Catches of the week Brantley Lake: Tony Valdes of Artesia caught a 17.5-inch, 3-pound, 2-ounce largemouth bass using a Storm 360 blue shad swimbait Nov. 6. Chama River: Gavin DeBerry, age 16, of Sandia Park caught a 22-inch brown trout using a black Woolly Bugger Nov. 7. Sean Green of Santa Fe caught a 17.5-inch rainbow trout using a flashy Wooly Bugger below Abiquiu Lake Nov. 5. Elephant Butte Lake: Miguel Gutierrez of Las Cruces caught and released a 16-inch, 2.5-pound white bass using a green Rapala lure Oct. 31. Gallinas River: Jusiah Estrada, age 11, of Las Vegas caught a 26-inch rainbow trout using a Panther Martin spinner Nov. 2. Grindstone Reservoir: Martin Bonilla of Alto caught a 20-inch, 4-pound rainbow trout using a white Trout Magnet Nov. 2. Rio Grande: Robert Mondragon of Rio Rancho caught a 19-inch rainbow trout using PowerBait at the Taos Junction Bridge Nov. 6. Marcelo Richert, age 9, of Arroyo Hondo caught a 16-inch brown trout using a Rapala lure Nov. 3. Izaiah Lopez of Espanola caught a 22-inch rainbow trout using a spinner near the Taos Junction Bridge Nov. 1. Santa Cruz Reservoir: Pamela Ure caught a 20-inch rainbow trout using chunky cheese Berkley Gulp Nov. 6. The following reports came in late, but we thought they were definitely worth mentioning. Rio Grande: Tim Trujillo of Santa Fe caught a 20-inch brown trout using worms near the town of Pilar Oct. 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 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. |
| Northeast Fishing Report Cabresto Lake: Fishing for brook trout was good using flies. Charette Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week. Cimarron River: Stream flow near Cimarron Monday morning was 12.1 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using PowerBait, small bead head nymph flies and silver spinners. Clayton Lake: Closed until March 2021. Conchas Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Costilla Creek: The Department has implemented 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 involved 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) with a tentative restocking of Rio Grande cutthroat in spring 2022. Places to fish nearby include Costilla Creek below the fish barrier, Upper Comanche Creek, Shuree Ponds, Middle Ponil Creek, Upper Powderhouse Creek, Little Costilla Creek, Vidal Creek and McCrystal Creek. The Department anticipates completion of this final phase in the fall of 2021. Please check the Department website for additional information on the project and to identify alternative angling opportunities in the interim. 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 trout was fair to good using salmon peach PowerBait, Woolly Bugger flies and spinners tipped with PowerBait. Eagle Rock Lake: Fishing for trout was good using pheasant tail nymph flies, black and green leech pattern flies, small spinners, silver Kastmasters and silver Super Dupers. Fawn Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week. Gallinas River: Fishing for trout was good using Panther Martin spinners. Hopewell Lake: Fishing for trout was good using lime green PowerBait and Pistol Pete’s spinners. Lake Alice: We had no reports from anglers this week. Lake Maloya: Fishing for trout was good using elk hair caddis flies, silver spinners and PowerBait. Los Pinos River: We had no reports from anglers this week. Maxwell Lake 13: We had no reports from anglers this week. Monastery Lake: Closed due to COVID-19 health concerns. Check the Open Gate webpage for future updates. Morphy Lake: Closed for a renovation project on the dam and no firm opening date has been set. Pecos River: Stream flow near the town of Pecos Monday morning was 22.9 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using red Fire Ball salmon eggs and worms. Fishing for catfish was fair at Villanueva State Park using grub worms. Red River: Stream flow below the hatchery Monday morning was 43.7 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using beadhead nymph flies and mop flies. The water clarity was about 2.5-feet. Rio Grande: Stream flow at the Taos Junction Bridge Monday morning was 252 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using small baetis nymph and dry flies near Pilar. Fishing for trout was fair to good using spinners, Rapala lures, worms and PowerBait. Rio Hondo: Stream flow Monday morning near Valdez was 31.4 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week. Rio Mora: Stream flow Monday morning was 5.19 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week. Rio Pueblo: Stream flow near Penasco Monday morning was 6.67 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week. Santa Cruz Reservoir: Fishing for trout was good using chunky cheese Berkley Gulp and rainbow-colored PowerBait. Shuree Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week. 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 and walleye was fair vertical jigging slabs, live minnows and vibrating blade baits in 25 to 35-feet of water on lake flats. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temperature was in the mid-50s and the main lake was lightly stained. |
| Northwest Fishing Report Abiquiu Lake: Anglers reported fishing for all species was slow. Due to low water levels, anglers are advised to use four-wheel-drive vehicles to launch boats and watch for obstructions on the water. Animas River: Water flow below Aztec Monday morning was 295 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week. Albuquerque Area Drains: We had no reports from anglers this week. Bluewater Lake: Fishing for tiger muskie was fair to good using Rapala lures and swimbaits. Fishing for trout was fair using green glitter PowerBait. Fishing for catfish was fair using chicken liver and hot dogs. Brazos River: We had no reports from anglers this week. Canjilon Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week. Chama River: Monday morning flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 99.5 cfs and 77.0 cfs, respectively. Fishing for trout below El Vado Lake was good using nightcrawlers and PowerBait. Fishing for trout below Abiquiu Lake was good using beadhead nymph flies, mop flies, Wooly Buggers, egg pattern flies and PowerBait. The water level was low, and the water clarity was about 2-feet. Cochiti Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. El Vado Lake: Is open for Salmon Snagging Season. Park hours are 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Kokanee salmon snagging was reported as slow. Fenton Lake: Fishing for trout was slow. Anglers did report the bites they are getting are from big fish. Heron Lake: Salmon Snagging Season opens Nov. 13. Please note Nov. 13 is the correct opening date for the snagging season at Heron Lake and any other reported opening dates are incorrect. Fishing was reported as slow. Jemez Waters: Stream flow on the Jemez near the town of Jemez Monday morning was 16.8 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair using worms and salmon eggs. Laguna del Campo: Fishing for trout was fair to good using yellow and green garlic-scented PowerBait and worms. Lagunitas Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week. Lake Farmington: We had no reports from anglers this week. Manzano Lake: Closed until further notice. McGaffey Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Navajo Lake: Fishing for kokanee salmon using snagging hooks was fair to good near the dam. Fishing for pike was good up the San Juan arm using jerk baits. Fishing for trout was fair to good trolling spinners near the dam and main lake. Please note that the buoyed no-wake areas and shoreline within the no-wake areas at the Pine River Boat Ramp and Simms Boat Ramp at Navajo Lake are currently closed for salmon snagging and will open on Nov. 13. San Gregorio Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. San Juan River: Stream flow Monday morning was 348 cfs. Fishing for trout in the quality waters was good using size 24 black, crème and olive midge pupa pattern flies, small baetis nymph flies and RS2s. Springs Brood Pond: Closed due to COVID-19 health concerns. Check the Department’s Alerts page for future updates. Tingley Beach: Fishing for trout was fair to good using white PowerBait eggs and PowerBait worms. Trout Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week. |
| Southwest Fishing Report Alumni Pond: Fishing for trout was good using salmon peach-scented marshmallows, lime green PowerBait, garlic-scented PowerBait and orange PowerBait. Bear Canyon Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Bill Evans Lake: Fishing for trout was fair using yellow cheese PowerBait and trolling Woolly Buggers. Caballo Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing for white bass was fair using green Rapala lures. Fishing for largemouth bass was fair using brown and green centipede plastic baits at night. Fishing for catfish was fair to good using beef liver at night and cut carp bait and shrimp during the day. Escondida Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Gila River: Stream flow Monday morning was 61.2 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week. Glenwood Pond: Fishing for trout was fair to good using crystal flash nymph flies and PowerBait. Lake Roberts: Fishing for catfish was good using beef liver and worms. Fishing for trout was good using pink and orange PowerBait. Percha Dam: We had no reports from anglers this week. Quemado Lake: Anglers reported fishing for trout was slow. Rancho Grande Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week. Rio Grande: Stream flow below Elephant Butte Monday morning was 0.63 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week. Snow Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Trees Lake: Fishing for trout was good using lime green and purple garlic-scented PowerBait. Fishing for catfish was fair to good using hotdogs and shrimp. Young Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week. |
| Southeast Fishing Report Alto Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good using yellow glitter PowerBait. Bataan Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Black River: Stream flow at Malaga Monday morning was 6.81 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week. 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. It appears now that the lake will be out of commission until 2022. Bosque Redondo Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Bottomless Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week. Brantley Lake: Fishing for bass was fair to good using swimbaits. Carlsbad Municipal Lake: Fishing for catfish was fair using nightcrawlers and homemade dough bait. Chaparral Park Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Corona Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week. Eunice Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Green Meadow Lake: Fishing for catfish was fair using chicken and beef liver. Fishing for bass was fair using worms. Greene Acres Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing for trout was good using white Trout Magnets, silver spoons and PowerBait. Jal Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Lake Van: Fishing for catfish was fair using chicken liver and worms. Oasis Park Lake Fishing for trout was good using rainbow-colored PowerBait. Pecos River: Stream flow below Sumner Lake Monday morning was 18.3 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week. Perch Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Ruidoso River: Stream flow Monday morning at Hollywood was 4.54cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week. Santa Rosa Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Sumner Lake:Fishing for walleye was fair using curly-tailed grubs and live minnows. |
| Tips and Tricks The time has come when the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish stocks trout in numerous waters across the state (see stocking report here). Just last week, over 160,000 rainbow trout were stocked in 44 different locations. This week, we will go over a few tips that any angler can use to find success fishing for the notorious winter stockers. Fishing for stockers can be an extremely fun, low-cost fishing endeavor. Because so many lakes, ponds, rivers and drainages are stocked, chances are there is a body of water close to home. For gear, all that is required is the most basic fishing rods and reels. Here is how to set up for bait fishing your local winter stockers. Using the right hook size is one of the most important first steps to set yourself up for success. Any brand size 8 salmon egg hook will work. I have had great success using Eagle Claw size 8 red snelled salmon egg hooks with a pre-tied leader loop for easy connection to the main fishing line. Four proven baits that work in New Mexico PowerBait Popular colors amongst anglers include lime green, salmon peach, cheese yellow, orange, white and purple.Worms. If using nightcrawler worms, only use about 1-inch of the worm. If using red wigglers or worms you have dug up, use the whole worm. Waxworms These little white worms can be purchased at some bait shops and at many pet stores that sell reptile food, such as PetSmart. The trick to using wax worms is how you bait them on the hook. Do not hook them through the side of the worm. Instead, start hook entry towards the rear of the worm and thread the hook through the worm until the tip of the hook is barely protruding from the head. Salmon eggs These are easy baits to use. Try to conceal as much of the hook within the egg as possible. *Add weight or bobber to facilitate longer casting and presentation to hungry fish. *If using a weight, use ¼ or ½ ounce bell-shaped weights that can easily be attached to your fishing line. *Tie the hook to the end of your fishing line. *Tie your hook about 3-feet above the weight. *If using a bobber, tie the hook to the end of your fishing line and place the bobber about 3-feet above your hook.If you are not getting bites, try changing bait. *If you are still not getting bites, try changing the distance between your hook and boober or weight. Let us know how you do and/or if you have any tips to share with your fellow New Mexico anglers by emailing funfishingnm@gmail.com. Happy Fishing! |