President’s Message,
Welcome to the New Year. Considering the weather forecasts for the year, it looks like the streams and lakes will be full. We fly fishers can probably expect because of spring runoff conditions that most streams from mid-May to early June will be high, turbid and hard to fish. The best time to fish these stream will be before the heavy runoff starts. The peak of the stone fly hatch and the willow fly hatch will take place just as the stream flows start to recede.
Mark February 6th on your calendars because that is when the annual New Mexico Trout Conclave will be held at Sandia Preparatory School. Doors will open at 8:00 AM and the Conclave will end at 5:00 PM. Featured speakers are Skip Morris, noted author and lecturer, Van Beacham, guide and author of The Fly Fisher’s Guide to New Mexico, and Karen Denison of the High Desert Angler in Santa Fe. Each will give a series of presentations throughout the day. Karen’s presentation will focus on topics of particular interest to women. The Conclave will also include clinics on beginning and advanced fly casting, fishing knots, aquatic insects, and split bamboo fly rod building. Visit our web site at www.newmexicotrout.org for Conclave agenda and details.
January is also the month during which we have an election for president and secretary for New Mexico Trout’s Board of Directors. If you are interested in throwing your hat in the ring, or would like to nominate a member for either position, contact Lorenzo Maldonaldo at maldonaldo@comcast.net. Being an officer in the Club is not a great commitment of time. We meet once a month on the third Thursday of the month from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. At Erna Fergusson Library.
Make a New Year’s resolution this year that you make every effort possible to take a kid fishing this year. Nationally, data has shown that participation in fishing and hunting by the younger generation is in decline. Kids now days spend very little time in the outdoors and if this situation is going to change we must help it happen.
Tight Lines,
Jerry Burton, President NMT