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Fly Fishing Report & News
Northern New Mexico and southern Colorado fishing report, current local water, weather and fishing conditions along with some general fly fishing news and trout fishing information.
February 2026 Class Schedule
In February our classes will focus on Fly Fishing 101, Entomology, Fly Tying 101 and preparing for spring fishing. These classes are totally free so come by the shop every Sunday morning!
Fishing Report ~ January 30th, 2026
We have had a warmer winter so far and the fishing has been pretty good. We have focused most of our winter fishing on four main rivers, the lower Chama below Abiquiu, the Rio Grande in Pilar, the San Juan and the Pecos River. Choosing a warmer day and the warmer part of the day has provided the best results. Winter fishing is a great time to be on the water without the crowds. The fishing may be slower than the summer months, but you are rewarded with the beauty and solitude. Winter can also be a great time to practice some techniques that you may not be comfortable with, nymphing and streamer fishing.
As always, don't hesitate to contact us for up to date information, if you have any questions and/or would like to book a trip. To learn more about all of the private ranches we guide on check out the Private Water page.
LOWER CHAMA: Over the last few weeks, the fishing on the Chama has been pretty consistent with more fish closer to the dam. If some areas are crowded don’t be afraid to go further downstream and find a run with more solitude. The fishing starts to heat up around 10AM and the bite usually lasts until the sun goes behind the rim on the canyon. The releases out of Abiquiu dam has been holding steady between 50 and 55 cubic feet per second (cfs) range for the last few weeks making for easy wading. There are a variety of flies that have been working lately. Most of the nymphs and been on the smaller side, but the fish have also been eating a few larger ones also. Egg patterns, small midges, small mayflies and leeches have been some of our go to flies. With the colder weather, the water is clearing up nicely and the visibility should steadily improve. The next six to eight weeks should continue to offer up great fishing opportunities on this section of the river. The fishing on upper part of the Chama (below El Vado reservoir) has slowed down quite a bit due to the colder temperatures up north; although it is always a great place to try your luck at some winter fishing.
SAN JUAN: The "Juan" is fishing very well right now and the crowds are starting to thin out. We are primarily doing wade trips these days as it seems that many of the bigger fish are above the Texas Hole (this area is not accessible by the boat). As always, the standard array of larva, pupa and midge patterns are working. The baetis and blue-winged olives are starting to make their usual presence known and the odd egg patterns are working as well. As has seemed to be the case throughout the late summer and early fall. We still seem to be having better success with smaller sizes; we're mostly fishing size 20 and 22 flies. With the lower flows right now and the sediment in the lower section of the Quality Waters, wade fishing may be a bit better choice than fishing out of the drift boat. The late fall and winter is our favorite time of year to fish on the San Juan - very often in January and February we won't see many other anglers and the fishing can be off the charts.
PECOS: The Pecos has still been fishing well considering how cold it has been recently but it does seem that the fish are bunched up in the deeper spots in the river that aren’t frozen. The Pecos canyon is at a pretty high altitude and doesn't get a lot of sun in certain spots so sunny days will be the best choice to be on the river this time of year. The hits are usually extremely subtle during the winter months so set the hook on everything. The flows are low, 30cfs, and the water is cold. The fish have been eating small flies; try some small midges and mayflies. Put on an egg pattern in combination with the smaller nymphs if the fishing gets slow.
RIO GRANDE: Fishing on the Rio Grande is always hit or miss, even in the best of conditions. Despite that we have had some great days so far this winter. Again choosing the warmest part of the day is critical. Not need to rush and be the first one on the water. Find a nice section of river and fish it hard before moving on to the next spot. Nymphing has been providing the best action, although streamers are working well some days.
Cow Creek Ranch
We are happy to announce that we are now doing both multi-day, all-inclusive fishing packages and guided day trips at Cow Creek Ranch. This amazing private location has over 3 miles of stream and 7 lakes, all of which are full of four different species of trout and, there are some real lunkers! We have been guiding anglers and fishing at Cow Creek Ranch off and on for almost 20 years and feel that it is arguably the finest fishing property in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Please feel free to give us a call if you would like more information about guided day trips or all-inclusive packages. You can also learn more about our all-inclusive packages at Cow Creek Ranch here: Fishing Packages
Our Fly Shop:
We have lots of flies, rods & reels, waders, vests and packs, fishing clothing, cool hats, New Mexico fishing licenses and much more...
Please come by and say hi and check it out. Our hours are 9 to 5, every day. We’ll be looking forward to seeing you!
Fly Tyer Magazine Article about Land of Enchantment Guides
The Autumn, 2017 issue of Fly Tyer Magazine did an article on Land of Enchantment Guides featuring 16 of the custom fly patterns that Shane, Jesse and Noah tie. Many thanks to Fly Tyer editor David Klausmeyer for thinking enough of us to do the article - we are very flattered. You can read a printout (.pdf) of the article by clicking the link below:
Fly Tyer is the best publication on the market on all types of fly tying and materials. Though primarily a magazine on all things concerning fly tying, it is an equally good source of many fishing skills and techniques. We highly recommend that you pick up a copy at your local fly shop and/or consider getting a subscription. Check out their website: www.flytyer.com
