NORTHEAST

NORTHEAST CATCHES OF THE WEEK

Eagle Nest Lake: Linda Williams of Las Cruces caught a 23-inch rainbow trout using a nightcrawler worm on Aug. 22.

Rio Grande: Seth Hardy of Red River caught and released a 23-inch brown trout using a homemade white streamer fly near Questa on Aug. 22.

NORTHEAST FISHING REPORT

Cabresto Lake: Fishing for brook and cutthroat trout was good when using mosquito pattern dry flies and olive Caddis flies.

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

Cimarron River: Streamflow near Cimarron Monday morning was 46 cubic feet per second (cfs). Fishing for trout was fair to good when using yellow Stimulator dry flies, San Juan Worm flies, yellow Panther Martin spinners with gold blades, and nightcrawler worms. Fishing for trout at Gravel Pit Lakes was fair to good when using marshmallows and PowerBait with silver flake.

Clayton Lake: Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using chicken liver.

Conchas Lake: Fishing for bass was good when using curly-tail grubs. Fishing for catfish was good when using fresh cut bait. Fishing for bluegill was good when using worms.

Costilla Creek: Fishing for trout was fair when using Hopper dry flies.

Cowles Ponds: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using PowerBait.

Coyote Creek: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using black dry flies and nymph flies.

Eagle Nest Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using nightcrawler worms and Salmon Peach PowerBait. 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: 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 fair when using black Pistol Pete spinner flies.

Lake Alice: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using PowerBait and marshmallows.

Lake Maloya: Fishing for trout from boats was fair when using orange PowerBait. The ADA dock is open to anglers, with priority given to mobility-impaired persons.

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

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

Monastery Lake: Fishing for trout was fair when using worms. Monastery Lake is part of the Department’s Open Gate Program. Please visit our website for more information about this property.

Morphy Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using PowerBait and when trolling using Mack’s Wedding Ring lures with salmon eggs and corn.

Pecos River: Streamflow near Pecos Monday morning was 61 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair when using bead-head Prince Nymph flies and nightcrawler worms.

Red River: Streamflow below the Red River Hatchery on Monday morning was 70 cfs. Fishing for trout was good when using dry-dropper fly setups.

Rio Grande: Streamflow below the Taos Junction Bridge on Monday morning was 301 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using white Streamer flies and bead-head nymph flies.

Rio Hondo: Streamflow near Valdez Monday morning was 21 cfs.

Rio Mora: Streamflow near Terrero Monday morning was 20 cfs.

Rio Pueblo: Streamflow near Peñasco Monday morning was 15 cfs.

Santa Cruz Reservoir: The lake is open from 6:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Thursday-Sunday.

Shuree Ponds: Fishing for trout was good when using Parachute Adams dry flies.

Springer Lake: Fishing for catfish at night was fair to good when using chicken liver.

Storrie Lake: Fishing for trout was slow.

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

Ute Lake: Fishing for walleye was slow. Fishing for white bass was fair when using jigging spoons and blade baits in 25-35 feet of water. Fishing for bass was slow to fair when using Pop-R lures and Whopper Plopper lures. Fishing for crappie was fair when using live minnows in the Ute Creek arm of the lake. Fishing for catfish was good when using chicken liver and nightcrawler worms at night. The main lake water surface temperature was in the upper 70 F to lower 80 F range and the water was clear.

NORTHWEST

NORTHWEST CATCHES OF THE WEEK

Bluewater Lake: Toby Gallegos of Española caught a 33-inch tiger muskie using a green-and-yellow lure on Aug. 27. 

Cochiti Lake: Elias Maes, age 10, of Albuquerque caught a 26-inch catfish using cut bait on Aug. 24.

San Juan River: Gavin M. Garcia of Albuquerque caught and released a 25-inch rainbow trout using an olive midge-pattern fly above Texas Hole on Aug. 25.

NORTHWEST FISHING REPORT

Abiquiu Lake: Fishing for bass was slow to fair when using Kastmaster lures.

Animas River: Streamflow below Aztec Monday morning was 292 cfs.

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

Bluewater Lake: Fishing for tiger muskie was fair to good when using green-and-yellow lures, and spoons in 6-15 feet of water.

Brazos River: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using pheasant-tail nymph flies.

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

Cochiti Lake: Fishing for pike was fair to good when using crankbaits, minnows, nightcrawler worms and cut bait. Fishing for white bass was good when using green deep-diving crankbaits, blue-and-chrome Rat-L-Trap lures; small white swimbaits and curly-tail grubs. Fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass was fair when using chartreuse/pearl curly-tail grubs. Fishing for crappie was slow to fair when using minnows and small, gold swimbaits. Fishing for catfish was good when using cut bait.

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: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using orange spoons, green spoons, and orange PowerBait. Conditions may change quickly because of the nearby wildfire. For updated lake conditions and potential closure information, visit the park’s webpage or call the park office at 575-829-3630.

Grants Riverwalk Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

Jemez Waters: Streamflow near Jemez Monday morning was 11 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using size-16 grey dry flies. Fishing the Cebolla River was good when using worms.

Laguna del Campo: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

Lake Farmington: Fishing for bass was good when using crayfish-pattern plastic baits.

Liam Knight Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

Navajo Lake: Fishing for kokanee salmon was fair to good when using silver spinners, green spinners, pink spinners and orange squid tipped with corn 50-60 feet deep. Fishing for smallmouth bass was fair to good when using 3-inch plastic worms, chartreuse curly-tail grubs and watermelon-green tube jigs.

Rio Chama: Streamflow below El Vado Lake Monday morning was 513 cfs; streamflow below Abiquiu Lake Monday morning was 647 cfs. Fishing for trout below Abiquiu Lake was fair when using bead-head 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.

Rio Grande: Fishing for catfish was good when using chicken liver near Albuquerque.

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 721 cfs. Fishing for trout in the quality waters was good when using red midge-pattern flies, olive midge-pattern flies and gray midge Emerger flies. Fishing for trout in the bait-fishing waters was fair when using Peach PowerBait.

Seven Springs Kids’ Pond: The Kids’ Pond at Seven Springs Hatchery, located four miles north of Fenton Lake State Park in Sandoval County, has reopened to fishing. The pond was closed on Aug. 21 because of firefighting efforts surrounding the McKinney Fire. The fire has been contained and is no longer considered a threat to the hatchery or pond.

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

Tingley Beach: Fishing for catfish was fair when using nightcrawler worms. Fishing for bluegill was fair to good when using small hooks and worms.

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

SOUTHWEST

SOUTHWEST CATCHES OF THE WEEK

Whitewater Creek: Mykal Carlos, age 18, of Deming caught a 14-inch Gila trout using a Pistol Pete spinner fly near the Catwalk on Aug. 22.

SOUTHWEST FISHING REPORT

Alumni Pond: Closed for repairs until further notice.

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

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

Caballo Lake: Fishing for catfish was good when using gizzard shad and cut bait.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing for smallmouth bass was fair when using senk worms. Fishing for white bass was fair to good when trolling using shad-pattern crankbaits. Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using minnows, worms and cut bait.

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

Estancia Park Lake: Fishing for bass was good when using live worms.

Gila River: Streamflow near Gila Monday morning was 37 cfs. Fishing for Gila trout was fair to good when using Pistol Pete spinner flies near the Catwalk on Whitewater Creek.

Glenwood Pond: Fishing for trout was good when using PowerBait and worms.

Lake Roberts: Fishing for catfish was fair when using chicken liver and homemade stink bait.

Percha Dam: Fishing for carp was fair when suing bread and corn.

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 426 cfs. Fishing for catfish was good when using nightcrawler worms near Bernardo.

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

Trees Lake: Fishing for catfish was good when using minnows.

Young Pond: Fishing for catfish was fair when using live minnows and hot dogs.

SOUTHEAST

SOUTHEAST CATCH OF THE WEEK

Oasis Park Lake: Sean Martinez of Clovis caught a 20-inch, 6-pound catfish using a red worm on Aug. 22.

SOUTHEAST FISHING REPORT

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

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

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

Black River: Streamflow at Malaga Monday morning was 6 cfs. Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using nightcrawler worms.

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. The lake is full but needs time for aquatic habitat to develop in order to sustain a healthy fish population. The city hopes to reopen the lake for recreational purposes in June 2024.

Bosque Redondo Lake: Fishing for bass was fair when using nightcrawler worms.

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

Brantley Lake: Fishing for bass was fair when using blue crankbaits.

Carlsbad Municipal Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Chaparral Park Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Corona Pond: High temperatures have impacted fish survival in the pond. Department fisheries biologists are working to restore fish populations.

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

Green Meadow Lake: Fishing for bass was fair to good when using black Berkley plastic worms.

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

Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing for catfish was fair when using hotdogs.

Harry McAdams Park Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

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

Ned Houk Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Oasis Park Lake: Fishing for catfish was good when using red worms.

Pecos River: Streamflow below Sumner Lake Monday morning was 1,490 cfs.

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 5 cfs.

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

Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing for bass was fair when using white plastic worms.

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

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

Tips, Tricks and Stories – Cooler Temperatures and Adjusting Fishing Techniques

*This week, we are re-running a story about fishing with grandfathers. If you have a similar story, please share it by emailing funfishingnm@gmail.com.

David Lopez’s Family Fishing Story

One of the many neat things about fishing is that it is often a tradition passed down from one generation to the next. Anyone can start or carry on the tradition. The tradition can continue for hundreds of years. The tradition is not simply the act of fishing but instead has much more to offer in terms of experience and lessons learned that are useful throughout one’s life. In addition to tricks of the trade, such as how to make homemade bait or grandpa’s secret fishing hole, there are many traits and skills that are developed: ingenuity, perseverance, resilience, appreciation, respect, creativity, patience, and dedication, just to name a few.

To become a successful angler, one is served well to show dedication and use patience. When the conditions are tough it requires perseverance, resilience, and creative ingenuity to overcome and find success. Through these experiences you learn to appreciate and respect things such as your parents, nature, the great outdoors, and the opportunities around you. We can all work to better ourselves, and what better catalyst than a day fishing with Grandpa?

My grandfather’s name was Antonio “Tony” Lopez. After family, there were a few things grandpa loved: fishing, hunting, working, reading and going to the library. If my grandpa was not fishing, he was either at work or at Carnegie library. He always believed that being on time to work meant being there a half-hour before your scheduled start time — that is how he operated. Grandpa worked for the State of New Mexico for more than 35 years, and he taught us the importance of hard work and patience, and to always be prepared.

Most Saturday mornings, bright and early, he would come pick up my brother and I so we could all go fishing. He either drove his bright-orange Datsun pickup truck or his International Scout. He always had his small, aluminum boat with oars ready to go. Just as soon as we got into the vehicle, he would hand us a small carton of raisins and he would always have the radio tuned to the AM radio station KOMA. The Paul Harvey segment was his favorite since it ended with the line, “And that’s the rest of the story.”

Our favorite lakes to go to were McAllister, Storrie and Morphy. McAllister always produced large, football-shaped trout with the distinctive delicious pink meat. Morphy was also good, but in the early and mid-’70s, the road was pretty treacherous. During the week prior to our fishing trip, he would prepare his secret dough bait. The bait consisted of bread, garlic and sardine juice. Grandpa kept his secret bait secret. I never got the whole recipe, but those were the main ingredients and I assure you that it worked. Back then, everyone used to make their own fishing bait. This was before PowerBait had been invented. There were only a few store-bought baits that were widely used, as well as salmon eggs, worms, corn and marshmallows.

Grandpa had an even better secret bait that was really his favorite: hellgrammites. Hellgrammites are the larval stage of the dobsonfly. They grow up to 2-3 inches long, resembling a centipede with a powerful set of pinchers. The hellgrammite is a downright ugly critter, and guess who had the privilege of gathering those creatures? Yep, my brother and me. We would wade in the reeds and check under nests and brush in search of the insect. We would use my grandpa’s homemade tool that resembled a rake with a special head to gather the hellgrammites. The trout loved them. We would use a bobber and about a 4-foot leader. I also had the duty of putting the hellgrammite on the hook, which was not my favorite task, but it had to be done.

My grandpa always wore his waders and always had his pouch of Red Man tobacco. He would pack us a lunch and we would set off for an enjoyable day fishing. I learned a lot from Grandpa’s actions without him having to say too much. We just enjoyed each other’s company and being out in nature. He would teach me all the knots he knew, but most of all, he taught me the virtue of patience, the importance of being organized and how to enjoy the moment. Thanks Grandpa Antonio for those memories, they will never be forgotten!

The Lopez trout recipe is simple, basic, and delicious:

1. Remove entrails and clean fish.
2. Butter/lemon the entire trout inside and out.
3. Optional – bacon, lemon wedges, and onions stuffed in the body cavity.
4. Wrap in foil and cook on grill until meat is flaky and cooked.

David Lopez with his granddaughter Mila Bertoldo and her friend Bao Duong at Cowles Pond in Pecos.

David shares with us a day fishing with his granddaughter Mila Bertoldo and her friend Bao Duong.

One of David’s favorite places to take his granddaughter fishing is to Cowles Pond in the Pecos Mountains. He says that Cowles is a perfect spot for children to fish because it provides easy access, rarely any moss, an excellent chance to catch a fish, and the weather and scenery are amazing. David, Mila and Bao packed their fishing gear and readied themselves for adventure like David’s family has been doing for many years. Mila, age 4, packed her Moana fishing pole and pink tackle box. Bao, also age 4, packed his PJ Mask fishing pole. Both Mila and Bao use PowerBait as their bait of choice — and for good reason, as evidenced by the multiple trout caught that day. After a good day fishing, the kids enjoy getting in the water, exploring, and playing around in nature. David cherishes the quality time he gets to spend with his granddaughter and her friend. He knows the importance of spending this valuable time together; because he remembers when he was a child and all that he learned from his grandfather during their fishing trips.

Bao and Mila with the first fish Bao ever caught.

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!