New Mexico Fishing and Stocking Reports for Feb. 26
OutdoorHub 02.26.13
Catches of the week:
- Rio Grande: Feb. 23, Jared Blaschke of Albuquerque caught and released a 19-pound northern pike. He was fly fishing and using a bunny bug.
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 fishforfun2@hotmail.com. We may include your story in our next report. For catches of the week, include name, date, and location, type of fish, length and weight if possible and bait, lure or fly used.
Northeast
- Cabresto Lake: The lake and campground closed May 14 and will stay closed while the dam is being rebuilt.
- Charette Lakes: Opens for the new season March 1.
- Clayton Lake: Opens for the new season March 1. However, the lake level is too low at this time for launching boats.
- Conchas Lake: Fishing pressure was light again this past week. Fishing was slow for all species. Anglers who wish to do so can still launch boats from the Cannon Cove area but should use extreme caution.
- Coyote Creek: We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Eagle Nest Lake: Ice thickness over the weekend was reported at about 24 inches. Fishing was very good using ice jigs tipped with worms or wax worms for perch. Trout fishing was slow to fair using Power Bait and homemade dough bait. We had no report on other species.
- Lake Alice: Closed to fishing at this time.
- Lake Maloya: Ice thickness over the weekend was about 12½ to 14½ inches. Fishing was very good using Power Bait, corn and salmon eggs for small perch. Fishing was fair to good using Power Bait, chartreuse Uncle Josh floating bait and homemade dough bait for trout up to 18 inches
- Los Pinos: We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Manzano Lake: Trout fishing was fair to good using Power Bait, salmon egg/corn combinations and garlic scented homemade dough bait.
- Maxwell Lake 13: Opens for the season March 1. Anglers will experience low water conditions but fishing should be good for both rainbows and walleye.
- Monastery Lake: There is a thin layer of ice on the lake early in the morning hours but there is plenty of open water by mid morning. The lake was recently stocked but we had no reports from anglers this week.
- Morphy Lake: Closed for the season.
- Pecos River: Trout fishing was fair using copper John Barrs and salmon eggs. The best action was reported by anglers fishing in the Villanueva area.
- Red River: Water flow below the hatchery was 17 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Red River City Ponds: Closed for the season.
- Rio Grande: Water flow Monday at the Taos Junction Bridge was 399 cfs. Trout fishing was slow to fair using San Juan worms, egg patterns, worms and Power Bait. Fishing was fair to good using bunny bugs and streamers for northern pike. We had no reports on other species.
- Rio Hondo: We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Rio Mora: We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Santa Barbara: We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Springer Lake: We had no reports from anglers.
- Storrie Lake: Wind and warmer weather have eliminated the ice on the lake. Trout fishing was slow but there were a few fish taken by anglers using salmon eggs and corn. We had no reports on other species.
- Stubblefield Lake: Water levels are extremely low and not fishable at this time.
- Ute Lake: Fishing pressure was light again this past week. The only catch reports turned in were from anglers who managed to catch a few catfish in shallow water. They were using stink bait. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp was in the low 40s.
Northwest
- Abiquiu Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Animas River: Monday morning water flow at Aztec was 215cfs. Trout fishing was good using salmon eggs, streamers, leeches and red annelids.
- Albuquerque Area Drains: Trout fishing on the drains was good for anglers using salmon eggs, Power Bait, wax worms, assorted small bead head nymphs and egg patterns. Best reports were from the Albuquerque Drain and the Corrales Drain.
- Bluewater Lake: What ice remains this week is unsafe for fishing but there is some open water access for bank fishing. However, the boat ramp remains closed. Fishing was slow for all species. For updated conditions contact the Bluewater State Park office at 505-876-2391.
- Canjilon Lakes: We had no reports from anglers.
- Chama River: Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 155cfs and 55cfs respectively. Trout fishing below Abiquiu was slow to fair using copper John Barrs, worms and Power Bait. We had no reports from below El Vado.
- Cochiti Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
- El Vado Lake: There is a layer of ice on the entire lake reported as unsafe for ice fishing. For updated information, contact the State Park office at 575-588-7247.
- Fenton Lake: The lake is off limits to fishing at this time. For ice-out updates contact the State Park office at 575-829-3630.
- Heron Lake: Ice thickness over the weekend was reported at 13 to 14 inches in the Willow Creek and La Laja areas. Fishing was fair using ice jigs tipped with small chunks of sucker for lake trout up to 17 inches. Fishing was slow to fair using ice jigs and Power Bait for rainbow trout. We had no reports on other species. For updated ice conditions contact the State Park office at 575-588-7470.
- Jackson Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Jemez Waters: Water flow on the Jemez River as of Monday morning was 24cfs. We had no reports from the Jemez River but there was some good trout fishing on the Cebolla. Anglers did well using salmon eggs and bright green Power Bait.
- Laguna del Campo: Closed for the season.
- Lake Farmington: We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Navajo Lake: Fishing was slow for all species and fishing pressure was very light.
- Ramah Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
- San Juan: Water flow below Navajo Lake as of Monday morning was 345cfs. Fishing in the Quality Water section was good using olive and black streamers, egg patterns, red larva, red annelids, Griffith’s gnats, and olive, black and brown leeches. Fishing through the bait waters was fair using salmon eggs, worms and small spoons.
- Santa Cruz Lake: There is currently a large section of the lake open to bank fishing. Anglers fishing over the past weekend reported conditions as slow.
- Tingley Beach: Trout fishing at the Children’s Pond and the Central Pond was good using Pistol Petes, corn, salmon eggs, marshmallows, homemade dough baits and wax worms. One angler reported catching a limit of trout in just 45 minutes. He was using wax worms. Fishing at the Catch and Release Pond was fair using zebra midges, leeches, red annelids and Pistol Petes.
Southwest
- Bear Canyon: Trout fishing was good using Power Bait, salmon eggs, worms, spinners and Pistol Petes.
- Bill Evans Lake: Trout fishing was very good again this past week. Anglers did well using Pistol Petes, Power Bait, homemade dough bait and salmon eggs. We had no reports on other species.
- Caballo Lake: The west-side main boat ramp has reopened and is expected to remain open as the water level is rising. The east-side ramp remains closed. Fishing pressure was extremely light this past week and fishing was reported as slow for all species.
- Elephant Butte: Fishing was slow with just a few white bass and crappies reported. Best baits were grubs, shiners and slab spoons. The Monticello and Dam Site boat ramps remain closed due to low water conditions. The Rock Canyon ramp has reopened.
- Escondida Lake: Trout fishing was fair using salmon eggs, Power Bait and homemade dough bait. We had no reports on other species.
- Gila River: Water flow on the Gila as of this past Monday was 87cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Glenwood Pond: Fishing was good using Power Bait and salmon eggs for trout.
- Lake Roberts: Trout fishing was fair to good using Power Bait, salmon egg corn combinations, homemade dough baits and worms. We had no reports on other species.
- Percha Dam: The water was low and fishing was slow for all species.
- Quemado Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Rio Grande: Water flow below Elephant Butte as of Monday was 0.0cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Snow Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Southeast
- Bataan Lake: Trout fishing was good using small spoons, Power Bait and salmon eggs. We had no reports on other species.
- Black River: As of Monday stream flow above Malaga was 4.3cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Blue Hole Park Pond: Trout fishing was fair using salmon eggs and Power Bait.
- Bonito Lake: Closed.
- Bosque Redondo: Trout fishing was slow to fair using Power Bait, Pistol Petes and salmon eggs.
- Bottomless Lakes: Trout fishing was fair to good using Power Bait.
- Brantley Lake: Anglers are to practice catch-and-release for all fish here as high levels of DDT were found in several fish.
- Carlsbad Municipal Lake: Trout fishing was good using Power Bait, homemade dough bait and salmon eggs.
- El Rito Creek: Trout fishing was fair using salmon eggs.
- Greene Acres Lake: Trout fishing was fair to good using Power Bait and salmon eggs.
- Green Meadow Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Grindstone Reservoir: Trout fishing was very good using salmon peach Power Bait, salmon eggs and homemade dough baits.
- Jal Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Lake Van: Trout fishing was good using Power Bait, Pistol Petes under a bubble, homemade dough bait and salmon egg marshmallow combinations. We had no reports on other species.
- Oasis Park Lake: Trout fishing was slow but there were a few taken on Pistol Petes and salmon peach Power Bait.
- Pecos River: Water flow on Monday below Sumner Lake was .37cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
- Perch Lake: Trout fishing was slow to fair using Power Bait and Pistol Petes.
- Ruidoso River: Water flow at Hollywood on Monday was 5.7cfs. Trout fishing was good using salmon eggs.
- Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing was fair using Berkley 4-inch minnows, sassy shad and curly tail grubs for walleye. Anglers doing best were using the minnows. Fishing was slow for all other species but a few crappies were caught by anglers using sassy shad. A water release is scheduled for March 1 that will drop the lake elevation 4 vertical feet. The lake is closed to boating at this time.
- Sumner Lake: Fishing pressure was very light and fishing was slow for all species. The Violation Canyon boat ramp remains open at this time and will remain open as long as lake levels permit.
