Eagle Nest Fly Shack & Lodge

The Cimarron begins three and a half miles from the village of Eagle Nest, about five minutes from the shop, and it is a small, technical tailwater below Eagle Nest Dam that fishes like a mountain freestone. The first mile is catch and release only with artificial lures and single barbless hooks, and standard regulations apply from there on through Cimarron Canyon State Park. It holds nearly 4,000 wild brown trout per mile alongside rainbows. The season reads month by month: midges, Baetis nymphs and streamers on low, clear, cold winter water; caddis, Baetis, stoneflies and PMDs from March through May; prime dry fly fishing in June on golden stoneflies, salmon flies and large caddis; terrestrials, Tricos and caddis in a heavily pressured July and August; a fall peak in September on blue-winged olives, terrestrials and streamers; and brown trout spawning through October. Rods of eight to nine feet in three or four weight are standard, seven-and-a-half foot rods help in tight canyon sections, a ten foot three weight suits euro nymphing, and 5X and 6X tippet is the norm, dropping hook size rather than changing pattern. Guided time on the water runs two, four, six or eight hours, up to three anglers to a guide, with rods, reels, waders, boots, flies and tackle supplied, snacks and water on every trip and a deli-style lunch on full days.