Percha Box

I haven't been blogging ,because we haven't been adventuring much.We camped in the Black Range in April,but our little dog was in no mood to hike after the first day.We did go to the Percha Box below Hillsboro on Percha Creek. It's a beautiful spot and well worth the short hike(about 5 miles round trip).  The walking is on  good dirt roads except for the last little rocky pitch down to the creek.There is a permanent stretch of the frequently intermittent stream here and the BLM has fenced out the livestock,so there are willows and cress, and even small fish in the creek(Rio Grande Suckers, I believe). It's a real oasis in the otherwise bone dry desert. Best times of year here are  early spring and late fall. It's almost completely without shade until you get to the creek itself. If you go in the summer be sure to wet yourself completely down in the creek for the return trip. You'll be glad you did.I fished Sapillo Creek and the Mimbres River in May. I caught the very large rainbow that had gotten away from me in the Fall at Sapillo. Another jumbo tore my off my fly and about a foot of line after a painfully slow approach,where I ended up casting while wedged in a clump of willows.My first fish on the Mimbres was a nice brown trout.I had never caught a brown on the Mimbres before, and was doubtful of the rumors that they were there. Well there's at least one. The water was low on both streams, making the fishing difficult. The Mimbres had fish everywhere, although many of these were suckers. Still, many were trout, so if we get decent summer rains the fishing should be good come September and October.