Please don't hesitate to contact us if you need more information or have any questions that aren't answered below.
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No. We guide novices as well as experienced anglers alike. All of our guides are great teachers and enjoy helping clients to learn about fly fishing. All of our trips are set up taking each client's skill level in mind. We also offer individual and group classes covering all aspects of fly fishing and fly casting.
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This is one of the most common questions we are asked. Giving a tip or gratuity to your guide is completely at your discretion. If the guide/guides did a good job and you had a good time, it is the norm in the industry to give them a tip (they depend on gratuities to pay for gas, flies, all terminal tackle, lunches, etc.). How much is up to you. A good starting point would be to give your guide/guides somewhere between 20% and 30% of the cost of your trip. If you had phenomenal time, please consider giving them more. One way to look at this is that a standard gratuity for a waiter/waitress in a restaurant is 15% to 25% of the cost of the bill and they are serving you (along with many other patrons) for 30 minutes to an hour. You fishing guide is with you alone, for a whole day. Note: If you were not satisfied with the service you received from your guide/guides, don't tip them and please let us know what the problem was so we can make it right with you.
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No. We provide all of the fishing gear (rods & reels, tippet, flies, wading boots & waders, etc.) you will need for your trip, at no extra cost. This being said, if you have your own gear you would like to use, bring it along. Your guides will do their best to set it up for you to suit the particular fishing spot you are going to on your trip.
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For a detailed description of our cancellation and gear usage policies, please click on the link below.
Land of Enchantment Guides Cancellation and Gear Usage Policies
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Yes. Everyone 12 years or older needs a fishing license to fish anywhere in the state of New Mexico. Everyone 16 years or older needs a fishing license to fish anywhere in the state of Colorado. You can get a fishing license online. If you go to the Book a Trip page, in the After You Book a Trip section you will find a link to the website where you can purchase and print out your fishing license online. You also can get a fishing licenses by phone or in many stores around New Mexico and Colorado.
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We have good fishing year-round here in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. The summer and fall offer the opportunity to fish all of our rivers and streams. During the winter and spring there are less spots available to fish but there are less people out fishing. If you pick your days during the winter and early spring, before the run-off, the fishing can be excellent. The fall offers great fishing for larger brown trout. The fishing is good throughout the summer. For a more detailed description of what the fishing and conditions are like throughout the year, please check out the Best Time to Fish page.
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A full-day trip is usually 8 to 10 hours from pick-up to drop-off. A half-day trip is usually 5 to 6 hours from pick-up to drop-off. On any trip, if the fishing is really good, we may stay a bit longer.
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For a full-day trip, we usually pick clients up/leave for the fishing spot somewhere between 7 and 8 in the morning and get them back by 5 or 6 in the evening. For a half-day trip, we usually head out between 7 and 8 in the morning and get back by 1 or 2 in the afternoon. We can also do half-day trips in the afternoon, to suit your schedule. These are general guidelines as to how our trips go. The times can all be adjusted a bit to suit the time of year, specific fishing locations and your personal preferences.
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We use all Sage and Orvis flyrods and reels as well as Orvis and Dan Bailey chest waders, hip waders and wading shoes. All of our guides tie their own flies, many of which are custom fly patterns which they have developed specifically for the rivers and streams of Northern New Mexico.
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Dress as if you were going for a hike. Bring an extra sweatshirt or sweater and a rain jacket if you have them. If you go to the Book a Trip page, towards the bottom, you will find a checklist of some items you should consider bringing with you to make your trip more enjoyable. Check with your guide about the most recent weather conditions for the day of your trip, just to be sure.
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Depending on where you are staying or located, we usually can pick you up and drop you off for no extra charge. Transportation is included in the price of the trip, within reason, depending on the location of your fishing trip. We often arrange to meet clients along the way to the fishing spots. This can work out very well for the clients, giving them more time fishing.
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Yes and no. Many of the spots we fish at are out of cell phone service range, especially if the stream or river is in a bit of a canyon. Often we will have cell phone service during the drive to and from the fishing location. The best bet is to make any important phone calls before you go on your fishing trip; we can't guarantee that you will have cell phone service throughout the duration of your fishing trip.
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This depends on the spot where we are fishing. Many places we go to are catch and release only. Even if we are fishing in a spot that allows an angler to keep fish, we encourage our clients to release any fish they catch. If you really want to keep some fish to eat, let us know and we will try and take you to a spot that will accommodate your needs.
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We can't 100% guarantee that you will catch fish (it is called "fishing", not "catching"). This being said, it is a rare day that we get skunked. We always do our best to take our clients to spots where the fishing is good and they will the best chance of catching fish. We also will advise you if the water and weather conditions are not good and be honest with you about how the fishing may be. The real answer to this question is that all we can truly guarantee is that you will have fun, see some beautiful country and have a great lunch!
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The water temperature is governed by the time of year and the altitude of the stream or river. In the summer, wet-wading is possible and often the best way to go. Usually mid-June through to the beginning of October are the only months you should consider wet-wading.
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Usually the driving time to the spots we fish is between 1 to 2 hours. There are some spots that can take a bit longer to get to, i.e. The San Juan River and The Brazos River Ranch. We can do day-trips to both of these locations, but with the driving time being so long, we encourage clients to try and make their trips for at least a day, night and a day.
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No. We just need to discuss your requirements so that we can take care of them and accommodate your needs. We can provide meals and snacks to suit any dietary requirements or restrictions you may have. If walking is an issue, we have quite a few spots where we can get our vehicles right next to the stream or river.
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Yes, all of our guides are certified in both CPR and basic First Aid.
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Yes, we are permitted for guided fishing trips by the Santa Fe National Forest, the Carson National Forest, the New Mexico State Parks, the Federal Bureau of Land Management and the Valles Caldera National Preserve. We are also a permitted Colorado outfitter/guide service (permit #: OUT-2808). We carry full liability insurance and are bonded. As well as being ORVIS endorsed, Land of Enchantment Guides is a Trout Unlimited endorsed business.
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Almost all of the locations we go fishing at are in very rural and wild country. This means that on any given trip, you stand the chance to see many different kinds of wildlife. If you are interested in seeing a particular type of wildlife on your fishing trip, let us know and we will try and take you to a spot where the odds are good for spotting what you would like to see. Check out our New Mexico Wildlife pages to learn more about the types of trout we fish for and some of the wildlife you might see on any given fishing trip in Northern New Mexico.
