New Mexico Holiday



Yes, Virginia, there is fly fishing in New Mexico. It is hidden among the arroyos and up in the mountains. Except for a few rivers, the streams are small but the dry fly season can last most of the fishing year. Many stone-fly hatches can light up New Mexico fly fishing.

New Mexico Vacation

The San Juan River is the slow flowing river. Known as the home of the San Juan worm, there is excellent fly-fishing and access. The Navajo State Park waters are set aside as a quality fishing venue. Easy access from State Route 511 between Ignacio and Blanco N.M. and easy wading make this an excellent spot for fly fishermen whatever their skill level.

The Rio Grande is a finicky river yielding brown trout and cutbows grudgingly, until a hatch comes on then it can be fantastic. An early season caddis hatch covers the water so heavily that it's impossible to pick out your fly. One can move ahead of the hatch and fish a Green River caddis with a little Zink on the fly and know they have a strike when they see the trout rollover just underwater. Late in the season the Rio Grande comes into its glory. Opportunities for casting stone flies, caddis, hoppers and duns abound.

Of the streams the Cimarron offers good dry fly fishing all season but in June the stone fly hatch is tremendous. Good access in the state park makes reaching the river easy but the trout have good cover making accurate casting a premium.

Rio Costilla Park offers easy access to the Rio Costilla River where the Rio Grande Cut-throats are eager to take a fly but are hard to land. Running through an alpine meadow makes casting easy for the beginner and the numerous strikes holds their attention. The nine mile catch and release, flies only opens July 1. For those with four-wheel drive vehicles, a drive to the Latir lakes affords float tubers a chance at some mountain lake action for rainbows and Cut-throats. Try stripping a muddler minnow at 6 to 8 feet deep.

In the above instances I mentioned what and when particular hatches might occur, but if you are at these waters and the bugs aren't coming off, go deep. Trout eat 90% of their diet underwater. Over a year's time a nympher will catch at least twice the fish that someone with only dry flies can. Ask any seasoned professional to pick two patterns he must fish the rest of his life and one will be a nymph. Nymphing is a large part of a successful effort in New Mexico fly fishing.

New Mexico Holiday