NORTHEAST

NORTHEAST CATCH OF THE WEEK

Eagle Rock Lake: Andrew Luna caught and released an 18-inch rainbow trout using a tungsten Simco bug through the ice on Feb. 1. “The fishing action was nonstop,” he said.

NORTHEAST FISHING REPORT

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

Eagle Nest Lake: The lake is open for ice fishing after recent cold temperatures thickened the ice to safe levels. For updated lake conditions, visit the park’s webpage or call the park office at 575-377-1594.

Eagle Rock Lake: Ice fishing for trout was very good when using tungsten Simco bugs.

Lake Alice: Anglers reported the lake is closed to ice fishing and shore fishing. For more information, visit Sugarite Canyon State Park’s webpage or call 575-445-5607.

Lake Maloya: Anglers reported the lake is closed to ice fishing and shore fishing. For more information, visit Sugarite Canyon State Park’s webpage or call 575-445-5607.

Monastery Lake: The lake is closed indefinitely due to unsafe ice conditions. Monastery Lake is part of the Department’s Open Gate Program. Please visit our website for more information about this property.

Morphy Lake: Morphy Lake State Park is closed for the season until Feb. 28.

Pecos River: Streamflow near Pecos Wednesday morning was not measured due to ice. The most recent report was received Jan. 22. At that time, fishing for trout was good when using clown salmon eggs, midges, hoppers and elk-hair caddis flies.

Red River: Streamflow below the Red River Hatchery on Wednesday morning was 36.3 cubic feet per second (cfs).

Rio Grande: Streamflow below the Taos Junction Bridge on Wednesday morning was 435 cfs. The most recent report was received Jan. 15. At that time, fishing for brown trout was very good when using red worms.

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

Rio Mora: Streamflow near Terrero Wednesday morning was 9.4 cfs.

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

Ute Lake: The most recent report was received Jan. 15. At that time, fishing for largemouth bass was fair to good when using clown-colored jerkbaits.

We received no reports for the following waterbodies over the past three weeks: Cabresto Lake, Clayton Lake, Charette Lakes, Conchas Lake, Cowles Ponds, Coyote Creek, Gallinas River, Harris Pond, Los Pinos River, Maxwell Lake 13, Red River City Ponds, Red River Hatchery, Rio Costilla, Santa Cruz Reservoir, Shuree Ponds, Springer Lake, Storrie Lake and Stubblefield Lake.

NORTHWEST

NORTHWEST CATCH OF THE WEEK

Jemez Waters: Christino Griego caught three trout using mealworms on the Jemez River on Feb. 1.

NORTHWEST FISHING REPORT

Abiquiu Lake: Contact the Abiquiu Lake Main Office at 505-685-4371 for updated lake conditions and closure information.

Albuquerque Area Drains: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using inline spinners and PowerBait.

Animas River: Streamflow below Aztec Wednesday morning was 218 cfs.

Bluewater Lake: Visit Bluewater Lake State Park’s webpage or call 505-876-2391 for more information. The most recent report was received Jan. 15. At that time, fishing for trout was fair to good when using Cheese PowerBait.

El Vado Lake: The lake is open to boating and angling with a primitive boat ramp available at the Dam Day Use Area, as well as the main (concrete) boat ramp and courtesy dock at El Vado Lake State Park. For more information, visit El Vado Lake State Park’s webpage or call 575-588-7247.

Fenton Lake: The boat ramp/launch area is closed due to ice accumulations on the lake. It will remain closed until conditions exist for safe ice fishing or the lake has completely thawed. For more information,visit Fenton Lake State Park’s webpage or call 575-829-3630.

Grants Riverwalk Pond: The most recent report was received Jan. 29. At that time, fishing for trout was fair to good when using PowerBait.

Jemez Waters: Streamflow near Jemez Wednesday morning was 17.1 cfs. Fishing for trout was good when using mealworms.

Liam Knight Pond: Fishing for trout was good when using red earthworms.

Navajo Lake: Fishing for crappie was good when using jigs.

Rio Chama: Streamflow below El Vado Lake Wednesday morning was 94.4 cfs; streamflow below Abiquiu Lake Wednesday morning was 42.2 cfs. The most recent report was received Jan. 22. At that time, fishing for trout was fair to good when using bait below Abiquiu Lake. 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 only two trout.

Rio Grande: Streamflow at Albuquerque Wednesday morning was 498 cfs.

San Juan River: Streamflow near Archuleta Wednesday morning was 387 cfs. The most recent report was received Jan. 15. At that time, fishing for rainbow trout was slow to fair when using San Juan worms in the quality waters.

Seven Springs Kids’ Pond:  If you catch a native Rio Grande chub in the Kid’s Pond, please do not leave it on the bank; return it to the water where it can survive as part of our native ecosystem.

We received no reports for the following waterbodies over the past three weeks: Brazos River, Canjilon Lakes, Cochiti Lake,Heron Lake, Jackson Lake, Laguna del Campo, Lagunitas Lakes, Lake Farmington, McGaffey Lake, Rio Cebolla, Riverside Park Pond (Aztec Pond #1), San Gregorio Lake, Tiger Park Reservoir, Tingley Beach and Trout Lakes.

SOUTHWEST

SOUTHWEST CATCHES OF THE WEEK

Editor’s Note: The species in last week’s submission from Elephant Butte Lake was misidentified. The fish in the picture were striped bass, not white bass.

Escondida Lake: Dylan Wolf caught his first fish, a rainbow trout, on Jan. 31 using the Spider-Man fishing pole he got as a Christmas gift. “He was super pumped and is ready to go fishing again,” Vance Wolf said.

SOUTHWEST FISHING REPORT

Bear Canyon Lake: Fishing conditions have been adversely affected in the aftermath of the Trout Fire.

Bill Evans Lake: The most recent report was received Jan. 29. At that time, fishing for trout was good when trolling trout lures from a kayak and when using PowerBait from the bank.

Elephant Butte Lake: The most recent report was received Jan. 29. At that time, fishing for white bass was very good when using Rat-L-Traps. The South Monticello boat ramp is currently closed and access to Rattlesnake Island is currently restricted due to low water levels. The closures will be lifted when water levels rise and conditions allow.

Escondida Lake: Fishing for rainbow trout was very good when using worms. Fishing for largemouth bass was fair to good when using spinners.

Gila River: Streamflow near Gila Wednesday morning was 83.1 cfs.

Gila Waters: Streamflow near Gila Hot Springs Wednesday morning was 59.8 cfs.

Rio Grande: The most recent report was received Jan. 29. At that time, fishing for trout was fair to good when using worms. Fishing for walleye was good when using minnows. Streamflow below Elephant Butte Dam on Wednesday morning was 0.17 cfs.

We received no reports for the following waterbodies over the past three weeks: Caballo Lake, Glenwood Pond, Lake Roberts, Percha Dam, Quemado Lake, Rancho Grande Ponds, Snow Lake, Trees Lake and Young Pond.

SOUTHEAST

SOUTHEAST CATCH OF THE WEEK

Green Meadow Lake: James Shanley caught and released four trout using PowerBait Corn Nuggets on Feb. 1.

SOUTHEAST FISHING REPORT

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

Black River: Streamflow at Malaga Wednesday morning was 9.23 cfs.

Bonito Lake: The most recent report was received Jan. 22. At that time, fishing for trout was fair to good when using Yellow PowerBait and Rainbow Glitter PowerBait, and slow when using rooster tails, Kastmasters and Dardevle lures. Only fishing activities are permitted at Bonito Lake.

Green Meadow Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using PowerBait Corn Nuggets.

Grindstone Reservoir: Grindstone Reservoir is currently open for fishing. Due to changing wildlife impact closures, please see the Grindstone Reservoir Webpage before planning a visit.

Pecos River: Streamflow below Sumner Lake Wednesday morning was 14.7 cfs.

Perch Lake: The most recent report was received Jan. 15. At that time, fishing for trout was very good when using multiple types of PowerBait and PowerBalls.

Rio Ruidoso: Streamflow at Hollywood on Wednesday morning was 14.4 cfs. Fishing conditions will be adversely affected for an extended period of time due to recent flooding in the area.

We received no reports for the following waterbodies over the past three weeks: Alto Lake, Bataan Lake, Blue Hole Park Pond, Bosque Redondo Lake, Bottomless Lakes, Brantley Lake, Carlsbad Municipal Lake, Chaparral Park Lake, Corona Pond, Dennis Chavez Pond, Estancia Park Lake, Eunice Lake, Greene Acres Lake, Harry McAdams Park Pond, Jal Lake, Lake Van, Ned Houk Ponds, Oasis Park Lake, Rio Bonito, Rock Lake Hatchery Kids’ Pond, Santa Rosa Lake, Spring River Pond, Sumner Lake and Timberon Ponds.

NOTE: There will be fewer reports available during the cooler seasons when fishing slows. The Department will make every effort to provide as much information as possible during the winter months.

TIPS, TRICKS AND STORIES

Making family memories

By Darren Vaughan

It seems like only yesterday that I was the same age as the kids in some of the photos submitted to the Department for this report each week — alas, the increasing amount of grey hair near my temples tells me otherwise.

Despite the 30-plus years that have passed, reading about young Dylan Wolf’s first catch with his Spider-Man fishing rod brings back a wave of memories for me and some of my earliest fishing excursions with my grandfather.

The earliest one I can remember came when I was seven or eight years old. My grandparents had recently retired and purchased a motorhome. They loaded my sister and I up — no doubt giving my parents, who both worked full-time, a much-needed reprieve — and off we went into the La Sal Mountains of southeast Utah. Our campsite among the towering aspens just below Oowah Lake was probably 45 miles tops from home, but it seemed a world away from the familiar red-rock desert of my hometown.

Now, I’m pretty sure my grandfather wasn’t being serious, given the feast of pancakes and eggs that awaited us the next morning — in fact, at his current age of 92, he hasn’t lost his sense of humor or his sense of sarcasm. However, he broke the news to us that we needed to catch our dinner if we planned on eating that evening. Fortunately, there was a creek immediately behind our campsite that I viewed as my only path to a full belly.

So, my sister and I decided to take matters into our own hands. Donning our Snoopy and Woodstock life jackets and wielding our kid-sized fishing rods, we made our way down to the stream bank, with our grandparents not far behind. Sure, there was the minor issue that neither of us had mastered tying our own shoes yet, let alone the art of tying on a fishhook, but Grandma and Granddad took care of that for us.

Very quickly, our fears of going to bed hungry dissipated. Brook trout after brook trout started biting, ending up on the stringer. Granddad fired up the camp stove and Grandma had the aluminum foil and lemon slices ready for a campsite cookout.

That was only the beginning of my fishing adventures with my grandfather. Later, my grandparents had a house a block from the beach and the Sea of Cortez in northwestern Mexico, as well as several friends with fishing boats all too happy to take us out to reel in yellowtail, dorado, sea goldie and rock bass. On one trip, both of us caught our limit of dorado in less than two hours. Even the trips that weren’t as successful were filled with memories.

And that’s the point of this whole story. If you’re a parent or a grandparent, take your kids or grandkids fishing with you. It’s a chance to make memories that last a lifetime. Now in my early 40s, I think back on those days and I’m instantly taken back to more innocent times in my life.

Someday, perhaps Dylan will look back on the day he reeled in his first fish with his Spider-Man fishing rod the same way I remember the day I caught all those brook trout while wearing a Snoopy life jacket.

Let us know how your fishing trip goes! Share your tips and tricks with your fellow anglers by filling out the iFish form and let’s help the next generation of anglers find success.

Thanks for reading and supporting our angling community!