Breaking News
Home / News / Fishing Report

Fishing Report

By NM Game and Fish

Catches of the week

Catch of the Week Picture

Alto Lake: Carlos Orona of Las Cruces caught an 18-inch 4-pound rainbow trout using a fly April 15.

Bataan Lake: Kobie Jojola of Carlsbad caught a 3.5-pound largemouth bass using a plastic jig April 10.

Caballo Lake: Robert B. of Albuquerque caught a 5-pound largemouth bass using a black and blue 5-inch stick worm April 5.

Cochiti Lake: Mitchell Curtis of Santa Fe caught a 40-inch pike using a lipless crankbait April 16.

Eagle Nest Lake: Renee Baird of Rio Rancho caught a 20-inch 4-pound rainbow trout using a nightcrawler April 12. Jon Conklin of Cedar Crest caught a 47-inch 24.3-pound pike using a Kokanee salmon rig April 13. Kelly Byars of Albuquerque caught a 20-inch rainbow trout using PowerBait April 10. Ron Santi of Albuquerque caught a 23-inch rainbow trout using PowerBait April 10. Rio Cordova, age 9, of Arroyo Seco caught a 23-inch rainbow trout using PowerBait April 5.

Elephant Butte Lake: Scott Whitney of Rio Rancho caught a 4.5-pound largemouth bass using a swimbait April 12.

Fenton Lake: Jazelle and Aria Trujillo, ages 5 and 4, of Rio Rancho caught their first trout using worms April 10.

Grindstone Reservoir: Efrain Rodriguez of El Paso, Texas caught and released a 20-inch rainbow trout using orange PowerBait mice tails April 17.

Navajo Lake: Jeff Stuhlmann of Placitas caught a 4.5-pound smallmouth bass using a jig April 9.

Pecos River: Luke Rodriguez, age 7, of Santa Fe caught his first fish a 12-inch rainbow trout using worms that he dug up April 11.

Rio Grande: Seth Hardy of Red River caught a 17-inch cutbow trout near Questa using a homemade white and silver nymph fly near April 18.

Springer Lake: Uriah Dickson, age 12, of Springer caught four pike 24 to 26-inches long using yellow jigs and rainbow trout colored #5 Mepps spinners April 18.

Tingley Beach: Shelbie Corriz and Jeremy Garcia of Albuquerque caught a 23-inch largemouth bass using a lime green Rapala lure April 16.

Ute Lake: Gary Riley of Hereford, Texas caught a 28-inch 7.46-pound walleye using a swim jig April 18.

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.


Northeast Fishing Report

NE Fishing Picture

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

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

Cimarron River: Stream flow near Cimarron Monday morning was 25.3 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good using worms and flies.

Clayton Lake: Fishing for trout was good using nightcrawlers and PowerBait. Fishing for walleye was fair to good using jigs.

Conchas Lake: Conchas Lake State Park has closed access to all boat ramps due to dropping water levels. The boat ramps on the south side of the lake, managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, are open. Fishing for largemouth bass was fair using shallow diving crank bait lures. Fishing for white bass was good using chartreuse lipless and medium diving crankbait lures. The water surface temperature was in the mid 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

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 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 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: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Eagle Nest Lake: The lake is now open to shore fishing and boating. Fishing for trout was good using salmon peach PowerBait and nightcrawlers. Fishing for pike was good using Mepps spinners.

Eagle Rock Lake: Fishing for trout was good using PowerBait and pink PowerBait mice tails.

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

Gallinas River: Fishing for trout was good using beadhead nymph flies.

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

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

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

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

Maxwell Lake 13: Anglers reported the lake had little to no water.

Monastery Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good using olive Pistol Pete spinners.

Morphy Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good using Panther Martin spinners and beadhead nymphs.

Pecos River: Stream flow near the town of Pecos Monday morning was 68.4 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using San Juan worms, pheasant tail nymph flies, salmon eggs and beadhead nymph flies.

Red River: Stream flow below the hatchery Monday morning was 64.3 cfs. Fishing for trout was slow to fair using dry dropper setups with beadhead nymphs and caddis flies.

Rio Grande: Stream flow at the Taos Junction Bridge Monday morning was 405 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using caddis nymphs, silver and white nymph flies and caddis dry flies in the late afternoons.

Rio Hondo: Stream flow Monday morning near Valdez was 21.5 cfs.

Rio Mora: Stream flow Monday morning was not measured due to ice. Fishing for trout was fair to good using worms.

Rio Pueblo: Stream flow near Penasco Monday morning was 47.8 cfs.

Santa Cruz Reservoir: Fishing for trout was fair to good using white PowerBait. Fishing for trout from a boat was good using Countdown Rapala lures.

Shuree Ponds: Closed until July 1, 2021.

Springer Lake: Fishing for pike was good using yellow jigs and rainbow colored #5 Mepps spinners.

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

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

Ute Lake: Fishing for white bass was fair to good trolling medium diving crankbaits. Fishing for walleye was good using Berkley Flicker Shad, spinners tipped with nightcrawlers, swimbaits and Wiggle Warts. Fishing for bass was good using vibrating jigs trailed by swimbaits, Berkley Generals and Berkley Chigger Craws. Fishing for catfish was fair to good using cut bait, worms and chicken liver. Fishing for crappie was slow. The water surface temperature was in the low to mid 50 degrees Fahrenheit and the main lake color was clear.


Northwest Fishing Report

NW Fishing Picture

Abiquiu Lake: Fishing for walleye was good jigging plastic minnows and curly tail grubs.

Animas River: Water flow below Aztec Monday morning was 122 cfs.

Albuquerque Area Drains:Fishing for trout was slow to fair using worms and plastic minnows.

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

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

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

Chama River: Monday morning flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 694 cfs and 802 cfs, respectively. Fishing for trout below El Vado Lake was slow using nightcrawlers. Anglers reported high water flows below Abiquiu Lake and poor fishing conditions. Please remember, from the river-crossing bridge on U.S. Highway 84 at Abiquiu upstream seven miles to the base of Abiquiu Dam is special trout waters with a bag limit of two trout only.

Cochiti Lake: Visitors to the lake need to make a reservation by purchasing a ticket at least 24 hours in advance through www.recreation.gov. Tickets and reservations will NOT be sold at the lake. Fishing for bass was good using drop shot rigs, Ned rigs and lipless crankbaits. Fishing for pike was fair to good using lipless crankbaits.

El Vado Lake: El Vado Lake Dam Day Use area is open.

Fenton Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good using Kastmaster lures, pheasant tail nymph flies, leech pattern flies, hare’s ear pattern flies and worms. Please remember, only two cutthroat trout are allowed to be harvested per day within the regular five fish limit.

Heron Lake: The lake is open for fishing. All boat ramps are closed due to low water levels. Paddle craft can be launched from the shoreline.

Jemez Waters: Stream flow on the Jemez near the town of Jemez Monday morning was 59.7cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good using flashy and white nymph flies.

Laguna del Campo: Closed for the season; will open May 1, 2021.

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

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

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

Navajo Lake: Fishing for bass was fair using perch shad rap crank baits and jigs.

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

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

San Juan River: Stream flow Monday morning was 510 cfs. Fishing for trout in the quality waters was good using red San Juan worms, red annelids, crystal flash midges, Baetis nymph flies and midge emerger flies. Fishing for trout in the bait waters was good using worms, salmon eggs and spinners.

Seven Springs Brood Pond: Closed due to COVID-19 health concerns. Check the Department’s Alerts page for future updates.

Tingley Beach: Fishing for trout was fair to good using yellow garlic scented PowerBait. Fishing for bass was fair to good using lime green Rapala lures.

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


Southwest Fishing Report

SW Fishing Image

Alumni Pond: Fishing for trout was slow.

Bear Canyon Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good using cheese PowerBait, gold, red and yellow spinners and black Pistol Pete spinners. Fishing for crappie was good using black and tan beadhead nymph flies.

Bill Evans Lake: Fishing for trout was good using dark colored dry flies and PowerBait. Fishing for catfish was fair to good using cut carp bait and live worms. Fishing for bass was slow.

Caballo Lake: Fishing for bass was slow to fair using chatter baits, jerk baits and stick worms. Fishing for crappie was fair to good using curly tail grubs.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing for white bass was very good using white crankbaits, jerk baits and swim baits. Fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass was fair using swimbaits and Senko worms in shallow water. The water surface temperature was in the low 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Escondida Lake: Fishing for trout was good using bright pink Pistol Pete spinners and garlic-scented PowerBait. Fishing for catfish and bass was slow.

Gila River: Stream flow Monday morning was 51.2 cfs.

Glenwood Pond: Fishing for trout was good using rainbow and chartreuse PowerBait.

Lake Roberts: Fishing for trout was good using light brown dry flies, worms and garlic scented PowerBait.

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 0.06 cfs. Fishing for catfish north of Elephant Butte Lake was good using cut bait.

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

Trees Lake: Fishing for bass was good using spinner baits and motor-oil-colored 6-inch plastic worms.

Young Pond: Fishing for trout was good using pink marshmallows, PowerBait and corn.


Southeast Fishing Report

SE Fishing Picture

Alto Lake: Fishing for trout was good using PowerBait power eggs, nightcrawlers and flies.

Bataan Lake: Fishing for trout, catfish and bluegill was fair to good using dough bait. Fishing for bass was fair using plastic jigs.

Black River: Stream flow at Malaga Monday morning was 4.16 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 that the lake will be out of commission until 2022.

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

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

Brantley Lake: Fishing for crappie was fair to good using small yellow jigs.

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

Chaparral Park Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Corona Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

Green Meadow Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good using garlic PowerBait.

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

Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing for trout was good using garlic PowerBait and orange PowerBait mice tails.

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 Monday morning was 84.3 cfs. Fishing for catfish was good using worms and cut bait.

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

Ruidoso River: Stream flow Monday morning at Hollywood was 4.54 cfs.

Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing for walleye and bass was fair using minnows and curly tail grubs.

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


Tips and Tricks – Dry Dropper Fly Setup

Tips and Tricks Picture

You might notice that within the weekly fishing report “dry dropper fly setup” is often one of the fishing methods that people are using to catch trout. Today we will go over how to create this setup.

The “dry” refers to a dry fly that floats on the water’s surface. The “dropper” refers to a wet fly, or nymph fly, that sinks below the water’s surface. The dropper is attached to the dry by a length of fishing line determined by the angler fishing the setup. The length of line between the dry and the dropper is chosen based upon the depth of the water body and at what depth the angler suspects fish are feeding at.

The idea is simple in that you are fishing two flies at once, increasing your offering to the fish. When a fish eats the dry fly, it is obvious because you watch it happen. The dry fly also acts as an indicator relaying any fish activity on the dropper fly. When a fish eats the dropper fly you rarely see it because it is happening below the waters surface. When this happens, you will see the dry fly pause, make an odd movement, or disappear below the waters surface much like a traditional bobber. You must react quickly upon noticing any slight odd movement of the dry because the fish will usually eat the dropper and spit it out as soon as it notices that it is not a bug, which can be fast!

4-pound test line is a generally good piece of fishing line to tie from dry to dropper. When tying the line to the dry fly, tie it through the eye of the hook (the same eye of the hook tied to your main line coming from your rod). The dropper is usually tied 1- to 3-feet below your dry.

If you try a dry dropper for the first time or have a dry dropper setup you have had success on, we’d love to hear about it!

Share your tips and tricks with your fellow anglers by emailing us at funfishingnm@gmail.comand let’s help the next generation of anglers find success.

Thanks for reading and supporting our angling community!

Check Also

God’s Encouraging Word of the day

“Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” 1 Corinthians 10:31 Since God …