Acknowledgments
This is the first fly fishing guidebook to cover the major waters in the entire state of New Mexico. Many experts, who know nearly everything about this vast area, helped. My thanks to all.
Bob and Lee Widgren, of Los Pinos Fly Shop in Albuquerque, contributed an overview of New Mexico fly fishing. Paul Zimmerman, also of Los Pinos, has tubed every lake in the state. My son Nick supplied untiring field research and fresh, accurate perceptions. Tom Taylor, publisher of Fly Fishing the Texas Hill Country, assisted with editing, advising, and typing. He and his charming wife, Judy, also housed and protected me during the writing process. Photographer Dick Spas devoted time and energy beyond the call of duty. My brother, Jackson Streit, helped, having written the excellent Fly Fishing Colorado. Tom Knopick and John Flick of Duranglers gave information on the San Juan River. Thanks also to Van Beacham, my Taos guide competition; to Ed Adams, of the Santa Fe Fly Fishing School, for information on north central New Mexico; and to Randy Keys, of Cottonwood Meadows Fly Shop. Franklin Fernandez, of El Rio Fly Shop, provided Rio Embudo data. Brett Lewis, of Brett’s Steak House in Red River, New Mexico, gave me facts and has helped the quality of fly fishing in those parts.
I also owe debts to Marty Frentzel and Bill Dyroff of the Albuquerque Journal sports desk; to Jack Woolley, Ezra, Tyler, and the folks at Los Rios Fly Shop in Taos; and to Norm Mabie of The Anglers Nook, a shop famous for giving accurate information. John LaFitte and the Mesilla Valley Fly Fishers supplied the latest on the Rio Peñasco. Sam Moore, of El Paso, provided information on the Gila, and Ramon Carrillo information on southern New Mexico lakes. My favorite daughter, Chelsea Dawn Streit, would like to have her name in this book. Garrett VeneKlasen is an excellent writer and guide in Angel Fire. I learned from gifted writers Gene Berry, Deb Theodore, Linda Pritchard, and Craig Martin (Craig’s Fly Fishing in Northern New Mexico is a must-read). New Mexico Game & Fish fisheries biologists and other employees offered enthusiastic cooperation, while National Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management personnel provided valuable information. Thanks also to Pedro Arancet of Argentina, Tracy McCallum of Taos, and High Desert Angler in Santa Fe. David Banks has been supportive and marvelous to work with, and has graciously allowed some digressions and thoughts on conservation. Special thanks go to Rex Johnson and Ron Smorynski, who confided their vast knowledge of Gila waters. Look for their book, Fly-Fishing in Southern New Mexico.
Proofreaders and indispensable providers of up-to-the-minute facts and figures were Craig Martin, Paul at Los Pinos Fly Shop, Jack Woolley, John LaFitte, Norm Mabie, Ed Adams, and Donna Banks.
Lastly, thanks go to Mark Cowan, Jim, John and Scott Crowl, Keith Loveless, Larry Brown, John Biggers, Scott Drainey, Herb Dickerson, Leo Ortiz, Tom Simms, Mary Lou Palaski, Chuck and Felicia, Bill Leslie, Edwin Sasek, Eleanor and Phil Streit, and all the clients and friends and family who have helped me swim some pretty rough water and reach this more pleasant bend in the river.
Dedication
This guide is dedicated to Jim Brown, Richard Allen, and Gene Berry
Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems, You shall possess the good of the earth and sun (there are millions of suns left), You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, nor look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the specters in books, You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me, You shall listen to all sides and filter them for yourself. . .
I have heard what the talkers were talking, the talk of the beginning and the end, But I do not talk of the beginning or the end.
There never was any more inception than there is now, Nor any more youth or age than there is now, And there will never be any more perfection than there is now, Nor any more heaven or hell than there is now.
From Walt Whitman, Song of Myself
Fly Fishing in New Mexico
Some thoughts on the state, conservation, and the future
New Mexico’s license plates say it all. The Land of Enchantment has wondrous sights, sounds, and attractions for everyone. New Mexico is home to unique Spanish and Native American cultures and lifestyles ranging from the Santa Fe jet set to rural artists and cowboys. All live together under wild New Mexico skies and powerful vistas of mountain and mesa.
In New Mexico one can stay in a superb hotel, a great B & B, or a camp deep in the mountains near the classical music of a trout stream. Many visitors learn about American natives at places like Chaco Canyon, the Gila Cliff Dwellings, or Taos Pueblo, where people have lived continuously for 1,100 years. All this brings us to Argentina and yes, fly fishing.
I spend winters escorting fly fishers around beautiful Argentina (where it’s summertime). Extensive trout fishing on those formidable rivers has helped me appreciate just how good New Mexico’s fly fishing really is. The state isn’t blessed with a great deal of water, but what there is can be very good. In short, fly fishing in New Mexico is varied and good, like the state’s unique cultures, services, and terrain.
New Mexico presents many fly fishing choices. They range from casting to big rainbows on the world-famous San Juan River to fooling little native trout in remote wilderness creeks. If you prefer quiet fly fishing experiences, New Mexico has them. The extreme might be a horseback trip into the vast Gila Wilderness. You can fish the dry fly in small creeks and rivers and rarely see another human.
There are thousands of miles of these delicate waters in New Mexico. Only a few are mentioned in this guide. You’ll have to discover your own special stretches, which is half the fun of this sport. In addition, we don’t want a mad stampede that could harm the fisheries. Rather, a long period of discovery by intrepid fly fishers will help keep a lid on things. I hope you’re one of these fortunate and considerate pioneers.
There is an obvious conflict in revealing special fishing spots. Fishing pressure may well increase with publicity, certainly a negative factor in a state such as New Mexico, where very little water is catch and release.
Many waters in New Mexico are protected by distance, rock, toil, or sweat. Such remote areas, however, are also out of the public eye and mind, making abuses more possible. I hope that more awareness and enjoyment of New Mexico’s precious fly fishing resources results in discussion, action, and protection.
Years ago, some of us protested as mining operations nearly killed fishing on the Red River and Rio Grande. Our loud screams of warning seemed like whispers from out of the deep canyons. Now organizations such as Trout Unlimited, New Mexico Trout, and Amigos Bravos are adding volume to a more consistent message of fish preservation and resource conservation.
In New Mexico, mining, grazing, logging, development, and irrigation are adversely affecting water quality. Perhaps not as obvious to the casual observer, grazing in riparian zones is one of the most detrimental of these factors. Heavy hooves defoliate stream banks and slopes. Water temperatures increase, and the effects of floods and droughts are exaggerated. Additionally, New Mexico is the only state without in-stream flow laws, meaning that rivers can legally be sucked almost completely dry.
The good news is that New Mexico still has plenty of unspoiled country. It’s ours to enjoy wisely and pass on to our children. Let’s hope that we don’t share the plight of English author W. H. Hudson. In his book Far Way and Long Ago, he laments the much changed Argentine home waters of his boyhood: “I am glad to think I shall