My first glimpse of the Rio Grande gorge west of Taos, NM came as an impressionable high schooler escaping the plains of West Texas by running to the (relatively) nearby hills of central and northern New Mexico.
Growing up in the almost desert like Texas panhandle I developed a fascination with flowing water; a friend and I swore we’d hike into that gorge and we were back within 6 months during the summer before our senior year. Little did we know at the time what an impressive fishery the river was – and remains so today.
In that day and age (1976 if my dates are right) northern New Mexico offered a host of relatively unpressured mountains and freestone streams to explore coupled with the fascinating New Mexico tri-cultural amalgam that persists today.
Just last week, a couple of NW politicos renewed a push to preserve a piece of the Rio Grande Country – the Rio Grande del Norte.
TU national picked up the story on the 26th – posting Sportsmen to DC: You Must Honor This Place.
On October 25, Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall of New Mexico wrote a letter to President Obama requesting that he exercise his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate the approximately 235,000 acre Rio Grande del Norte area in north central New Mexico as a National Monument. The senators are original cosponsors of S. 667, a bill to establish the area as a National Conservation Area, but that effort has come to a standstill in Congress.
In its current state, the Rio Grande del Norte represents the broadest and best use of the land. Its extant resources support all manner of flora and fauna, fueling a diverse, sustainable economy that ripples throughout New Mexico and southern Colorado. I have fished all over the world, and I can say with certainty that the Rio Grande gorge is one of the most unforgettable wild brown and cuttbow fisheries anywhere. You may catch bigger fish on other rivers, or more of them. As with any world-class stream, however, there are days on the Rio when you could not catch more trout elsewhere, nor fish nearly as big. But as with other perfect trout streams, the fishing plays second fiddle to the place…
The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance (NMWA) posted about the request to the president as well, though provided an unexpected glimpse into the history of the area.
It appears that the area was first designated as a Wilderness Study Area by Reagan in the 1980s; Bush I then later pushed for the area to be elevated to full wilderness status.
[Some might argue the NMWA must have their facts wrong, as today’s conventional wisdom says that only blue shirts preserve wilderness and fight for clean air and water. We’d suggest that conventional wisdom, as does just about every attempt to paint with too broad a brush, fails once again.]
This is one of those areas that’s off the radar of most fly fishers, though is a desert river gem that really should be on your list.
Git ‘er done Mr. President.
