Hip waders are ideal. Private spring creek-like tailwater below Sanchez Reservoir. The Culebra is one of the best angling opportunities in the southwest for big trout. The river is not for beginners since these lunkers are leader-shy, have plenty of food to eat and the water is invisibly clear. In the valley, with snow on the surrounding peaks, the valley temperature is relatively warm.
Some guides add in a rod fee.
The Rio Pe asco flows in southern New Mexico, past high desert sage and juniper through a valley flanked by low-slung hills. The Rio Pe asco teems with sizeable wild brown and rainbow trout, and is fishable all year long, with a constant temperature in the mid-50s. The river's glassy surface is tough on beginning anglers, whose days will be fraught with casting and mending disasters. The river is deceptively deep, an illusion caused by the amazing clarity of the water and the thick watercress swaying in the gentle currents. But under the cut banks and between the watercress channels, the Rio Pe asco holds big browns and rainbows, many over five pounds.