Home Jemez Streams Chama Streams San Juan River Flies Photos
Pecos River: miles of fishing possibilities
The pecos river is largest river in the Pecos Watershed which lies in the 223,000-acre Pecos Wildreness. Access to this watershed is off of Interstate 25 just east of Santa Fe at the Glorieta exit. Taking a left turn on NM 63 at the town of Pecos will put your car alongside the river north of town. The first access point on the Pecos is the Dalton Picnic Area (also called the Bert Clancy area ). North of the Dalton Picnic Area until you reach the town of Terrero the public access is limited. There is the Field Tract Campground, the Windy Bridge area, and the second Bert Clancy fishing area. We usually try to guide our clients away from these access points because the traffic can be heavy and we prefer a solitary fishing experience. Above Terrero the Pecos enters a canyon and access is limited to hiking in at the Terrero General Store or parking next to the road above Terrero and hiking the 10 minute walk to the canyon walls. Besides the Pecos near it's headwaters this is the area we like to guide on the river. There are usually far less people on this stretch of the river and the Brown Trout begin to show up in our catch records. After hiking into the canyon, the Pecos River is all ours, and our clients enjoy the serenity of the high walls of the canyon. Above the canyon, Mora Creek enters the Pecos River and the campground at it's confluence is usually packed with motor homes. The Pecos River continues to be productive from Terrero to Cowles and this is usually called the best section of the river. Fishing the Pecos above the summer home village of Cowles is more challenging because the Pecos is smaller and higher in the watershed. However, the opportunities in this part of the Pecos Wilderness are endless. Contact us to find out more information on the unique fishing here, or call for some free information before your next trip, we'd be happy to assist in any way we can.
The Mora River offers two different experiences for our customers. The upper part of the Mora River, commonly known as the Mora Flats area, is partly in a meadow that gives our customers breathtaking scenery for a day's fishing. The lower Mora River near it's confluence with the Pecos is a challenging river with crystal clear water and overhanging branches to grab a your backcast. Near the area where the Mora River meets the Pecos River the fishing is for stocked rainbows. We guide our trips away from the Mora Campgrounds because there are usually alot of fisherman and campers there. About a mile above the campgrounds the great Brown Trout fishing begins. A guided trip to this section of the river entails crystal clear water with plenty of Brown Trout along the way. The hatches on the Mora are almost the same as on the Pecos, stoneflies in May and June, Mayflies in July. The upper section of the river can only be reached by hiking in from the Iron Gate Campground. Although the fishing is slightly less productive here the solitude and beauty of the surrounding mountains makes the trip worth while.
Upper Pecos Watershed: high country fly fishing
Fishing the creeks that feed the upper Pecos is a surreal experience. There are many creeks to be fished here and most offer our clients the only chance in the valley, besides the high mountain lakes, for Native Cutthroat Trout. These creeks have remained the same for years and access to them is by hiking in. The difficult access to the creeks that feed the Pecos River means that our clients have the opportunity to fish for semi-pure strains of Native Cutthroat Trout while having the whole creek to themselves. Most fisherman won't take the time to hike into the high counrty creeks. In addition to stream fishing, there are more than a few natural lakes set beneath the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Fishing these lakes requires special attention to the details of guided trips. The lakes are at a high elevation and summer snow storms are not unusual. With all the considerations to be made while fishing these natural gems the trip is well worth the trouble. Being on natural lakes that are stocked by helicopter because they are so remote is a breath of fresh air from the crowded streams of the lower watershed. .