Treasure creeks gems don’t lay in the minerals that were mined years ago, but in the living gems found in the river. RGCT are brilliantly colored, with brass colored sides transitioning to green and bronze … It was cold, just above zero celsius and windy. Fishing trips on all the best streams, rivers and private ranches in Northern New Mexico. Far from being a seasoned fly fishing angler, I feel a surge of pride in the brief moments spent admiring the Rio Grande cutthroat trout’s shimmering pink-tinged body and spotted tail, before quickly releasing it back to its clear water abode. The Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki virginalis), a member of the family Salmonidae, is found in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado in tributaries of the Rio Grande.,. The Department is striving to make the Rio Grande cutthroat a major componentof New Mexico’s trout fishery. When I … Rio Grande Cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis; RGCT) is the southernmost occurring subspecies of Cutthroat Trout and is designated as New Mexico’s State fish. In the canyon section, solitude and scenery reign, along with plentiful cutthroat. Treasure Creek provides a sanctuary for the rare Rio Grande cutthroat, found only in tributaries of the Rio Grande River. Rio Grande Cutthroats can be found in the drainages of the San Luis Valley. The Rio Grande cutthroat trout once ranged over much of the upper Rio Grande basin in New Mexico and southern Colorado, according to Craig Springer, fisheries biologist for USFWS in Santa Fe. This is one of the few places in the area you can catch Native Cutthroat and you must release them immediately (catch … Finally, the Colorado River strain of Cutthroat Trout is native to the Western Slope of Colorado and is quite common in many high country fisheries and occasionally is caught in … Note: The Rio Grande Cutthroat at the top of the page is copyrighted by Joseph R. Tomelleri. We opted to head to a high mountain lake that was accessible thanks to a logging road that climbed almost 6000 feet in 12 miles. The Rio Grande Cutthroat could be found in several high alpine lakes, and some rivers and creeks. All of these feed into the Rio Grande River, which runs along Highway 160. Rio Grande cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis, can be found in high elevation streams and lakes of the Rio Grande, Canadian, and Pecos River drainages in Colorado and New Mexico, giving it the southern-most distribution of any form of Cutthroat Trout.It now only occupies just 12 percent of its historic habitat in approximately 800 miles of streams. 721. Competition with non-native trout, coupled with habitat loss, now limits the imperiled native trout to less than 10 percent of its original range. As the name implies, it is a real treasure of a creek hosting rio grande cutthroat trout, a protected and rare species of trout to catch. It was Fathers Day and the weather was not nice. A nice sized Rio Grande cutthroat trout from small creek in Northern New Mexico. Fly fishing guides for the Santa Fe, Chama, Taos, Los Alamos and San Juan River areas. Public Lake Fishing Beaver Creek Reservoir - Kid and senior friendly and the reservoir is also handicap accessible. 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