Fly Fishing Rio Grande - Wild Rivers

Overview

From Sheep Crossing to John Dunn Bridge, the Rio Grande runs through a black-basalt gorge, passing the Red River confluence at La Junta Point. Above the confluence, boulder gardens, pocket water, gravel riffles and long pools give the river a smaller freestone character. Below La Junta, the added water broadens the current into longer riffles between deep pools. Brown and rainbow trout inhabit this canyon water.

Snowmelt changes the river's level and clarity in spring. As runoff recedes, caddis and mayfly presentations suit the riffles, while dry-dropper rigs and tight-line nymphing work the seams between boulders. Terrestrials along the grassy benches and streamers through pool heads add other ways to fish the gorge as the season moves toward fall.

Reading the Upper Gorge

The river looks and fishes differently from the desert plateau above it. Stacked basalt confines the channel, and springs seep into the river along the banks. Read the softer current beside a boulder, the bucket behind it and the seam leading into the next pool rather than treating every stretch as one long run.

The Red River changes that picture at La Junta Point. Below the confluence, longer riffles lead into deep pools. The Cerro gauge is upstream of that added water, so its reading alone does not describe the lower half of this section. Level and clarity can change the useful lanes within either part of the gorge.

Caddis, Mayflies and Terrestrials

The season follows the water. Before runoff, watch for blue-winged olives on gray afternoons and the first caddis in the riffles. As the river settles after snowmelt, golden stonefly and Pale Morning Dun patterns join the box, with caddis offering an evening approach to the La Junta riffles.

Skittering an Elk Hair Caddis along the edges at dusk is a classic upper-gorge presentation. Earlier in the afternoon, try a caddis pupa through the same lane before adults appear. Emerger patterns offer another approach when fish are feeding in the film and ignoring a high-floating dry.

Late summer suggests terrestrials from the sage and grass benches: hoppers, ants and beetles placed tight to the boulders, with a nymph beneath the dry when the pocket calls for it. Fall brings another reason to carry Baetis patterns for overcast afternoons, orange caddis for evening activity, and streamers for the heads of pools and the water behind rocks.

In winter, look for midge activity around quieter pools. A Griffith's Gnat or tiny black midge patterns give you surface and subsurface options; small dark stonefly patterns are another choice when those insects are present. Ice along the edges and changing water levels can alter the places you can reach.

Pocket-Water Tactics

High-stick or tight-line nymphing gives you control over short seams and buckets between boulders. A rubber-legged stonefly nymph with a green caddis larva or small Pheasant Tail behind it covers contrasting food shapes when nothing is showing on top. Change the depth and angle to follow the lane rather than dragging the rig across several currents.

A Chubby Chernobyl or Stimulator with a dropper covers the same pocket water from the surface. Follow the dry through the softer seam beside the rock, then reset before the faster current pulls it away. Streamers stripped or swung through a pool give you a different way to cover deeper water; fish the presentation through the drift rather than retrieving as soon as it passes the first boulder.

A nine-foot five-weight suits dry flies and lighter nymph rigs. A six-weight with a stout leader is another option for streamers and the gorge's wind. Pack for the steep climb back to the rim; slick basalt and deep pockets shape the footing as much as they shape the fishing.

Big Arsenic Arrival

From Questa, take NM 522 north, then NM 378 west through Cerro to the Wild Rivers loop road. Park in the Big Arsenic Campground day-use area and follow Big Arsenic Springs Trail down to the Rio Grande. The trail descends through the basalt to the spring and riverbank; allow time and energy for the climb out.