Fly Fishing Red River

Overview

Below the Red River State Fish Hatchery near Questa, the Red River cuts through a rocky gorge toward its confluence with the Rio Grande. This compact freestone stream tumbles over boulders, cascades through chutes and pauses in deep plunge pools between volcanic basalt walls. The canyon grows deeper downstream, giving the lower river a different character from the open meadow water above Questa.

Short, fast drifts through pocket water and deeper presentations in the pools are useful starting points for trout fishing here. A weighted nymph rig can explore the water beneath the turbulence; tight-line methods help control the drift through a small pocket. As snowmelt subsides, dry-dropper rigs and seasonal mayfly, caddis and terrestrial patterns offer surface and subsurface approaches suited to the changing water.

Work the plunge pools and pockets

The depth and turbulence of the pools make nymph fishing a useful approach. Bead-head Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns and Lightning Bugs in sizes 16 to 20 give you small patterns to drift through the plunge pools. A two-nymph rig with a heavier point fly and a smaller dropper helps explore different depths. Adjust the weight and drift length to the pool rather than carrying one setup unchanged through every chute.

Tight-line and Euro-nymphing methods fit the canyon's pocket water, helping maintain contact through the short, fast drifts that characterize much of this reach. Follow the fly through its own current lane; the faster water beside a pocket can pull the rig away from the softer lie behind a boulder. Give the pool's slower edges and shaded ledges attention as well as the main tongue of current.

Small Woolly Buggers, Slump Busters and Conehead Sculpins in sizes 8 to 12 offer another way to explore the deeper pools. Early and late light can be useful times to try a streamer, with the presentation adjusted to the depth and current in front of you.

Seasonal fly choices

Spring snowmelt changes the river's clarity and the shape of its current lanes. As water clears, adjust nymph weight and dry-dropper depth to the pockets and pools that emerge. Treat each run as a separate presentation problem rather than relying on a calendar to choose the rig.

Blue-winged olive patterns in sizes 18 to 22 are spring and fall choices, particularly when small mayflies are on the water in overcast weather. An Elk Hair Caddis or Peacock Caddis in size 16 offers a riffle presentation when caddis are active. Small golden stonefly patterns are another early-summer choice, while midges in sizes 20 to 24 give you a smaller subsurface option. Watch the insects and feeding before settling on a pattern.

Summer dry-dropper fishing can cover a riffle and the water below it in the same drift. Hopper and beetle patterns offer bank-side presentations when terrestrials reach the gorge. In fall, smaller mayfly patterns and streamers provide different ways to work the pools. Winter brings cold temperatures and limited daylight in the deep canyon; concentrate on the slower pools and consider a small midge when fish are feeding.