Bluewater Lake:  Dominic Valencia of Albuquerque caught a 40-inch, 16-pound tiger muskie and two 30-inch tiger muskies using a hotdog and a green and orange jerkbait Nov. 4.

Eagle Nest Lake: Michael Kennedy of Albuquerque caught and released 21-inch and 23-inch rainbow trout using purple PowerBait Nov. 4.

Elephant Butte Lake: Ken Mitchell of El Paso, Texas caught a 22-pound striped bass trolling a spinner rig Nov. 4.

Pecos River: Joshua Arriola of Roswell caught a 17-inch, 4-pound largemouth bass near Carlsbad using an orange and white Booyah spinnerbait Nov. 4.

Tingley Beach: Angelo Martinez of Los Lunas caught a 20-inch rainbow trout using salmon eggs Nov. 4.

Ute Lake: Fran Miller Smith of Tucumcari caught a 3.5-pound walleye using a nightcrawler worm Oct. 20.

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. The lake will reopen in March 2022.

Cimarron River: Streamflow near Cimarron Monday morning was 24.8 cubic feet per second (cfs). Fishing for trout was fair to good when using worms, PowerBait and nymph flies.

Clayton Lake: Closed for the season. The lake will reopen in March 2022.

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 catfish was fair to good when using chicken liver.

Costilla Creek: Fishing for trout was good when using caddis dry flies. 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. 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: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using purple PowerBait. Fishing for pike was fair to good when using worms, perch pattern crankbaits and perch pattern swimbaits. Fishing for perch was good when using worms.

Eagle Rock Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using green and pink PowerBait.

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

Hopewell Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using olive Pistol Pete spinner flies.

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

Lake Maloya: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using pink PowerBait and homemade dough bait.

Los Pinos River: Fishing for trout was good when using small beadhead nymph flies.

Maxwell Lake 13: Closed for the season. The lake will reopen in March 2022.

Monastery Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using PowerBait and Pistol Pete spinner flies.

Morphy Lake: Closed for the season. The lake will reopen in March 2022.

Pecos River: Streamflow near the town of Pecos Monday morning was 33.0 cfs. Fishing for trout was good when using worms and pheasant tail beadhead nymph flies.

Red River: Streamflow below the hatchery Monday morning was 40.0 cfs. Fishing for trout was good when using salmon eggs and gold beadhead nymph flies.

Rio Grande: Streamflow at the Taos Junction Bridge Monday morning was 441 cfs. Fishing for trout near Pilar was fair to good when using streamer flies, PowerBait and worms. Anglers reported fishing for trout was slow in the upper Wild Rivers Recreation Area.

Rio Hondo: Streamflow Monday morning near Valdez was 10.2 cfs. Fishing for trout was good when using attractor dry flies.

Rio Mora: Streamflow Monday morning near Tererro was 9.09 cfs.

Rio Pueblo: Streamflow near Peñasco Monday morning was 7.01 cfs. Fishing for trout was good when using beadhead nymph flies beneath a stimulator dry fly.

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: 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 when using deep-diving crankbaits and vertical jigging spoons in 25 to 30 feet of water. Fishing for walleye was fair to good when using nightcrawler worms and blade baits vertical jigging in 25 to 30 feet of water. The water surface temperature was in the mid 50 degrees Fahrenheit and the main lake color was stained.

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

Animas River: Waterflow below Aztec Monday morning was 281 cfs.

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

Bluewater Lake: Fishing for tiger muskie was fair to good when using hotdogs and green and orange jerkbaits.

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

Canjilon Lakes: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using worms and orange spinners.

Chama River: Monday-morning flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 100 cfs and 43.5 cfs, respectively. Fishing for trout below El Vado Lake was good when using small trout pattern jerkbaits and nightcrawler worms. Fishing for trout below Abiquiu Lake was fair to good when using beadhead nymph flies. Please remember, from the river-crossing bridge on U.S. Highway 84 at Abiquiu upstream 7 miles to the base of Abiquiu Dam is special trout waters with a bag limit of two trout only.

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

El Vado Lake: Kokanee salmon snagging season is from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.

Fenton Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using Woolly Bugger flies, spinners, worms and red PowerBait. Please remember, only two cutthroat trout are allowed to be harvested per day within the regular five-fish limit.

Heron Lake: Willow, Sierra Vista and La Laja boat launches are closed. The primitive boat launch is open. Shoreline fishing is available between Sierra Vista and the spillway or in Rincon. Possession of kokanee salmon is prohibited from Oct. 1 through Nov. 12. Kokanee salmon snagging season is from Nov. 12 through Dec. 31. The Quality Waters of the Rio Chama can be accessed at the Rio Chama Trailhead. The stairs are closed so use the road to the spillway. Non-quality waters can be accessed at the North El Vado Day Use Area located on State Road 95, 13 miles west of U.S. Highway 84.

Jemez Waters: Streamflow on the Jemez near the town of Jemez Monday morning was 14.1 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using mop flies and worms.

Laguna del Campo: Closed for the season. The lake will reopen in May 2022.

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

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

McGaffey Lake: Due to extremely low water levels and unstable ground conditions, stocking efforts have been suspended. Lake conditions will be monitored and stockings will resume once conditions improve.

Navajo Lake: Fishing for pike was good when using big streamer flies, Rumble Monster lures and blue Super Ciscos. Fishing for kokanee salmon was good when using snagging hooks near the dam.

Rio Grande: Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using nightcrawler worms near Albuquerque.

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

San Juan River: Streamflow Monday morning was 306 cfs. Fishing for trout in the quality waters was good when using black midge emerger flies and size 26 crystal flash midge flies. Fishing for trout in the bait waters was good when using worms and PowerBait.

Seven Springs Brood Pond: Fishing for trout was good when using green PowerBait and worms.

Tingley Beach: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using salmon eggs and garlic PowerBait.

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

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

Bear Canyon Lake: Fishing for all species was slow.

Bill Evans Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Caballo Lake: Fishing for catfish was good when using live minnows.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing for white bass was fair when using crankbaits. Fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass was fair when using Ned rigs, shad-colored squarebill crankbaits and swimbaits. Fishing for striped bass was fair when using jigs and trolling spinner rigs. Fishing for catfish was good when using cut carp bait and shad.

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

Gila River: Streamflow Monday morning was 52.4 cfs.

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

Lake Roberts: Fishing for trout was good when using dry flies during the middle of the day and live worms in the evening.

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

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

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

Rio Grande: Streamflow below Elephant Butte Monday morning was 0.68 cfs. Fishing for catfish south of Hatch was fair when using live worms.

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

Trees Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using live red worms and dry flies.

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

Alto Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using purple and pink PowerBait.

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

Berrendo Creek: Please visit the Open Gate webpage for more information on this property. Fishing for bass was fair to good when using wacky rigged watermelon Senko worms.

Black River: Streamflow at Malaga Monday morning was 6.49 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 bass was fair when using shad pattern crankbaits and watermelon with red flake Senko worms.

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: Fishing for all species was slow.

Green Meadow Lake: Fishing for catfish was fair when using nightcrawler worms.

Greene Acres Lake: Fishing for catfish was fair when using hotdogs and shrimp.

Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing for trout was good when using salmon peach PowerBait and natural-colored Trout Margents.

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

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

Oasis Park Lake: Fishing for catfish was good when using cut bait and worms.

Pecos River: Streamflow below Sumner Lake Monday morning was .42 cfs. Fishing for largemouth bass near Carlsbad was good when using orange and white Booyah spinnerbaits.

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

Ruidoso River: Streamflow Monday morning at Hollywood was 4.31 cfs.

Santa Rosa Lake: Due to low lake levels, Santa Rosa Lake State Park will operate as a no-wake lake until conditions improve.

Sumner Lake: Fishing for walleye was fair to good when using 3-inch transparent swimbaits. Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using beef liver and chicken liver.

This week’s tips were shared by a New Mexico fly fisherman.

Catch-and-release fishing gives us the best of all worlds: We can enjoy catching fish, and we can help support the fish population, so we can enjoy it even more next time.

Start with Barbless Hooks

A barbless hook will help you remove the hook from the fish with greater ease and much less damage than a barbed one. It will also be a heck of a lot safer for you, in the event you accidentally snag yourself. (It happens to the best of us!)

Fishing barbless may mean you lose a fish now and then, but the ones you release will end up healthier to be caught another day. If your fly or lure uses a barbed hook, just crimp down the barb with a pair of needle nose pliers. Once you start fishing barbless, it will become a comfortable and easy habit.

Bring Fish In Quickly

Imagine getting exhausted by going a few rounds in a boxing ring, and then immediately having to hold your breath under water for a minute or longer. That’s about what it’s like for that fish you just brought in.

The time you spend fighting a fish is by far the most stress that fish will ever experience. Studies show that it can actually take several days for a fish to restore itself to normal energy levels after a fight. Add to that the suffocation that occurs while you’re holding the fish out of water, and you’ve got a seriously compromised animal that may not be able to recover.

So, don’t keep that fish on the line longer than necessary.

• Use the heaviest tippet you can get away with, so you won’t have to worry much about breaking it off.
• Once you hook up, only let the fish run if it really needs to.
• Most of the time you should be able to bring your fish in with a minimum of fuss, in a short time.

Use a Fish-Friendly, Rubber Net, Wet Your Hands and Handle Fish as Little as Possible

Fish are slippery! That’s because they have a protective coating of mucus that protects them from harmful microorganisms in the water. Rubbing off that coating leaves the fish vulnerable to disease.

• Keep the fish in the water and out of the air as much as possible
• Always wet your hands before handling a fish you intend to release. If you’re fishing in cold water, keep a towel handy so you can dry off afterward.
• Don’t drag a fish up on the bank, or put it in your boat.
• Use a net with a rubber bag, rather than the old-style knotted nylon nets. You can find inexpensive nets like this online, and you can even get a replacement rubber bag to fit your existing net.

Let us know how your fishing trip goes! Share your tips and tricks with your fellow anglers by emailing us at funfishingnm@gmail.com and let’s help the next generation of anglers find success.