Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Fishing report - May 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 — Fishing was fair using Power Bait, worms, Pistol Petes and salmon eggs for trout. We had no reports on perch.

Cimarron River — Water flow below Eagle Nest on Monday was 67 cfs. Trout fishing was fair to good using Panther Martins, elk hair caddis, Cimarron specials, Cimarron worms, parachute adams, salmon eggs and worms. Fishing at the Gravel Pit Lakes was fair using Pistol Petes, worms, salmon eggs and Power Bait.

Clayton Lake — Fishing was good using Power Bait and homemade dough baits for limits of rainbow trout. We heard reports of some big walleye and one big bass caught but were unable to verify at this time.

Conchas Lake — Fishing was good using crank baits, tubes, grubs and jerk baits for white bass and walleye. Fishing was fair to good using small jigs for crappie. Fishing was good using tubes, jigs, spinner baits, chatterbaits and creature baits for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp was in the low 60s.

Coyote Creek — Trout fishing was fair to good using Power Bait, worms and salmon eggs in the beaver pond areas.

Eagle Nest Lake — The boat ramps are open and the boat docks are in place. Fishing for northern pike was good using spoons, spinners, jerk baits and clousers. Fishing for trout was good from the bank and from anchored boats for anglers using Power Bait, homemade dough bait and salmon eggs. Anglers trolling rated the fishing as sporadic with a few trout caught on Arnies, Panther Martins, Mepps and Platte River specials. Fishing for perch was fair to good using worms.

Hopewell Lake — Trout fishing was very good using Fisher Chick spinners, Panther Martins and Blue Fox spinners for rainbow trout.

Lake Alice — Fishing was very good using Power Bait, homemade dough bait, salmon eggs and Pistol Petes for rainbow trout ranging in size from 9 to 15 inches. Fishing pressure was light.

Lake Maloya — Fishing was very good using Power Bait, Pistol Petes, Panther Martins, homemade dough bait, salmon eggs, wooly buggers and parachute adams for trout up to 20 inches. The annual fishing derby will be May 31-June 2. For more information contact the State Park Office at 575-445-5607.

Los Pinos — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Manzano Lake — Trout fishing was fair using salmon peach Power Bait, worms, salmon eggs and homemade dough bait.

Maxwell Lake 13 — The water level is down and fishing was slow for all species.

Monastery Lake — Trout fishing was slow to fair using Power Bait, Pistol Petes and salmon eggs.

Morphy Lake — Trout fishing was fair to good using homemade dough bait, worms, cheese, corn and salmon eggs. The lake level is quite low.

Pecos River — Water flow near the town of Pecos on Monday was 79 cfs. Trout fishing was good using elk hair caddis, emergers, worms, nightcrawlers, salmon eggs and spinners.

Red River — Water flow near the hatchery Monday was 75 cfs. Trout fishing was good using poundmeisters, elk hair caddis, orange stimulators, small streamers, nightcrawlers, Panther Martins and worms.

Rio Grande — Fishing was very good using elk hair caddis, streamers, Panther Martins, wooly buggers, bead-head prince nymphs, salmon eggs and worms for trout. Fishing was fair to good using streamers, nightcrawlers and small jerk baits for smallmouth bass. We had no reports on other species. Water flow near the Taos Junction Bridge on Monday was 281 cfs.

Rio Hondo — Stream flow near Valdez on Monday was 43 cfs. Trout fishing on the lower river was good using elk hair caddis, poundmeisters and salmon eggs.

Rio Mora — Stream flow near Terrero on Monday was 16 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Pueblo — Water flow near Penasco on Monday was 18 cfs. Trout fishing was good using poundmeisters, small copper John Barrs, parachute adams and elk hair caddis.

Santa Barbara — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Springer Lake — Fishing was slow for all species.

Storrie Lake — Fishing was good using Power Bait, garlic cheese and salmon eggs for trout. We had no reports on other species.

Stubblefield Lake — Water levels are extremely low and not fishable at this time.

Ute Lake — Fishing for crappie was very good using Road Runners, grubs and minnows. Fishing was good trolling Flicker Shad and Wally Divers for walleye. Fishing was fair to good trolling white, chartreuse and chrome crank baits for white bass. Fishing was good using senkos, tubes, chigger craws, smallie beavers and jigs for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Fishing was fair to good using stink bait for catfish. The surface water temp was in the mid 60s.

Southwest

Bear Canyon — Fishing was slow for all species.

Bill Evans Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Caballo Lake — Fishing was slow for all species. The west-side main boat ramp is still open. The east-side ramp remains closed.

Elephant Butte — The surface water temp was in the mid to high 60s. Fishing was very good using small jigs and tubes for crappie. Fishing was good using tubes, senkos, creature baits, small brush hawgs, crank baits and jerk baits for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Anglers fishing for black bass also picked up an occasional walleye. Fishing was good casting and trolling crank baits for white bass. A few were also taken by anglers using grubs and tubes. Fishing was fair to good using shrimp, stink bait and nightcrawlers for catfish. 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 — Fishing was slow for all species.

Gila River — Water flow on the Gila as of this past Monday was 41 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Glenwood Pond — Trout fishing was good using Power Bait and salmon eggs.

Lake Roberts — Fishing pressure was light but fishing was good to excellent using worms, Power Bait, garlic cheese, spinners and salmon eggs for trout. Fishing was fair using worms for catfish.

Percha Dam — The water was low and fishing was slow for all species.

Quemado Lake — Fishing was very good using nightcrawlers and Power Bait for trout up to 26 inches. Fishing for tiger musky was slow with just one short fish reported.

Rio Grande — Water flow below Elephant Butte on Monday was 12 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

Northwest

Abiquiu Lake — Fishing was fair using jerk baits, tubes, jigs and senkos for smallmouth bass. Fishing was fair trolling crank baits for brown trout and an occasional walleye. We had no reports on other species.

Animas River — Water flow near Aztec on Monday was 1,450 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Albuquerque Area Drains — Fishing on the Albuquerque Drain was good using salmon eggs, worms and foam wing emergers. Ravil Sitikov had a great time fishing near the Montano Bridge. He caught four nice rainbows while using Mike's UVGlo eggs under a homemade mini bobber.

Bluewater Lake — Fishing was very good using Rapalas, spoons, jerk baits and old crank baits for tiger musky in the 24 to 31 inch range. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp ranged from the high 50s to the mid 60s.

Canjilon Lakes — We had no reports from anglers but the lakes were recently stocked and should have some good holdover fish from last year. Give them a try.

Chama River — Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 616 cfs and 913 cfs respectively. Trout fishing below El Vado was good to excellent using Panther Martins, nightcrawlers and salmon eggs for a mixed bag of browns and rainbows. Fishing below Abiquiu was slow but there were a few trout caught by anglers using nightcrawlers.

Cochiti Lake — The surface water temp ranged from the mid to high 60s this past week. Fishing was fair using liver and blood bait for catfish. Fishing was fair using tubes, crank baits and jerk baits for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Michael Giudicissi fished the dam area one day last week and hooked two nice smallmouth bass. He was using a white medium diving crank bait in about 10 feet of water. We had no reports on other species.

El Vado Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Fenton Lake — Trout fishing was good for anglers using Power Bait, salmon eggs, worms, wooly buggers, olive Pistol Petes and Kastmasters.

Heron Lake — Fishing for lake trout was slow. Kokanee fishing was described as sporadic but there were several caught from boats and from the bank. Best baits were Cripplures and Panther Martins from boats and salmon eggs and Power Bait from the bank. Fishing for rainbow trout was slow to fair using Power Bait and salmon eggs.

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

Jemez Waters — Stream flow on the Jemez on Monday was 22 cfs. Trout fishing on the Jemez and on the lower Cebolla was very good this past week for anglers using parachute adams, elk hair caddis, prince nymphs, copper John Barrs, worms and salmon eggs. Marc Bernard reported getting several hits using the caddis and yellow parachute adams. He was up this past Sunday and fished several spots on the Cebolla. Fishing on the Guadalupe was slow with just a few browns taken by anglers using elk hair caddis and worms. We had no reports from the San Antonio, Rio Las Vacas or East Fork.

Laguna del Campo — Trout fishing was good using Pistol Petes, Kastmasters, Mepps, Power Bait and salmon eggs.

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

Navajo Lake — Fishing was good using tubes, jigs, worms, senkos, chigger craws, crank baits, spinnerbaits and jerk baits for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Fishing was good using small tubes and curly tail grubs for crappie. The best crappie action was reported in the trees above La Jara Canyon on the San Juan arm. Water was off color in that area. Fishing was good using tubes and crank baits for brown trout. A few perch were caught by anglers using worms and a few northern pike were taken on spinnerbaits and jerk baits. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp ranged from 56 to 65 degrees.

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

San Gregorio — Fishing was very slow.

San Juan — Water flow below Navajo on Monday was 287 cfs. Fishing in the Quality Water section was good using parachute adams, small olive streamers, wooly buggers, flash back pheasant tails, sparkle worms and dead chickens. Fishing through the bait waters was fair using wooly buggers, copper John Barrs, nightcrawlers, Power Bait and salmon eggs.

Santa Cruz Lake — Fishing was good using Power Bait, salmon eggs, Pistol Petes and worms for trout. We had no reports on other species.

Seven Springs Brood Pond — This water is open to anglers 11 years old or younger. Trout fishing was good using salmon eggs.

Tingley Beach — Fishing was slow for all species. Just a few trout were caught by anglers fishing the Central Pond and using salmon eggs. A group of teens had a beginning fly rod session at the Catch and Release Pond on May 20. They caught and released one nice largemouth bass, one rainbow trout and two bluegill.

Southeast

Bataan Lake — Fishing was slow for all species.

Black River — Stream flow at Malaga on Monday was 2.3 cfs. Trout fishing was slow.

Blue Hole Park Pond — Trout fishing was slow.

Bonito Lake — Closed.

Bosque Redondo — We had no reports from anglers this week.

Bottomless Lakes — Fishing was slow.

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 — Fishing was slow for all species.

El Rito Creek — Trout fishing was fair using elk hair caddis and salmon eggs.

Greene Acres Lake — Fishing was slow for all species.

Green Meadow Lake — We had no report from anglers this week.

Grindstone Reservoir — Trout fishing was good using Power Bait, worms, salmon eggs, Panther Martins, and Pistol Petes. We had no reports on other species.

Jal Lake — Fishing was slow for all species.

Lake Van — Fishing was slow to fair using worms, nightcrawlers and liver for catfish. Fishing for all other species was slow.

Oasis Park Lake — Fishing was very good using worms under bobbers for little green sunfish. Fishing for all other species was slow.

Pecos River — Stream flow below Sumner Lake on Monday was 66 cfs. Fishing was slow for all species.

Perch Lake — Fishing was slow.

Ruidoso River — Stream flow near Hollywood on Monday was .67 cfs. We had no reports from anglers.

Santa Rosa Lake — The lake has reopened to boating but the launch area is undeveloped and boating is restricted to no wake speed only. Fishing was good using worms, nightcrawlers and minnows for catfish. Fishing was good using minnows, worms and grubs for crappie. Fishing was fair using minnows, crank baits and grubs for walleye. We had no reports on other species.

Sumner Lake — Fishing was fair to good using crank baits, jerk baits, grubs and minnows for white bass. Fishing was slow to fair using minnows, nightcrawlers and grubs for walleye and crappie. We had no reports on other species. The Violation Canyon boat ramp remains open.