New Mexico Fishing and Stocking Reports: March 19
OutdoorHub 03.19.13
Catches of the week
Navajo Lake: March 14, Andrew Orlicky of Albuquerque caught a 25-inch, 5-pound, 6-ounce brown trout. He was using a rainbow-colored Rapala.
Elephant Butte: March 15, Mike Torres from Arlington, Texas, caught a 6-pound, 7-ounce smallmouth bass. He was using a KVD 1.5 square-billed crank bait.
Santa Rosa Lake: March 16, Bobby Moore of Edgewood caught a 29-inch, 7-pound, 2-ounce walleye. He was using a swim bait.
Escondida Lake: March 16, Sylvia Zamora caught and released a 20.25-inch largemouth bass. She was using salmon eggs.
Red River: March 16, Bert Scott of Albuquerque caught and released a 23-inch rainbow trout. He was using a gold and orange Dynamic HD trout.
Ute Lake: March 17, Eddie Ambolt of Hereford, Texas, caught and released a 4.1-pound largemouth bass. He was using a jig.
The following was reported too late for last week’s report but we felt it definitely worth mentioning:
Bluewater Lake: March 9, Stephon Walker of Bluewater Village caught and released a 46-inch tiger musky.
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. BFor catches of the week, include name, date, and location, type of fish, length and weight if possible and bait, lure or fly used.
Northeast
Charette Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Cimarron River: Water flow near Cimarron on Monday was 7.8 cfs. We had no report from anglers.
Clayton Lake: Fishing pressure was down due to extremely windy conditions and fishing was slow for all species.
Conchas Lake: Fishing pressure remains light with difficult conditions for launching boats. This just might be the overlooked hot spot for early spring bank fishing. Check it out for walleye, white bass, black bass and catfish. Try swim baits, grubs, jigs, nightcrawlers and crank baits and let us know how you do. The surface water temp was in the upper 40s. 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: Due to rapidly deteriorating ice conditions the lake remains closed to ice fishing and other activities. It will reopen to fishing from the bank when there is sufficient open water. For updated conditions contact the State Park office at (575) 377-1594.
Lake Alice: Closed to fishing at this time.
Lake Maloya: Due to thinning ice conditions the lake remains closed to fishing and will reopen when there is sufficient water to accommodate bank fishing. For updated conditions contact the State Park office at (575) 445-5607.
Los Pinos: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Manzano Lake: Trout fishing was slow but there were a few taken by anglers using homemade dough bait, Pistol Petes and salmon eggs.
Maxwell Lake 13: The water level is down and fishing was slow for all species.
Monastery Lake: Trout fishing was good using salmon eggs, spinners, egg pattern flies and Power Bait. Chris Ortega of Albuquerque did very well here last week. He was using spinners, salmon eggs and egg patterns and caught several fish in the 15 to 18-inch class.
Morphy Lake: Closed for the season.
Pecos River: Water flow on Monday near the town of Pecos was 30cfs. Trout fishing was good using egg patterns, copper John Barrs and salmon eggs.
Red River: Water flow below the hatchery was 40cfs. Trout fishing was fair using copper John Barrs, Dynamic HDs and salmon eggs.
Rio Grande: Water flow Monday at the Taos Junction Bridge was 617cfs. While the flows were in the 500s, fishing in the Pilar area was good using weighted nymphs just off the bottom for rainbow trout. 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: Fishing was slow for all species.
Storrie Lake: Fishing was slow for all species with just a few trout caught by anglers using salmon eggs and corn.
Stubblefield Lake: Water levels are extremely low and not fishable at this time.
Ute Lake: Fishing was fair using grubs and swim baits in the shallows for white bass. Fishing was slow to fair using crank baits and grubs over 15 feet of water for walleye. Fishing was slow to fair using jerk baits, jigs and crank baits for black bass. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp was in the upper 40s to low 50s.
Northwest
Abiquiu Lake: Fishing was slow for all species but there were a few brown trout caught by anglers fishing the upper end of the lake and using crank baits.
Animas River: Monday morning water flow at Aztec was 206cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
Albuquerque Area Drains: Trout fishing was fair using wooly buggers, worms and small spoons, small emergers, Power Bait, wax worms and salmon eggs. Best reports were from the Belen and the Corrales Drain.
Bluewater Lake: Fishing was good using swim baits, jerk baits and crank baits for tiger musky. Most of the fish caught were in the 30-inch class. Fishing for trout and catfish was slow.
Canjilon Lakes: We had no reports from anglers.
Chama River: Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 104cfs and 57cfs respectively. Trout fishing below El Vado was good using spinners, small jerk baits and wooly buggers for a mixed bag of brown and rainbow trout. Dave and Josh Robles from Albuquerque had a great time this past Sunday. They were using Panther Martins and Rapalas and caught several brown trout in the 15 to 19-inch range. Fishing below Abiquiu was slow to fair using copper John Barrs, worms and salmon eggs.
Cochiti Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.
El Vado Lake: The shoreline is free of ice and open to bank fishing. The state park area will open April 1. For updated information, contact the State Park office at (575) 588-7247.
Fenton Lake: This lake is off limits to fishing at this time but may open by the end of the month. For ice out updates contact the State Park office at (575) 829-3630.
Heron Lake: Due to thin ice conditions the lake has been closed to ice fishing. For ice out conditions contact the State Park office at (575) 588-7470.
Jackson Lake: Trout fishing was fair using Power Bait and salmon eggs.
Jemez Waters: Water flow on the Jemez River as of Monday morning was 84cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
Laguna del Campo: Closed for the season.
Lake Farmington: Trout fishing was good using Power Bait, homemade dough baits, salmon eggs and worms. We had no reports on other species.
Navajo Lake: Fishing was slow for all species but there were a few trout taken by anglers using crank baits and nightcrawlers. The surface water temp was in the high 40s.
Ramah Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
San Juan: Water flow below Navajo Lake as of Monday morning was 258cfs but expected to be back up to 350 by Tuesday. Fishing in the Quality Water section was good using zebra midges, olive and black wooly buggers, egg patterns, small bead-head pheasant tails, Griffith’s gnats and olive leeches. Fishing through the bait waters was fair to good using salmon eggs, Panther Martin spinners, worms and wooly buggers.
Santa Cruz Lake: Trout fishing was very good this past week. Rick Lopez of Espanola did very well using Fisher-Chick spinners. Other good baits were nymphs, Panther Martins and Kastmasters. The activity slowed a bit over the weekend but young anglers were doing OK catching trout with salmon eggs and Power Bait.
Tingley Beach: Trout fishing at the Children’s Pond and the Central Pond was very good using Pistol Petes, Panther Martins, Kastmasters, Power Bait, salmon eggs, homemade dough baits and worms. Fishing at the Catch and Release Pond was slow to fair using egg patterns, zebra midges, leeches and Pistol Petes.
Southwest
Bear Canyon: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Bill Evans Lake: Trout fishing was fair to good using homemade dough bait, Power Bait and worms. Fishing was fair using worms for bluegill and worms and stink bait for catfish. We had no reports on other species.
Caballo Lake: Fishing was fair to good using curly tail grubs, crank baits, swim baits and nightcrawlers for a mixed bag of white bass, walleye and catfish. We had no reports on other species. 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.
Elephant Butte: The surface water temp ranged from the high 40s to the mid 50s. Fishing was good using grubs, crank baits, swim baits and spoons for big white bass. Anglers using grubs also caught a few crappie and walleye. Fishing was slow to fair using crank baits, tubes, jigs and swim baits for black bass. Fishing was slow to fair using stink bait and nightcrawlers for catfish. We also had a report of one striped bass caught by an angler fishing a club bass tournament. We had no reports on other species. 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 good using salmon eggs, corn and homemade dough bait. One angler using salmon eggs also caught a very nice bass listed in catches of the week. We had no reports on other species.
Gila River: Water flow on the Gila as of this past Monday was 293cfs. We had no reports from anglers.
Glenwood Pond: Fishing was fair to good using Power Bait and salmon eggs for trout.
Lake Roberts: Trout fishing was fair using Power Bait, homemade dough bait, Panther Martins and salmon eggs. 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 .35cfs. Fishing here and below Caballo was slow for all species.
Snow Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Southeast
Bataan Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using Power Bait, Panther Martin spinners and small spoons for trout. We had no reports on other species.
Black River: As of Monday stream flow above Malaga was 4.9cfs. Trout fishing was slow.
Blue Hole Park Pond: Trout fishing was slow to fair using Power Bait, salmon eggs and garlic cheese.
Bonito Lake: Closed.
Bosque Redondo: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Bottomless Lakes: Trout fishing was good using Power Bait, homemade dough baits, Pistol Petes and salmon eggs.
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 fair using Power Bait and salmon eggs.
El Rito Creek: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Greene Acres Lake: Trout fishing was good using Power Bait, small spoons, homemade dough bait and salmon eggs.
Green Meadow Lake: Trout fishing was good using small Kastmasters, small Daredevles, Power Bait and salmon eggs. We had no reports on other species.
Grindstone Reservoir: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Jal Lake: Fishing was good using salmon eggs, worms and Power Bait for trout.
Lake Van: Trout fishing was good using Power Bait, small Kastmasters, homemade dough bait, worms and salmon eggs. Anglers using worms also picked up a few catfish. We had no reports on other species.
Oasis Park Lake: Trout fishing was very good using Kastmasters, Power Bait and homemade dough baits. Several limits were caught over the past weekend.
Pecos River: Water flow on Monday below Sumner Lake was 83cfs. The east side access below Sumner Lake has reopened. The west side will open when the area dries out. We had no reports from anglers.
Perch Lake: Trout fishing was good using salmon eggs, worms, Panther Martins and Pistol Petes.
Ruidoso River: Water flow at Hollywood on Monday was 3.2cfs. Trout fishing was slow.
Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing was good using swim baits, curly tail grubs and nightcrawlers for walleye. Anglers fishing for walleye also picked up a few crappie and catfish. We had no reports on other species. The lake is closed to boating at this time
Sumner Lake: The water level dropped about nine feet after last week’s release. The surface water temp was in the high 40s to low 50s. Fishing pressure was light and fishing was slow for all species. The east side campground is now open. The Violation Canyon boat ramp remains open at this time and will remain open as long as lake levels permit.
