Fly-Fishing in Southern New Mexico (Coyote Books (Albuquerque, N.M.).) [Paperback]

Rex Johnson Jr. (Author), Ronald Smorynski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0826319823 | ISBN-13: 978-0826319821 | Edition: 1st

This unique guide leads the fly-fisherman to little-known trout waters in the remote mountains and canyons of southern New Mexico. Part One reviews trout species in southern New Mexico, fishing regulations, and safety tips. Part Two describes trout streams and lakes in southwestern New Mexico: the Gila National Forest, Pinos Altos Range, Black Range, Mogollon Creek System, San Francisco River system, and Blue River. Part Three is devoted to the waters of the Sacramento Mountains, Zuni Mountains, and the Rio Grande.

All descriptions of major drainages include a chart listing the location, available maps, elevation, length, best times to fish, fish species, and fishable tributaries. A map accompanies each drainage system. The authors offer directions to the streams and lakes, describe both main stems and fishable tributaries, and offer tips on how best to fish them. An appendix describes the important aquatic insects of the Gila National Forest.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

An overview of the streams of Southern New Mexico that support trout, the natural history of the streams, and the habitats of the trout that live there.

About the Author

Rex Johnson, Jr., a professional writer, holds an appointment in the department of mathematical sciences at the University of Texas, El Paso.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press; 1st edition (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826319823
• ISBN-13: 978-0826319821
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Outdoors & Nature > Hunting & Fishing > Fishing

More About the Author

I receive $1.30 royalty for every copy of the Quiet Mountains sold at retail price, slightly less for my other books. These dollars provide for a modest check, which arrives every year about Christmas time.

My mother's and father's families have been in this country since colonial times. Mount Mitchell in North Carolina was named after an ancestor on my father's side. I'm a shirt-tail relative to William B., John, and Tallulah Bankhead, all semi-well-known names in northern Alabama(though the Tallulah River is in northeastern Georgia).

I ran for the US Congress in 1994 (2nd district, New Mexico), as the candidate for the Green Party, and received 5000 votes, not enough to demand a recount.(Each congressional district sees roughly 100,000 votes cast per election.)My campaign war chest contained $400.


I grew up in the South, then moved to Minnesota at age twelve.

I spent a year in Canada in the 1970s and got a job on a salmon purse-seiner. (I rowed the skiff to shore and tied the rope end of the net to large trees--lots of fun, but no accident insurance.)


I teach math at a small college.

Married, with children. That's about it.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for a beautiful area., April 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fly-Fishing in Southern New Mexico (Coyote Books (Albuquerque, N.M.).) (Paperback)

I have been a fly fisherman from time to time over the last ten years or so, and I lived in the Southwest from 1977 until 1998. My family returned to the area for a vacation and re-visited the Gila National Forest last summer, equipped with a lot of fishing gear and Rex's book. FFSNM seemed to bring the Gila's trout streams to life. This book is a kind of "sleeper'. Not many people have read it, but it's a good example of quality outdoing quantity. A lot of really good things in this world, like this book, remain overlooked, but that's probably fortunate in this case, because, like Rex Johnson, Jr., I liked having the Gila all to myself.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely informative, and a good read., January 24, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (southern New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fly-Fishing in Southern New Mexico (Coyote Books (Albuquerque, N.M.).) (Paperback)

This is a great book. It's as much a piece of literature as a book about fishing..

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hidden world in the Gila, October 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Fly-Fishing in Southern New Mexico (Coyote Books (Albuquerque, N.M.).) (Paperback)

This book is simply the best available for southern New Mexico, and one of the bext of its type. Very comprehensive. It's clear that the author has actually been to and caught fish at the many remote spots he describes, over a period of many years. If you are even thinking of visiting the remote mountains of southern New Mexico, this is for your bookshelf