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How do we take the mystery out of fly fishing in New Mexico? Truth is, most fly fishing situations can be handled with common sense. But as a cab driver in the Bahamas told me, “Common sense ain’t common.” Here’s what you need to know to successfully fly fish the best waters in New Mexico.

Game Fish

New Mexico is primarily a trout state, and that’s the focus of this guidebook. Don’t overlook other game fish, however: smallmouth, largemouth, striped, and white bass; kokanee salmon; lake trout; walleye; and pike. The Rio Grande has good winter pike fishing. Maxwell, Morgan, and other lakes, (see Mid-elevation Lakes section) have good largemouth bass populations.

Catch and Release

Because catch and release waters are few in New Mexico, please voluntarily return your trout to the water. Hold them loosely, with wet hands and upside down, to remove your barbless hook. Push the hook backwards from the bend. Don’t hold the hook near its eye. Release tools work well on small fish and increase fly life.

Weather

New Mexico fly fishing is generally good during fair weather but best on overcast and the rare drizzly day. It’s often very good just before and during a passing cold front, but then lousy afterward (except in warm weather). In late summer’s wet season, fly fishing is usually best following an afternoon rain shower.

Altitude

New Mexico is very high and very dry. Most trout fishing is done at over 5,000′. Beware of altitude sickness and exposure to intense sun. Drink lots of water (not from the streams), and wear sunblock and a hat. Always be prepared for nasty weather with a warm pullover or rain jacket. I’m continually amazed how blue-sky mornings can turn into mean afternoons!

Hazards

Meeting one’s demise in a flash flood, from a lightning strike, or from the fangs of a New Mexico panther, bear, or rattlesnake might be a glamorous way to go. It would certainly get noticed. Mosquito bites, altitude sickness, sunburn, dehydration, hypothermia, or “beaver fever” caused by Giardia are more likely hazards. Lightning is a danger in New Mexico that out-of-state-people might not understand. Beware! If you are in it, get away from tall trees and put your fly rod on the ground.

Use caution when driving lonely highways at night. Elk, horses, and cows love rich roadside vegetation. Always slow down where forest meets road.

Much of New Mexico fishing is in big, rough, and rocky country. Be realistic about your physical condition and balance. Several people break bones in the Rio Grande gorge yearly.

Auto break-ins are possible in New Mexico, especially with rigs left unattended overnight. Consider this when packing for trips and choosing parking spots.

Small Streams

The most important factor here is trout spooking. Fish upstream with dry flies. Stay low, with the sun at your back (when possible) and use any available cover to break your outline. Try getting a drag-free float with a #14 attractor dry fly that’s easy to see. If you don’t get any strikes, you’re either scaring the fish or it’s the wrong time of day.

Small high-elevation streams cool down at night. They usually fish best around midday after the water has warmed and insects become active. This is also true for most tailwaters. Lakes and large rivers are far less predictable, but generally fish best during low-light periods

Flies and Their Use

Other than on the San Juan, trout in new Mexico are generally not very selective. Elk Hair Caddis or Parachute Adams, #14–20, fool most rising trout when a drag-free float goes over them. Blue-Winged Olive dries and midges (for slower water) cover most other rising trout situations.

Look about for stoneflies, spruce moths or grasshoppers. If you see them, use this larger imitation. Bigger flies bring up bigger fish, hook better, and are easier for you and the trout to see. They also support a Beadhead Nymph tied 2′ or 3′ behind the dry. This is an absolutely deadly setup for shallow water. In water 2.5′ deep or more, fish nymphs the regular way. In most cases in New Mexico they should be fished upstream with a dead drift back downstream. Add or subtract weight as needed so that your fly is close to the bottom. Use a strike indicator and set the hook as fast as humanly possible when the indicator does anything. Hare’s Ears #12–18 and Peacock Nymphs #8–14 work very well.

Fly fishers are usually pickier about flies than are trout. Your fly fishing abilities and the trout’s appetite are more important. Always get the current information and flies from a local fly shop before heading to the water. [A list of fly shops is in the back of this guide.]

Rods

For most New Mexico fly fishing, 4 and 5 weight rods, 8′–9′ suffice. For small streams (without wind) 2 & 3 weight rods, 7′–9′ are fine. On big windy lakes, big rivers, and when using big flies or 6–7 weight rods, 8½′–10′ are helpful.

Reels

For New Mexican trout, a single-action fly reel suffices. Click and pawl or disk drag is up to you. The fish in large rivers, like the San Juan, and large lakes, like Stone, are bulkier. Disk drag reels help put the brakes on them. Backing fills the spool and reduces kinking. It also gives the angler some confidence when a hooked fish runs to the next county. Reels should hold approximately 50 to 100 yards of 20 lb. backing.

Lines

A floating fly line is all that’s needed for most trout fishing in New Mexico. A weight forward line helps combat wind and covers distance. Use a double-taper line for precise presentation casting. Sink tip lines are more user friendly than full sinking lines. Use either when lake fishing, particularly in warm summer months when fish hold in deep water. The most common weight lines are 4 to 6. The color of line doesn’t seem to make a tremendous difference.

Using a large dry fly as a strike indicator can be very effective in New Mexico. Use the dry fly as you would a strike indicator, except that this “strike indicator” will hook a fish that rolls on it! Tie the dropper directly to the bend of the hook using an improved clinch knot.

Wading Gear

Most waters in New Mexico can be fished with stocking feet, lightweight hippers (hip boots), or chest waders with felt-soled wading shoes. During the warm summer months, wet-wade using wading shoes or boots and neoprene socks. Chest-high neoprene or Gore-Tex waders with proper insulating undergarments, are necessary for float tubing and wading the San Juan.

Private Fly Fishing Waters

New Mexico, like many states, has some excellent pay-for-fly-fishing opportunities. For fly fishing and catching, these arrangements are generally a good value. Their inclusion here, however, in no way implies an endorsement. Fee-fishing is a popular, time tested, and growing way to enjoy fly fishing. Opportunities of this type in New Mexico bear mentioning in this guidebook.

Vermejo Park Ranch and the Lodge at Chama are the state’s most expansive properties. These sporting retreats are top shelf in every respect. Both serve gourmet meals, offer other activities, and provide lodging and fly fishing in big, wild country. Prices are up there with world-class resorts.

Vermejo primarily offers lake fly fishing and some very good small streams. Excellent Damselfly hatches provide great dry fly fishing from mid-June to August. The lakes at The Lodge at Chama are deep and don’t fish well on top, but are loaded with two to three pound fish. Good catches are more than likely.

Corkins Lodge has a variety of cabins, a private lake, and access to the Rio Brazos.

Guides

A qualified fly fishing guide will steer you towards the best fishing in places that match your ability, taste and condition. Your outing should include fly casting and fishing instruction. There isn’t a New Mexico licensing system for guides but permits are required on BLM and Forest Service lands.

Manners and Considerations

Use good judgment when fly fishing in New Mexico, or anywhere else for that manner. Here are the basics that apply in most situations.

• Abide by the laws.

• Respect private property.

• Don’t litter.

• Never crowd another fisher.

• Catch and release.

• Support conservation groups.

Another popular two-fly rig for fly fishing in New Mexico uses a typical strike indicator placed on the butt section of the leader roughly 1½ times the water depth from the first fly. Use a large weighted nymph as the first fly, and then add a dropper and use a smaller nymph as a “trailer.”

Crowding

Urban dwellers (city folks) have a different idea of this than country folks. Generally there’s lots of room on New Mexico fly fishing waters. This room is measured in miles, or parts thereof, like ¾ mile, ½ mile, etc. Move away from others while they fish. And visitors, please acknowledge that your mannerisms, behaviors, and values may be quite different from those of the area’s residents.

Licensing

State law enforces the use of fishing licenses. Currently, the fishing license year in New Mexico covers the period of April 1–March 31. Annual licenses expire on March 31, and new ones are required as of April 1. Adults, and children over the age of 12 must carry a certified fishing license, which may be obtained by mail, web, or in person. Please contact the Department of Game and Fish for more information. Fishing on Native American Lands does not require a license. However, permission must be obtained from the tribal government before entering any reservation to fish.

Ratings

How do you rate a trout stream? What goes in the equation? Fishing pressure? Scenery? Solitude? Accessibility? The size and number of fish? I’ve tried to include all these aspects and more, when appropriate. For example, put fishing pressure in the equation for the San Juan River and it might not score very high. But on rivers like the San Juan you expect lots of people. My ratings take this into account. Or, hike miles up a remote river expecting solitude and fat cutthroats only to find screaming kids plunking worms to skinny browns and a low score might result. Expectations are a factor in the ratings, both in and out.

In this guide 0-5 is not worth writing about. A 6 is OK. A 7 is pretty good, an 8 good, a 9 is very good. All of the 10s I know of in New Mexico, are on private land.

Whirling Disease

This trout disease is caused by a tiny parasite, Myxobolus cerebralis. It starts as an extremely durable spore that can remain dormant in sediment at the bottom of lakes and streams for up to 30 years. The parasite consumes the cartilage of young fish. Damage continues until the spinal column deforms into a curve, the fish’s brain becomes inflamed, and eventually the fish dies.

Once disease-positive fish are released into a body of water, it is very difficult to eliminate the disease. Whirling disease is already established in several streams in New Mexico including the Pecos, San Juan, and Red River. The impact of the disease on the future of our fisheries is difficult to predict.

The most important thing anglers can do to prevent contaminating additional trout waters is to take the following steps: 1. Clean your gear including waders, boots, and gravel guards in a 10% solution of bleach in water. 2. Wash off all mud and weeds from float tubes, pontoon boats, kayaks, boats, and trailers. 3. Do not transfer fish from one stream or lake to another body of water. To learn more about whirling disease in New Mexico, see www.wildlife.state.nm.us/.

Contact Information

If you wish to contact Taylor Streit directly, please visit his website at www.streitflyfishing.com, or call (505) 751-1312.