NORTHEAST

NORTHEAST CATCH OF THE WEEK

Pecos River: Jude Suina and his wife took their two grandsons out for a day of fishing on Aug. 30. His oldest grandson caught four trout, while Jude’s wife caught two. Jude and his youngest grandson each caught one using worms.

NORTHEAST FISHING REPORT

Charette Lake: The lake is currently under a Harmful Algae Bloom Danger Advisory.

Cimarron River: Streamflow near Cimarron on Tuesday morning was 29 cubic feet per second (cfs).

Clayton Lake: The most recent report was received on Aug. 13. At the time, fishing for catfish with shrimp was slow. The main boat ramp is closed due to low water levels. For more information, visit Clayton Lake & Dinosaur Trackways State Park’s webpage or call 575-374-8808.

Eagle Nest Lake: For updated lake conditions, visit Eagle Nest Lake State Park’s webpage or call 575-377-1594.

Lake Maloya: For more information, visit Sugarite Canyon State Park’s webpage or call 575-445-5607.

Pecos River: Streamflow near Pecos on Tuesday morning was 33.6 cfs. Fishing for trout was very good when using worms.

Red River: The most recent report was received Aug. 27. At that time, fishing for trout was good when using worms. Streamflow below the Red River Hatchery on Tuesday morning was 28.4 cfs.

Rio Grande: The most recent report was received Aug. 27. At that time, fishing was good for smallmouth bass using a worm lure at the Taos Junction Bridge. Streamflow below the Taos Junction Bridge on Tuesday morning was 144 cfs.

Rio Hondo: Streamflow near Valdez on Tuesday morning was 7.92 cfs.

Rio Mora: Streamflow near Terrero on Tuesday morning was 17.3 cfs.

Rio Pueblo: Streamflow near Peñasco on Tuesday morning was 3.59 cfs.

Ute Lake: The most recent report was received Aug. 27. At that time, fishing for smallmouth bass was slow to fair when using drop shot with wacky rigged robo worm.

We received no reports for the following waterbodies over the past three weeks: Cabresto Lake, Conchas Lake, Cowles Ponds, Coyote Creek, Eagle Rock Lake, Fawn Lakes, Gallinas River, Harris Pond, Hopewell Lake, Lake Alice, Los Pinos River, Maxwell Lake 13, Morphy Lake, Red River City Ponds, Rio Costilla, Rito la Presa, Santa Cruz Reservoir, Shuree Ponds, Springer Lake, Storrie Lake and Stubblefield Lake.

NORTHWEST

NORTHWEST CATCHES OF THE WEEK

Bluewater Lake: Kii Lowe caught a catfish using liver on Aug. 21.

Bluewater Lake: Santiago Chavez caught this tiger muskie using a rainbow-pattern Strike King on Aug. 22.

Bluewater Lake: Francisco Garcia caught a 6-pound catfish using hot dogs on Aug. 24.

Jemez Waters: Jolene took her 3-year-old son fishing on the Jemez River on Aug. 29, and he caught four trout using PowerBait.

Jemez Waters: Calen Morfin, age 11, caught a 13-inch rainbow trout while fishing with his godfather, David Benavidez, on Aug. 26.

Rio Chama: Luke Vargo caught a “chunky little brown trout” using a hand-tied fly below El Vado Lake on Aug. 26.

San Juan River: David R. Gerg caught a 25-inch brown trout using a size-22 red larva fly on Aug. 28.

San Juan River: Lj Willow caught and released 22 brown trout and rainbow trout using midges and small dry flies on Aug. 22.

NORTHWEST FISHING REPORT

Abiquiu Lake: The most recent report was received Aug. 27. At that time, fishing was very good for walleye, crappie and bluegill using Z-Man Micro WormZ on a micro Ned Rig.Contact the Abiquiu Lake Main Office at 505-685-4371 for updated lake conditions and closure information.

Albuquerque Area Drains: The most recent report was received Aug. 27. At that time, fishing for catfish was fair to good when using hot dogs.

Animas River: Streamflow below Aztec on Tuesday morning was 92.7 cfs.

Bluewater Lake: Fishing for catfish was slow when using liver and hot dogs. Fishing for tiger muskie was very good when using rainbow-pattern Strike Kings.

Cochiti Lake: The most recent report was received Aug. 20. At that time, fishing for white bass and catfish was good when using live bait and worms.

El Vado Lake: Boating access is limited, with an imminent boat ramp closure expected due to low water conditions. For more information, visit El Vado Lake State Park’s webpage or call 575-588-7247.

Fenton Lake: For more information, visit Fenton Lake State Park’s webpage or call 575-829-3630.

Heron Lake: Boat ramps are closed due to extremely low water. For more information,visit Heron Lake State Park’s webpage or call 575-588-7470.

Jemez Waters: Streamflow near Jemez on Tuesday morning was 8.3 cfs. Fishing for trout on the Jemez River was good when using PowerBait.

Liam Knight Pond: The most recent report was received Aug. 20. At that time, fishing was slow to fair for catfish and carp using hot dogs.

Navajo Lake: The most recent report was received Aug. 13. At that time, fishing for bluegill and catfish was very good when using nightcrawlers. Fishing for largemouth bass was fair to good when using white spinners. For more information, visit Navajo Lake State Park’s webpage or call 505-632-2278.

Rio Cebolla: Fishing for rainbow trout on the Rio Cebolla was good when using grasshopper flies.

Rio Chama: Fishing for trout was good when using hand-tied flies below El Vado Lake. Streamflow below El Vado Lake on Tuesday morning was 99.8 cfs; streamflow below Abiquiu Lake on Tuesday morning was 395 cfs. 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 on Tuesday morning was 0 cfs.

San Juan River:Streamflow near Archuleta on Tuesday morning was 892 cfs. Fishing for brown and rainbow trout was good when using size-22 red larva flies, midges and small dry flies in the quality waters.

Seven Springs Kids Pond: The most recent report was received Aug. 20. At that time, fishing for trout was fair to good when using Rainbow PowerBait.

Tingley Beach: The most recent report was received Aug. 20. At that time, fishing for bass was slow to fair when using night poppers.

Trout Lakes: Fishing for trout was very good when using Salmon Peach PowerBait and Panther Martins.

We received no reports for the following waterbodies over the past three weeks: Brazos River, Bluewater Lake, Canjilon Lakes, Lake Farmington, McGaffey Lake, Riverside Park Pond (Aztec Park #1), San Gregorio Lake and Tiger Park Reservoir.

SOUTHWEST

SOUTHWEST CATCH OF THE WEEK

Bill Evans Lake: Eric Kennburg, age 9, from Silver City, caught more bluegill than he could count, six catfish and a 28-pound carp using an inline method feeder during a weekend camping trip that wrapped up Aug. 30.

Elephant Butte Lake: Natividad Aguilera caught five largemouth bass using a spoon while fishing from the shore near Rattlesnake Island on Aug. 6.

Young Pond: Hayes Sitch caught six bluegill, releasing four, and also reeled in a catfish using worms on Aug. 27.

SOUTHWEST FISHING REPORT

Bill Evans Lake: Fishing for bluegill and carp was good when using inline method feeders. Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using chicken liver, bluegill and inline method feeders.

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

Caballo Lake: With recent water releases from Elephant Butte and Caballo lakes, water levels are changing across the lake; boaters should exercise caution in low-water areas. For more information, visit the Caballo Lake State Park webpage or call 575-743-3942.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing for largemouth bass was fair to good when using spoons from the shore. Due to historically low water levels, vessel launching at the Marina del Sur boat ramp is hazardous because of sediment and debris on the ramp. The South Monticello and Rock Canyon boat ramps remain closed due to low water levels. For more information, visit the Elephant Butte State Park webpage or call 575-744-5923.

Gila River: Streamflow near Gila on Tuesday morning was 22.1 cfs.

Gila Waters: Streamflow near Gila Hot Springs on Tuesday morning was 37.9 cfs.

Quemado Lake: The lake is currently closed due to a harmful algae bloom.

Rio Grande: Streamflow below Elephant Butte Lake was 0 cfs.

Young Pond: Fishing for bass was fair to good when using micro 1/16-ounce jigs with micro soft plastics. Fishing for bluegill and sunfish was fair to good when using live red worms or wax worms on a slip float setup No. 8 hook. Fishing for catfish was good when using worms.

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

SOUTHEAST

SOUTHEAST CATCH OF THE WEEK

Bonito Lake: JT caught his limit of rainbow trout within two hours, including a 16-incher, using PowerBait on Aug. 29.

Bonito Lake: Brian Powers and his wife caught 11 trout and between 12-15 green sunfish using rainbow Panther Martins and worms on Aug. 30. They kept four trout. “Trout were more elusive until around 10:30, when we switched to bigger hooks and the bite really took off,” Brian said.

Grindstone Reservoir: Kevin and Yali caught 10 trout using Garlic PowerBait on Aug. 23.

SOUTHEAST FISHING REPORT

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

Black River: Streamflow at Malaga on Tuesday morning was 2.99 cfs.

Bonito Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to very good when using PowerBait, spoons, spinners and salmon eggs, and fair to good when using rainbow Panther Martins and worms. Only fishing activities are permitted at Bonito Lake. Please visit the Open Gate webpage for more information on this property.

Carlsbad Municipal Lake: The most recent report was received Aug. 27. At that time, fishing for largemouth bass was good when using a rattle trap.

Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing for trout was good when using Garlic PowerBait.Grindstone Reservoir is currently open for fishing. Due to changing wildfire impact closures, please see the Grindstone Reservoir webpage before planning a visit.

Pecos River: Streamflow below Sumner Lake on Tuesday morning was 89.9 cfs.

Rio Ruidoso: Streamflow at Hollywood on Tuesday morning was 1.14 cfs. Fishing conditions will be adversely affected for an extended period of time due to recent flooding in the area.

Santa Rosa Lake: The boat ramp is closed. For more information, visit the Santa Rosa Lake State Park webpage or call 575-472-3110.

Sumner Lake: The most recent report was received Aug. 13. At that time, fishing for largemouth bass was fair to good when using chartreuse crawdads.

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, Chaparral Park Lake, Corona Pond, Dennis Chavez Pond, Estancia Park Lake, Eunice Lake, Greene Acres Lake, Green Meadow Lake, Harry McAdams Park Pond, Jal Lake, Lake Van, Ned Houk Ponds, Oasis Park Lake, Perch Lake, Rio Bonito, Rock Lake Hatchery Kids’ Pond, Spring River Pond and Timberon Ponds.

TIPS, TRICKS AND STORIES

Cooler temperatures, new opportunities ahead for New Mexico anglers this fall

By Darren Vaughan

Communications Director

The calendar has flipped to September, meaning we have just a few more weeks to enjoy summer’s last gasp.

Low water levels have made for a challenging year, but with temperatures dropping by as much as 10 degrees by the end of the month, there are plenty of opportunities out there for New Mexico anglers. Trout become more active as water temperatures drop, meaning you might find a better bite in deeper pools, shaded areas and other parts of streams where trout can get out of the current.

However, there is a catch (no pun intended): low water tends to also be clear water. Because of that clarity, fish can easily become spooked, so the stealthier you can be as you put your line in the water, the better.

Because trout become more active in cooler water, you’ll still want to avoid fishing in the heat of the day — in most of New Mexico, average September daytime temperatures are still in the 70s and 80s. If you’re willing to be early to rise, or to stick around until temperatures drop in the early evening, you can take advantage of cooler water.

You’ll also need to vary your strategy — different depths, different lures, different retrieve speeds, etc. As temperatures change, anglers and fish alike have to adapt to new conditions.

With this year’s low water levels, keep an eye on the condition of the fish you’re reeling in. Catch-and-release anglers should make sure to keep their catch in the water as much as possible and wet their hands before handling fish. Also, keep an eye on this Weekly Fishing and Stocking Report to see where you’re most likely to find success.

For many of us, the past several months of scorching temperatures have sent us scrambling for a cold drink and the comfort of air conditioning. The next few months might just be the perfect time to pick up your fishing rod, enjoy the fall color change and enjoy a day at one of New Mexico’s lakes, streams or rivers.