High Desert Angler

I’ve been through High Desert Angler several times for tackle and the guys there have always been helpful. I finally hired them for a guided trip and my group was set up with Jarrett (the owner of HDA). I can’t say enough good things about Jarrett or the fishing. We caught a bunch of nice fish and I learned a lot.
Highly recommended.

I am new to fly fishing. I saved for a long time with the intention of getting a great set of gear consisting of a rod, reel, boots, waders, vest etc. I went in to this shop really excited and with a wad of cash in my pocket. No one wanted to help me, or answer any of my questions. One guy was on the phone apologizing to a guide trip customer for their guide not showing up and the other guy was playing on his phone. The place was empty, BTW. When I finally got the guy to put his phone down and asked him to show me his top rods, he rolled his eyes and acted like I was totally putting him out. That’s was enough for me to walk out. This is a small town and guys on the rivers talk.

I contacted them while we were in Santa Fe after reading their reviews. Decided to use them for a guided day on the river. It was outstanding. My guide, Parker, had excellent knowledge of the river and used it for a great day on the water.

This was one of the worst customer experiences I’ve had in Santa Fe, I only wish I didn’t have to give them even one star. Right off the top I want to say… keep driving past this shop and head to The Reel Life at DeVargas mall instead. They treated us very well and I can’t say enough about them, unlike the a-​hole Ed at High Desert Angler. I walked into his shop and asked him if he had the list for the kid’s fly fishing clinic at Valles Caldera and he looked at me like ‘what the hell are you talking about’. No greeting, no can I help you, absolutely nothing. When I then told him that I couldn’t bring the list of items up on my phone that I needed from the VC site because his Xfinity was blocking me, he picked up his IPad and started fingering it and completely ignored me. At this point, I told my friends and kids that we were leaving and going to the other store where we were treated like gold. It’s really nice to know that they have so much business that can treat customers this way, especially locals who can bad mouth them. Anyone reading this, save yourself the bad experience and go have a great one up the street at The Reel Life.

Great fly shop! The staff are very friendly and knowledgable, plus they have a huge selection.

We made reservations at the last moment during the Indian Arts festival. Our guide, Parker, did an excellent job and our group caught many more trout than I expected. The Folks at High dessert Angler were very accommodating, the equipment was flawless and everyone was very friendly. I would recommend this group if you want to experience great trout fishing on the high Pecos river. The experience was everything I had hoped for.

This is a great fly shop. The staff are very knowledgeable and helpfull. The store has everything an angler needs to hit the local streams. I highly recommend High Desert Angler in Santa Fe

Great local shop always very helpful. The only fly-​shop I use in Santa Fe.

I’m new at fly fishing and was visiting my family in Santa Fe. I booked a full day guide with High Desert Angler. Isaac (guide) called well in advance to speak with me and discuss the plan for the day. I arrived at the store and everything was ready to go. We went to private land in the Pecos and fished all day. Isaac was an incredible guide. He’s a professional fisherman and a top notch guide. He took me through some great spots, provided a fresh lunch (not pre-​made), tied on the perfect flies, got be out of the brush, untangled my line, had great tips, taught me hush hush techniques and was as excited as I was when we had a fish on. We caught about 20 fish throughout the day. When we got back I asked Isaac to stock me up on some flies for Los Angeles and he was happy to do so. This was a memory I’ll never forget. Great fishing. Model company. Great store.

I try and visit and purchase from every fly shop I run into on the road. This was unique in that they had «garage sale items». Wish more shops did this. The guy helped pick out some mysis shrimp materials and great advice on travel waders. He was knowledgable, friendly and not pushy. Sometimes if your not a local shops ignore you. Not this place. My kind of shop