New Mexico

New Mexico offers three distinct fly fishing experiences within a single state: the volcanic drama of the Rio Grande Gorge where brown and rainbow trout hold in the shadow of sheer basalt walls 800 feet deep; the world-class San Juan River tailwater below Navajo Lake where massive rainbows sip midges from clear runs just north of the Colorado border; and the high-elevation wilderness streams of the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez mountains where native Rio Grande cutthroat trout persist in cold, remote drainages that see virtually no angling pressure.

The San Juan River below Navajo Dam is consistently rated among the top five trout fisheries in North America — a cold, spring-like tailwater with exceptional clarity, consistent flows, and a population of rainbows that regularly exceed five pounds and occasionally break ten. The fishing demands technical nymphing with very small flies and refined presentations, but the reward for getting it right is hookups with some of the largest trout most anglers will ever encounter in moving water.

The Enchanted Circle area near Taos and Eagle Nest provides a completely different high-desert trout experience. The Red River tailwater, the Cimarron River, and the upper Rio Grande carry wild brown and rainbow trout through mountain terrain above 7,000 feet. The Pecos River draining the southern Sangre de Cristos is designated Wild and Scenic and holds native cutthroat trout in its upper reaches within the Pecos Wilderness.