N.M. fishing report — Aug. 22

This fishing report, provided by Bill Dunn and the Department of Game and Fish, has been generated from the best information available from area officers and anglers. Conditions encountered after the report is compiled may differ, as stream, lake and weather conditions alter fish and angler activities.

Northeast

Charette Lakes: Due to low water levels only small boats are being launched here and with some difficulty. Trout fishing was fair to good trolling Christmas tree-worm combinations. A few were also caught by anglers using power bait. We had no reports on perch.

link Fishing Report

Cimarron River: Water flow below Eagle Nest Lake on Monday was 14 cfs. Trout fishing was fair to good using zebra midges, elk hair caddis and small stimulators. A few trout also have been taken on worms and salmon eggs. Fishing at the Gravel Pit Lakes was slow to fair using Power Bait and worms for trout.

Clayton Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using crank baits for trout. Fishing was fair to good using worms and chicken liver for catfish. We had no reports on other species. The boat ramp is now open.

Conchas Lake: Fishing was good using chicken liver, shrimp, homemade dough bait and night crawlers for catfish. Fishing was fair to good using crank baits, topwater lures, jerk baits, tubes and senkos for smallmouth bass. Fishing for walleye slowed but there were a few taken by anglers using bottom-bouncer night crawler rigs. We had no reports on other species. The Cove and Central campgrounds and the steep boat ramp on the north side and the Corps ramp on the south side are now open.

Coyote Creek: Trout fishing was slow.

Eagle Rock Lake: Fishing was fair using salmon eggs, Power Bait and worms for trout.

Eagle Nest Lake: Fishing from the bank and from boats was very good using worms for perch. Fishing was a bit sporadic for trout but a few were taken by anglers trolling Panther Martins and Arnies on light tackle. A few were also caught by anglers fishing from the bank and from anchored boats and using Power Bait. Fishing for kokanee was slow. Fishing for northern pike was slow to fair using Panther Martins, Daredevles and Kastmasters.

Lake Alice: Trout fishing was slow and fishing pressure was very light.

Lake Maloya: Trout fishing in the evening hours was fair using elk hair caddis, BWOs, hoppers and parachute adams. A few trout were also taken by anglers using Power Bait.

Manzano Lake: Fishing was fair using Power Bait, worms and salmon eggs for trout.

Morphy Lake: Fishing was slow with just a few trout caught by anglers using worms and salmon eggs.

Pecos River: Water flow near the town of Pecos on Monday was 28 cfs. The Mora and Jamie Koch fishing and recreation areas have reopened. The Bert Clancy and Terrero campgrounds remain closed. Trout fishing on the upper Pecos was very good again this past week. Anglers did well using brown and olive elk hair caddis, gold bead hare’s ears, worms and salmon eggs. The downstream area from Tres Lagunas remains in poor condition and is not expected to be stocked until next spring. We had no reports from the Mora.

Red River: Water flow near the hatchery on Monday was 46 cfs. Trout fishing was good using poundmeisters, copper John Barrs, Panther Martins, night crawlers, Power Bait and salmon eggs.

Rio Costilla: Water flow below Costilla Dam on Monday was 15 cfs. Trout fishing was very good using elk hair caddis, yellow sallies, small hoppers and worms.

Rio Grande: Water flow near the Taos Junction Bridge on Monday was 296 cfs. Trout fishing was fair to good using hopper-dropper combinations, copper John Barrs, night crawlers and spinners. Fishing was fair using wooly buggers for smallmouth bass. We had no reports on other species.

Rio Hondo: Stream flow near Valdez on Monday was 15 cfs. Trout fishing was fair using poundmeisters, hoppers, worms and salmon eggs.

Rio Pueblo: Water flow near Penasco on Monday was 5.9 cfs.

Shuree Ponds: Heavy moss has created poor fishing conditions on the ponds.

Springer Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using corn and black wooly buggers for carp. We had no reports on other species.

Storrie Lake: Fishing continued to be quite slow for all species.

Ute Lake: Fishing was good using night crawlers, shrimp, blood bait, liver and homemade dough baits for catfish. Fishing for all other species was slow with just an occasional white bass and walleye. The surface water temp ranged from the mid 70s to the low 80s.

Northwest

Abiquiu Lake: Fishing was fair using streamers, jerk baits and topwater lures for smallmouth bass. The best reports came from anglers fishing in the evening hours when weather would permit. Fishing for walleye slowed considerably with just a few caught by anglers using bottom-bouncer night crawler rigs. We had no report or other species. The surface water temp was in the mid 70s.

Animas River: Water flow near Aztec on Monday was 311 cfs.

Bluewater Lake: Fishing was fair to good using crank baits, spinners and spoons for tiger musky. Most of the musky caught were less than 40 inches in length. Fishing was fair to good using hot dogs and shrimp for catfish. Fishing was slow for trout but there were a few caught by anglers using worms and Power Bait. An alternate ramp has been provided for boaters which is a bit deeper than the main boat ramp area. Anglers should be aware that it is illegal to use bait fish at this lake.

Canjilon Lakes: Trout fishing was slow to fair using worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, Panther Martins and Pistol Petes.

Chama River: Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 251 cfs and 197 cfs respectively. Trout fishing below El Vado was good using white nymphs and muddler minnows for a mix of brown and rainbow trout that ranged in sized from 14 to 18 inches. Anglers also did well using salmon eggs, Power Bait and worms. Trout fishing below Abiquiu was slow.

Cochiti Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using night crawlers, shrimp and homemade dough bait for catfish. Fishing was slow to fair using topwater lures, crank baits, jigs, jerk baits and senkos for smallmouth bass. We had no reports on other species.

El Vado Lake: The water level remains quite low but there is still plenty of water for fishing and the boat ramp remains accessible.

Fenton Lake: A recent algae bloom and high ph levels have slowed fishing considerably. Expect action to pick up when the cooler fall weather arrives.

Heron Lake: Fishing was slow for all species. The only boat ramp open is the primitive ramp in the Ridge Rock area. Boaters are advised to use caution.

Jemez Waters: Fishing on the Rio Guadalupe was fair to good using night crawlers, hoppers and wooly buggers. Fishing on the Cebolla above and below Fenton Lake was slow to fair using elk hair caddis, small hopper patterns and worms. The Jemez River was flowing at 13 cfs on Monday morning and was still running dirty with debris and ash and is expected to stay that way through the monsoon season. Trout fishing on the San Antonio and East Fork on the Valles Caldera has been tough under storm conditions but good to excellent on clear-water days. The San Antonio has been producing some nice numbers under clear-water conditions. Anglers have been doing best with hoppers and beetles. Fishing on the East Fork gets better the closer you get to the head waters. Hopper imitations have been working best. For information on fishing the Valles Caldera visit http://www.vallescaldera.gov.

Navajo Lake: Fishing was fair to good trolling Arnies, Panther Martins and Z Rays tipped with corn about three feet behind flashers for kokanee. Anglers reported taking fish at depths of 30 to 40 feet. Fishing was fair using grubs, jerk baits, crank baits, topwater lures and senkos for smallmouth bass and an occasional largemouth bass. Night fishing was good using cut bait and stink bait for catfish. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp ranged from the mid to high 70s.

San Juan: Water flow below Navajo on Monday was 792 cfs. Trout fishing through the Quality Waters was fair to good using wooly buggers, red midge larva, Griffith’s gnats, black foam wing emergers, small bead-head pheasant tails and red sparkle worms. Fishing through the bait waters was fair to good using wooly buggers, jerk baits, salmon eggs, Power Bait and night crawlers.

Seven Springs Brood Pond: Trout fishing was good using hoppers, salmon eggs and Power Bait.

Tingley Beach: Fishing was slow for all species.

Southwest

Bear Canyon: Fishing was slow. There were a few catfish caught by anglers fishing at night and using homemade dough bait.

Bill Evans Lake: We had no report from anglers this week.

Caballo Lake: Fishing was fair using shrimp, homemade dough bait, liver and night crawlers for catfish. We had no reports on other species. One lane remained open at the main boat ramp.

Elephant Butte: Fishing was good using shrimp, night crawlers, chicken liver and cut bait for catfish. Cody Wells of El Paso along with his father Tom Wells and good fishing buddy Terry Matthews had a great time here this past weekend. They caught and released over 90 catfish (blues and channels), two big white bass, three carp, three fresh water drum and one smallmouth bass. They were fishing just south of Rattlesnake Island and using worms, dead minnows and crawfish tails. Fishing for white bass was a bit sporadic but anglers using white grubs on black or green jig heads did well. A few were also caught by anglers trolling white, chartreuse and chrome crank baits. Anglers using crank baits and grubs also reported picking up a few walleye. Fishing was slow to fair using Pop Rs, crank baits, tubes and creature baits for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. We had no reports on other species. The Monticello, Rock Canyon and Dam Site boat ramps remain closed due to low water conditions.

Gila River: Water flow on the Gila as of this past Monday was 158 cfs. We had no reports from the main Gila but we had another great report from the Middle Fork. Fishing was very good using elk hair caddis and parachute adams for trout. We had no reports on other species.

Glenwood Pond: Trout fishing was fair using Power Bait.

Lake Roberts: Fishing was good using worms for trout up to 18 inches. We had reports of limits of trout being caught this past week but no reports on other species. As the rains and runoff in the area subside, the lake level will drop making it increasingly more difficult to fish and the project to improve the dam and spillway will begin.

Quemado Lake: Fishing was fair to good using worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait and Pistol Petes for trout. The best reports came from anglers using worms. Fishing was slow for tiger musky but there were a few caught by anglers using spinners and spoons.

Snow Lake: One of our regular contributors made an attempt to reach the lake but reported that the road to the lake is in serious disrepair.

Southeast

Bataan Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

Black River: Stream flow at Malaga on Monday was 3.6 cfs.

Bonito Lake: Closed.

Bosque Redondo: Fishing was slow for all species.

Bottomless Lakes: Fishing was slow for all species. Check these lakes out during the winter trout stocking.

Brantley Lake: Anglers are to practice catch-and-release for all fish here as high levels of DDT were found in several fish.

Chaparral Park Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

El Rito Creek: Trout fishing was fair using worms, salmon eggs and bead-head prince nymphs.

Greene Acres Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

Grindstone Reservoir: Hot spot for trout: Fishing was very good using salmon eggs, salmon peach and chartreuse Power Bait and worms for trout. Fishing was good using worms and night crawlers for catfish, bluegill and small bass. The Beltrans of El Paso had a great weekend trip here. They caught limits of trout and eight channel catfish. Best baits were salmon eggs and salmon peach Power Bait for the trout and night crawlers for the catfish. Thomas Armendarez also reported great fishing as his group caught limits of trout in less than four hours. They were using worms, Power Bait and salmon eggs. Thomas also reported catching several of the recently stocked smallmouth bass and bluegill while using worms.

Oasis Park Lake: Fishing was slow for all species and fishing pressure continued to be extremely light. Anglers are reminded that there is a 2-fish limit on channel catfish.

Pecos River: Stream flow below Sumner Lake on Monday was 88 cfs. Fishing was slow for all species.

Ruidoso River: Stream flow at Hollywood on Monday was 7.5 cfs. The water was quite murky from recent rains and fishing was slow.

Santa Rosa Lake: The main boat ramp has reopened to no wake boating and the lake level continues to rise. The water was described as murky and fishing was slow for all species. Fishing pressure was very light.

Sumner Lake: Fishing was slow for all species. Fishing pressure was very light. Both boat ramps are now open.