NEW MEXICO PIKE ON THE FLY

By Taylor Streit

Most fly fishers visiting New Mexico are here for the fine trout fishing on the Rio Grande, San Juan and Chama rivers. They  are usually from flat country and they want to be standing in fast water engaged in  fast action. And that’s what fly fishing for trout is all about. Pike fishing has a darker, deeper and slower angle. It’s a longer wait for a strike but when a pike takes a fly—it is explosive!

The main pike fishing is on Rio Grande near Taos in wintertime. The long tooth frequents long slow pools, still channels and large eddies.( The dead spot in middle of the eddy.) Targeting beaver lodges and side channels also helps improve the odds.  Long slow pools hold random pike but it requires a lot of casts to find them.

A floating line is OK if you are using a heavy fly. A sink-tip line might be a better choice in a deep pool. Sinking leaders can also get the fly down to the right level. Wire tippetts are, of course, always employed!

Chartreuse flies are a good choice for pike because they are easily seen by both fish and fisherman. But pike eat a lot of smallish stuff: like crayfish, so a small dark fly—like a #6 brown or olive wholly bugger—is a good choice.  

There are  long stretches of the Rio that do not seem to hold pike; but there are a number of “go-to” places also. The John Dunn Bridge at Arroyo Hondo and the Taos Junction Bridge above Pilar are both a good bet. The Dunn bridge seems to be solely a winter spot and the pike will be found upstream of the bridge. (Although it appears that few wild trout are eaten by them, no doubt the thousands of  rainbows released at these sites attracts pike—as well as large brown trout.)

If you aren’t afraid of a hike try “Miners Trail” north of Taos. It’s on the west side of the river and although pretty easy to find it requires 4X4 to reach when wet.  It’s a 700 foot decent but otherwise  pretty easy water--by Rio Grande standards. Once you get to the river the banks are mostly grassy, but upstream a half mile it gets rough, but there is a great plunge pool that holds pike, even though the water moves along at a pretty good clip. Its deep so  the fly needs to get down a ways. This is a good place for a sink tip fly line. One might look for pike in dead spots off the main current in this general area also, as this whole portion of the Rio is popular with the pikes.

 If you are not familiar with the nature of the Rio Grande in northern N.M. beware that the river is exceedingly rugged and remote above here. And there is no vehicle access all the way  to the Colorado border. But a few miles above the state line  the Rio goes docile as it slide beneath one of Colorado’s highest peaks—Mt Blanca at 14,435. There are roads beside the river here- making the pike easy to  get at. Consequently the area is fished somewhat—but its still sparse fishing pressure really as pike arnt really fished for in these parts. there just arnt many people around this area either.

And downstream, below the state line, in the “Ute Mountain Run” there’s absolutely  nobody around. The Rio here is in a sheer canyon with 100 feet continuous  cliffs. This area could safely be rated ‘unfished’, as it is hard to get at, and poor water quality keeps trout numbers low. There are long slow stretches where huge pike may lurk and I remember seeing a picture of a 54 inch specimen from there some years ago.

There are faint 4X4 roads along the rim but ways down to the water are rare. It can be floated but that is problematic as there is no “take out” perse, and a boat needs to be hauled up and out  of the canyon a couple hundred feet. And it is not a float that can be accomplished in one day; so camp gear needs to be hauled up and out too.

On this pike water north of Taos, there is a period-- in the downhill side of runoff—when pike will be enthusiastic about eating flies on, or near, the surface. A  large red and white Dahlberg diver is the fly of choice; and can be used as a popper or retrieved ‘just so’ and thereby suspending in front of a visible fish. This fabulous fly fishing is for the more advanced angler because the fish must be spotted. Which is not easy to do cause they are motionless and the water is usually murky. It’s a good time to have a guide as she can take up higher position and instruct the client where to cast. (Google “Taos Fly Shop pike on the fly” for a thrilling little movie!)

The other pike fishery of note in northern NM is Eagle Nest lake. The pike came on the scene about ten years ago; and with a solid foodbank of their natural prey—yellow perch-- are reaching serious maturity about now. (Pike caught in this once-fine trout lake must be killed BY LAW.) They can be hooked by walking and casting out ‘blind’ from shore with a dark wholly bugger or slumpbuster—of rather small size—about a size 6. They seem to be in 4-6 feet of water, so the fly needs to get to that level. A floating line with a fast-sinking leader is an idea set up for  casting from the bank.

Taos Fly Shop guide Christopher Jenkins suggest that the fishing need not be totally ‘blind’ , and says to “ look for darker bottoms where the water will heat up faster. There seems to be more bait fish activity too at such spots. And also look for weed Islands where they can hide an ambush their prey. There are also some subtle currents  lines too. Places where prey concentrates.”