NM Fishing Reports

Full fishing report;  http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/fishing/weekly-report/ where these excerpt had been taken

 

It seems the weather has kept us indoors for the couple weeks or so as several winter storms roll through our state bringing blizzard conditions. I tried to go out on Wednesday and the water on my line was freezing on the spool, that is just too cold for me.

 Glenwood Pond: Gavin Gonzales, 5, of Bayard, Izrael Dominguez, 5, and Randy James Dominguez, 5, of North Hurley, caught their limits of rainbow trout Dec. 30. They were using salmon peach PowerBait

Statewide Waters as of 1/9/2016

Northwest

Abiquiu Lake: Fishing pressure remained light and fishing was slow for all species. As of this past weekend, there was some ice forming around the edges of the lake.
Animas River: Water flow near Aztec on Monday morning was 282 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
Albuquerque Area Drains: Trout fishing on the Albuquerque Drain and Albuquerque Drain South was fair using wax worms, power eggs and salmon eggs. On Sunday, Jan. 3, Joshua Garcia, Wayne Garcia and Jeff Martinez of Albuquerque, caught and released 5 largemouth bass. They were fishing the Albuquerque Drain and using night crawlers. We had no reports from the other drains or on other species.
Bluewater Lake: Closed to ice fishing at this time. For updated conditions, contact the State Park office at 505-876-2391.
Brazos River: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Canjilon Lakes: Closed by the U.S. Forest Service until further notice due to danger from fallen trees.
Chama River: Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 114 cfs and 70 cfs respectively. Fishing below Abiquiu was good using wooly buggers and egg patterns for trout. We had no reports from below El Vado.
Cochiti Lake: As of Monday about 60% of the lake was covered with ice. We had no reports from anglers.
El Vado Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Fenton Lake: Re-opened to ice fishing January 8.
Heron Lake: There is a thin layer of ice covering the lake at this time and it is closed to fishing. For updated ice conditions, contact the State Park office at 575-588-7470.
Jackson Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Jemez Waters: Stream flow on the Jemez River near Jemez Springs on Monday morning was 18 cfs. Fishing on the Jemez was fair to good using salmon eggs for trout. We had no reports on other streams in the area.
Laguna Del Campo: Closed for the season.
Lake Farmington: We had no reports from anglers this week. Nonmotorized watercraft are now allowed on Lake Farmington. Fees are $50 for the season or $5 daily.
Manzano Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Navajo Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
San Gregorio Lake: We had no reports from anglers.
San Juan: Water flow below Navajo Lake on Monday morning was 266 cfs. Trout fishing through the Quality Waters was good using black and olive midge patterns, parachute Adams, pheasant tail nymphs, San Juan worms and callibaetis nymphs. The best action continued to be from late morning through midafternoon. Fishing through the bait waters was fair to good using midge emergers, San Juan worms, Gulp eggs, small spoons and salmon eggs for trout.
Seven Springs Brood Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Tingley Beach: Trout fishing at the Central Pond and Youth Pond was good using night crawlers, homemade dough bait, salmon eggs, spoons and small jigs. Trout fishing at the Bob Gerding Catch and Release Pond was fair using small leech patterns and small streamers. Ice was forming on all of the ponds over the weekend.
Trout Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Northeast

Charette Lakes: Closed for the season. Cimarron River: Stream flow on Monday near Cimarron was 9.9 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
Conchas Lake: Fishing was slow for all species. Fishing pressure was light.
Cowles Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Coyote Creek: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Eagle Rock Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Eagle Nest Lake: Re-opened to ice fishing January 8. For updated conditions, contact the State Park office at 575-377-1594.
Gallinas River: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Hopewell Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Lake Alice: There is currently 9 to 12 inches of ice covering the lake and ice fishing has been reported as very good. Anglers are doing well using jigs, power eggs, salmon eggs and dough bait for trout up to 14 inches in length.
Lake Maloya: Closed to ice fishing due to thin ice conditions but conditions have been changing rapidly with the cold temps. For further updates contact the Sugarite State Park office at 575-445-5607.
Los Pinos: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Maxwell Lake 13: Closed for the season.
Monastery Lake: Closed due to ice covering the lake. This lake is not open to ice fishing.
Morphy Lake: Closed for the season.
Pecos River: Stream flow on Monday was 37 cfs. Fishing in the Villanueva area was fair to good using San Juan worms and salmon eggs for trout.
Red River: Stream flow below the hatchery on Monday was 34 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
Rio Costilla: We had no reports from anglers this week. Put this one on your list for great spring fishing.
Rio Grande: Stream flow on Monday at the Taos Junction Bridge was 464 cfs. Fishing was slow to fair using spoons, salmon eggs and PowerBait for trout. We had no reports on other species.
Rio Hondo: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Rio Pueblo: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Santa Barbara: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Santa Cruz Reservoir: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Shuree Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Springer Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Storrie Lake: As of Monday, there was a thin layer of ice covering the lake and it was closed to fishing. For ice condition updates, contact the State Park office at 505-425-7278.
Stubblefield Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Ute Lake: In spite of the weather, there were a few anglers out this past week. They picked up a few white bass and walleye using spoons at 35 to 40 feet. We had no reports on other species. The surface temp was in the low 40s.
Winsor Creek: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Southwest

Alumni Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week. Bear Canyon: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Bill Evans Lake: Fishing was fair to good using salmon eggs, Gulp eggs, worms and gold spoons for trout. We had no reports on other species.
Caballo Lake: Fishing was slow. Fishing pressure was very light.
Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using spoons, blade baits and grubs for white bass. Fishing was slow to fair using night crawlers and stink bait for catfish. We had no reports on other species.
Escondida Lake: Fishing was good using PowerBait and power eggs for trout. We had no reports on other species.
Gila River: Stream flow as of Monday morning was 163 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
Glenwood Pond: Fishing was very good using PowerBait and salmon eggs for trout.
Lake Roberts: Fishing was fair to good using worms and salmon eggs for trout. We had no reports on other species.
Percha Dam: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Quemado Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Rio Grande: Stream flow below Elephant Butte as of Monday morning was 0.0 cfs. Fishing was good using salmon eggs for trout. We had no reports on other species.
Snow Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Young Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Southeast

Alto Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Bataan Lake: Fishing was fair to good using salmon eggs and spoons for trout. We had no reports on other species.
Black River: Stream flow at Malaga on Monday was 17 cfs. Fishing was fair using salmon eggs for trout. We had no reports on other species.
Blue Hole Park Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Bonito Lake: Closed until further notice by the city of Alamogordo due to fire damage.
Bosque Redondo: Fishing was fair using Gulp eggs, egg pattern flies and spoons for trout. We had no reports on other species.
Bottomless Lakes: As of this past Sunday, there were still some icy and slushy spots on the road into the park. We had no reports from anglers.
Brantley Lake: Anglers should practice catch-and-release for all fish here as high levels of pesticides have been found in some fish. We had no reports from anglers this week.
Carlsbad Municipal Lake: Fishing was fair to good using Gulp eggs, small trout worms, gold spoons and salmon eggs for trout. We had no reports on other species.
Chaparral Park Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
El Rito Creek: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Eunice Lake: Fishing was good using worms and salmon eggs for trout.
Green Meadow Lake: As of this past Sunday, there was a thin layer of ice covering the majority of the lake and we had no reports from anglers.
Greene Acres Lake: As of Monday morning, there was a layer of ice covering much of the lake. We had no reports from anglers.
Grindstone Reservoir: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Jal Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Lake Van: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Oasis Park Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Pecos River: Stream flow below Sumner Lake as of Monday morning was 30 cfs. Fishing was fair to good using salmon eggs, homemade dough bait and PowerBait for trout. We had no reports on other species.
Perch Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Ruidoso River: Stream flow at Hollywood on Monday was 31 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing was slow for all species. Fishing pressure was very light.
Sumner Lake: Fishing pressure was extremely light and we had no reports from anglers this week.

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  Bluewater Lake: Sept. 23, Deborah Haycraft of Albuquerque caught and released a 45.5-inch tiger musky. She was using a jerk bait.

 Sept. 26, Doug Cavin of Wilderado, Texas, caught a 43-inch tiger musky. He was using a swim bait.

 Sept. 27, Robert and Eric Lury of Santa Fe caught and released four tiger muskies over 30 inches. The fish were caught on a chrome lipless crank bait and white spinner baits with chartreuse trailers.

 Sept. 28, Preston Saunders of Albuquerque caught a 47.75-inch, 35-pound tiger musky. He was trolling a rainbow-colored jointed Rapala. 

Sept. 28, Makala Harley Perea, age 6, of Albuquerque caught and released a 33-inch tiger musky. It was her first musky and she was using hot dogs.


Cochiti Lake: Sept. 28, Jacob Sanchez caught a 30-inch, 10-pound walleye. He was using a crank bait.


Eagle Nest Lake: Sept. 25, Joe Bacca of Raton caught a 33-inch, 6-pound northern pike. He was using a Panther Martin.


Green Meadow Lake: Sept. 27, Darrell Carr of Ruidoso caught a 5-pound largemouth bass. He was using a green and white chatter bait.


Red River: Sept. 27, Jason Valdez of Santa Fe caught 20-inch rainbow trout. He was using salmon eggs.
 

San Juan River: Sept. 24, Frank Jaramillo of Albuquerque caught and released a 22-inch cutbow. He was using a size 26 zebra midge under a size 22 foam emerger.

•  Bluewater Lake: Nov. 5, David Goodrich of Taos caught a 48-inch tiger musky. He was using an articulating fly pattern.
•  Lake Maloya: Nov. 9, Park Clark of Raton caught a 20-inch rainbow trout. He was using white Zeke’s Sierra Gold.
• Young Pond: Nov. 11, Juan David Sanchez, age 14, of Las Cruces caught his first fish. It was a 20-inch channel catfish. He was using worms.

• Grindstone Reservoir: On October 20, Jenni Nowlin of Las Cruces caught a 3-pound rainbow trout. She was using Power Bait.

Looks Like I'm not the only one staying in....

• Eagle Nest Lake: Sept. 24, Jim McElroy of Albuquerque caught a 6.5-pound rainbow trout. He was fishing from an anchored boat and using Power Bait. Sept. 24, Danny Selman of Eagle Nest caught a 6.25-pound rainbow trout. He was also fishing from an anchored boat and using Power Bait. Sept. 28, Nick Rodriguez of Rio Rancho caught a 21-inch 5.5-pound rainbow trout. He was using garlic Power Bait.
• Navajo Lake: The Ultimate Bass Team Tour Championship was here over the past weekend and the following big bass were caught and released: Sept. 27, Nolan Perry of Farmington caught and released a 4.92-pound largemouth bass. Steve Ragsdale of Aztec caught and released a 5.05-pound largemouth bass. Bill Carlquist caught and released a 5.08-pound largemouth bass. Sept. 28, David Perry caught and released a 4.22-pound largemouth bass. Gas Hines and Paul Woerner caught and released a 6.01-pound largemouth bass.

• Bluewater Lake: Aug. 14, Charly Sanchez of Los Lunas caught a 41-inch, 20-pound tiger musky. He was using a Rapala. Aug. 14, Bill Griffith of Belen caught a 45-inch, 25-pound tiger musky. He was using a Rapala. Aug. 17, Michael Renfro of Albuquerque caught a 48-inch tiger musky. He was fishing for catfish and using rotten shrimp. Michael also caught a 29-pound channel catfish using the shrimp.
• Elephant Butte Lake: Aug. 12, Laurence Juarez caught a 7-pound catfish. He was using a slab daddy minnow combination.
• Grindstone Reservoir: Aug. 15, Amelia Beltran of El Paso caught a 4.7-pound catfish. She was using a night crawler.
• Abiquiu Reservoir: Aug. 11, Carolyn Wright of Santa Fe caught a 30-inch, 10-pound walleye. She was using a minnow-shaped crank bait.

• Abiquiu Reservoir: Aug. 10, Paul Mueller of Raleigh, N.C., caught a 3.5-pound smallmouth bass. He was using a large streamer on a 4-weight fly rod.
• Albuquerque Drain: Aug. 6, Jesse Garcia of Albuquerque caught a 32-pound channel catfish. He was using homemade stink bait.
• Bluewater Lake: Aug. 10, Treavor Lawson caught a 41-inch tiger musky. He was using an orange and gold homemade spinner called the “Modge.” Aug. 11, Joseph Lord of Santa Fe caught a 44-inch tiger musky. He was using a white D.O.A.
• Cochiti Lake: Aug. 11, Donny Kelley-Currens, age 12, caught and released a 21-inch and a 19.5-inch channel catfish. He was using chunks of shrimp.
• Rio Costilla: Aug. 10, Luis Roybal of Costilla caught a 19-inch rainbow trout. He was using Power Bait.
• Quemado Lake: Aug. 8, Brandon Thomas of Las Cruces caught a 20-inch rainbow trout. He was using worms.
• Seven Springs Brood Pond: Aug. 8, Gavin Owen Davidson, age 2 1/2, caught his very first fish. It was a 15-inch rainbow caught on a floating grasshopper. He was assisted by his mother Christy and the fish was netted by grandfather Richard Burrows.
• Springer Lake: Aug. 8, Taylor Streit of Taos caught a 33-pound grass carp. He was using a black wooly bugger.

• Bluewater Lake: Aug.5, Michelle Lord of Santa Fe caught several tiger musky in the 30 to 40-inch range.
• Hopewell Lake: Aug.3, Julia Sisneros, age 5, caught a 16-inch rainbow trout. She was using worms.
• Navajo Lake: Aug.3, John Portell of Farmington caught a 29-inch, 15-pound, 2-ounce blue catfish and a 27-inch, 12-pound, 4-ounce channel catfish. He was fishing in the back of La Jara Canyon and using cut bait.
• Ute Lake: Aug.3, Tyler Decker of Amarillo caught and released a 4.94-pound smallmouth bass. He was using a swim jig.

• Bluewater Lake: July 27, Carlos Zamora of Belen caught a 46-inch tiger musky. He was using a gold Rapala.
• Chama River: July 23, Ashley Montoya, age 8, of Stanley, caught an 18-inch brown trout. She was fishing below El Vado Lake and using salmon eggs.
• Cochiti Lake: July 23, Travis Gentry of Albuquerque caught a 36-inch northern pike. He was using a black curly tail grub.
• Quemado Lake: July 26, Lacy Ferguson, age 13, of Elida, caught an 18-inch rainbow trout. She was using a Panther Martin. The same day, her brother, Radlee Ferguson, age 5, caught a 13.5-inch rainbow trout. He was using Power Bait.
• Rio Grande: July 28, Rafael Dominguez, Jr. caught a 34-inch, 12.5-pound channel catfish. He was fishing the river above Elephant Butte Lake and using a night crawler.
• Santa Rosa Lake: July 23, Mike Rodriguez of El Paso caught a 21-inch walleye. He was using a topwater lure.
• Sumner Lake: July 25, Nicholas Featherstone, age 13, caught a 27-inch, 10-pound blue catfish. He was using cut bait.

The following were received too late for last week’s report but we felt they were definitely worth mentioning:

• Conchas Lake: July 21, Gregory Barry, age 14, of Rio Rancho caught a 26-inch walleye. He was using a crank bait.
• Seven Springs Brood Pond: July 21, Isaac Gallegos, age 2, caught a 15-inch rainbow trout. He was using a size 12 pink scud.

• Bluewater Lake: July 20, Lauren Richerson, age 11, of Santa Fe caught and released several musky in the 30 to 35 inch range. She was using a variety of Dynamic lures.
• Chama River: July 20, Johnny Montoya of Santa Fe caught a 20-inch brown trout. He was fishing below El Vado and using salmon eggs.
• Santa Rosa Lake: July 17, Tobias Lucero of Las Vegas caught a 31-inch, 12-pound channel catfish. He was using a piece of chicken thigh marinated with chicken liver under a bobber.
• Quemado Lake: July 18, Azariah Holguin, age 3, of Las Cruces, caught a 13.5-inch rainbow trout. She was using a worm. July 20, Kayla Salas, age 6, of Los Lunas, caught a 16.5-inch rainbow trout. She was fishing with a Dora combo and using chartreuse Power Bait. July 21, Parker Cox, age 8, of Silver City, caught a 19-inch rainbow trout. He was using a worm under a bobber.
• Ute Lake: July 21, Bob Lechel of Los Alamos caught and released a 4.39-pound largemouth bass. He was flipping plastics. July 21, Gabe Rivera of Clovis caught and released a 4.02-pound largemouth bass.
• Conchas Lake: July 13, Andrew Orlicky of Albuquerque caught a 22-inch walleye. He was using a spinner.
• Oasis Park Lake: July 5, Damon Bacon, age 14, of Portales, caught a 4.5-pound catfish. He was using Danny King’s punch bait.
• The following were received too late for last week’s report but we felt they were definitely worth mentioning:
• Navajo Reservoir: April 13, David Herrera of Aztec caught and released a 5-pound largemouth bass. He was fishing in shallow water and using a brown jig with a blue rage tail craw trailer.
• Pecos River: April 14, Chad Mortensen, age 11, caught a 2.5-pound rainbow trout. He was using worms.

• Animas River: April 4, Rob Smith of Center Point caught a 21.5-inch, 3.75-pound brown trout. He was using a Big O crank bait.
• Eagle Nest Lake: April 6, Andrew Orlicky of Albuquerque caught a 20-inch rainbow trout. He was using a roe sac.
• Clayton Lake: April 8, Ed Salas of Clayton caught a 29-inch, 10-pound walleye. He was using a jig.

Last week was looking pretty good with stable temps, surprisingly few submissions from anglers though. Next week will be similar with the near freezing temperatures from Tuesday and Wednesday (9-10)

• Santa Rosa Lake:  March 27, Chris Baca of Santa Rosa caught a 26-inch walleye. He was using a chartreuse curly tail grub.  

• Bluewater Lake:  March 29, Tom Murphy of Albuquerque caught and released 20 tiger musky in the 26 to 44 inch range. He was using a clouser minnow.  March 30, Carlitos Ortiz y Pino caught and released a 36-inch tiger musky. 

• Ute Lake: On March 29, Dustin Stovall of Hereford, Texas, caught a 4.62-pound walleye. He was trolling a crank bait.  March 30, Nick Artho of Dalhart, Texas, caught a 20-inch, 3.2-pound walleye. He was using a drop shot minnow rig.  

• Elephant Butte Lake:  March 31, Ed Stahl caught a 4.75-pound carp. He was using a nightcrawler

A cold front last week destroyed productivity over the weekend, however this week the weather has been stable and the SE, SW regions should pick up. I will be heading out to the Albuquerque drain area this week to verify the drain fishing situation, updates on main page. Carp on the Catch of the Week, and a small one at that what is this world coming to when a non-game fish makes it to that list?

• Clayton Lake: March 21, Mikey Montoya of Clayton caught a 24-inch, 6-pound walleye. He was using a spinner.
• Ute Lake: March 21, Bob Lechel of Los Alamos caught and released a 4.17-pound largemouth bass. He was flipping a beaver. The same day, Mark Adams of Edgewood caught and released a 4.06-pound smallmouth bass. He was using a jerk bait.
• Tingley Beach: March 24, Maya Benavidez, age 8, caught a 14.5-inch rainbow trout while fishing at the Children’s Pond. She was using Power Bait.
• Santa Rosa Lake: March 24, Josh Gonzales, age 6, of Los Lunas, caught a 13-inch crappie. He was using a worm. Also March 24, Rosalyn Rael, age 5, of Los Lunas, caught an 18.5-inch walleye. She was using a worm.
• Elephant Butte Lake: March 24, Justin Lusby of Las Cruces caught a 4-pound largemouth bass. He was using a lipless crank bait.

More comprehensive fishing reports are being submitted as the weather starts to warm up, and with it bringing the ice out on the northern lakes. The spring is also getting the warm water species more active and moving towards pre-spawn. 

•  Navajo Lake: March 14, Andrew Orlicky of Albuquerque caught a 25-inch, 5-pound, 6-ounce brown trout. He was using a rainbow-colored Rapala.

• Elephant Butte: March 15, Mike Torres from Arlington, Texas, caught a 6-pound, 7-ounce smallmouth bass. He was using a KVD 1.5 square-billed crank bait.

• Santa Rosa Lake: March 16, Bobby Moore of Edgewood caught a 29-inch, 7-pound, 2-ounce walleye. He was using a swim bait.

• Escondida Lake: March 16, Sylvia Zamora caught and released a 20.25-inch largemouth bass. She was using salmon eggs.

• Red River: March 16, Bert Scott of Albuquerque caught and released a 23-inch rainbow trout. He was using a gold and orange Dynamic HD trout.

• Ute Lake: March 17, Eddie Ambolt of Hereford, Texas, caught and released a 4.1-pound largemouth bass. He was using a jig.

• The following was reported too late for last week’s report but we felt it definitely worth mentioning:

• Bluewater Lake: March 9, Stephon Walker of Bluewater Village caught and released a 46-inch tiger musky.