Rio Vallecitos River Fly Fishing Report & Options for Selecting Flies: Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
We have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes that make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Freestone
Species
Rainbow Trout (Stocked with some
holdovers)
Brown Trout
Brook Trout
Size
Medium
Location
North Central New Mexico
Nearest Towns
Vallecitos
La Madera
Season
Year-round
Access:
Fair – mixture of public and private
waters
Non-Resident License
State of New Mexico
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Seasons:
The season runs year-round.
Spring:
Fly fishing the Rio Vallecitos is good just before runoff in the middle of March and April.
Summer:
Fishing is good from the end of the runoff in June through the summer months.
Fall:
Fall fishing is good, especially for the spawning brown trout during the month of October.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Copyright 2016 James Marsh
Fly Fishing the Rio Vallecitos New Mexico
The Rio Vallecitos is a small stream where it begins at about 9,500 feet in elevation. It probably averages about fifteen feet wide in its headwaters. The stream flows together with Placer Creek to form the main stem of the Rio Vallecitos about five or six miles below Hopewell Lake. It flows through both narrow canyons and open meadows. There are plenty of brook trout in the stream in the Placer Creek headwaters along with some brown trout and some rainbow trout.
The main stem of the river becomes wider and grows to average between thirty and forty feet in width near its confluence with the Rio Chama. Its lowest part’s name changes to the Rio Ojo Caliente. This section doesn’t hold trout and is a series of hot springs that are popular bathing spots. The lower river flows through an open valley with short sections of canyons. Most of the water is surrounded by farms. There is a mixture of public and private water and it’s difficult to tell which in some areas. There is about ten miles of public water.
In the headwater area, there’s about two or three miles of public water just below Hopewell Lake. It’s accessible via a dirt forest road #9181. You will need a 4 wheel drive vehicle during rainy spells. The road crosses Placer Creek. You can park and fish upstream on Placer Creek
or continue on to the Rio Vallecitos and park and fish upstream.
From the beginning of the mainstream downstream to the confluence of another tributary, La Jarosa Creek, a distance of about four miles, you will find a mixture of public and private property. There are some tiny streams but the main part of the river continues through open
meadows and canyon sections. This is a great dry fly section with a mixture of brook, brown and rainbows.
Below La Jarosa Creek downstream for about five miles is probably the best section of the Rio Vallecitos. Its accessible from its lower end where Forest Road #274 (off State Highway #111) crosses the river in La Jara Canyon. Most all of the five mile section is off the road and requires hiking into a rugged area of canyon water but it’s well worth the effort to fish. Downstream at the village of Vallecitos you will find also some public water but it isn’t near as good as the section upstream just mentioned.
Fly fishing the Rio Vallecitos is also possible just above the village of Ancones where it runs through a narrow canyon. Above the end of the canyon there’s another short section of public water that’s in an open part of the valley. Its flows are slower and smoother than the pocket
water in the canyon section downstream. These sections contain mostly brown trout with some rainbows.