Rio Grande

...continued from Fly Fishing Waters page
The most famous hatch on the river is the Caddis emergence beginning in early to mid- April. How it’s fished depends greatly on the size and timing of the run-off. Low and/ or late run-off can mean incredible dry fly fishing. This hatch begins below Pilar and gradually makes it’s way upriver to the Taos box. Avoid fishing the heart of the hatch when there are literally millions of naturals on the water as it can be difficult to fool fish with an artificial. Instead target either the leading or trailing perimeters of the hatch as it progressively continues upstream.

Depending on conditions the Rio can be fished year around but the best fishing by far is from mid-September thru the Caddis hatch in April. The box fishes great from September on into November when temperatures drop drastically. The winter fishing continues in the lower stretches near Pilar with daily midge hatches that can be quite heavy and in turn produce great dry fly fishing in the heart of winter. Remember - all of this varies greatly with weather conditions.

Anglers of different fishing “tastes” can all find happiness on the Rio Grande. Whether you prefer dries, emergers, nymphs, streamers or a combo thereof you’ll find it on this wonderful river.

The upper box area from the confluence with the Red River and above is accessed by hiking trails, the majority of which begin in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Area located approximately 30 miles north of Taos. The lower reaches of the canyon have extensive vehicle access with NM 68 hugging the river from Pilar south to the county line. At Pilar NM 567 runs alongside the river on into the Orilla Verde Recreation Area for about 10-11 miles to the Taos Junction Bridge.

As we mentioned the Rio Grande is always unpredictable due to forces out of our control. We strongly advise you to give us a call for up to the minute conditions and fishing reports.