Outdoor recreational activities available

Cannon Connections photo: Clarence Plank Jake Whitaker of Clovis gets in shooting time at Patriot Outdoors. Whitaker said he was trying out a new gun.

With hunting season coming to a close, fishing season is just gearing up for anglers in New Mexico. Both Portales and Clovis offer fishing spots.

Portales has Oasis State Park with winter trout and some catfish. Ned Houk Park in Clovis also has winter trout.

Mark Madsen, public information officer with New Mexico Game and Fish said there are a few fishing options around the area.

“What your looking at is going to Santa Rosa Lake and Sumner Lake,” Madsen said. “Of course you have our winter trout waters which include Oasis and Ned Houk.”

Green Acres Park in Clovis is a place where people can fish, and has recently reopened.

Fishing has been slow at Santa Rosa Lake in Guadalupe County due to the cold weather, but anglers will have best results deep jigging on outside channel bends for walleye, according to the Game and Fish fishing report. People fishing at Sumner Lake in De Baca County might have better luck fishing near the spill way.

Madsen said that the Game and Fish Web site can help people who are looking for information about places to fish, hunt and other things.

Madsen said that April 15 through May 1 is the spring turkey hunt for people who want to hunt but hunting season is pretty much done for the southeast side of the state.

Also in Clovis is Patriot Outdoors, which has a shooting range, rock climbing wall and paintball course. Patriot Outdoors Manager Brian Finan said the paintball course opened for the season at the beginning of March.

“This place was built with the military in mind because there is not a lot here for the military to do,” Finan said.

Patriot Outdoors also has classes where people can get a gun license or learn more about firearms safety. They are currently working on building a competition style trap and skeet shoot range.