New Mexico Fishing Report

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.

By NM Game and Fish

Catches of the week

◦ Elephant Butte Lake: Samantha Dodd of Los Lunas caught a 2.8-pound white bass Dec. 30. She was fishing

The following report came in late but deserves a mention:

◦ Navajo Lake: EJ King of Aztec caught and released two northern pike that measured about 37 inches each Dec. 24. He was using a swim 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, age, hometown, date, and location, type of fish, length and weight if possible and bait, lure or fly used.

Jan. 2 

Northeast

Charette Lakes: Closed for the season.

Clayton Lake:  Closed for the season.

Cimarron River: Stream flow below Eagle Nest on Monday was 1.24 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Conchas Lake: Fishing was fair using blade baits and jig and plastic combinations for a mixed bag of walleye and white bass. Most of the fish were at depths of 25 to 40 feet. We had no other reports. The surface water temp was in the mid to high 40s.

Costilla Creek: Check this one out next spring.

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

Coyote Creek: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Eagle Nest Lake: Warm weather melted a good deal of the ice and as of Sunday, there was a good deal of shoreline open to bank fishing. There is some dangerously thin ice in some of the shallow water areas closed to fishing. Fishing was fair using silver spoons and PowerBait for trout up to 17 inches. Fishing pressure was very light.  For ice condition updates, 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. Put this one on your list for spring fishing.

Lake Alice: As of Sunday, the ice was about 8 inches thick and ice fishing was very good for anglers using corn for trout up to 16 inches. For updates, contact the state park office at (575) 445-5607.

Lake Maloya: Trout fishing in the boat ramp area was very good for anglers using corn and PowerBait. There was some ice on the lake, but plenty of shoreline access for fishing. For updates on ice conditions, call the state park office at (575) 445-5607.

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

Maxwell Lake 13: Closed for the season.

Monastery Lake: Fishing was very good using PowerBait and olive Pistol Petes for trout. The lake could ice over any day with the cold temperatures. It is closed to ice fishing.

Morphy Lake:  Closed for the season.

Pecos River: Streamflow near Pecos on Monday was 24.5 cfs. Fishing downstream from the village of Pecos was good using salmon eggs and red copper John Barrs for trout.

Red River: Stream flow below the hatchery on Monday was 48.4 cfs. Fishing near the hatchery was slow to fair for anglers using mayfly nymphs, egg patterns and salmon eggs for trout. Fishing near the confluence with the Rio was rated as slow with just a few trout caught by anglers using bead-head hares’ ears and poundmeisters.

Red River City Ponds: Closed for the season.

Rio Grande: Stream flow on Monday at the Taos Junction Bridge was 423 cfs. Fishing was slow to fair using wooly buggers, San Juan worms, small streamers and salmon eggs for trout. Fishing for northern pike was about the same as last week with a few fish caught by anglers using large streamers and bunny leeches. Fishing through the Algodones and Albuquerque areas was fair using liver and homemade dough baits for catfish. We had no other reports.

Rio Hondo: Stream flow near Valdez on Monday was 10.4 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

Rio Pueblo: Stream flow near Penasco on Monday was 10.7 cfs. 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: Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait and Fire Balls for trout. As of Monday, there was still plenty of open water for bank fishing. For updated ice conditions, call the state park office at (505) 425-7278.

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

Ute Lake: Fishing for walleye was fair for anglers using blade baits and spoons at 40 to 45 feet. Most were found off main lake points. Fishing for white bass was fair to good using deep diving crank baits, jig and grub combinations, white spoons and blade baits. We had no other reports. Fishing pressure was very light. The surface water temp was in the mid to high 40s.

Northwest

Abiquiu Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using blade baits, spoons and jig and grub combinations for walleye. We had no other reports.

Animas River: Water flow below Aztec on Monday morning was 243 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Albuquerque Area Drains: Fishing in the Albuquerque, Bernalillo, Corrales and Peralta drains was very good using meal worms, PowerBait, corn, Berkley trout worms, San Juan worms and salmon eggs for trout. We had no reports on other species.

Bluewater Lake: Fishing was slow for all species. Fishing pressure was very light. There was some ice around the edges but plenty of open water for fishing. For updated ice conditions, call 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.

Chama River: Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 125 cfs and 102 cfs respectively. Fishing below El Vado was fair using wooly buggers, bead-head hares’ ears, San Juan worms and night crawlers for brown and rainbow trout. Fishing below Abiquiu was very good using wooly worms, crane fly larva, egg patterns, small midge patterns, olive wooly buggers, small bead-head pheasant tail nymphs, salmon eggs and PowerBait.

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

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

Fenton Lake: Due to thin ice conditions, the lake is currently closed to fishing. For updated conditions, contact the state park office at (575) 829-3630.

Heron Lake: Fishing from the bank was good using PowerBait and Fire Balls for rainbow trout. Kokanee snagging was slow. Fishing pressure was light. We had no other reports.

Jackson Lake: Fishing was fair using PowerBait, Fire Balls and worms for trout. We had no other reports.

Jemez Waters: Stream flow on the Jemez River near Jemez Springs on Monday morning was 17.9cfs. Trout fishing was slow with just a few caught by anglers using worms, salmon eggs and custom tied nymphs. We had no reports on other streams.

Laguna del Campo: Closed for the season.

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

Lake Farmington: Fishing was good using salmon eggs, and PowerBait for trout. We had no reports on other species.

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

Navajo Lake: Fishing was fair using swim baits and jerk baits for northern pike. A few smallmouth bass were caught by anglers using jigs, creature baits and swim baits. We had no other reports.

San Gregorio Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

San Juan River: Stream flow on Monday morning was 382 cfs. Fly fishing action through the Quality waters was fair using desert storms, egg patterns, olive and black wooly buggers, bunny leeches and San Juan worms. Trout fishing through the bait waters was slow to fair using night crawlers PowerBait and spoons. A river enhancement project has begun and the area between the Simon Point Day-Use Area downriver to the Crusher Hole Day-Use Area is now closed to boat and foot traffic until March 1, 2018. Temporary closures of multiple day-use areas are expected until April 2018.  For more information, visit nmparks.com or contact Navajo Lake State Park, (505) 632-2278. Water visibility above the construction area is about a foot.

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

Tingley Beach: Trout fishing at the Youth and Central ponds was very good for some anglers and slow to fair for others. Best baits were PowerBait, salmon eggs, meal worms, wooly worms with a red tail and Pistol Petes. Fishing at the Bob Gerding Catch and Release Pond was good using small leech patterns, small streamers, San Juan worms and custom tied nymphs for trout. We had no other reports.

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

Southwest

Alumni Pond: Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait, black wooly worms and Pistol Petes under a bubble for trout. We had no other reports.

Bear Canyon Lake: Fishing was fair using homemade dough baits and liver for catfish. Fishing was slow to fair using bead-head nymphs under a bubble, Fire Balls and PowerBait for trout. We had no other reports.

Bill Evans Lake: Fishing was very good using orange PowerBait, Fire Balls and wooly worms and Pistol Petes under a bubble and PowerBait for trout. Fishing was slow to fair using worms, homemade dough bait and chicken liver for catfish. Fishing for largemouth bass was slow. The water level is a bit low.

Caballo Lake: Fishing for walleye was slow but a few were caught by anglers using spoons, blade baits and jig and grub combinations. We had no other reports.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing was fair to good using curly tail grubs, small swim baits, plastic leech patterns and Super Dupers for walleye. Len LoPresto reported good fishing in the Long Point area as he and another angler caught and released about 15 fish, all of which were in the 18-inch range. Fishing was good using blade baits, spoons and deep diving crank baits for white bass. Justin Blake reported that he and Alex Behrend of Santa Fe caught 10 white bass last week. They were using white and gold blades and white Rapala crank baits in 10 to 15 feet over 30 feet of water. We had no other reports. The surface water temp was in the mid to high 40s.

Escondida Lake: Fishing was good using PowerBait and salmon eggs for trout. We had no other reports.

Gila River: Stream flow on Monday morning was 59.9 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Glenwood Pond: Fishing was good using PowerBait and salmon eggs for trout.

Lake Roberts: Fishing was good using PowerBait, salmon eggs, wooly worms and Pistol Petes for trout. We had no other reports.

Percha Dam: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

Rancho Grande Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Grande: Stream flow below Elephant Butte Monday morning was 0.00 cfs. Fishing was fair using PowerBait and Fire Balls for trout. Melanie Cisneros and Nicole Villanueva caught several catfish while fishing in the Mesilla Valley Dam area. They were using night crawlers. We had no other reports.

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

Young Pond: Trout fishing was very good during the week but slow over the weekend. Anglers did best using orange and lime green PowerBait and salmon eggs. We had no reports on other species.

Southeast

Alto Lake: Fishing was fair to good using Pistol Petes under a bubble, PowerBait and salmon eggs for trout. We had no other reports.

Bataan Lake: Trout fishing was fair for anglers using garlic PowerBait, salmon egg corn combinations and salmon eggs. We had no other reports.

Black River: Stream flow at Malaga on Monday was 13.9 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Blue Hole Park Pond: Trout fishing was very good for anglers using PowerBait. We had no reports on other species.

Bonito Lake: Closed until further notice by the city of Alamogordo due to fire damage.

Bosque Redondo Lake: Fishing was good using meal worms, salmon eggs and PowerBait for trout. A few were also caught by anglers using copper John Barrs.

Bottomless Lakes: Fishing at Devil’s Inkwell was fair to good using PowerBait for trout. We had no other reports

Brantley Lake: Anglers are required to catch and release all fish here as high levels of pesticides have been found in some fish. Fishing was fair to good using crank baits and spoons for white bass. Fishing was fair using swim baits and jigs for largemouth bass. We had no other reports.

Carlsbad Municipal Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Chaparral Park Lake: Fishing was fair using PowerBait and homemade dough bait for trout.

El Rito Creek: Fishing was very good using PowerBait, worms and salmon eggs for trout. We had no other reports.

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

Green Meadow Lake: Fishing was good using PowerBait and salmon eggs for trout. A few were also caught by anglers using small spoons. We had no other reports.

Greene Acres Lake: Fishing was very good using PowerBait, Zeke’s trout bait, salmon eggs and corn for trout.

Grindstone Reservoir: Butch Perkins reported trout fishing as fair this past week. Best baits were PowerBait, Rooster Tails, Panther Martins and spoons. CJ Swanson was fishing here with his wife and daughter Jan. 1. They caught eight trout while using worms and PowerBait. The fish were light biters.

Jal Lake: Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait for trout.

Lake Van: Fishing was slow to fair using PowerBait, salmon eggs, worms, Panther Martins and spoons, for trout. We had no other reports.

Oasis Park Lake: Fishing was good using PowerBait, worms and salmon eggs for trout. We had no other reports.

Pecos River: Stream flow below Sumner Lake on Monday was 25.3 cfs. Fishing was fair using PowerBait and Fire Balls for trout. We had no other reports.

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

Ruidoso River: Stream flow at Hollywood was 3.79 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing pressure was extremely light, and fishing was slow for all species.

Sumner Lake: Fishing for walleye was rated as slow with just a few caught by anglers using curly tail grubs, blade baits and jigging spoons. We had no other reports. Fishing pressure was light.