It’s a sunny mild fall day in Cimarron Canyon. The leaves are just beginning to turn gold and the Cimarron River is running cool and clear. Fly fishing guide Chaz Kerger wades into the river, moving slowly next to the bank. He carries two fly fishing rods. Today, he is guiding two first-time fly fishers: Taos News photographer Nathan Burton and me.
After gearing up with waders and boots at Taos Fly Shop, we drive out past Eagle Nest Lake and into Cimarron Canyon State Park, part of the Colin Neblett Wildlife area. At 36,116 acres, it’s the largest such area in the state.
Kerger pulls into a spot off US 64, and we follow him down a faint path through the grass. He points out that with all the rain this summer there has been so much new growth you could almost get lost trying to follow the trail. Although we are not far from the road, when we reach the river, it is peaceful and tranquil.
We all wade farther down river to reach a pool. A feeling of cold but not wet rushes against our legs as the river surrounds our waders. Kerger demonstrates how to cast the fly rod out to the right so that it lands in the foamy part of the river running over the deepest troughs, where we are most likely to find trout. He explains that some fly fishing casting techniques are meant to emulate the natural drift of a bug in the water. He adds that, in the fall, flies are chosen to imitate the later stages of the bug cycle, when bugs are getting smaller and less numerous.
After only a couple of graceful casts, Kerger catches a little rainbow trout. Although on this section of the river we would be allowed to keep some of the fish we catch, we have decided to release the fish we reel in, so Kerger takes the barbless hook out of the mouth of the trout while holding it underwater in the net. We watch the fish swim out of the net and take a moment to recover before it darts out into the cover of the mossy underwater plants.
After Kerger demonstrates a bit longer, he turns the rod over to me, explaining how to cast the fly out 45 degrees upstream and let it float downstream. The top dry fly bobs along with the current like a grasshopper that has fallen into the water. At first, the motion feels awkward. I worry about how to hold my wrist and where my fly is landing. But, after a while, my body relaxes into the rhythm of casting upstream and following the downward progress with the rod until the fly reaches a spot about 45 degrees downstream, picking it up from the water to cast again. Standing in the river is soothing, and I begin to feel that I’m part of nature and its rhythms, as I feel the cold current, the wind and sunshine and hear the birds call.
We move upstream to a different spot, where I catch a colorful little brown trout. I feel the tug on the fly and lift up the fish so that Kerger can catch it in his net. Judging by its size, he says this is its first year of life. It was probably born in this river and is beginning to turn more colorful to spawn, he adds. Kerger explains that brown trout spawn in fall and are more aggressive and less cautious as they get ready to mate.
All the fish we catch are rainbows and browns about 4-5 inches in length except for the larger brown that Burton catches at the Palisades picnic area, our last stop of the day. “Every once in a while, you will pull a big fish out of here, especially in the fall. Usually it is a big brown that you really don’t have a chance at any other time of the year, only during the spawn frenzy when it lets its guard down,” says Kerger.
The picnic area is dominated by the Palisades cliffs above, which were cut by the river through igneous rock. There are several groups fishing here, but the water is cold and fast, and this is where we have the most strikes.
“There is a lull during the summer when the water is warm and fish are sluggish,” explains Kerger. “Then the best fishing is in the early morning or late afternoon. As we get into fall, the air temperatures and the water cool, the good fishing is all day. The fish are ramping up for winter.”
Beginners in trout waters
As beginners, there’s a lot to learn about fly fishing: how to hold the rod, how to flick the flies out to hit the spot you are aiming for (ideally moving farther and farther out in the stream). Kerger explains that fishermen work their way upstream because fish are facing that direction due to the way they breathe and feed on insects. “If you approach from behind so they don’t see you, that is the most effective way to get the fly in his mouth from the side or from behind; it is the most believable presentation. Fish are pretty smart,” he says. “That’s the difference between a good fly fisherman and a bad fly fisherman: the presentation. We want the fly to look like a bug drifting helplessly in the river.”
Kerger has chosen the Cimarron River for our trip out of all the other fishing spots in Northern New Mexico. “The Cimarron River is super cool,” he explains. “Even though it is small, this river actually has more fish per mile than any other river in the state, other than the San Juan.” The Cimarron has primarily rainbows and browns, while some of the tributaries might have Rio Grande Cutthroats, New Mexico’s state fish.
The Cimarron River is designated as Special Trout Waters, so there are regulations on what type of bait can be used and whether fish can be kept or must be released. Red Chile, Green Chile or Christmas designations vary as to tackle and bag limits. Kerger explains that the upper sections of the river are designated as Red Chile, meaning that only artificial flies can be used and all fish are catch and release. Where we are fishing in the lower sections, fish can be harvested, according to state law. “For fly fishing, catch and release is the general expectation. For fishing in the Southern Rockies, the Cimarron River grows trout really big and plentiful. Catching big fish in a small river is pretty much as good as it gets,” says Kerger.
Taos Fly Shop was first founded by Taylor Streit in 1980. Streit is the author of three books on fly fishing. The shop is located at 338 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, Unit B. Call 575-751-1312 or visit taosflyshop.com.
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