Fishing with Ben Allen

At 11 years old, Ben Allen is an accomplished bass fisherman with the drive and determination to be one of the best. Ben is an Albuquerque native who has been fishing as long as he can remember and who literally jumps at the opportunity to fish anywhere for anything. He has dreams that are bigger than the fish that he catches, and angling has helped him develop goals that should serve him well later in life.

Ben, with his younger brother Cooper and their father, Justin Allen, coordinate a kid’s fishing club in New Mexico called Kids Hooked on Fishing. They fish year-round across the state and try to get kids and family members into the great outdoors to enjoy the art of angling. Justin cherishes the quality time he gets to spend with his sons, and he is passionate about encouraging other families to give it a try.

This week, Ben wants to share with his fellow New Mexico anglers his perspective on fishing while encouraging other kids to get outdoors.

Hi, I am Ben and I love to fish. My favorite fish to catch are bass. I like the challenge of trying different lures in hopes of finding one that the fish want to eat. I find it very rewarding when my persistence pays off and I catch a fish. I will try many different lures but a few of my favorites for catching bass are tubes, Texas rigged worms, top water frogs and crank baits. My all-time favorite lure for catching bass is a 2.5-inch watermelon tube rigged with a green ¼-ounce jig head. The way I like to fish the tube is to pitch it into a tree or rocky ledge. I let the tube sink and then, while slowly retrieving, I occasionally pop and twitch my rod tip to give the tube more action.

I get really excited when I catch a largemouth bass because they are my favorite species of bass to catch. I caught my first largemouth at Navajo Lake using a white crank bait. The bass jumped out of the water and I was amazed by the fight that it put up. Now I am forever hooked on catching more of them.

I have great fishing adventure memories that I will remember forever. One of my favorite stories to tell people was from a trip in 2018 at Navajo Lake with Fishing Report author Dustin Berg. We were kokanee salmon fishing and catching quite a few. I had just hooked a salmon and was reeling it in; then, all of a sudden, a big pike came up and ate the salmon right off my fishing line! It was crazy!

I also enjoy fishing for trout, and recently started learning how to fly fish. I try to do it much as I can. When I am at Navajo Lake with my dad, I always try to go down to the river below the dam, the San Juan River, to do a little fly fishing. I’ve had good success using red and black midge pattern flies at the Texas Hole on the San Juan. There are big brown and rainbow trout in there. I also like to fish at Tingley Beach sometimes and that is where I will catch and keep some trout for dinner.

My favorite way to cook trout is with lemon juice, rosemary and butter.

My goal is to make a college bass fishing team someday and get a college scholarship so that I can study biology. I want to be a fish biologist and travel the world studying fish. Then, hopefully someday I can work for New Mexico Game and Fish as a biologist. I would also like to be a professional bass fishing competitor with sponsors!

Fishing with grandkids

Alyssia Sanchez’s response to last week’s Fishing with Grandkids article:

I read the article about the enjoyment of fishing with grandkids. It is honestly so true, and my dad and daughter are a perfect example! My daughter asked me, “Mom do you know how to catch fish?” I said yes. She asked again, “Do you know how to catch BIG fish?” I laughed. I thought about all the skills she has learned from her grandfather, and the confidence he has instilled in her. It is amazing to watch!

Any anglers willing to share their experiences, techniques or tackle, please contribute by emailing Dustin atfunfishingnm@gmail.com.