Weekly New Mexico fishing report

This fishing report, provided by Bill Dunn and New Mexico Department of Game & 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.

Northwest

Abiquiu Lake — Fishing was fair to good using curly tail grubs, tubes, crank baits, crawdad imitation flies and night crawlers for smallmouth bass. Fishing for walleye was fair for anglers using crank baits, leeches, bottom bouncer night crawler rigs, minnows and jig and grub combinations. Fishing was slow to fair using PowerBait for trout. We had no other reports.

Animas River — Water flow near Aztec on Monday morning was 1,470 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Albuquerque Area Drains — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Bluewater Lake — Fishing was slow to fair using Jerk baits, swim baits and Derp flies for tiger muskies. We had no other reports.

Brazos River — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Canjilon Lakes — Closed by the U.S. Forest Service until further notice.

Chama River — Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 293 cfs and 318 cfs respectively. Fishing above and below El Vado was good using hoppers, copper John Barrs, wooly buggers, Mepps spinners, Panther Martins, night crawlers, salmon eggs and PowerBait for brown and rainbow trout. We had no reports from below Abiquiu. NEW SPECIAL TROUT WATER — The river from the USGS gauging station to the confluence of the Rio Nutrias is now catch and release only using single barbless hook artificial flies and lures.

Cochiti Lake — Fishing was slow to fair using crank baits, sassy shad and jerk baits for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and white bass. Fishing was fair using hotdogs, shrimp and homemade dough bait for catfish. Fishing was fair using worms under a bobber for bluegill and perch. We had no other reports.

El Vado Lake — Fishing was very good using Mepps spinners, Panther Martins, tubes, grubs and worms for smallmouth bass. Fishing was fair trolling spinners tipped with corn at the upper end of the lake for kokanee salmon. Fishing was fair using worms, PowerBait and hoppers for brown and rainbow trout.

Fenton Lake — Fishing was slow. A few trout were caught by anglers using worms and PowerBait.

Heron Lake — Bank fishing was very good using garlic and salmon peach PowerBait for trout. A few kokanee salmon and rainbow trout were caught by anglers trolling with spinners tipped with corn. We had no other reports.

Jackson Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Jemez Waters — Stream flow on the Jemez River near Jemez Springs on Monday morning was 38.1 cfs. Trout fishing on the Jemez was slow. Fishing on the Cebolla was fair to good using salmon eggs and copper John Barrs for stocked rainbows and small parachute Adams and elk hair caddis for cutthroats. Fishing the upper San Antonio on the Valles Caldera was good using hoppers, beetles, mosquitos, elk hair caddis and ant imitations for brown trout. David Menicucci reported that he and his son caught and released numerous browns here on July 30. Their best flies were hoppers and beetles. Stealth fishing is a must.

Laguna del Campo — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Lagunitas Lakes — Fishing was very good using Pistol Petes, spinners, Zeke’s floating trout bait, PowerBait, Fire Balls and Gulp eggs for trout.

Lake Farmington — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Manzano Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Navajo Lake — Fishing was fair to good using finesse worms, tubes, jigs, baby brush hogs, wooly buggers, curly tail grubs, crawdad flies, crank baits and spinners for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Fishing was fair using jigs, swim baits, spoons, jerk baits and crank baits for northern pike. Fishing was fair trolling kokanee killers, double whammies and Arnies tipped with PowerBait and corn for kokanee salmon. We had no other reports.

San Gregorio Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.

San Juan River — Stream flow from Navajo Reservoir on Monday was 490 cfs. Trout fishing through the Quality Waters was good using disco and jujubee midges, San Juan worms, chamois leeches, hoppers, ants and egg patterns. Through the bait waters, anglers did well using San Juan worms, hoppers, ants, Fire Balls, PowerBait, night crawlers and Yozuri pins minnows.

Seven Springs Brood Pond — Fishing was good using PowerBait, salmon eggs and Pistol Petes for trout.

Tingley Beach — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Northeast

Charette Lakes — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Clayton Lake — Trout fishing was slow to fair using PowerBait, salmon eggs and worms. Fishing was slow to fair using worms and liver for catfish. We had no other reports. Due to low water conditions the boat ramp remains closed.

Cimarron River — Stream flow below Eagle Nest on Monday was 9.90 cfs. Trout fishing was good using elk hair caddis, trico spinners, Cimarron specials, salmon eggs and PowerBait. Fishing at the Gravel Pit Lakes was good using Pistol Petes, PowerBait, salmon eggs and worms for trout.

Conchas Lake — Fishing was very good using finesse worms, senkos, swim baits, curly tail grubs, jerk baits, top water lures and tubes for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Night fishing was good using shrimp, cut bait and liver for catfish. Fishing was fair using minnows and small grub and leech patterns for crappie. Fishing was good using worms for bluegill. We had no other reports.

Costilla Creek — Stream flow on Monday below Costilla Dam was 65.7 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Cowles Ponds — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Coyote Creek — Trout fishing was fair to good using elk hair caddis, small parachute Adams and salmon eggs.

Eagle Rock Lake — Fishing was good using PowerBait, Fire Balls, Pistol Petes, worms and spinners for trout. The best action continued to be in the early morning and late evening hours.

Eagle Nest Lake — Trout fishing was fair using PowerBait from the bank and from anchored boats. Anglers did better trolling with light tackle and using a variety of spinners for trout up to 19 inches. Edwina Alvarez of Santa Fe caught a nice 18-inch rainbow July 30. She was trolling with a Platte River special and garlic PowerBait. Fishing was excellent using worms for perch. Fishing was slow to fair using spoons and spinners for northern pike. There is a considerable amount of grass along the shoreline. Bank fishing is best if you fish off the bottom using bait under a bubble.

Gallinas River — Trout fishing was fair to good using salmon eggs, worms and copper John Barrs.

Hopewell Lake — Fishing was slow with just a few trout caught by anglers using dry flies, worms and PowerBait.

Lake Alice — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Lake Maloya — Trout fishing was good using Pistol Petes, elk hair caddis flies, bead-head, hares’ ear nymphs, PowerBait and Fire Balls. Daytime action picked up with the cooler temps this past week.

Los Pinos River — Fishing was good using copper John Barrs, salmon eggs and worms for rainbow and brown trout.

Maxwell Lake 13 — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Monastery Lake — Fishing was good using Kastmasters, hoppers, elk hair caddis and PowerBait for trout.

Morphy Lake — Fishing was good using Pistol Petes, hoppers, PowerBait, Fire Balls, Zeke’s floating trout bait, worms and salmon eggs for trout.

Pecos River — Streamflow near Pecos on Monday was 159 cfs. Prior to the rains and the higher flow, fishing was good using Fire Balls, PowerBait, worms, San Juan worms, prince nymphs, Pecos Specials, elk hair caddis and Panther Martins.

Red River — Stream flow below the hatchery on Monday was 112 cfs. Fishing was good using salmon eggs, worms, copper John Barrs and CDC emergers for trout.

Red River City Ponds — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Grande — Stream flow on Monday at the Taos Junction Bridge was 477 cfs. Fishing in the Pilar area and further upstream was good using elk hair caddis flies, bead-head wooly buggers, Chernobyl ants, hoppers, Panther Martin spinners, Mepps spinners and night crawlers. A few smallmouth bass were caught by anglers using wooly buggers, spoons and spinners. On the lower river through the Albuquerque area, night fishing was very good using chicken liver, worms, shrimp, cut bait and beef liver for catfish and bullheads. We had no other reports.

Rio Hondo — Stream flow near Valdez on Monday was 41 cfs. Fishing was good using hoppers, copper John Barrs and worms for trout.

Rio Mora — As of Monday, stream flow near Terrero was 36.6 cfs. Fishing was good using worms and salmon eggs for trout.

Rio Pueblo — Stream flow near Penasco on Monday was 51.8 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Santa Cruz Reservoir — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Shuree Ponds — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Springer Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Storrie Lake — Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait, worms and Fire Balls for trout. We had no other reports.

Stubblefield Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Ute Lake — Fishing was slow to fair using jigs and grubs in 15 to 20 feet of water for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. A few were caught on top water lures fished early and late in the day. Fishing for catfish was fair using cut bait, shrimp and stink bait over baited holes. Fishing for bluegill was very good using worms under a bobber. Fishing pressure was light. The surface water temp was in the high 70s.

Winsor Creek — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Southwest

Alumni Pond — Fishing was fair using hotdogs and prepared baits for catfish. We had no other reports.

Bear Canyon Lake — Fishing was fair using homemade beef liver bait, cut bait and night crawlers for catfish. Fishing for bluegill was fair to good using worms. We had no other reports.

Bill Evans Lake — Fishing was slow for all species.

Caballo Lake — Fishing was slow to fair using spoons, sassy shad, curly tail grubs and spinners for white bass. Fishing was fair to good using cut bait, night crawlers and chicken liver for catfish. We had no other reports.

Elephant Butte Lake — Fishing was slow to fair using crank baits, spinners, sassy shad, minnows and grubs for white bass. Fishing was fair using jerk baits, creature baits, finesse worms, senkos, sassy shad, tubes and spinners for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Night fishing was good using cut bait, minnows, shrimp and chicken liver over baited holes for catfish. We had no other reports.

Escondida Lake — Fishing for catfish was fair for anglers using liver, Mr. Catfish dough bait, hotdogs and shrimp. Fishing for all other species was slow.

Gila River — Stream flow on Monday morning was 140 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Glenwood Pond — Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait for trout.

Lake Roberts — Fishing was slow to fair using finesse worms, tubes, creature baits and frog imitations for largemouth bass. Fishing for catfish at night was good using homemade liver baits, night crawlers and shrimp. We had no other reports.

Percha Dam — Fishing was good using minnows, curly tail grubs, night crawlers and jigs for walleye and white bass. Fishing was fair using chicken liver and cut bait. We had no other reports.

Quemado Lake — Fishing was slow to fair using top water lures, swim baits, jerk baits and crank baits for tiger muskie. We had no other reports.

Rancho Grande Ponds — Fishing was good using worms and hotdogs for catfish.

Rio Grande — Stream flow below Elephant Butte Monday morning was 814 cfs. Fishing below Elephant Butte and Caballo and at the Mesilla Valley Dam was fair to good using night crawlers, beef liver, chicken liver and cut bait for catfish. Fishing was good using grubs, spoons, minnows and sassy shad for white bass. We had no other reports.

Snow Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Young Pond — We had no reports form anglers this week.

Southeast

Alto Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Bataan Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Black River — Stream flow at Malaga on Monday was 28.8 cfs. Fishing was slow for all species.

Blue Hole Park Pond — Fishing was slow to fair using chicken liver, hotdogs and shrimp for catfish. We had no other reports.

Bonito Lake — Closed until further notice by the city of Alamogordo due to fire damage.

Bosque Redondo Lake — Fishing was fair using chicken liver, beef liver, worms and shrimp for catfish. We had no other reports.

Bottomless Lakes — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Brantley Lake — Anglers are required to catch and release all fish here as high levels of pesticides have been found in some fish. Fishing was very good using silver and white crank baits, jerk baits, tubes, finesse worms, 6-inch plastic worms, senkos and spinners for largemouth bass and white bass. Anglers fishing for bass also caught a few crappie and bluegill. We had no other reports.

Carlsbad Municipal Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Chaparral Park Lake — Fishing was fair to good using Gulp earthworms, liver, night crawlers and hotdogs for catfish. We had no other reports.

El Rito Creek — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Eunice Lake — Fishing was fair to good using worms, homemade dough bait and hotdogs for catfish.

Green Meadow Lake — Fishing was good using liver, Magic Bait, hotdogs and night crawlers for catfish.

Greene Acres Lake — Fishing was fair using chicken liver, worms and homemade dough bait for catfish. We had no other reports.

Grindstone Reservoir — Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait and salmon eggs for trout. We had no other reports.