Tailwater · Mixed · New Mexico, US

Rio Chama below Abiquiu

Rio Chama below Abiquiu Dam

The Rio Chama is northern New Mexico's red-rock river — a dam-influenced freestone winding through O'Keeffe country below El Vado and Abiquiu reservoirs, holding browns and rainbows in handsome desert canyon water.

Today · About as good as it gets
Pheasant Tail
Forecast · Today
About as good as it gets
On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% projected
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail
Pheasant Tail
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.77 m
Water temp8.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather8°C
WindN 4 km/h
Pressure1036 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Cool — slow
9°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°

We have not characterised this dam's release, so this is a general cold-release figure and could be several degrees out in either direction. Treat it as a hint, not a reading, and check locally before you fish.

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
Good — water clarity is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 95%
Also:Black Midge89%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Western Blue-Winged Olive (Western Blue-Winged Olive, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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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
Western Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Pale Morning DunHatch
2
3
3
2
TricoHatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
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 the chosen named reach and current rules against NMDGF — character varies sharply by reach
  • A Habitat Stamp applies on USFS/BLM land
  • Reach-by-reach access and private land matter
  • Flow on the regulated reach tracks El Vado/Abiquiu releases.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
San Antonio River / Jemez
56 km
76
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Cutthroat trout
Rio Brazos (Tierra Amarilla)
56 km
74
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Rio Grande — Lower Box / Racecourse (Pilar)
57 km
86
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Cutthroat trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Rio Chama below Abiquiu Dam
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Rio Chama is northern New Mexico's red-rock river — a dam-influenced freestone winding through O'Keeffe country below El Vado and Abiquiu reservoirs, holding browns and rainbows in handsome desert canyon water. It needs to be fished by reach rather than as one thing: the regulated water below the dams behaves like a tailwater with managed releases, while other stretches run warmer and more general. Releases, monsoon colour, winter access and private-land boundaries all shape a given day. Pick your reach, check the release and the access, and it's a scenic, rewarding river that fishes well when the flows are right. Just don't treat 'the Chama' as a single venue — the river changes character with every dam and bend.

  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Rio Chama (Ohkay Owingeh to Abiquiu Dam)' (NM-2113_00), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. 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-2113_00

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 75 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature78 × 28%21.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity66 × 12%7.9
Conditions total= 75
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts