Eagle Nest Lake: Thomas Tapia of Tesuque Pueblo caught a 27.5-inch rainbow trout using a worm Oct. 8.

Gallinas River: Justin Estrada of Las Vegas caught and released a 16-inch rainbow trout using a black Woolly Bugger fly Dec. 22.

Lake Van: Teyah Herrera, age 8, of Roswell caught an 18-inch rainbow trout using PowerBait Dec. 26.

Santa Rosa Lake: Joseph Lueras and Anthony Dupree of Albuquerque caught a 23-inch walleye and a 22.5-inch walleye using nightcrawlers on trolling hooks Dec. 26.

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 funfishingnm@gmail.com. We may include your story in our next report.

For catches of the week, include name, age, hometown, date, location, type of fish, length and weight if possible, and bait, lure or fly used.

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

Charette Lakes: Closed for the season.

Cimarron River: Stream flow near Cimarron Monday morning was not measured due to ice. In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Dec. 3, NM State Parks reopened to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information. Anglers reported limited open water to fish.

Clayton Lake: Closed until March 2021.

Conchas Lake: Fishing for walleye was slow using jigs tipped with worms.

Costilla Creek: The Department has implemented the final phase of a project to expand Rio Grande cutthroat trout in 120 miles of the Costilla watershed in northern New Mexico. The final phase involved the removal of fish within a designated area (Rio Costilla from Costilla Dam downstream to the Valle Vidal Boundary including all tributaries and Comanche Creek from the road culvert crossing on FR 1950 downstream to its confluence with Rio Costilla and all tributaries) with a tentative restocking of Rio Grande cutthroat in spring 2022. Places to fish nearby include Costilla Creek below the fish barrier, Upper Comanche Creek, Shuree Ponds, Middle Ponil Creek, Upper Powderhouse Creek, Little Costilla Creek, Vidal Creek and McCrystal Creek. The Department anticipates the completion of this final phase in the fall of 2021. Please check the Department website for additional information on the project and to identify alternative angling opportunities in the interim.

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

Coyote Creek: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Dec. 3, NM State Parks reopened to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information.

Eagle Nest Lake: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Dec. 3, NM State Parks reopened to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information. The lake is open to ice fishing. Fishing for trout was good using worms and PowerBait. Fishing for perch was good using worms.

Eagle Rock Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

Gallinas River: Fishing for trout was fair using black Woolly Bugger flies.

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

Lake Alice: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Dec. 3, NM State Parks reopened to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information. The lake opened for ice fishing.

Lake Maloya: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Dec. 3, NM State Parks reopened to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information. Fishing for trout was good using dough bait.

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

Maxwell Lake 13: Closed for the season.

Monastery Lake: Closed due to COVID health concerns. Check the Open Gate webpage for future updates.

Morphy Lake: Closed for a renovation project on the dam. No firm opening date has been set.

Pecos River: Stream flow near the town of Pecos Monday morning was not measured due to ice. Fishing for trout was fair using worms.

Red River: Stream flow below the hatchery Monday morning was 36.3 cfs. Fishing for trout near the hatchery was good using egg pattern, zebra midge and bead head nymph flies.

Rio Grande: Stream flow at the Taos Junction Bridge Monday morning was 338 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good using heavy bright colored nymph, egg pattern and midge flies.

Rio Hondo: Stream flow Monday morning near Valdez was not measured due to ice.

Rio Mora: Stream flow Monday morning was not measured due to ice.

Rio Pueblo: Stream flow near Penasco Monday morning was not measured due to ice.

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: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Dec. 3, NM State Parks reopened to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information.

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

Ute Lake: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Dec. 3, NM State Parks will reopen to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Fishing for white bass was fair using vibrating blade baits in 40 to 45-feet of water. The main lake surface temperature was in the mid-40s F.

Alto Lake: Fishing for rainbow trout was good using salmon peach PowerBait. Anglers reported the lake was limited to residents and to check openings before you go.

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

Black River: Stream flow at Malaga Monday morning was 9.57 cfs.

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. It appears now that the lake will be out of commission until 2022.

Bosque Redondo Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Bottomless Lakes: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Dec. 3, NM State Parks reopened to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information.

Brantley Lake: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Dec. 3, NM State Parks reopened to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information.

Carlsbad Municipal Lake: Fishing for trout was good using white PowerBait.

Chaparral Park Lake: Fishing for trout was good using salmon eggs, cheese dough bait, nightcrawlers and PowerBait.

Corona Pond: Fishing for trout was good using earthworms.

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

Green Meadow Lake: Fishing for trout was good using cheese dough bait and salmon eggs.

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

Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing for trout was good using salmon peach PowerBait and marshmallows. Anglers reported the lake was limited to residents and to check openings before you go.

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

Lake Van: Fishing for trout was good using PowerBait.

Oasis Park Lake In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Dec. 3, NM State Parks reopened to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information. Fishing for trout was fair to good using PowerBait and spoons.

Pecos River: Stream flow below Sumner Lake Monday morning was 21.4 cfs.

Perch Lake: Fishing for trout was good using salmon peach PowerBait.

Ruidoso River: Stream flow Monday morning at Hollywood was 3.28 cfs.

Santa Rosa Lake: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Dec. 3, NM State Parks reopened to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information. Fishing for walleye was good using nightcrawlers on trolling hooks.

Sumner Lake: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Dec. 3, NM State Parks reopened to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information.

New Mexico is such an excellent place to fish due to our wide variety of warm-water and cold-water angling opportunities. The Department has developed a couple of fun challenges for anglers to test their skills to pursue some of our beautiful fish species. Being the author of the Department’s weekly fishing report, I found it a natural New Year’s Resolution: I will complete either the NM Trout Challenge or NM Bass Challenge in 2021, maybe both!

My first order of business will be to take on the NM Trout Challenge. This challenge requires that the angler catch these five trout species, brown, rainbow, brook, Rio Grande cutthroat and Gila.

Catching the rainbow and brown “should be” the easier of the bunch to catch. I’ve caught many and will probably mark these two off my list fishing the San Juan River and Jemez Mountains. Brook trout can be caught at Cabresto Lake and the nearby streams. My dad and I caught quite a few of them up there, but that was many years ago. I think it would be fun to take a trip to the Valles Caldera to fly fish for the Rio Grande cutthroat. The Gila trout is going to be tricky because I have little experience in that neck-of-the-woods. I have seen a few caught by anglers using flies and I will probably use the same approach when it comes time for me to hunt the elusive native Gila species.

One thing is for sure it will be fun trying!

It would be awesome if some other people wanted to join me and try out this fun New Year’s Resolution. We can share our adventures in the Department’s Weekly Fishing Report.

Here is information on how you can enter the Trout and Bass Challenges. It is simple and just a couple of minutes with the Powderhook app or by sending an email with your catches to dgf-fishingchallenges@state.nm.us.