New Mexico fishing and stocking report

Alumni Pond: Makayla Frietze of Las Cruces caught and released a 26.5-inch catfish using beef liver Oct. 12. Adian Baca of Las Cruces caught a 2-pound largemouth bass using a crankbait Oct. 9.

Canjilon Lakes: Mileya Castillo, age 3, caught a 19-inch rainbow trout using red wiggler worms at the upper lake Oct. 6.

Eagle Nest Lake: Cruz Roybal, age 10, of Las Vegas caught a 21.5-inch rainbow trout using salmon, peach PowerBait Oct. 10. Maurice Marin of Albuquerque caught a 25-inch rainbow trout using a Kastmaster lure Oct. 7.

Elephant Butte Lake: Jay Wysong of Silver City and Skip Ward of Elephant Butte caught an 8-pound, 4-ounce and 5-pound, 6-ounce largemouth bass, respectively, using Senko worms Oct. 12. William Schroeder of Las Cruces caught a 5.1-pound largemouth bass while fishing at night for catfish using cut carp bait Oct. 12.

Fenton Lake: Samuel Kovac, age 8, of Bernalillo caught his limit of rainbow trout using garlic, peach PowerBait Oct. 12.

Grindstone Reservoir: Elijah Palma, age 16, of Roswell caught a 14 and 16-inch rainbow trout using worms Oct. 12. Mari Villalobos and Nicky Villalobos of El Paso, Texas, caught 40 and 35-pound catfish using nightcrawler worms Oct. 7.

Navajo Lake: Nathan Randall, Gustavo Diaz and Gus Jr. of Albuquerque all caught their limits of kokanee salmon using size 6/0 weighted snagging hooks Oct. 10.

Rio Grande:  Seth Hardy of Red River caught a 27-inch pike using a white streamer fly near the Wild Rivers Recreation Area Oct. 8.

San Juan River: Brandon Fragua of Jemez Pueblo caught a 30-inch brown trout using a size-24, demon midge pattern fly Oct. 8.

Seven Springs Brood Pond: Ryan Martinez, age 7, of Los Lunas caught and released two Rio Grande cutthroat trout and 13 rainbow trout, and caught and kept three rainbow trout using worms, salmon eggs, Pistol Pete’s spinner flies and Trout Magnet lures tipped with salmon eggs Oct. 10. Aiden Dunn, age 7, of Tijeras caught a 19-inch rainbow trout using a dry fly Oct. 6.

Trout Lakes: Ben Martinez Sr. of Santa Fe caught a 21 and 22-inch rainbow trout using a spinner Oct. 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. Fish weights and measurements are provided by the angler and printed here as received.

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

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

Cimarron River: Streamflow near Cimarron Monday morning was 10 cubic feet per second (cfs). Fishing for trout was good when using nightcrawler worms.

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

Conchas Lake: Fishing for smallmouth bass was fair when using chartreuse and white crankbaits.

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 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). Tentative stocking of Rio Grande cutthroat trout is set for spring 2023.

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 rainbow trout was good when using salmon, peach PowerBait and Kastmaster lures. Fishing for pike was fair to good when using spoons, Mepps #5 red and gold spinners, and gold Double Cowgirl spinners.

Eagle Rock Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using chartreuse PowerBait.

Gallinas River: National Forest closures have been in place restricting fishing access.Visit the Santa Fe National Forest webpage or call the Santa Fe National Forest office at (505) 438-5300 for the latest closure information.

Hopewell Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using black and green Pistol Pete spinner flies with a water-filled bobber.

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

Lake Maloya: Fishing for trout was good when using Trout Magnet lures, garlic PowerBait and worms.

Los Pinos River: Fishing for trout was fair when using Panther Martin spinners and nymph flies.

Maxwell Lake 13: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Monastery Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using small spinners and PowerBait marshmallows.

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

Pecos River: Streamflow near Pecos Monday morning was 124 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using nightcrawler worms.

Red River: Streamflow below the Red River Hatchery Monday morning was 83 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using salmon eggs and beadhead nymph flies.

Rio Grande: Streamflow below the Taos Junction Bridge Monday morning was 327 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using Rapala trout-pattern lures and gold Panther Martin spinners.

Rio Hondo: Streamflow near Valdez Monday morning was 38 cfs.

Rio Mora: Streamflow near Terrero Monday morning was 42 cfs.

Rio Pueblo: Streamflow near Penasco Monday morning was 36 cfs.

Santa Cruz Reservoir: Fishing for trout was good when using Woolly Bugger flies.

Shuree Ponds: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using caddis dry flies and beadhead nymph flies.

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 walleye was fair when using Berkley Flicker Shad lures trolling over deep brush. Fishing for white bass was slow when using jigging spoons in 28-35 feet of water. Fishing for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass was fair when using small swimbaits, crankbaits and various soft plastics fished on drop shot rigs on rocky points. Fishing for crappie was slow. Fishing for catfish was fair when using punch bait and nightcrawler worms. The main lake water surface temperature was in the upper 60 F range and the water was clear.

Abiquiu Lake: Fishing for smallmouth bass and catfish was slow to fair when using live worms.

Animas River: Streamflow below Aztec Monday morning was 285 cfs.

Albuquerque Area Drains:Fishing for bass in clear-water ditches was good when using purple swim jigs.

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

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

Canjilon Lakes: Fishing for trout was good when using red wiggler worms, Pistol Pete spinner flies and orange PowerBait.

Cochiti Lake: Fishing for catfish was fair when using chicken liver and cut bait.

El Vado Lake: El Vado Lake can be accessed at Hargroves Day Use Area off State Road 322 and the Main Park area off State Road 112. The Rio Chama can be accessed at the North El Vado Day Use Area on State Road 95, 10 miles west of U.S. Highway 84. Lake levels are steady but expected to drop as crews work on the El Vado Dam. The Dam Day Use Area is closed due to the ongoing construction. State Road 112 over the dam will experience periodic closures. For more information, visit El Vado Lake State Park’s webpage or call 575-588-7247.

Fenton Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using garlic, peach PowerBait.

Grants Riverwalk Pond: The city is in the final stages of repairs; stocking will resume soon.

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

Jemez Waters: Streamflow near Jemez Monday morning was 79 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using mop flies and worms.

Laguna del Campo: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using silver spinners and orange PowerBait.

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

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

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

Navajo Lake: Fishing for smallmouth bass was fair when using green, pumpkin Ned Rigs. Fishing for kokanee salmon using size 6/0 weighted snagging hooks was good near the dam.

Rio Chama: Streamflow below El Vado Lake and below Abiquiu Lake Monday morning was 100 cfs and 101 cfs, respectively. Fishing for trout below El Vado Lake was fair when using nightcrawler worms and small Rapala trout-pattern lures. Fishing for trout below Abiquiu Lake was fair when using worms and PowerBait. 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.

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

Riverside Park Pond (Aztec Pond #1): We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

San Juan River: Streamflow near Archuleta Monday morning was 629 cfs. Fishing for trout in the quality waters was good when using size-24, midge-pattern flies and brown San Juan worm flies. Fishing for trout in the bait waters was fair to good when using PowerBait.

Seven Springs Brood Pond: Fishing for trout was good when using orange PowerBait, salmon peach PowerBait and Trout Magnet lures tipped with salmon eggs.

Tiger Park Reservoir: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Tingley Beach: Fishing for bluegill was good when using small pieces of worm on a red salmon egg hook.

Trout Lakes: Fishing for trout was good when using spinners and olive leech-pattern flies.

Alumni Pond: Fishing for bass was fair to good when using small perch pattern lures and worms. Fishing for catfish was slow to fair when using nightcrawler worms.

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 cut carp bait.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing for catfish was good when using shad and cut bait. Fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass was fair to good when using Senko worms. Fishing for white bass was good when using white and chartreuse curly-tail grubs. Fishing for crappie was slow to fair when using live minnows. Fishing for walleye was slow when using nightcrawler worms.

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

Gila River: Streamflow near Gila Monday morning was 3,850 cfs.

Glenwood Pond: Fishing for trout was fair when using brown dry flies.

Lake Roberts: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using chartreuse PowerBait and flies. Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using chicken pieces and nightcrawler worms.

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

Quemado Lake: Fishing for trout was fair when using silver spinners.

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

Rio Grande: Streamflow below Elephant Butte Dam Monday morning was 1 cfs.

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

Trees Lake: Fishing for bass was fair to good when using green and silver, deep-diving Rat-L-Trap lures. Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using worms and a bobber.

Young Pond: Fishing for all species was slow.

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

Bataan Lake: Fishing for catfish was slow when using shrimp and nightcrawler worms.

Berrendo Creek: We had no reports from anglers this week. Please visit the Open Gate webpage for more information on this property.

Black River: Streamflow at Malaga Monday morning was 5 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.

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

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

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

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 largemouth bass was fair when using wacky-rigged, watermelon/red-flake plastic worms,

Green Meadow Lake: Fishing for catfish was slow to fair when using hot dogs.

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

Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing for trout was good when using worms and orange-glitter, garlic PowerBait 2.5 feet off the bottom of the lake. Fishing for catfish was good when using nightcrawler worms and shrimp.

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: Streamflow below Sumner Lake Monday morning was 41 cfs. Fishing for smallmouth and largemouth bass was good when using 3-inch, paddle-tail swimbaits.

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

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

Rio Ruidoso: Streamflow at Hollywood Monday morning was 20 cfs.

Rock Lake Hatchery Kids’ Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using bluegill cut bait.

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

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

On Oct. 16, 2022, 5-year-old Ruben Delgado of Albuquerque traveled to Seven Springs Brood Pond along with his parents, twin brother Johnathan, older brother Peter and their Royal Rangers troop for a day of fishing.

They had learned the basics of fishing in their class, and all of them hoped to earn their fishing badges. One important item the troop had learned was the importance of water clarity and matching the color of fishing line to the color of the water. When water temperature changes, the color and clarity of the water does as well. For example, hot weather can cause algae to grow. When this happens, the water changes to a greenish color with poor clarity.

When Ruben and his Royal Rangers troop went fishing, the water color was a murky gray and moss was still growing in the water. The water made it hard to catch fish, even though you could see them swimming. Ruben, with help from his troop and remembering what he was taught in class, found that one of the fishing poles had a light-green fishing line that matched the water color. They baited the pole with a highly visible, orange PowerBait that floated above the moss.

Shortly after setting up his fishing pole, Ruben had a strike and caught his first fish on his first outing. With that catch, he earned his fishing badge!

Ruben’s tip for his fellow anglers is to remember to use the right color fishing line for the water conditions. If the fish are not biting, maybe they can see your fishing line. A less-visible line might just help you land your first fish.

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!