You probably know that Purgatory is an extremely uncomfortable, painful or unpleasant situation, or as a place to expiate one’s sins. I like to go to the Purgatoire River to expiate my sins, and at times, I find it uncomfortable. But the fishing is great.

Most of us hesitate to reveal our favorite fishing holes, but I doubt there will be a huge influx of people fishing a tiny, catch and release, mud-bottomed stream with no reputation. But the three branches of the Purgatoire provide unique fishing conditions.

The North Fork

This branch rises high in the Sangre de Cristo mountains and feeds into North Lake on Highway 12. Willow-choked and very difficult to fish for feisty brookies, it can be fun if you have the will to battle through brush. The North Fork Campground road parallels the river for miles.

The Middle Fork

Flowing from above the town of Stonewall clear to Trinidad Reservoir the Middle Fork is subject to extreme water fluctuation and irrigation use. About three miles of the stream are contained in the Bosque del Oso Wildlife Area, which makes it open to public fishing. The best entrance is about three miles west of Weston on Highway 12. One can park there where culverts allow the stream to pass through. Fish downstream for about a half mile or upstream for several miles. There are some great riffles and pools containing lots of fifteen inch browns. Many flat rocks lie in the stream making wading tricky if you don’t watch your step. Several times I have tripped or slipped and wound up flat on my face in the water.

Most of the water is around knee deep with some deeper spots. Hip waders will suffice.

Far and away the most successful flies for me are Golden Stone and Prince nymphs. Caddis and Adams work along with tiny nymphs, and Gold Ribbed Hares Ear. Of course the summer hopper/dropper combo will produce fish.

In such a small river a sixteen-inch brown will provide lots of excitement!

The South Fork

This is a frustrating section because of all the gas well operations. Constant heavy equipment traffic keeps a pall of dust in the air and makes the supposedly pristine environment of the Bosque del Oso a joke. For cryin’ out loud, the place is supposed to be a sanctuary for wildlife!

The entrance is a quarter mile east of Weston and one drives past a huge pipe yard and compressor stations galore on the four mile trek upstream to the Wildlife area. About four miles of stream are open to fishing from Memorial Day to Labor Day. A big fire ruined the fishing for about a year in 2002, but the fish are back. During the fire I arrived at my cabin with fishing fever. I went to my favorite riffle and fished as the fire raged on the mountain and firefighters drove by looking at me as if I were nuts! When a bulldozer trundled down the road and started cutting a fire-line behind me I decided it was time to leave. The fire stopped at the exact place I was fishing. Fishing fever can be dangerous!

When I fished the South Fork before the fire I could catch 30 or so fish an hour on almost anything. But they were generally small. Evidently many small fish did not survive the fire and ash, but now I catch larger and fewer fish. Before the fire any branch pulled out of the water bristled with caddis cases!

This stream is really small, but the floods of a couple years ago carved new channels and holes and washed out the fire silt. Most places you must wade the middle and cast upstream. The other day it took me an hour to find what they were eating, but then I caught seven browns on a small green nymph. Two were fifteen inches, two fourteen, one thirteen, ten and eight. Not bad for a couple of hours and a half mile of stream. Last fall I found a seventeen incher in the evening under a large rock. I’ll say again that a fish that big on a tiny, shallow stream is exciting.

Most of the South Fork is mud, with some slick rock sections and short freestone stretches. It is an interesting stream and I am usually the ONLY person on the stream. I think I have seen maybe three other fishers in seven years. When the time is right one can see elk grazing on the hillsides, and I hope to never see a bear or mountain lion unless I am in my vehicle. The place is called the Bear’s Forest, and one campground is Oso Malo (Bad Bear), not that I am afraid or anything!

North Lake

Many people know about North Lake. I greatly prefer stream fishing and stay away from lakes most of the time. But sometimes I’ll trek up to North Lake and enjoy the beautiful scenery and crystal clear water. I have caught nice trout on all kinds of flies, but the best were three large, spawning male brookies at the inlet one September evening. They attacked my Adams and showed me their beautiful colors before I returned them to the water.

So, I am serving my time in Purgatoire with relish. I enjoy fishing small streams with nice fish and great scenery, and being by myself almost all the time. Stay away, it is a lousy place to fish.

The Purgatoire River and North Lake can be found on Highway 12 from either LaVeta on one end or Trinidad on the other. Gorgeous scenery on Cuchara Pass is worth the trip even without fishing. Over 300 volcanic dikes radiating outward from East and West Spanish Peaks provides a unique viewing experience.