Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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 — Closed for the season.
Cimarron River — Keep this water on your list for spring. Low water conditions this time of year make for some tough fishing.
Clayton Lake — Closed for the season.
Conchas Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Eagle Nest Lake — The lake was closed to ice fishing Tuesday because of unsafe ice conditions. It will be reopened if and when ice conditions improve. For ice updates, call the State Park office at (575) 377-1594.
Pecos River — Water flow near Anton Chico on Monday was 31 cfs. The Mora and Jamie Koch fishing and recreation areas have reopened. The Bert Clancy and Terrero campgrounds remain closed. Trout fishing downstream through the Villanueva area was fair using salmon eggs, copper John Barrs and small streamers. We had no reports on the upper river.
Red River — Water flow near the hatchery Monday was 20 cfs. Trout fishing was slow but there were a few fish taken on egg patters and wooly buggers.
Rio Grande — Water flow near the Taos Junction Bridge on Monday was 452 cfs. Fishing was slow for all species with just a few trout caught by anglers using weighted wooly buggers and spinners.
Rio Hondo — We had no reports from anglers.
Rio Mora — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Rio Pueblo — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Santa Barbara — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Shuree Ponds — Closed for the season.
Springer Lake — We had no reports from anglers.
Storrie Lake — As of this past weekend ,the lake was free of ice and open to bank fishing. We had no reports from anglers. For updated ice conditions contact the State Park office at (505) 425-7278.
Ute Lake — Fishing pressure continued to be quite light this past week and fishing was reported as slow for all species. A few walleye were caught by anglers using blade baits in 20 to 30 feet of water. A few white bass were caught in Ute Creek by anglers using slab spoons and suspending Rogues. The surface water temp was in the low 40s.
Northwest
Abiquiu Lake — Fishing was slow for all species and fishing pressure was very light.
Animas River — Water flow near Aztec on Monday morning was 212 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
Albuquerque Area Drains — Trout fishing was rated as good to excellent this past week. Anglers did well using salmon eggs, wax worms, Power Bait, small imitation crawdads, bead-head pheasant tails, egg pattern flies and San Juan worms for trout. We received good reports from anglers fishing the Albuquerque, Albuquerque South, Belen, Corrales and Peralta drains. Bass fishing on the Albuquerque Drain was fair using small imitation crawdads and wooly buggers.
Bluewater Lake — Warmer temperatures have reduced the ice mass and there is some open water for bank fishing. Fishing was reported as slow for all species. For updated ice conditions contact the State Park office at (505) 876-2391. Anglers should be aware that it is illegal to use bait fish at this lake.
Brazos River — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Canjilon Lakes — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Chama River — Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 48 cfs and 70 cfs respectively. Trout fishing below Abiquiu was good using copper John Barrs, wooly buggers, brass Fisher Chick spinners and worms. Anglers reported catching a mixed bag of browns and rainbows. We had no reports from below El Vado.
Cochiti Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week. For ice condition updates contact the Corps office at (505) 465-0307.
El Vado Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week. The main area of the State Park has closed until March 31 but there is still fishing access and open water near the dam.
Fenton Lake — A layer of ice has formed on the lake and it is closed to fishing. For updated conditions, contact the State Park office at (575) 829-3630.
Heron Lake — The only boat ramp open is the primitive ramp in the Ridge Rock area. Boaters are able to launch but advised to use caution. Launching with four-wheel-drive vehicles is recommended. We had no reports from anglers this week.
Jackson Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Jemez Waters — The Jemez River was flowing at 22 cfs on Monday. Trout fishing on the lower Jemez was very good again this past week for anglers using salmon eggs. We had no reports from the other streams in the area. The tunnel access to the Guadalupe is closed for the winter months. The Valles Caldera has been closed to fishing for the winter but should be back up and running next spring.
Laguna del Campo — Closed for the season.
Lake Farmington — Fishing was fair using Power Bait, Pistol Petes, salmon eggs and homemade dough bait.
Navajo Lake — Fishing was slow to fair using crank baits for northern pike. A few black bass were caught by anglers using jigs and crank baits. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp was in the low 40s.
San Gregorio — We had no reports from anglers this week.
San Juan River — Water flow below Navajo Dam on Monday was 293 cfs and stained. Fishing through the Quality Waters was fair to good using black and white streamers, small white leeches, princess nymphs, red larva, orange egg patterns and San Juan worms. Fishing through the bait waters was fair using worms and salmon eggs.
Santa Cruz Lake — Closed to ice fishing.
Seven Springs Brood Pond — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Tingley Beach — A heavy stocking this past Thursday made for great trout fishing over the weekend. Anglers at the Central and Youth ponds did very well using jigs, Power Bait, homemade dough baits, salmon eggs, egg pattern files, wooly buggers and spinners with several fish in the 14-inch range. Fishing at the Catch and Release Pond was fair to good using wooly buggers, egg patterns, parachute adams and bunny leeches. The Washington Middle School fishing club had a great time here. All members caught at least two trout and two members caught limits. They were using pink, white and green trout magnet jigs.
Southwest
Bear Canyon — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Bill Evans Lake — Trout fishing was fair to good using Power Bait, homemade dough bait and Pistol Petes. We had no reports on other species.
Caballo Lake — Fishing was slow for all species. The water was reported as quite murky.
Elephant Butte — Fishing was slow to fair using crank baits and suspending jerk baits for white bass. Fishing was fair using live shad for catfish. We had no reports on other species. The Marina del Sur, Rock Canyon and Dam Site boat ramps are now open. The Monticello ramp remains closed due to low water conditions.
Escondida Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Gila River — Water flow on the Gila as of this past Monday was 72 cfs. We had no reports again this past week from the main river or from the Forks.
Glenwood Pond — Trout fishing was good using Power Bait and salmon eggs.
Lake Roberts — A construction project to improve the dam has begun and extremely low lake levels make it increasingly difficult to fish. The project is expected to continue into next summer. The lake is still open to bank fishing but difficult to access.
Percha Dam — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Quemado Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Rio Grande — Fishing pocket water was fair using Power Bait and homemade dough bait for trout. We had no reports on other species.
Snow Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Young Pond — Trout fishing was good using garlic scented Power Bait and salmon eggs. We had no reports on other species.
Southeast
Bataan Lake — Trout fishing was reported as very good by anglers using salmon eggs, Power Bait, corn-salmon egg combinations and spinners. We had no reports on other species.
Black River — Stream flow at Malaga on Monday was 2.7 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
Blue Hole Park Pond — Trout fishing was good using salmon eggs and Power Bait.
Bonito Lake — Closed.
Bosque Redondo — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Bottomless Lakes — Trout fishing at the Devil’s Inkwell was good using yellow and chartreuse Power Bait.
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 — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Chaparral Park Lake — Trout fishing was good using salmon eggs, Power Bait and homemade dough bait.
El Rito Creek — Trout fishing was good using salmon eggs, Power Bait and copper John Barrs.
Eunice Lake — Trout fishing was good using Power Bait, salmon eggs and homemade dough bait.
Green Meadow Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Greene Acres Lake — Trout fishing was fair to good using Power Bait and salmon eggs.
Grindstone Reservoir — Trout fishing was fair to good using Power Bait and homemade dough bait. We had no reports on other species. There was a thin layer of ice on the lake in the morning hours but open water for fishing by noon.
Jal Lake — Trout fishing was fair using salmon eggs and Power Bait.
Lake Van — Trout fishing was good using garlic-scented and salmon peach Power Bait, homemade dough bait and salmon eggs. We had no reports on other species.
Oasis Park Lake — Trout fishing was very good using salmon eggs, Power Bait and Pistol Petes. Jose Duran and his father had a great time here on Sunday. They each caught a limit of trout while using red salmon eggs.
Pecos River — Stream flow below Sumner Lake on Monday was 10 cfs. Fishing was slow to fair using corn for trout. We had no reports on other species.
Perch Lake — Trout fishing was fair using Power Bait, salmon eggs, homemade dough bait and Pistol Petes under a bubble.
Ruidoso River — Stream flow at Hollywood on Monday was 4.8 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
Santa Rosa Lake — We had no reports from anglers this week.
Sumner Lake — Fishing was slow for all species and fishing pressure was light. The lake is full and clear and should provide some good winter walleye and crappie fishing. Give it a try and let us know how you do.