Fishing report:

Eagle Nest Lake: Andrew Luna of Los Lunas caught a 20-inch rainbow trout while ice fishing using a pink Trout Magnet lure Jan. 16. AD Esquibel of Rio Rancho and Matthew Medina of Albuquerque caught a 23-inch rainbow trout and 11 perch ice fishing using jigs off the bottom of the lake Jan. 16.

Elephant Butte Lake: Rebecca Calcutt of Albuquerque caught an 8-pound drum using live bait Jan. 17. Marcus Martinez of Albuquerque caught a 12-pound blue catfish using live bait Jan. 17. Lorenzo Lopez of Truth or Consequences caught a 24-pound blue catfish using cut gizzard shad Jan. 15.

Hopewell Lake: Chris Varela and Roxanne Lopez of Alcalde caught their limits of trout using orange PowerBait and nightcrawler worms Jan. 16.

Rio Grande: Elijon Casados, age 11, of Albuquerque caught two brown trout and a 16-inch rainbow trout using a yellow and silver Panther Martin spinner near Pilar Jan. 15.

San Juan River: Gabriel Jake, age 15, of Farmington caught a 24-inch brown trout using worms near Cottonwood Campground Jan. 9.

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: Ice fishing for brook trout was good when using small glow tungsten ice jigs with glow plastics. The roads were snow-packed and slippery.

Charette Lakes: Closed for the season. The lake will reopen in March.

Cimarron River: Streamflow near Cimarron Monday morning was 22.4 cubic feet per second (cfs).

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

Conchas Lake: New winter season hours – open for day-use access only Thursday-Sundayfrom 8 a.m.-5 p.m. For updated lake conditions visit the park’s webpage or call the park office at (575) 868-2270.

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 this spring. 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: Ice fishing for trout was slow to fair when using pink Trout Magnet lures. Ice fishing for perch was fair to good when using Kastmasters and jigs off the bottom of the lake. For updated lake conditions visit the park’s webpage or call the park office at (575) 377-1594.

Eagle Rock Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using salmon eggs, pink PowerBait and small silver spoons.

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

Hopewell Lake: Anglers reported the lake was frozen and the entrance gates are locked until spring. Ice fishing for trout was very good when using orange PowerBait and nightcrawler worms.

Lake Alice: Temporarily closed due to recent weather conditions and ice forming on the lake. State Park officials have deemed the lake unsafe at this time. For updated lake conditions visit the park’s webpage or call the park office at (575) 445-5607.

Lake Maloya: Temporarily closed due to recent weather conditions and ice forming on the lake. State Park officials have deemed the lake unsafe at this time. For updated lake conditions visit the park’s webpage or call the park office at (575) 445-5607.

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

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

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

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

Pecos River: Streamflow near the town of Pecos Monday morning was not measured due to ice. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using small beadhead nymph flies.

Red River: Streamflow below the hatchery Monday morning was 30.6 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair when using zebra midge flies and RS2 flies.

Rio Grande: Streamflow at the Taos Junction Bridge Monday morning was 399 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using small beadhead nymph flies, midge flies, yellow and silver Panther Martin spinners and nightcrawler worms.

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

Rio Mora: Streamflow Monday morning near Tererro was not measured due to ice.

Rio Pueblo: Streamflow near Peñasco Monday morning was not measured due to ice.

Santa Cruz Reservoir: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Shuree Ponds: Closed for the season. The ponds will reopen in July.

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 all species was slow.

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

Animas River: Waterflow below Aztec Monday morning was 206 cfs.

Albuquerque Area Drains:Fishing for trout was fair to good when using prince nymph flies, orange PowerBait and marshmallows.

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-morningflows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 97.3 cfs and 61.9 cfs, respectively. Fishing for trout below El Vado Lake was fair to good when using spinners and streamer flies. Fishing for trout below Abiquiu Lake was good when using beadhead nymph flies and worms. 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: Closed to ice fishing due to thin ice covering the lake. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Fenton Lake: There was no fishing due to thin ice covering the lake. Please remember, only two cutthroat trout are allowed to be harvested per day within the regular five-fish limit.

Heron Lake: Closed to ice fishing due to thin ice covering the lake. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Jemez Waters: Streamflow on the Jemez near the town of Jemez Monday morning was 13.0 cfs. Fishing for trout below the town of Jemez was good when using worms and flashback nymph flies.

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

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: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

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

San Juan River: Streamflow Monday morning was 403 cfs. Fishing for trout in the quality waters was fair to good when using red annelid flies, San Juan worm flies, leech pattern flies and black midge pattern flies. Fishing for trout in the bait waters was good when using worms.

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

Tingley Beach: Fishing for trout was good when using gold beadhead nymph flies and worms. Fishing for trout in the catch-and-release pond was good using single barbless hook Panther Martin spinners.

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

Alumni Pond: Fishing for trout was good when using Velveeta cheese and marshmallows.

Bear Canyon Lake: Fishing for trout was fair when using PowerBait and salmon eggs.

Bill Evans Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using PowerBait, red Rooster Tail spinners and gold Panther Martin spinners.

Caballo Lake: Fishing for bass was fair when using lipless crankbaits.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using cut gizzard shad bait and live bait. Fishing for white bass was slow to fair when using live bait. Fishing for drum was slow to fair when using live bait. Fishing for largemouth bass was fair when using jerkbaits and live shiners.

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

Gila River: Streamflow Monday morning was 72.4 cfs.

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

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

Percha Dam: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using yellow and orange PowerBait.

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

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

Rio Grande: Streamflow below Elephant Butte Monday morning was 0.37 cfs.

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

Trees Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using pink and chartreuse garlic PowerBait.

Young Pond: Fishing for trout was fair when using fresh salmon eggs.

Ben Allen is an avid fisherman from Albuquerque who goes above and beyond to share his passion for fishing with others. Each year, he spends countless hours volunteering to help kids and people with disabilities catch fish. Recently, he developed an innovative fishing device he calls “Da Castenator” to help people with disabilities cast their own fishing rods. He says, “I could cast the rod for someone, but it is much (more fun) for them if they can cast their own rod.” Ben’s invention came about as school science fair project. His hard work and innovative solution to a problem earned him a first-place finish in his school’s science fair.

Ben’s Abstract for Da Castenator

Essential parts of fishing are the actions of casting and reeling. This makes fishing inaccessible to those with limited hand functions, such as quadriplegics. Da Castenator enables people with upper limb disabilities to cast bait and reel it in with the touch of a button.

Casting is accomplished by propelling a soft foam ball with compressed air through a PVC tube. The foam ball must be the same diameter as the PVC tube. Ben used a standard 3-inch tube outfitted with a Schrader valve on one end where air can be added by an air compressor. An open/close valve in the tube enables air pressure to build up and then be released on demand. When the air pressure is released, it propels the foam ball which is attached to the fishing line and bait. Casting distances up to 100 feet were achieved using this method.

Reeling in the line is achieved using a drill attached to the fishing reel handle. A rotating attachment is used to connect the drill to the reel and a secondary attachment is used to maintain stability. The electrical connections within the drill were moved to an external switch that is easier to hold and activate.

Ben’s research will continue this summer working with non-profit GO Unlimited participants to make Da Castenator ready for real-world use. Ben says future work will be aimed at improving the packaging and reducing the overall size of Da Castenator.

Ben accomplished this feat at the young age of 12. He turns 13 next Friday. Thank you for helping your fellow anglers Ben and we wish you the happiest of birthdays!

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.

Thanks for reading and supporting our angling community!