The Reel Life

The Pecos provides consistent dry fly and nymph fishing from spring until late fall, and its proximity to Santa Fe makes it the practical choice for families working around a busy holiday schedule: good fishing can be had with plenty of time left to get back to town for the evening. Behind it the Pecos Wilderness opens up endless country for the backpacking angler, alpine lakes and creeks holding streamborn trout, some of which will not see five anglers in a year, and the river is due to become the focus of regional stream rehabilitation efforts in the years ahead. The Chama is possibly the most scenic river on the list, running from its source in the southern Colorado high country down to its junction with the Rio Grande among the red and orange mesas Georgia O’Keeffe made famous. In spite of its relatively small size there are big fish in it, primarily browns and rainbows. Those fish will take a well-fished dry fly or a nymph, but they can be extremely predatory as well, chasing down a streamer or blowing up a mouse pattern, which is not what most anglers expect from a river this size. Full and half day trips are guided on both.