New Mexico fishing and stocking reports for March 24

New Mexico Department of Game & Fish sent this bulletin at 03/24/2015 10:14 AM MDT

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

This fishing report, provided by Bill Dunn and the Department of Game and Fish, has been generated from the best information available from area officers and anglers. Conditions encountered after the report is compiled may differ, as stream, lake and weather conditions alter fish and angler activities.

Check out the stocking report through March 20.

Catches of the week

Conchas Lake: March 17, Luke Nguyen, age 3, helped his family catch 15 crappie. It was his first time fishing and he was using minnows.
Navajo Lake: March 17, Pauline Price of Farmington caught a 27.5-inch, 11.6-pound brown trout. She was fishing on her birthday and using a crawdad crank bait.

If you have a catch of the week story or just want to tell us about your latest New Mexico fishing experience, send it to us at fishforfun2@hotmail.com. We may include your story in our next report. For catches of the week, include name, date, and location, type of fish, length and weight if possible and bait, lure or fly used.

March 24

Northeast

Charette Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Cimarron River: Stream flow below Eagle Nest was .42 cfs and 22 cfs near Cimarron. Fishing in the lower canyon was fair using bead-head nymphs for trout. Fishing at the Gravel Pit Lakes was slow to fair for anglers using salmon eggs. We received a report of a 22-inch brown caught here but don’t have any other details.

Clayton Lake: Fishing from the bank was good using Power Bait for trout. Anglers fishing from boats and trolling spinners also picked up a few nice rainbow trout. We had no reports on other species.

Conchas Lake: Fishing was very good using minnows over submerged trees for crappie. Fishing was fair to good using crank baits, jerk baits and tubes for smallmouth bass and an occasional largemouth bass. Fishing was fair using crank baits for white bass. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp was in the mid to high 50s.

Coyote Creek: Fishing was slow.

Eagle Rock Lake: Closed through next fall. The closure will allow Chevron Mining to dredge the lake and reconstruct the area.

Eagle Nest Lake: A small portion of the lake is now free of ice and open to shoreline fishing. We had no reports from anglers. 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: Fishing was fair using Power Bait for trout.

Lake Maloya: Open to bank fishing as of this past Friday. Anglers fishing from the dam on Sunday reported good success using black Pistol Petes, Power Bait and corn for trout.

Los Pinos: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Manzano Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Maxwell Lake 13: Fishing was good using corn, homemade dough bait and Power Bait for trout.

Monastery Lake: Trout fishing was good using worms, salmon eggs, homemade dough bait and Pistol Petes.

Morphy Lake: Fishing was good using Power Bait, salmon eggs, small Kastmasters, Panther Martins and wooly buggers for trout. The boat ramp is closed but the lake is accessible with canoes and kayaks.

Cowles Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Pecos River: Stream flow on Monday was 116 cfs. The water in the Villanueva area was a bit murky but anglers did manage to catch a few trout. Those having the best success were using worms.

Red River: Water flow near the hatchery on Monday was 57 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Red River City Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Costilla: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Grande: Stream flow on Monday morning at the Taos Junction Bridge was 1,340 cfs. Fishing was slow for all species.

Rio Hondo: Stream flow near Valdez was 31 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Pueblo: Stream flow near Penasco was 57 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Santa Barbara: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Santa Cruz Reservoir: This water remains closed to boating and fishing while the Bureau of Land Management renovates the north lake camp ground, boat launch, picnic area and main access road. The plan is to have all work completed by the end of July. The only fishing access at this time is walk-in from the overlook area. We had no reports from anglers this week. We will provide progress updates as we receive them.

Shuree Ponds: Closed for the season.

Springer Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Storrie Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using salmon eggs, Power Bait and corn for trout. We had no reports on other species.

Stubblefield Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Ute Lake: Fishing was good using jigs and minnows at 20 to 25 feet for walleye. Fishing was very good using crank baits, jerk baits and swim baits for white bass. Fishing was fair using jerk baits for smallmouth bass. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp was in the high 50s.

Northwest

Abiquiu Lake: Fishing was slow but there were a few walleye and browns caught by anglers fishing the upper lake and trolling crank baits. Fishing for rainbow trout was fair using Power Bait. We had no reports on other species.

Animas River: Water flow near Aztec on Monday morning was 632 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Albuquerque Area Drains: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Bluewater Lake: Fishing continued to be quite good for anglers using hot dogs, musky flies, swim baits and jerk baits for tiger musky. We had no reports on other species. Anglers should be aware that it is illegal to use bait fish at this lake.

Brazos River: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Canjilon Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Chama River: Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 48 cfs and 182 cfs respectively. Fishing below Abiquiu has slowed with the rising water levels. Fishing below El Vado was slow to fair using wooly buggers for trout.

Cochiti Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using swim baits, crank baits and jerk baits for northern pike. We had no reports on other species.

El Vado Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Fenton Lake: Fishing was very good using Blue Fox spinners, Kastmasters, olive wooly buggers, Pistol Petes and salmon-peach and garlic-scented Power Bait for trout.

Heron Lake: Bank fishing was fair to good using sucker cut bait, Power Bait, Panther Martins and Daredevles for a mixed bag of lake trout, rainbow trout and brown trout.

Jackson Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Jemez waters: Stream flow near Jemez on Monday morning was 157 cfs and a bit murky. Fishing on the Jemez was slow with high water conditions. Fishing on the Cebolla was fair using salmon eggs for rainbow trout. We had no reports from other area waters.

Laguna Del Campo: Closed for the season.

Lake Farmington: Fishing was fair to good using salmon eggs, Power Bait and Blue Fox spinners for trout. We had no reports on other species.

Navajo Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using swim baits and jerk baits for northern pike. A few smallmouth bass were caught by anglers using jerk baits and jigs. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp was in the low 50s.

San Gregorio Lake: We had no reports from anglers.

San Juan River: Water flow below Navajo Lake on Monday morning was 361 cfs. Trout fishing through the Quality Waters was good using orange desert storms, leeches, olive wooly buggers, San Juan worms, little princesses, red and cream larva and bead head pheasant tails. Fishing through the bait waters was good using salmon eggs, meal worms, San Juan worms, small jerk baits and wooly buggers.

Seven Springs Brood Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Tingley Beach: Fishing at the Central Pond was good using Power Bait, salmon eggs, Kastmasters, Blue Fox spinners and Pistol Petes. Fishing at the Youth Pond was very good using salmon eggs, garlic-scented Power Bait and Pistol Petes. We had no reports from the Bob Gerding Catch and Release Pond.

Trout Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Southwest

Alumni Pond: Fishing was very good using Pistol Petes, salmon eggs and Power Bait for trout. We had no reports on other species.

Bear Canyon: Fishing was very good using corn, salmon eggs and Power Bait for trout. A few were also caught by anglers using spinners.

Bill Evans Lake: Fishing was good to excellent using salmon eggs, homemade dough bait, Power Bait, Kastmasters and Blue Fox spinners for trout. We had no reports on other species.

Caballo Lake: Fishing was slow for all species. Fishing pressure was light. The surface water temp was in the mid 50s in the morning hours.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing was fair to good using minnows, crank baits and white spinner baits for white bass. Anglers reported catching several big white bass above Kettle Top. Fishing for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass was fair for some but slow for others. Anglers who did well were using senkos in about 10 feet of water for the smallmouth bass and working small crank baits in about 4 to 6 feet of water for largemouth bass. Fishing was fair to good using minnows for crappie. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp was in the mid to high 50s.

Escondida Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using Pistol Petes, wooly buggers, Power Bait and homemade dough bait for trout.

Gila River: Stream flow as of Monday morning was 227 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Glenwood Pond: Fishing was very good using Power Bait for trout.

Lake Roberts: Construction update: Modifications to the dam and spillway have been completed. Now awaiting approval for the engineer’s specifications to fix the outlet pipe. Will provide additional updates as they become available.

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 on Monday morning was .70 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Snow Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Young Pond: Fishing was very good using Pistol Petes, corn, Power Bait and worms. A few trout were also caught by anglers using Pistol Petes.

Southeast

Bataan Lake: Fishing was good using salmon eggs, Power Bait, homemade dough bait and spinners or trout. We had no reports on other species.

Black River: Stream flow at Malaga on Monday was 15 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Blue Hole Park Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Bonito Lake: Closed.

Bosque Redondo: Fishing was fair using Power Bait, salmon eggs and Pistol Petes for trout. We had no reports on other species. Fishing pressure was light.

Bottomless Lakes: Trout fishing was good using Power Bait, salmon eggs and Super Dupers.

Brantley Lake: Fishing pressure picked up this past week but fishing remained slow for all species. Anglers are to practice catch-and-release for all fish here as high levels of DDT were found in several fish.

Carlsbad Municipal Lake: Fishing was fair to good using Super Dupers, Kastmasters and salmon eggs for trout. We had no reports on other species.

Chaparral Park Lake: Fishing was fair using salmon eggs and Power Bait for trout.

El Rito Creek: Fishing was fair using salmon eggs for trout.

Eunice Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Green Meadow Lake: Fishing was good using gold bead-nymphs, small crank baits, plastic worms, homemade dough baits and Power Bait for a mixed bag of bass, sunfish, crappie and trout. Mark Dennis reported good success with a gold bead nymph. He caught several bass, sunfish, trout and crappie. Trout were also caught by anglers using salmon eggs.

Greene Acres Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing was good using salmon eggs, marshmallows and garlic-scented Power Bait for trout. We had no reports on other species.

Jal Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Lake Van: Fishing was very good using salmon eggs, Power Bait, Pistol Petes and Kastmasters for trout. We had no reports on other species.

Oasis Park Lake: Fishing was good using Power Bait, Pistol Petes, wooly buggers and pheasant tail nymphs for trout. We had no reports on other species. The State Park will be hosting the 6th Annual Spring Trout Derby March 28 and 29. For more information call (575) 356-5331.

Pecos River: Stream flow below Sumner on Monday was 90 cfs. Trout fishing was fair using salmon eggs, Power Bait and homemade dough bait. We had no reports on other species.

Perch Lake: Fishing was very good using salmon eggs, Power Bait and Pistol Petes for trout. Rick Apodaca reported that he, Chris Ortiz and Eddie Lucero fished here Saturday and caught and released 43 rainbows in four hours. They were using Power Bait.

Ruidoso River: Stream flow at Hollywood on Monday was 48 cfs. Trout fishing was slow to fair using salmon eggs.

Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing for walleye was slow with a few caught by anglers using crank baits, jerk baits and grubs. The surface water temp was in the low to mid 50s.

Sumner Lake: Fishing was slow for all species. The surface water temp was in the low to mid 50s.

Questions?
Contact Us

STAY CONNECTED:

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:
Manage Preferences | Unsubscribe | Help