Freestone · Volcanic · New Mexico

Rio Grande — Taos Box

Rio Grande — Taos Box terrain map
Prime · Brown Trout
Chubby Chernobyl · 6-10
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River steady at a fishable height. On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.04 m
  • Water temp13.8°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Chubby Chernobyl
Chubby Chernobyl6-10
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.04 m
Water temp13.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather14°C
WindE 8 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.5 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
14°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown 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
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July 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
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2
American March BrownHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Open all year; verify gorge/Wild Rivers reach rules against NMDGF/BLM
  • A Habitat Stamp is required on BLM/USFS land
  • SAFETY: the gorge hike, committing wading and monsoon flash-flood risk are the dominant hazards — this is a safety/access read as much as a fishing one
  • Check weather upstream before descending.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Rio Grande — Lower Box / Racecourse (Pilar)
8.0 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Cutthroat trout
Red River (lower)
39 km
85
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Cutthroat trout
Cimarron River below Eagle Nest
53 km
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 Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 84 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time75 × 13%9.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity50 × 12%6.0
Conditions total= 84
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts