Noah Parker the owner of The Land of Enchantment Guides was the featured speaker at the January 13 general meeting. Noah’s guiding operation is Orvis endorsed and is one of the best fly fishing guiding operations in New Mexico. Noah provided an armchair tour of the Chama river and its tributaries, Wolf Creek and Brazos, from the Colorado border to below Abiquiu dam. His stunning pictures and accounts of fish habits and appropriate fising techniques on these stretches was enlightening.
In addition to discussing where he guides and how he fishes various waters, he outlined a proposal he has started to have several areas on the Rio Chama managed as catch and release waters similar to the San Juan. His proposal is to implement these regulations in the areas on the Chama River’s three tail-water stretches (the sections of the river below the dams at Heron, El Vado and Abiquiu reservoirs). He feels this would be an important first step in protecting the long term sustainability and environmental health of this vitally important sport fishing resource and river system. He also argued for the economic benefits, similar to those in the San Juan region, because he feels that this watershed and river offer the potential to become a world-class fly fishing destination. Noah is circulating a survey of fisherman and other interested parties to collect their views on this subject. You can read more about his proposal and access the survey at http://www.orvis.com/news/fly-fishing
