Fishing Report

Albuquerque Area Drains: Elias Gabaldon, age 9, of Los Lunas caught his limit of trout in the drain south of Cesar Chavez Boulevard using PowerBait March 17.

Chama River: Jude Naranjo, age 19, of Alcalde caught and released a 20-inch brown trout on the Red Chile Waters below Abiquiu Lake using a black and maroon beadhead Woolly Bugger fly March 13.

Conchas Lake: Ensley Aguilar of Santo Domingo Pueblo caught a 29.5-inch, 8-pound, 1-ounce walleye using a crawdad pattern swimbait March 19.

Elephant Butte Lake: Doug Mininger, age 12, of Animas caught an 8-pound blue catfish using cut carp bait March 20.

Navajo Lake: Dar Gunnink of Aztec caught a 28-inch brown trout using a rainbow trout pattern lure March 20. Tom Montoya of Cuba caught a 31-inch brown trout and a 35-inch pike using an orange Rapala lure March 9.

Tingley Beach: Maisyn Gonzales, age 3, of Albuquerque caught her first two fish, 11-inch rainbow trout, using salmon eggs March 18. Avi Gonzales, age 4, of Albuquerque caught a 17.5-inch rainbow trout using PowerBait March 13.

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 trout was good when using small tungsten ice jigs and Trout Magnet lures.

Charette Lakes: Fishing for trout was good when using garlic PowerBait, salmon peach PowerBait and black spinners.

Cimarron River: Streamflow near Cimarron Monday morning was 4.53 cubic feet per second (cfs).

Clayton Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using PowerBait.

Conchas Lake: Fishing for walleye was fair to good when using crawdad pattern swimbaits.

Costilla Creek: The Department is implementing 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 involves 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 2023. 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: Temporarily closed to ice fishing due to unsafe ice conditions. For updated lake conditions visit the park’s webpage or call the park office at (575) 377-1594.

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

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.

Lake Alice: Temporarily closed due to unsafe ice conditions. For updated lake conditions visit the park’s webpage or call the park office at (575) 445-5607.

Lake Maloya: Temporarily closed due to unsafe ice conditions. 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: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

Morphy Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using tungsten beadhead prince nymph flies.

Pecos River: Streamflow near the town of Pecos Monday morning was 27.8 cfs. Fishing for trout was good when using black Woolly Bugger flies and orange egg pattern flies.

Red River: Streamflow below the hatchery Monday morning was 38.7 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using beadhead nymph flies.

Rio Grande: Streamflow at the Taos Junction Bridge Monday morning was 516 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using streamer flies and silver spinners.

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: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using garlic PowerBait, Rapala lures and red or chartreuse spoons.

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

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

Storrie Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using homemade stink bait and garlic glitter PowerBait.

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

Ute Lake: Fishing for walleye was fair when using Flicker Shad lures, Wally Diver lures and bottom bouncers tipped with live minnows or Berkley Gulp minnows in 16 to 20 feet of water. Fishing for white bass was fair when trolling various crankbaits. Fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass was fair to good when using skirted jigs fished around deep brush. The main lake water surface temperature was in the upper 40-degrees to lower 50-degrees Fahrenheit and the water clarity was stained.

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

Animas River: Waterflow below Aztec Monday morning was 233 cfs.

Albuquerque Area Drains:Fishing for trout was good when using pink PowerBait. Fishing for bass was fair when using jigs and swimbaits.

Bluewater Lake: Fishing for tiger muskie was fair when using black and orange spinners.

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 97.3 cfs and 49.0 cfs, respectively. Fishing for trout below El Vado Lake was fair when using nightcrawler worms and beadhead nymph flies. Fishing for trout below Abiquiu Lake was fair to good when using beadhead Woolly Bugger 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: Fishing for catfish was good when using cut bait and nightcrawler worms.

El Vado Lake: Temporarily closed to ice fishing due to unsafe ice conditions.

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

Heron Lake: Temporarily closed to ice fishing due to unsafe ice conditions.

Jemez Waters: Streamflow on the Jemez near the town of Jemez Monday morning was 37.7 cfs. Fishing for trout was good when using cheese bait, spinners and worms.

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: Fishing for trout was good when using PowerBait.

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 fair when using crankbait lures. Fishing for trout was fair when using rainbow trout pattern lures.

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 333 cfs. Fishing for trout in the quality waters was good when using crystal flash midge nymph flies and midge cluster dry flies. Fishing for trout in the bait waters was fair to good when using PowerBait and nightcrawler worms.

Seven Springs Brood Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week. Parking is limited and 4-wheel drive vehicles are recommended due to snow.

Tingley Beach: Fishing for trout was good when using salmon eggs, garlic PowerBait and homemade dough bait.

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

Alumni Pond: Fishing for trout was good when using original PowerBait and white beadhead hare ear flies.

Bear Canyon Lake: Fishing for trout was slow to fair using gold and red spoons.

Bill Evans Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using streamer flies, Flicker Shad lures, garlic PowerBait, PowerBait worms and live worms.

Caballo Lake: Fishing for walleye was fair when using white and chartreuse curly tail grubs.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using cut carp bait. Fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass was fair when using jigs and plastic worms. Fishing for striped bass was slow to fair when using live bait. Fishing for crappie was good when using small jigs and live minnows.

Escondida Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using corn and rainbow PowerBait.

Gila River: Streamflow Monday morning was 61.2 cfs.

Glenwood Pond: Fishing for trout was slow.

Lake Roberts: Fishing for largemouth bass was fair to good when using maroon colored plastic worms and silver spoons. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using spinners and dry flies.

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

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

Rancho Grande Ponds: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using garlic PowerBait.

Rio Grande: Streamflow below Elephant Butte Monday morning was 0.10 cfs.

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

Trees Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using PowerBait.

Young Pond: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using salmon peach PowerBait and Velveeta cheese.

I’m getting ready as a volunteer to help a bunch of kids learn how to fly fish and would like to share a cheap/easy fly to use when teaching kids to use flies with a fly rod or spin rod.

This fly is one of the easiest to make and very deadly for catching trout, crappie and occasionally other species. There are two models we will talk about here. The first is a common mainstay in many fly fishermen’s tackle boxes. It is created like most flies in a fly-tying vice (fly tying kit). Here is a video that shows how to create this fly if you have a vice.

For me, the easy way, that has worked for years, is to purchase a sheet of chamois from an auto store (people use chamois to dry their cars). Cut leech-shaped strips that are about 1.5 inches long, 1/3 inch wide in the middle and comes to a point on each end. The finished cut piece should look like an elongated diamond. Once you have made your cuts, take a small salmon egg hook (I like red) and run it through the center of the chamois. Then run it back through the chamois so that the hook is centered length-wise and width-wise with the leech pattern you created. A very small dab of superglue where the hook goes through the chamois will secure the hook. This fly can be fished with or without weight. In still water, once soaked with water, the chamois leech will slowly sink, and trout will often strike on the fall. This chamois leech has been very successful for many kids that I have taught how to fly fish at Seven Springs Brood Pond in the Jemez Mountains.

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!