WILDERNESS ADVENTURE PRESS MAPS: NEW MEXICO CIMARRON RIVER

WILDERNESS ADVENTURE PRESS MAPS: NEW MEXICO CIMARRON RIVER The Cimarron River flows out of Eagle Nest Lake in northern New Mexico for about 9 miles through the Cimarron Canyon before entering private land. Its a delightful tailwater that hosts excellent fishing for moderately sized brown trout.Basically all of the Cimarron Canyon section is within the Cimarron Canyon State Park, making access excellent. Highway 64 follows alongside and there are numerous campgrounds and picnic sites. Downstream of Ute Park, private ranches own big sections and access is virtually impossible without paying for it.The upper section is also heavily stocked with catchable rainbows. Rio Grande cutthroats were historically found in the Cimarron, but you likely wont catch any. There are reportedly between 3,000 and 4,000 browns per mile in the good sections.It averages about 15 feet across with overgrown banks and is easily waded. The beaver ponds can be silty, but the runs, riffles and pools are usually rock bottomed. Due to the bushy banks, roll and bow-and-arrow casting must sometimes be employed.The Cimarron is best known as a dry-fly paradise. Many hatches of mayflies, caddis, stoneflies and midges keep the fish looking up most of the fishable season. Because of the diversity of hatches, attractor dries work well.Just because the fish average a modest size does not mean they dont occasionally get big. Browns over 20 inches are not unheard of.Clear Creek and Tolby Creek are tributaries that host smaller trout in even smaller settings.There is a section of Special Trout Water that starts at about a half mile into the state park and continues for 1.4 miles. Here, it is artificial flies only and single, barbless hooks. ISBN: 0-WAP-41006-0 publish date: 06/30/2011