Spring 2021 Newsletter
The moisture is back. After a long bout of dry weather and drought conditions, it seems like La Nina is over and wet weather is back to its normal cycle. So far we have seen slow runoff trends. The daily temps have been hovering around the 60 to 70 degree mark on the high end of the temp scale with cooler days still lingering in the 50's. Afternoon showers have also been present which has helped keep the dust down and pollen under control.
Flows this spring have been way below average. Our peak here in the Blanco only reached the 300 CFS mark one evening, partly due to a warm day of snow melt and a little precipitation. The cooler temps have brought a slow runoff, which is a good thing. Right now we are hovering around the 150 to 200 CFS mark and the river is dropping steadily around 10 CFS a day give or take. As for clarity, turbidity in the river has been very mild. Maybe a little off color in the late afternoons. Visibility in the AM is over 3' and in the afternoons we are seeing a bump in flows around 30 to 50 CFS bringing the visibility around 2'. I'm forecasting that we should be under 100 CFS within the next 2 weeks looking at the remaining snowpack charts.
As for the bug life...well I'm already seeing hoppers out and Mayflies in the afternoons hovering around the 12 to 14 size. Lots of midges in the AM and late evenings. Terrestrials are present as well. Mostly the larger carpenter ant variety. I'm not seeing the winged ants yet but as the temps rise, we should see them start to come out along with larger hoppers. Caddis hatch has been pretty light so far. We had or normal snow fly hatch last month and I did see the occasional salmon fly a few weeks ago but nothing consistent enough to call it a hatch.
Once our flows drop a little more, I think the fish will start to key in on the surface action. The food is there but with as much water that is in the river and the temps peaking in the low 50's, I think we wont see rises for a few more weeks.
I'm going to play it safe and not try to forecast what the summer weather will look like. Its just too early to tell. Will we get monsoons? When will they come? I just don't know yet and I sure as heck don't want to jinx it by making a claim. Lets just say we are off to an excellent start. Yes, its a little early in the season but I think that its a new normal we might have to get used to. June might be the new July. Perhaps a longer summer will be the new trend. Fingers crossed.
Lindner Ranches' calendar for the summer season is a busy one but there are still prime dates available. If you're looking for that perfect fishing trip in a picture perfect setting, with miles of river to call your own, there is still a chance to book. All of our guests at El Rancho Pinoso, and our sister ranch, Weminuche Valley Ranch, have exclusivity during their visit. That means, you have the whole ranch to yourself, unlike other fishing lodges. We offer our guests over 10 miles of easy walking / wading, first class private water for fly fishing, over 2000 acres for hiking or horseback riding, and superb meals prepared by the best chefs in the area.
El Rancho Pinoso is an undiscovered gem and is one of the finest and most fairly priced private water venues in the West. Come visit us for a vacation of a lifetime or spend the day on a guided fishing trip that will amaze even the most discerning anglers.
We hope to see you this summer!
