The Red River

Person fishing in a stream surrounded by rocks and dry bushes.

Starting high up in the Sange de Cristo Mountains, The Red River flows through the town of Red River and down along Hwy 38 before hitting the valley of Questa. After a couple more miles the Red creates its own gorge about 4 miles before its confluence with The Rio Grande. While the upper stretches have some excellent dry fly fishing in the summer months, we really enjoy the last 4 miles before the confluence. There are numerous springs that feed into this stretch that keep the water temps warm in the winter, and nice and cold in the summer. Fishing the Red in its lower stretch is like fishing a smaller Rio Grande river and we especially love to fish the Red in the winter months.

Person holding a rainbow trout above water in a river or stream.

Check out the current flows for The Red River on the USGS website, links below.

Upper Red River - Red River

Red River in Questa - Questa

Lower Red River - Fish Hatchery

A person standing in a river with a fishing rod, wearing a red beanie and a green jacket, surrounded by leafless bushes and rocks in a cold, mountainous environment.
Person holding a rainbow trout in a river, with a dog nearby and mountains in the background.
Person holding a freshly caught rainbow trout over a honeycomb patterned fish net, with rocks and water in the background.
A peaceful river flowing through a rocky and wooded landscape with leafless bushes and trees.
Hiker walking with a dog on a trail through a canyon.
Young lamb standing near a stream with rocks and dry grass or weeds.
A man wearing outdoor gear, including a green beanie and sunglasses, stands in a river while fishing with a rod. He is surrounded by tall rocky cliffs and dry grass.
A person with a tattooed hand releasing a fish into a river using a small net.
A person wearing an orange beanie and a blue jacket fishing in a river with rocks and bare trees on the riverbank.
A person fishing in a river with snow on the rocks and trees in the background.
Rainbow trout in a fishing net held above water.
A flowing mountain stream with clear blue water surrounded by rocks, dry grass, and trees in a natural outdoor setting.
A person in outdoor gear holding a small brown and yellow fish with a speckled pattern near a riverbank.