque says.” It’s like a family reunion. It’s fun work.”

Gerding’s family and friends are all involved in making the show work, as are many of the business associates he’s come to know over his years from his work in the outdoor arena.

You may know Gerding from his deep, distinctive voice, tall stature and mane of silver hair.

He hosts the weekend television show “Wild New Mexico,” talks fishing on 94Rock radio every Thursday and takes calls from viewers of KRQE-TV 13’s noon, news show on Wednesdays.

He’s even done some voice-over work for commercials over the years.
Gerding says he ended up on the bawdy, heavy metal, radio show because the popular DJ, T.J. Trout, likes to fish.

“He’d come into the store and one day I asked him why he didn’t do a feature like TJ’s Trout picks or something like that on the radio?” Gerding said. “And he said ‘why don’t you?’ ”

Gerding has made a lot of friends during his 20 years of working the counter at Charlies Sporting Goods in Albuquerque where he also taught fly-fishing, fly-tying, and published some books.

Then about 10 years ago he left the Domenici family business to start one of his own, putting clients together with outfitters through his company, Bob Gerding’s Outdoor Adventures.

Gerding got the idea for the annual hunting and fishing show while attending outdoor shows in Arizona and Colorado where he was marketing a book.

He decided it was time to find a show closer to home and the idea was born.

The shows have proven to be very popular with up to 7,000 people attending last year, he said.

“And that’s not counting the kids,” he adds.

With all the friends Gerding has made over the years, has he every considered going into politics?

Gerding says he did in college for a brief time but after dabbling in the process a bit he decided it wasn’t for him.

“I realized I had too many ethics and not enough money,” he said.

Gerding is a longtime Albuquerque resident who graduated Highland High School. He holds a business degree from the University of New Mexico where he has been named to the Anderson School of Business’ Hall of Fame.

He is an Army vet who served in the reserves during his college years and spent his two weeks of active duty each summer down at Fort Bliss in Texas.

Gerding followed in his dad’s footsteps by going into the insurance business after college but he didn’t like the work and soon found himself managing Albuquerque’s first Orvis fly shop before moving on to Charlie’s.

Gerding and his wife, Harriet, a retired financial advisor, have two sons, Patrick, of Phoenix and Mike, of Denver, both of whom work in the business field.

A daughter, Laura, died at the age of 40 due to breast cancer, Gerding said.

He has a twin, Dick, a Farmington attorney whose likeness to his brother has come in handy on occasion.

From left to right, brother's Dick and Bob Gerding in 2008.

“I’ve had him fill in for me once,” Gerding says of an instance involving a family emergency. “He did some live (television) interviews and nobody knew the difference.”

Gerding said he and his brother took an interest in the outdoors as kids and their dad accommodated them with vacations to places like the Brazos River near Chama.

There the boys learned to fish from mentors like an elderly spinster from Albuquerque who took summers off from her job as a bookkeeper to relax and fish on the river.

Gerding said in those days they learned to fish with worms, salmon eggs and flies like a gray-hackled peacock or the Rio Grande King.

Inevitably, they stuck to fly-fishing out of pure laziness because it was easier than baiting a hook all the time, Gerding said.

As teenagers, the two boys then got jobs at the Lazy Ray dude ranch up in the Jemez mountains. Located on the Rio Cebolla above Seven Springs Fish Hatchery, the ranch was where Gerding took on his first client, in teaching a woman to fish.

Gerding said he liked that job because he got to fish twice a day, once in the morning while the clients were getting ready to go out and later in the evening while they were all at happy hour.

He turned out to be such a good fisherman that one of his additional duties was to provide trout for the traditional Friday night fish fry, Gerding said.

It was here that he also discovered the beauty of the Valles Caldera. The ranch was then known as the Baca and was a neighbor of the Lazy Ray’s.

The ranch hands were free to visit and fish on each other’s property in those days and they all took full advantage of the opportunity, Gerding said.

Nowadays Gerding still returns to the Valles Caldera to conduct fly-fishing clinics for the public visiting the preserve.

And while fly-fishing might be a very popular outdoor pursuit today, it wasn’t always so, Gerding said.

It was a little known fishing method back when he was a youth, he said.

“I’d be fishing down on the Rio Grande by the Taos Junction bridge and people on the road would stop just to watch,” he said. “I’d draw a crowd.”

Then fly-fishing really took off after the Robert Redford’s movie “A River Runs Through It” came out in the 1990s, Gerding said.

The yuppie era’s lifestyle and affluence also helped fuel interest in fly-fishing and other outdoor recreational pursuits, he added.

“I can’t tell you the number of outfits I sold and people I taught whom I never ever saw again,” Gerding said.

Gerding figures he’s taught over 2,000 people how to fish during the course of his career.

Gerding speculates that the next “undiscovered” outdoor activity in New Mexico would be small-mouth bass fishing and Navajo dam would be the hot spot for pursuing that sport.
The author shows off one of Navajo Lake's "Future Hall of Famers", a fiesty, little smallmouth bass caught in the spring of 2008.

Gerding says the state needs to do a better job of promoting recreational tourism.

“Outdoor recreation in New Mexico is the most important rural industry we have,” Gerding says.

In the meantime, Gerding is doing his part promoting the industry and one of the primary benefits of his show is potential clients have a chance to personally meet guides, outfitters and lodge operators in the business.

“And there’s no one in these exhibit halls I wouldn’t personally recommend,” he says.

If You Go:

Take I-25 south to Albuquerque, get off at the Louisiana exit and follow it down to Lomas, turn right and head down to San Pedro, take a left and head down to the fairgrounds (now called Expo New Mexico). If to hit Central, you’ve gone to far. The show begins at noon on Friday, Feb 13th and runs until 7 p.m. It picks back again on Saturday, Feb. 14th,(Valentines Day) starting at 9 a.m. and continuing until 6 p.m. and then again on Sunday, Feb. 15th, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults and kids under 12 years old get in for free. Parking at the fairgrounds is $4.

Report Sums Up Shape of the San Juan River

State Department of Game and Fish Biologist, James Dominguez, 36, of Tucumcari, displays one of many fine trout found in the waters of New Mexico's San Juan River during an electro-shocking expedition in the late fall of 2008. To the right, San Juan River Fisheries Biologist, Marc Wethington,44, of Kirtland, takes note.

Wading around the corner of a willow choked island at Baetis Bend on the San Juan River recently, I encountered a well-appointed but clearly disappointed fly fisherman.

“This river has gone to hell, “ he complained.

I wondered what the problem was as I looked over the water he was deserting. After all, it was a gorgeous, late fall day, trout were rising and he’d had this whole stretch of New Mexico’s premier trout stream all to himself.

What he was complaining about was low water flows in recent years that he believed had killed off insects that the river’s trout feed upon.

He lamented the loss of the good old days, back when water released from Navajo Dam ran much higher, scouring silt and sediment from the river bottom, producing conditions in which insects thrived, making fishing here a breeze.

He concluded that the river and the fishing had suffered and mumbled bitterly as he shuffled off around the bend.

But within minutes I was into a classic San Juan rainbow, 18 inches of fight, straining mightily against my line, then sailing through the air and making my day.

Because, although some of what the disgruntled angler said may be true, the river’s trout population today continues to thrive and most anglers are highly satisfied with the fishing.

That’s according to a recently released study of the river by the state Department of Game and Fish.

“Despite the circumstances, this is still a very healthy and productive fishery,” says Marc Wethington, the department’s fisheries biologist on the San Juan and key contributor to the report.

This year’s annual electro-shocking survey revealed great numbers of vigorous trout in New Mexico’s top trophy water.


“The number and quality of the fish look real good,” Wethington said as he inspected fish snared during a late November, 2008 outing.

Floating downstream with Wethington at the oars, crew members James Dominguez and Sean Buczek lean over a rail mounted on the front of a 14-foot raft, armed with nets mounted on long poles.

At the back of the boat a gas-powered, electric generator chugs away, providing current to a probe immersed in the water at the front of the raft.

Strands of wire dangle from the back of the boat to complete the circuit and provide a “stun-zone” under and around the boat.

As we float downstream, dozens of fish can be seen darting about, running from the shock while others, caught in the current, float unharmed to the surface.

Snared by the crew, the fish are poured into a holding tank to await inspection.

After a short run, the tank is brimming with trout and Wethington beaches the raft and the work of weighing, measuring and inspecting the trout begins.

The crew notes if the fish show evidence of having been caught before and in one case delicately untangle a line and several flies embedded in a trout’s snout.



The trip resulted the largest trout caught being a 24-inch Rainbow while an average size of 17-inches was the norm in places like the Cable Hole and Upper Flats as well the stretch downstream between Jacks Hole and ET Rock, Wethington said.

The river’s Brown trout is also increasing with Browns accounting for 65-percent of all fish caught during the electro-shocking trip from Texas Hole downstream, Wethington said.

This stretch also produced the most fish during this year’s expedition, accounting for almost 700 fish-per-hour, Wethington said.

Electro-shocking catch rates on the river have been steadily increasing in recent years with the Texas hole stretch giving up the most fish last year, according to date compiled in the department’s report.

And while the data shows the river’s trout population to be very healthy, what it fails to capture is the stunning number, sheer size and beauty of San Juan trout seen during one of these electro-shocking expeditions.

The survey takes in fish along the San Juan River’s upper four miles of quality water where anglers are limited in the first quarter mile to catch and release only, using single barbless lures.

The remaining quality water mileage is ruled by the same tackle restrictions, but has a bag limit of one-trout-per-day, over 20 inches, with the angler forced to cease fishing upon taking a fish.

The survey also takes into account three miles of downstream “bait water” where the bag limit is five-fish-per-day and no tackle restrictions.

The report, in using information collected during these and other surveys such as angler interviews, reveals a number of trends.

For instance, the popularity of the San Juan River has steadily climbed over the years to the point that angling pressure is three times heavier now than during the mid-80s when the river is said to have been at its best.

Yet the vast majority of anglers interviewed, 92 percent, indicate they were highly satisfied with their fishing experience on the San Juan with an average catch of one-fish-per-hour and a little more than 5 percent reporting having caught fish exceeding 20 inches in length.

The San Juan is regularly stocked which accounts for the estimated 70,000 fish found in its waters. An estimated 60,000 fingerling Rainbow trout are planted annually, many of whom eventually grow up to become one of the San Juan’s good looking, hard fighting, world-renowned trout.

On average, anglers reel in a trout measuring 16 to 18 inches on this river, Wethington says.

But the San Juan River also supports a healthy population of naturally reproducing brown trout that can be regularly found inhabiting the same waters as their brethren.

The author displays a nice San Juan Brown Trout caught in the lower stretches of the San Juan River's quality waters in the late fall of 2008. Special thanks to David McGee of Roswell for taking the photo.

Stocking of the lower stretches of the river, where anglers can take their limit, accounts for another 46,000 pan-sized trout each year.

Surveys show fish over the size of 20 inches or more are consistently caught in the lower stretches of the river.

Angler survey data also shows the river is busiest during late summer and early fall and slowest during the winter while the heaviest pressure is on the upper reaches, at and above Texas Hole, and the least down in the Pump House Run.

The vast majority of anglers found on the San Juan are from out-of-state, about 62 percent, while New Mexican’s accounted for 28 percent with the remaining 10 percent living in San Juan County.

The report notes that survey results show the river’s angling performance meets or exceeds the department’s management goals and contributes about $25 million to the state’s economy annually.

The report also addresses some issues raised by those concerned about the river’s health due to low water flows and silt and sedimentation that some claim is caused by oil and gas development in the area.

The report notes that a United States Geological Service (USGS) study of the oil and gas industries’ impact in the area shows that the vast majority of silt and sediment accumulating in the river, 87 percent, is generated by naturally occurring runoff, not the energy industry, as the industry’s critics claim.

The report notes another study by the New Mexico Department of the Environment that also determined that much of the silt and sedimentation in the river below the dam was naturally occurring and hadn’t negatively affected the river’s insect populations’ ability to thrive.

The San Juan River's abundant midge hatches confound many fly fishermen due to their miniscule size and difficulty to match but trout find clusters of them provide a delicious meal.

Nonetheless, the department’s report notes that continued oil and gas development combined with lower flows could potentially harm the fishery and indicates the department’s willingness to work with all stakeholders to minimize those effects.

The report responds to the controversial issue of the lower water releases by summarizing the dam’s operational history and highlighting the department’s efforts to address the low water’s effects.

Water releases are controlled by the federal Bureau of Reclamation with operational guidelines set at a minimum flow of 250 cfs with a high of 5,000 cfs in the late spring to mimic the natural flood cycle of the river.

The BOR tries to maintain a consistent flow of about 500 cfs throughout the year, but that flow can fluctuate dependant on storage capacity and other conditions. For instance, the BOR did not make high springtime releases in the years 2002, 2003 and 2004, due to low storage.

The Game and Fish Department’s report acknowledges that flows fell below 500 cfs in the years between 2000 and 2007 about 50 percent of the time and below 250 cfs about 5 percent of the time.

It notes that in the years between 1963 and 1999, flows fell below 500 cfs only about 20percent of the time and below 250 cfs an estimated 2 percent of the time.

To see more detailed monthly flow data for the dam see the United States Geological Services webiste at www.usgs.gov .

Advocates of the river claim the recent low flows have had a negative impact on the river and they are calling for an increase in water deliveries to help the fishery recover.

“Sure, we’d all love to see 700 or 800 cfs minimum flows, but the reality is I don’t see that happening,” Wethington says of the controversy. “The reality is we expect to see even lower flows as water development continues.”

Most water stored in the dam is owned by the Navajo Nation and is expected to be siphoned off in future years to satisfy growing demand for agricultural, municipal and other developments, he says.

Wethington notes anglers are enjoying a fishery built on borrowed water and that advocates face an uphill battle in altering the game rules governing the dam and its water.

Thus, the department has geared its efforts towards minimizing the impact of expected lower flows by installing in-stream, habitat improvements designed to help transport silt and sediment further downstream while also providing trout better accommodations to weather the storm.

If nothing else, the San Juan is the only fishery in the state protected by a minimum flow requirement and that bodes well for it’s future, Wethington said.

See related articles about in-stream improvements on the San Juan here .

See the department’s report on the Game and Fish’s at www.wildlife.state.nm.us .