Flyfishing the Valle Vidal

            Anglers looking for incredible panoramic vistas of ancient volcanoes, pristine meadow streams and wild trout should look no further. While everyone else is standing shoulder to shoulder on the San Juan, Big Hole or Green Rivers, you could be controlling a couple of miles of this stream, fishing for native Rio Grande cutthroats. And you can even take a leisurely lunch and not feel as though you'll lose your stretch.

            Valle Vidal.  One of those places that induces good times and memories. 
         Hello, I'm Mark D. Williams, outdoors writer, book author, world traveler and overall rake.  I live in Amarillo, Texas and Durango Colorado and one of my home fishing bases is the Valle Vidal.  It's one of the most beautiful places in the world and a tremendous home base from which to base a fishing trip.
          This app/blog tells you all the basics about heading into this remote fishing gem, how to fish it, what to take, what rivers and lakes you will find and all kinds of other great info.
       My 15 books include So Many Fish, So Little Time (a 880 page tome of the top 1001 places in the world to fish, Harper Collins, 2007), Colorado Flyfishing: Where to Eat, Sleep and Fish (the top 30 home bases in Colorado to base a fishing trip, Johnson Books, 2010) and my eBook novel The Bedside Diaries , which has lots of flyfishing in it.  Check out my Amazon website for my other books (Mark D. Williams) and my blogsite (Home Bases, Fishing Places ) Now back to the Valle Vidal Waters:  

            The isolated Rio Costilla runs for miles through a wide valley, curving back and forth through the caldera. The waters are clear and shallow, alternating between long flat stretches where the cutts hide under deep cut banks, and foamy deep, bend pools where the big trout lie in wait. The roads in are long and rough, preventing most anglers from making the trip. But the Rio Costilla is a special stream that simply cannot take the pounding of other streams — the trout and riparian habitat are too fragile. The river opens in early July to protect the spawning cutthroat and stays open until mid-December. 

Trout anglers are always searching for the ideal trout stream.  This perfect river would flow cold and clear, be off the beaten path and hold populations of big and wild trout. For a topper, wouldn’t it be nice if this river ran through a verdant caldera, home to extinct volcanoes? There is such a spot, tucked away in the middle of nowhere where anglers can get away from the madding crowds and fish for rare trout. 

Even though Valle Vidal is remote and isolated, a trip to the region is worth the effort.  And it does take some doing.  That’s why it’s not overrun with other recreationalists. You have to want to go to the Valle Vidal; it’s not something you pass through on the way somewhere else.

The Valle Vidal Unit of the Carson National Forest consists of 100,000 acres between the villages of Cimarron and Costilla. Valle Vidal is a large grassy bowl rimmed by small rolling mountains covered in aspen and fir.  Wildlife abounds in the unit, everything from rattlesnakes to elk, bison to bear, deer to the aforementioned wild trout. 

Several trout streams run through this caldera but the two blue ribbons you’ll want to concentrate on are tiny Comanche Creek and its bigger sister, Rio Costilla.  Their confluence, with Comanche Peak standing sentinel over the junction, is the stuff postcards are made of. 

Anglers will be rewarded with some of the best angling for wild cutthroats anywhere in the southwest. New Mexico Game and Fish electroshocking surveys show that over 4,000 trout per mile inhabit these waters.  The fish you’re after? The rare Rio Grande cutthroat. 

The Rio Grande cutthroat is the prettiest fish you’ll ever catch.  Their sides are splashed in aqua-green and royal purple. Their gills have been painted with iridescent blood-red slashes. In the water, against the pebbly bottom, they are invisible. In your hand, they are wiggling Monets.  In the bigger water, they average about eleven to fifteen inches long. In the lesser water, they average eight to twelve inches long.  You will catch Rio Grande cutts, hybrids (rainbows breeding with cutts) and rainbows. Regulations protect the cutthroats and it’s a good thing too.  Rio Grande Cutthroats inhabit less than seven percent of their original habitat. 

It’s a quirky place to fish.  The low-slung green mountains that rise gently up from the caldera through which the Rio Costilla runs will remind you of Paradise Valley in Yellowstone National Park.  The fishing season doesn’t begin until July 1^st in order to protect the spawning cutthroats.  You’ll see thousands of grasshoppers on the banks and in the fields. You might hear anecdotes about longrodders catching fifty cutts on a Dave’s Hopper.  But the guides will tell you that another quirk of this fine fishery is that in spite of the hot fishing days and plentiful juicy insects, you might go all day and not catch a fish if you’re not in tune with the fishery. 

The Rio Costilla usually has good flows from July to September because irrigation needs ensure consistent flows.  After September, flows are reduced but so are the number of anglers. Fall can offer some of the best fishing of the year albeit in low water conditions.  Comanche Creek is a step-across stream snaking through open fields, a tiny trickle of water that at first looks like it doesn’t even hold trout. Bully for you.  It does. Let others bypass this gem.  That’s the beauty of this narrow meandering creek --- no one bothers to fish it. The Comanche holds plenty of Rio Grande cutthroats ranging from ‘fit-in-your-palm’ size to ‘wow-I-had-no-idea-that-size-fish-lurked-in-here’ size (roughly translated that means the fish range from six inches to fourteen inches).

Fish Comanche as stealthily as you would if you were stealing your sister’s diary while she sleeps or you’ll quickly be discovered.  One trick is cast from several feet back off the stream, letting your last two or three feet of tippet drop softly on the water but the butt end fall on the grass.  Stay low and off the water, look for the deepest holes and the most undercut banks.  Oh yeah, if you fish the upstream from where the paralleling road departs, the wind can really kick up. 

Shuree Ponds are best fished with nymphs and streamers.  Some anglers make the long drive into Valle Vidal just to fish these lakes.  The water is clear and the big trout look like cruising submarines.  The rainbows and hybrid Rio Grande cutthroat in Shuree Ponds dwarf those you’ll have been catching in the river.  Some anglers make the trip into Valle Vidal just to go after these behemoths. 

While everyone else is standing shoulder to shoulder on the San Juan, Big Hole, or Green Rivers, you could have to yourself a thousand yards of the Rio Costilla, fishing for native Rio Grande cutthroat. And you can even take a leisurely lunch and not worry about losing your stretch of water. The isolated Rio Costilla runs for miles through a wide valley, curving back and forth through the volcanic caldera that forms the heart of Valle Vidal—Valley of Life—and forms an ideal home base for fly anglers: wild, rare cutthroat trout; large holdover rainbows; meadow streams; canyon rivers; high-country lakes; stunning scenery. Veterans anglers enjoy the sophistication of catching the fat, finicky fat cutts; beginners can learn the craft without worrying about trees and other obstacles. Anglers looking for incredible panoramic vistas of ancient volcanoes, pristine streams, and wild trout should look no further than this beautiful high-country paradise in northern New Mexico.

The stream is clear and mostly shallow, alternating between long flats and riffle stretches where the cutts hide under deep cutbanks, and foamy deep, bend pools, where the big trout lie in wait. The roads in are long and rough, preventing most anglers from making the trip. Rio Costilla is a special stream that simply cannot take the pounding of other streams—the trout and riparian habitat are too fragile. Even though Valle Vidal is remote and isolated, a trip to the region is worth the effort. And it does take some doing. That’s why it’s not overrun with other recreationalists. You have to want to go to the Valle Vidal; it’s not something you pass through on the way somewhere else.

I took my closest buddies to the Valle Vidal twice this last summer. These guys have only been trout fishing a handful of times; enough to know what they’re doing without hooking their ears, and enough to appreciate scenery and wild cutthroat trout. We set up camp on Rio Costilla Cooperative Livestock Association (RCCLA) land, right on Latir Creek (the stream flows through the Ville Vidal Unit of the Carson National Forest and then onto the adjacent RCCLA land, which is open to the public.

As the evening set in and steaks were on the grill, I strung up my rod, tied on a Stimulator, and walked 20 feet to the little creek. The first cast brought and 11-inch Rio Grande cutthroat. Smiles and steaks all around.

Chad McPhail, an experienced angling friend, and I worked with Huseman, Murphy and the Perkins’ brothers that first morning until they remembered how to tie on tippet and de-barb a hook, then we set them loose. The Costilla was running high so we worked upstream from the confluence with Latir Creek. We spread out and leapfrogged one another on our way up Latir and eight hours later, each rookie had caught dozens of trout, some rainbow, mostly cutts, and each was beaming from ear to ear. We took them to the upper Costilla, Comanche Creek, and Shuree Ponds, where they met up with humility. Valle Vidal’s waters can do that to you. When we all went back a month later, they did much better on all the fisheries, having learned some of the techniques and strategies that work best on these waters.

The Valle Vidal Unit of the Carson National Forest consists of 100,000 acres between the villages of Cimarron and Costilla. Valle Vidal is a large grassy bowl rimmed by small rolling mountains covered in aspen and conifers. Wildlife abounds in the unit, including rattlesnakes, elk, bison, bear, deer, and more, along with the aforementioned wild Rio Grande cutts.

Anglers are rewarded with some of the best fishing for wild cutthroats anywhere in the Southwest. New Mexico Game and Fish electroshocking surveys reveal that the river holds trout densities of more than 4,000 fish per mile. Rio Grande cutthroat rank among the prettiest of freshwater fish. Their sides are splashed in aqua-green and royal purple; their jaws are painted with iridescent blood-red slashes. In the water, against the pebbly bottom, they are invisible. In your hand, they are wiggling Monets. In the bigger water, they commonly range from 11 to 15 inches, while in smaller flows the range from 8 to 12 inches. The river and its feeders also hold rainbows and thus the oft-inevitable cuttbows. Special regulations protect the cutthroat trout: Rio Grande cutts inhabit less than 7 percent of their original habitat.  

Valle Vidal is a quirky place to fish. The green mountains that rise gently up from the caldera through which the Rio Costilla runs render the landscape somewhat like the far-more-familiar Paradise Valley in Montana. The fishing season doesn’t begin until July 1 in order to protect spawning cutthroat, and by then you can expect to see countless thousands of grasshoppers on the banks and in the fields. You might hear anecdotes about fly fishers catching 50 cutts in a day on a Dave’s Hopper. But the guides will tell you that another quirk of this fine fishery is that in spite of the hot fishing days and plentiful juicy insects, you might go all day and not catch a fish if you’re not in tune with the fishery. 

The tricks for consistent success here include the following: work the banks; look for points and watch for rocks and fish such areas thoroughly. The middle of the stream looks so fishy but you will waste a lot of time if you keep casting to it. Concentrate on good trout cover, deep and dark places protected by structure and depth. Rio Grande cutts hides in such places and rarely move away from them to eat. And these fish are quick, deceptively quick. I can’t tell you how many times on Rio Costilla, and on Comanche, Latir, and Lemos creeks that I’ve hooked a cutt without ever seeing the rise as I began a back cast.  

You will land more fish using a tight-line, high-stick style of dry-fly fishing. You want to keep control of your line and the way to do that is to keep as much of it off the water as you can. Make short casts and as the fly hits the water, lift your rod tip to gain immediate control over the drift. The trick is to then execute a drag-free drift while elevating the line to keep it off the water. Essentially you are dapping at a distance and the technique is very effective on these small streams.

My buddy, fishing guide Doc Thompson, has been fishing this area for most of his life and guiding on these waters for nearly 20 years. Thompson says succinctly, “High-stick dry flying is like high-stick nymphing, except with a dry fly.”

He also advises anglers to “wear a quality pair of polarized sunglasses and to look into the water watching for a trout’s first movement to the fly.” Doc says that Rio Grande cutts are like Nolan Ryan fastballs. And just when you quicken your hook-set reflex, they throw you a changeup. Doc’s been saying that for years and hasn’t come up with any new analogy, but he does tell anglers to mind their footfalls and shadows. I’ve seen a number of very good anglers have tough days because they just walked right up to the bank or got out in the river unnecessarily, not realizing how easily these trout are spooked. Stay back, cast to the banks, keep control of your line, and you’ll enjoy a productive day.

Thompson and I agree on another aspect of fishing here. Avoid wading at all if you can. Sure, you’ll have to cross the stream from time to time, and on some long, wide stretches of the river the best strategy is to fish your way upstream from in stream, but this is small water and the less you’re in it, the more fish you’ll catch. Hip waders work as well as lightweight breathable chest waders, though I actually prefer wet wading with neoprene socks and wading boots. For the most part, wading is relatively easy, especially because you need not do much of it. When wading across the Costilla, ford at the shallow tailouts of riffles and pools rather than through the prime trout water. Moreover, as Thompson asks of anglers, “Try to step over the edge of the bank instead of on the edge to prevent undercuts from caving in.”

The Rio Costilla usually carries ample water from July to September because irrigation needs ensure consistent flows. Releases from the dam will cause some dirty rising water but you can still fish. After September, flows are reduced but so are the numbers of anglers. Fall can offer some of the best fishing of the year albeit in low water conditions.

Downstream from the National Forest boundary, Rio Costillo flows through about 6 miles of RCCLA property. Much of this stretch is canyon water. Steep granite walls drop straight down to the deepest parts of the Rio Costilla. Rather than the typical canyon stream characterized by gushing stair-step pools and riffles, this canyon-bound stretch of stretch of river presents odd swirling pools, dips and dives under overhanging limbs; anglers must continually combat the riparian trees and brush, including tangles of alders along with evergreens. I like to fish this water with bead-head nymph dropper dangling 8 to 12 inches behind a big Stimulator. Between Latir Creek and the state property, Rio Costillo is fairly big water, punctuated by deep bank-side runs and huge pools.

Upstream from Latir Creek, through RCCLA property and into Valle Vidal, fishing is catch and release. How effectively the catch-and-release rules are enforced on the RCCLA land above Latir Creek is another matter. The RCCLA property boasts a new camping and RV area along the Costilla about halfway between Latir Creek and the Valle Vidal border. On RCCLA land, you can also camp at primitive campsites. This stretch of the river holds more stocked rainbows and fewer pure-strain cutthroat than the waters up above in Valle Vidal, but holdover rainbows grow fat and sassy and this stretch hides some sizeable cutts. Expect to find campers along the river, most be slinging lures rather than flies. 

Comanche Creek & Others Waters

Like the smaller sibling of Rio Costilla, Comanche Creek reaches the river from the south after curving past 11,209-foot Ortiz Peak. Their confluence, with 11,326-foot Comanche Peak standing sentinel over the junction, is postcards pretty. The tiny creek is difficult to fish, but accurate casters can have fun. Comanche Creek is a step-across stream snaking through open fields, a tiny trickle of water that at first glimpse seems to small to hold trout. But it does, so carry on and let anyone else you see just mosey right on past this productive little gem. That’s the beauty of this narrow meandering creek—no one bothers to fish it. Comanche holds plenty of Rio Grande cutthroat ranging from fit-in-your-palm size to wow-I-had-no-idea-that-size-fish-lurked-in-here size (roughly translated that means the fish range from 6 to 14 inches).

Fish Comanche as stealthily as you would if you were stealing your sister’s diary while she sleeps, or you’ll quickly be discovered by the trout. One trick is cast from several feet back off the stream, letting your last 2 or 3 feet of tippet drop softly on the water while the butt end of the leader lands on the riparian grass. Stay low and back from the water, and target the deepest holes and the most undercut banks. Oh, and if you fish upstream from where the paralleling road departs, be warned that on that portion of the creek, the wind can really kick up. Comanche Creek, by the way, above the last public parking lot, is part of the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout restoration project.

The aforementioned Latir Creek runs through RCCLA’s sprawling Rio Costilla Park, www.riocostillapark.com. Although Latir Creek proper offers just a few miles of skinny water, it is one of the most productive streams in New Mexico. About a mile upstream from Rio Costilla, Lemos Creek joins Latir Creek, and another mile up is Midnight Creek. If you start in the morning, fish the deeper, sun-dappled pools and runs, and fish around all of the in-stream rehab structures (log weirs and rocks). Stay back from the water, allowing line and leader to drape over the ground so only the fly and tippet land on the water; or dap and high-stick. I like to start with a dry/dropper rig. Or, when the fish won’t rise for dry flies at all, I might tight-line fish with nymphs bounced along the bottom. Don’t overlook the undercut banks, but for the most part, on Latir the fish are hiding in every trouty-looking spot. The stream holds rainbow and Rio Grande cutthroat, typically 6 to 11 inches, with the occasional mid-teen length from the deepest water. There are great streamside campsites in the park.

Lemos Creek is almost tiny beyond description, a mere trickle, but wherever its flow is deep enough to hold a fish you find trout. Catching them takes extreme stealth and pinpoint casting. Master those two things and you catch trout after trout, the most colorful in the park. I don’t know how far the trout water extends upstream on Lemos; I always fish up it for a few hundred yards, have fun because of the skill and patience demanded by its trout, and then go back to Latir Creek.

Narrow but amazingly productive Midnight Creek is a meadow stream rarely fished by other anglers. Most think it is too small to hold anything worth catching, but they are wrong. When Huseman and the Perkins boys first saw this ribbon of blue winding through the wide green valley, they laughed, not believing we were really going to fish it. But they caught trout; lots of them.

The Valle Vida also offers still-water fishing, with the Shuree Ponds—three stocked ponds near the Cimarron Campgrounds—being the best-known of such waters. They offer huge fish—huge fish that are exceptionally difficult to catch. I saw Garrett Veneklasen fishing from a canoe 15 years ago with some friends of his and the fish one them tied into dragged that boat all around the lake. This past summer, McPhail kayak fished around the main lake trolling with a Woolly Bugger, with rising trout all around him. He caught one fat, 16-inch trout. Yet we watched 20-inch trout jumping clear out of the water. By the time we switched to caddisfly patterns, the fish had quit rising.

Nymphs and streamers are usually most productive for the big trout in Shuree Ponds, but midge and caddisfly patterns do well at times. I like casting damselfly nymph patterns to the highly selective cruisers. If you choose this ploy, look before you leap: watch for cruising or rising fish; you’ll see them. Cast at least 15 feet ahead of your target, then let your fly just sit motionless until the fish approaches. Then make a short, quick strip of line, then let the fly settle again. You can also cast to the left or right of a riseform. Both tactics work. The water is clear and the big trout look like cruising submarines. The rainbows and hybrid Rio Grande cutthroat in Shuree Ponds dwarf those found in the river. Some anglers make the trip into Valle Vidal just to go after these behemoths. 

Just off of Forest Service Road 1950, the smallest of the three ponds is designated as a kids pond for juvenile anglers age 12 and under and is easily fished from the banks.

If you want to fish more out-of-the-way still waters, scenic Little Blue Lake offers big rainbows for the price of a jaw-rattling ride up a road in serious need of leveling. The water is icy clear, but with a turquoise tinge. We never catch many fish here, but the ‘bows we do catch are fat and sassy. Drive up across Midnight Creek and follow the signs. But don’t take the soccer-mom SUV; this so-called road is for legit four-wheel-drive vehicles only.

High up in the RCCLA property, nine watery gems, collectively known as the Latir Lakes, are loaded with big trout (stocked on a rotating basis). Talk to anyone who’s fished the lakes over the last decade or two and you’ll inevitably hear about some of the huge cutts and cuttbows caught (or just spotted) in these lakes. The largest pair of these lakes span perhaps 6 to 8 acres, most cover just 1 to 3 acres, making them perfect for fly fishing. Think scuds and midges. The lakes tentatively open the middle of June or first of July, depending on the road conditions and the spawning of native trout.  Contact the RCCLA office to confirm that the lakes are open and accessible.

A new access road now reaches the Latir Lakes; it branches off from the road to Little Blue Lake. Follow the signs, and beware that while the new road is an improvement over the old road, it still demands a high-clearance vehicle. You can hike to the lower lakes. Consider toting in a float tube because trees line the banks of most of the lakes. A well-marked hiking trail now ties into the existing Falls Trail.

RIO COSTILLA/VALLE VIDAL

When: The Valle Vidal section of the Rio Costilla opens July 1. RCCLA waters open in May, the lakes open mid- to late-June, depending on accessibility.

Where: Appr. 60 mi. north of Taos.

Headquarters: Cimarron and McCrystal campgrounds, and Rio Costilla Park (primitive camping for $20/night). Fishing on RCCLA land is $7/day and a state-issued license is also required.

Appropriate gear: 3- and 4-wt. rods, floating lines, 7.5- to 9-ft. leaders, 4X and 5X tippets.

Useful fly patterns: Doc’s Super Caddis, Witch Doctor, Terminator, Elk Hair Caddis, Goddard Caddis, Stimulator, Parachute Adams, hopper patterns, ant patterns, small bead-head nymphs.

Necessary accessories: hip boots or wading boots/neoprene socks, polarized sunglasses, wide-brimmed hat, sunblock, first-aid kit, water, emergency supplies, camping gear.

Nonresident license: $12/1 day, $24/5 days, $56/annual.

Fly shops/guides: Albuquerque: Los Pinos Fly Shop, (505) 884-7501, www.sawyer-creek.com. Eagle Nest: Dos Amigos Anglers, (575) 377-6226. Santa Fe: High Desert Angler, (505) 988-7688, www.highdesertangler.com. Taos: Van Beacham’s Solitary Angler, (575) 758-5653, www.thesolitaryangler.com; Taos Fly Shop, (575) 751-1312, www.taosflyshop.com. Doc Thompson’s High Country Anglers, (575) 376-9220, www.flyfishnewmexico.com; Ed Adams, (575) 586-1512, www.edadamsflyfishing.com. Maps: New Mexico Atlas & Gazetteer by DeLorme Mapping (page 16)