Fly Fishing Northern NM
There are so many miles of trout water to fish in Northern NM that I will (probably...) never get a chance to hit every stretch of water. To help out visitors with finding the water that works best for your trip, the list below highlights all the major streams within a manageable driving distance from Santa Fe. Some are an easy day trip, and some would be best fished with an overnight stay closer to the water.
**This list is fairly complete, but I am in the process of providing more personal opinion and guidance for each area. For greater detail on each area, the website links at the bottom of this page are great resources.
C
Upper Rio (Above Taos) Upper Rio Grande Tributaries (all above Taos)
- Red River - Rio Pueblo - Rio Embudo
Jemez area streams - San Antonio - Cebolla - de las Vacas - and the forks of the Jemez - Guadalupe Chama - Brazos For the most part, the Brazos River flows through private land. However, there are approximately 4 to 5 miles of the river that is open to public fishing. This reach provides good fishing for wild browns and stocked rainbows. There are incredible views of the Brazos cliffs. Because this part of the Brazos is near its confluence with the Chama, we are often able to fish both rivers in a day Vallecitos Located northwest of Santa Fe in the Carson National Forest, the Vallecitos is a small stream that sees very little fishing pressure. It contains several canyons and stretches running through high forest land that are easy to access Further North Conejos The Valles Caldera National Preserve - Rio Costilla (in the Valle Vidal) Costilla Creek is possibly New Mexico's best wild Rio Grande cutthroat stream. It is actually a small tailwater flowing out of Costilla reservoir, down through the gorgeous mountain meadows and gorges of the Valle Vidal Cimmaron River San Juan River Rio Pueblo de Taos Rio de Los Pinos https://loeflyfishing.com/mobi/Fishing_Spots/Rivers_Streams/index.html https://thereellife.com/local-waters/ https://taosflyshop.com/main https://www.highdesertangler.com https://www.flyfishingoutpost.com/ https://wildlife.dgf.nm.gov/fishing/maps-and-accessibility/
CLOSEST CONSISTENT TROUT WATERS
Lower Rio (Below the Gorge - Between Taos and Espanola ) - About 50 miles and 1.5 hours drive, depending on exact put-in.
This is one of the two (along with the Pecos) closest streams to the house. Both the Pecos and the Rio Grande are solid options just about all year as long as they are not blown out by recent rains, or Spring snowmelt.
This is probably the easiest local stretch of water to fish and is a good place to try as a newcomer to the area. The main area starts below Pilar (just a few miles South of Taos) and continues downstream about five miles with several parking spots and put-ins along the way. In particular, the Quartzite River Access Point offers ample parking, toilets, and easy wading access. From Quartzite you can fish up or down far enough to avoid (usually) any crowds.
Pecos - About 45 miles and just over an hour to get all the way up to Cowles. About 45 minutes to the Mora Campground area.
The "other" nearby solid trout water. Smaller and tighter than the Rio Grande (especially in the canyon area), it has miles of easy access and some "Red Chile" restricted water that allows a catch and release fly fisherman to find some empty stretches to fish.
A great place for families and/or a group of fishermen with various levels of experience.
Rio Mora - A small tributary off the Pecos, accessable from the Mora Campground at the confluence of the Pecos and Mora