Fishing Report

Caballo Lake: Hannah Linder of Cedar Crest caught a 19-pound, 12-ounce blue catfish using cut carp bait Feb. 18.

Eagle Nest Lake: Val Armijo caught his limit of rainbow trout up to 19 inches long using salmon-peach PowerBait Feb. 16.

Fenton Lake: Lloyd Aragon Jr. of Edgewood caught an 18.5-inch cutthroat trout using purple nymph-scent PowerBait Feb. 16.

Rio Grande: Christopher Dewitt of Española caught a 22-inch rainbow trout using an egg-pattern fly Feb. 17.

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 atfunfishingnm@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: Closed to boating and fishing until March.

Cimarron River: Streamflow near Cimarron Monday morning was not measured due to ice.

Clayton Lake: Closed to boating and fishing until March.

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

Costilla Creek: The Valle Vidal is closed to fishing until July.

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 good when using salmon-peach PowerBait and green tungsten jigs. 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 tungsten jig heads tipped with maggots and wax worms.

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: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Lake Alice: Closed due to unsafe ice conditions.

Lake Maloya: Ice fishing for trout and perch was good when using tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms and chartreuse, shad-pattern minnows.

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

Maxwell Lake 13: Closed to boating and fishing until March.

Monastery Lake: Closed to fishing due to unsafe ice conditions.

Morphy Lake: Closed to boating and fishing until March.

Pecos River: Streamflow near Pecos Monday morning was not measured due to ice. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using yellow and white streamer flies.

Red River: Streamflow below the Red River Hatchery on Monday morning was 46 cfs.

Rio Grande: Streamflow below the Taos Junction Bridge on Monday morning was 510 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using egg pattern flies.

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

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

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

Santa Cruz Reservoir: Gates are open Thursday-Sunday from 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

Shuree Ponds: Closed to fishing until 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 white bass was fair when using vibrating blade baits and slab spoons. The main lake water surface temperature was in the low 40 degrees F range and the water was clear.

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

Animas River: Streamflow below Aztec Monday morning was 198 cfs.

Albuquerque Area Drains:Fishing for trout was fair when using peach PowerBait.

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.

Cochiti Lake: Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using cut carp bait in deeper water near the river channel.

El Vado Lake: Closed due to dam construction project. For more information, visit El Vado Lake State Park’s webpage or call 575-588-7247.

Fenton Lake: Ice fishing for trout was slow to fair when using tungsten jigs tipped with shrimp.

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

Heron Lake: Open to ice fishing. Park staff would appreciate reports on any fish caught.

Jemez Waters: Streamflow near Jemez Monday morning was 25 cfs.

Laguna del Campo: Closed to fishing until March.

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: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Chama: Streamflow below El Vado Lake was not measured due to ice; streamflow below Abiquiu Lake Monday morning was 72 cfs. Fishing for trout below Abiquiu Lake was good when using mercury midge-pattern flies and chocolate RS2 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.

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 338 cfs. Fishing for trout in the quality waters was fair to good when using grey bunny leech pattern flies and size-24, midge-pattern flies.

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

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

Tingley Beach: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using zebra midge pattern flies in the catch and release pond.

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

Alumni Pond: Fishing for trout was slow to fair.

Bear Canyon Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Bill Evans Lake: The department is conducting a boater and angler improvement project at Bill Evans Lake from February to April. Improvements include the installation of a new concrete boat ramp and dock; improvements to the existing boat ramp; the installation of rock, fishing jetties; road improvements; and re-grading the north camping access area. Anglers should expect intermittent, temporary closures during construction. For current conditions, contact the department’s Fisheries Management Division at 505-476-8055. Anglers are encouraged to visit surrounding lakes such as Bear Canyon Lake, Lake Roberts and Trees Lake for alternate fishing locations.

Caballo Lake: Fishing for catfish was good when using cut carp bait.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing for crappie was good when using small dark-colored jigs and live minnows. Fishing for catfish was good when using worms and chicken liver.

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

Gila River: Streamflow near Gila Monday morning was 216 cfs.

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

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

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: Streamflow below Elephant Butte Dam on Monday morning was 0 cfs.

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

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

Young Pond: Fishing for trout was good when using Velveeta cheese, canned corn, salmon-peach PowerBait and blue and silver midge pattern flies.

Alto Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using corn and red, white and blue PowerBait.

Bataan Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using corn-flavored PowerBait.

Berrendo Creek: Please visit the Open Gate webpage for more information on this property.

Black River: Streamflow at Malaga Monday morning was 11 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 trout was fair to good when using corn-flavored PowerBait.

Green Meadow Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using worms fished beneath a bobber.

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

Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing for trout was slow when using Rapala lures. Anglers reported most of the lake was covered with thin ice.

Harry McAdams Park Pond: Fishing for trout was very good when using homemade dough bait. 

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

Oasis Park Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using salmon-peach PowerBait.

Pecos River: Streamflow below Sumner Lake Monday morning was 10 cfs.

Perch Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using orange, garlic PowerBait.

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

Rio Ruidoso: Streamflow at Hollywood Monday morning was 11 cfs.

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

Santa Rosa Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Sumner Lake: Fishing for white bass was good when using curly-tail, shad-pattern jigs.

Timberon Ponds: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using worms.

Each year, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish hosts the New Mexico Outdoor Adventures Show at Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque. Amongst the many exciting outdoor businesses and people attending the show are a couple special fishing ponds for the children to try their luck at angling. It has become a huge hit and an excellent way for parents and kids alike to experience the fun of angling. It is an absolutely great experience full of laughter, smiles and excitement! Many anglers will tell you, “There is nothing better than introducing a kid to fishing, you’ve just got to try it!”

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!