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.
Alto Lake: Carson Bailey, 9, of Gatesville, Texas caught a 14-inch rainbow trout Dec. 24. He was using orange PowerBait. He was on his birthday trip and it was his first trout ever.
Tingley Beach: Marquese Jones, 10, of Albuquerque caught and released a brute of a rainbow trout Dec. 21. He was fishing the Bob Gerding Catch and Release Pond at Tingley Beach and using a mouse fly.
Ute Lake: Andres Alvarado, 13, of Santa Fe, his dad and a good friend caught some good walleye and white bass Dec. 21. They were jigging blade baits.
The following came in late but we felt it was worth mentioning:
Elephant Butte Lake: Tatum Lowe, 9, of Albuquerque caught a 12-inch white bass Dec. 10. He was using a chartreuse crank bait.
If you have a catch of the week story or just want to tell us about your latest New Mexico fishing experience, send it to us at fishforfun2@hotmail.com. We may include your story in our next report.
For catches of the week, include name, age, hometown, date, and location, type of fish, length and weight if possible and bait, lure or fly used.
Dec. 27
Northeast
Cimarron River: Stream flow below Eagle Nest on Monday was 1.7 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
Conchas Lake: Fishing was slow for all species. Fishing pressure was very light.
Cowles Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Coyote Creek: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Eagle Rock Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Eagle Nest Lake: Closed to fishing due to thin ice conditions. For updates, call the State Park office at (575) 377-1594.
Gallinas River: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Hopewell Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Lake Alice: Ice on the lake this past weekend was still considered unsafe for fishing. For updates, call the State Park office at (505) 445-5607.
Lake Maloya: Closed to fishing due to thin ice conditions. Call the State Park office at (505) 445-5607 for updates.
Los Pinos River: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Monastery Lake: Anglers are reminded that ice fishing is not permitted on this lake.
Pecos River: Trout fishing in the Villanueva area was fair to good using small bead-head nymphs, salmon eggs and PowerBait.
Red River: Stream flow below the hatchery on Monday was 38 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.
Rio Grande: Stream flow on Monday at the Taos Junction Bridge was 547 cfs. Fishing was slow to fair using PowerBait, garlic cheese and red salmon eggs for trout. A few trout were also caught by anglers using weighted wooly buggers. We had no other reports.
Rio Hondo: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Rio Pueblo: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Santa Barbara River: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Santa Cruz Reservoir: We had no reports from anglers this week. No ice fishing is allowed on this lake.
Shuree Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Springer Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Ice fishing is not permitted.
Storrie Lake: There is a thin layer of ice on the lake and it is closed to fishing. For updates, call the State Park office at (505) 425-7278.
Ute Lake: Fishing was slow but there were a few anglers who managed to find the white bass and walleye. They were jigging with blade baits. The surface water temp ranged from the mid to high 40s. We had no other reports.
Winsor Creek: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Northwest
Abiquiu Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Animas River: Water flow near Aztec on Monday morning was 383 cfs. Fishing was good using San Juan worms, PowerBait and salmon eggs for trout.
Albuquerque Area Drains: Trout fishing was good using San Juan worms, zebra midges, copper John Barrs, salmon eggs, PowerBait, worms under a bobber and wax worms. We had good reports from the Albuquerque Drain, Belen Drain, Bernalillo Drain and Peralta Drain. Josh Kitting reported having a great day of fishing on the Albuquerque Drain on December 24. He caught a variety of fish including walleye, largemouth bass, green sunfish and trout.
Bluewater Lake: Closed to ice fishing and boating due to thin and unsafe ice conditions. For updates, contact the State Park office at (505) 876-2391.
Brazos River: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Canjilon Lakes: Closed by the U.S. Forest Service until further notice due to danger from falling trees.
Chama River: Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 107 cfs and 154 cfs respectively. Fishing below El Vado was fair to good using Rapalas, San Juan worms and PowerBait for trout. We had no reports from below Abiquiu.
Cochiti Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
El VadoLake: Fishing pressure was extremely light and we had no reports this past week.
Fenton Lake: Closed to fishing and all other activities due to thin ice conditions. For updates, call the State Park office at (575) 829-3630.
Heron Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. Due to low water conditions, only small craft such as canoes and small john boats can be launched at this time.
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 26 cfs. Fishing on the Jemez was good using small bead-head nymphs, wax worms and salmon eggs for trout. We had no reports from other streams in the area.
Lake Farmington: We had no reports from anglers this week. Nonmotorized watercraft are now allowed on Lake Farmington. Fees are $50 for the season or $5 daily.
Manzano Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Navajo Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
San Gregorio Lake: We had no reports from anglers.
San Juan River: Stream flow from Navajo Reservoir on Monday was 348 cfs and the water was a bit off color. Fishing through the Quality waters was good using gray foam wings, mini midges, crystal flash, dead chickens, Griffith’s gnats and Chernobyl ants. Fishing through the bait waters was good using worms, PowerBait, garlic cheese, salmon eggs, San Juan worms and wooly worms.
Tingley Beach: Fishing at the Central and Youth ponds was very good using wax worms, cheese, PowerBait, San Juan worms, egg patterns and spoons for trout. Fishing at the Bob Gerding Catch and Release Pond was good using small midge patterns, San Juan worms, mouse flies and small leech patterns.
Trout Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Southwest
Alumni Pond: Fishing was very good using PowerBait, salmon eggs, Velveeta cheese and small Kastmasters for trout.
Bear Canyon Lake: Fishing was good using PowerBait, salmon eggs and marshmallows for trout. Andrew Jasso reported catching his limit in a couple of hours on December 26. He was using PowerBait.
Bill Evans Lake: Fishing was good using PowerBait, garlic cheese, meal worms and salmon eggs for trout. We had no other reports.
Caballo Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing was fair using a variety of plastic baits for a mixed bag of walleye, white bass, largemouth bass and catfish. Anglers were slow drifting and jigging at depths ranging from 20 to 40 feet. We had no other reports.
Escondida Lake: Fishing was good using PowerBait and garlic cheese for trout. We had no other reports.
Gila River: Stream flow on Monday morning was 618 cfs. High flows kept anglers away this past week.
Glenwood Pond: Fishing was good using PowerBait for trout.
Lake Roberts: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Percha Dam: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Quemado Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Rio Grande: Stream flow below Elephant Butte Monday morning was 0.46 cfs. Fishing was good using PowerBait, worms and salmon eggs for trout. We had no other reports.
Snow Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Young Pond: Fishing was very good using Zeke’s trout bait, PowerBait, salmon eggs and salmon egg corn combinations for trout. We had no other reports.
Southeast
Alto Lake: Fishing was fair using orange and red PowerBait and salmon eggs for trout. We had no other reports.
Bataan Lake: Fishing was good using PowerBait, salmon eggs and meal worms for trout. We had no other reports.
Black River: Stream flow at Malaga on Monday was 13 cfs. Fishing was slow to fair using salmon eggs for trout. We had no other reports.
Blue Hole Park Pond: Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait, salmon eggs and garlic cheese for trout. We had no other reports.
Bonito Lake: Closed until further notice by the city of Alamogordo due to fire damage.
Bosque Redondo Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Bottomless Lakes: Fishing was fair to good using salmon eggs and PowerBait for trout. A few were also caught by anglers using spinners.
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 fair to good using spoons, grubs and crank baits for white bass and largemouth bass. We had no other reports.
Carlsbad Municipal Lake: Fishing was very good using orange, rainbow and red PowerBait, salmon eggs and small Kastmasters for trout. We had no other reports.
Chaparral Park Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
El Rito Creek: Fishing was good using PowerBait, salmon eggs and garlic cheese for trout. We had no other reports.
Eunice Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Green Meadow Lake: Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait for trout. We had no other reports.
Greene Acres Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing was good using PowerBait, garlic cheese, homemade dough bait and salmon eggs for trout. We had no other reports.
Jal Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
Lake Van: Fishing was fair using PowerBait, salmon eggs, wax worms and spoons for trout. We had no other reports.
Oasis Park Lake: Fishing was good using Kastmasters, PowerBait and homemade dough bait for trout.
Pecos River: Stream flow below Sumner Lake on Monday was 22 cfs. Trout fishing was good for anglers using wax worms, PowerBait and salmon eggs. We had no other reports.
Perch Lake: Fishing was fair to good using salmon eggs, homemade dough bait and PowerBait for trout. We had no other reports.
Ruidoso River: Stream flow at Hollywood on Monday was 6.8cfs. Trout fishing was fair to good using salmon eggs for trout.
Santa Rosa Lake: The shoreline was free of ice and open to bank fishing. We had no reports from anglers.
Sumner Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.
