Rio Chama, la casa de la plata marrón…

If anyone is still keeping up with this blog I am sure you are getting a bit tired of hearing about the Pecos and the Rio Grande. Well, get ready! I put feet in new water this weekend.

The Rio Chama just below Abiquiu dam is where I found myself on Sunday. This trip was with a few people from High Desert Angler. This isn’t a paid function it is just something they do every now and then. I think they were going to cancel it since I was the only who showed any interest in going but luckily I made a quick stop by the shop Friday night after work and a couple of the guys were in there and we made some plans.

So, on Sunday we all showed up at 9:00 AM and headed towards the river. The Rio Chama is located about 45 minutes NW of Espanola. The drive is very nice and I have been by the lake before after riding some of the FSR on my DR650 Dual Sport bike. This particular trip dropped us down the backside of the dam. After a few switchbacks you are there. The river surroundings are very scenic. It is a nice small canyon that twists along for a good little clip then opens up into your typical High Desert valleys you see all over this region.

The river is a major tributary of the Rio Grande and flows at around 80-100 cfs. Where we fished was very slow moving water with deep pools and large submerged structures, mainly large boulders that were successful in making it all the way into the river from the cliffs above.

It didn’t take long to hook up and as I pulled the first fish close I was sure it was a rainbow but as I got it closer it definitely had a browns spotting but the color of the fish was rainbow all the way. Either it is the lightest skinned brown I have ever seen or it is a hybrid of some sort.

The fish I caught that day were all about this size. Mr. Norman Maktima, a 13 year senior guide with High Desert Angler, managed to pull out a few good sized fellas.

Here is a distinguished member of the future of NM Fly Fishing. I forgot his name but he had to be around 13 or 14 years old. Just about the age when I started. He has some years behind him though.

Some of the slow sections we fished.

I only stayed for a couple hours but this will be my next trip as soon as I get a day off. I want to get a whole day in here. There is so much more to explore.

Over…