Freestone · Volcanic · New Mexico, US

Rio Grande — Lower Box / Racecourse (Pilar)

Rio Grande — Lower Box / Racecourse (Pilar) terrain map
Good · Rainbow Trout
Parachute Adams · 16-20
Goodlive now
A proper day on the water
River lifting fast on the rain. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
65% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.87 mLifting fast
  • Water temp11.0°C
  • ClarityVery colouredColouring up
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams16-20
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.87 m
Lifting fast
Water temp11.0°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather19°C
WindNW 8 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead3.2 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal
11.0°Cideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Good — water temperature is right today, though water clarity could be better.
Likely species
Chironomids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 21:00

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 4 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Rainbow Trout
SD
Sex Dungeon
2-6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Open all year; verify Orilla Verde / Racecourse reach rules against NMDGF and BLM
  • A Habitat Stamp is required to fish USFS/BLM land and waters in New Mexico
  • The roadside access makes this the approachable Rio Grande reach, but flow and monsoon colour still govern the day.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Rio Grande — Taos Box
8.0 km
86
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Cutthroat trout
Red River (lower)
47 km
86
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Cutthroat trout
Rio Chama below Abiquiu
57 km
75
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Pecos River (upper)
60 km
82
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Cutthroat trout
Cimarron River below Eagle Nest
60 km
84
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Rio Grande (Embudo Creek to Rio Pueblo de Taos)' (NM-2111_12), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Turbidity. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · NM-2111_12

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 65%
How the 71 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow55 × 22%12.1
Clarity45 × 18%8.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity61 × 12%7.3
Conditions total= 71
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts