Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Reporter's notebook: Free fishing

Give a person a fish, teach a person to fish — you probably know how it goes. But that’s a proverb from old times, before regulations and fees kicked in. What happens when you simply cut some of the red tape?

Today anglers can fish for free at any public fishing waters throughout New Mexico as the state celebrates National Boating and Fishing Week, part of a nationwide event.

Bag limits and “all other rules and regulations” are still in effect, but the event is intended as a “great opportunity for the public to come out and try fishing,” said the department’s media contact.

“It’s kind of that ‘try it before you buy it,’ deal,” Tristanna Bickford said.

Locally, the departments identifies four fishing water sites near Clovis and Portales: Ned Houk Lakes, Greene Acres Lake, Dennis Chavez Pond and Oasis Park Lake.

Fort Sumner’s Bosque Redondo also qualifies, and in Roswell there is a city-sponsored event at the community pond, Bickford said. Many other events statewide are hosted with support from the forest service.

Free fishing day returns for another iteration this year in late September.

— Compiled by Staff Writer David Grieder