Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeShared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
John Dunn Bridge to Pilar. Gorge browns, cuttbows and northern pike in the slow water. The river tops out around 10 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
The drawn water covers 649 acres wrapped in 41.2 miles of bank. A development index of 11.5 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. Figure 18.5 mi of water from one end to the other, 2.5 mi at the beam. It sits in Taos County. If the bite dies, Rio Grande (Pilar / Orilla Verde) is 9 mi to the south.
Start shallow in spring: brown trout sit in 1 to 10 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 3 to 10 ft covers summer, 1 to 10 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: Current seam (mile 6.2), a current seam in the 6 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in after dark and early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Riffle & run (mile 0.6) (4 ft) | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | night & dawn | Current seam (mile 6.2) (6 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Riffle & run (mile 0.6) (4 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 1 to 10 ft | dawn | Current seam (mile 6.2) (6 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Come spring, look for rainbow trout tight to the bank in 3 to 10 ft. Through summer count on 3 to 10 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 10 ft. Start at Current seam (mile 6.2). It's a current seam holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 6.2) (6 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 6.2) (6 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 6.2) (6 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 2 to 10 ft | dawn | Current seam (mile 6.2) (6 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Spring northern pike on Rio Grande (Taos) hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 3 to 10 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 10 ft. Put Orilla Verde slack water first on the milk run — a weed flat near 4 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Orilla Verde slack water (4 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Orilla Verde slack water (4 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Orilla Verde slack water (4 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Orilla Verde slack water (4 ft) | Large jigging spoon |
Rio Grande (Taos) carries 10 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Outside-bend hole (mile 4.4), about 8 ft down.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New Mexico waters are set by the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish — and special regulations can apply to Rio Grande (Taos) specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New Mexico fishing regulations →
Rio Grande (Taos) is about 10 ft (3 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target brown trout, rainbow trout, northern pike on Rio Grande (Taos).
Current seam (mile 6.2) is the top-rated area: a current seam in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For brown trout, the summer bite is best in after dark and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Rio Grande (Taos) is regulated by the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish. Check the official New Mexico regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Rio Grande (Pilar / Orilla Verde) 9 mi · Rio Hondo 18 mi · Red River (Questa) 21 mi · Eagle Rock Lake 23 mi · Cabresto Lake 28 mi · Eagle Nest Lake 29 mi · Santa Cruz Lake 31 mi · Coyote Creek 33 mi · Cimarron River (Cimarron Canyon) 34 mi · Hopewell Lake 34 mi · Canjilon Lakes 34 mi · Rio Chama (Abiquiu Tailwater) 37 mi
See how Rio Grande (Taos) stacks up: best northern pike lakes in New Mexico · best rainbow trout lakes in New Mexico · best brown trout lakes in New Mexico
More water nearby: Taos County fishing maps (7 charts). Browse all New Mexico fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.