New Mexico fishing and stocking report for July 18, 2017

Catches of the week: Abiquiu Lake: Alison Gonzalez of Santa Fe caught her first fish. It was an 18-inch rainbow trout. She was using a minnow shaped jerk bait. Bluewater Lake: Waylon Lowe, 9, of Albuquerque, caught and released a 32-inch tiger muskie, July 15. He was trolling a jerk bait. Brantley Lake: Isaiah Romero, 13, of Carlsbad caught and released a 6-pound largemouth bass July 12. He was using a Banjo minnow. Caballo Lake: Michael Bailey of Las Cruces along with the help of his buddies, Robert Brahm and Richard Lopez, landed a 23-pound blue catfish July 14. He was using cut carp bait. Chama River: Will Elliott of El Vado caught and released a 20-inch brown trout July 16. He was using a wooly bugger. Eagle Nest Lake: Ellie Wingfield of Clovis caught a 22-inch, 3-pound, rainbow trout July 14. She was trolling a Platte River fly. Ethan Griffin, 9, of Amarillo, Texas, caught an 18-inch, 2.5-pound rainbow trout July 14. He was using PowerBait. Elephant Butte Lake: Angelique Terrazas, 10, of Las Cruces caught a channel catfish and a carp July 11. She was using homemade stink bait. Fenton Lake:  Mateo Sanchez, 4, of Rio Rancho caught a 16-inch cutthroat trout July 15. He was using a worm under a bobber. Lake Maloya: Steve Ortega, Jr. of Raton caught a 26.5-inch, 8.25-pound rainbow trout July 13. He was using a custom tied fly.  Pecos River: Glenn Arnett of Albuquerque caught a 22-inch, 6.2-pound rainbow trout July 14. He was fishing above Terrero and using a Pecos Special. Rio De Las Vacas: Dakota Sanchez, 9, of Albuquerque caught his first three trout July 14. He was fishing the lower stretch of the river and using salmon eggs on a fly rod. Rio Grande River: Alec Avalos, 5, of Las Cruces caught an18-inch channel catfish July 15. He was fishing the river near Elephant Butte. The following reports came in late but deserve a mention: Chama River: Don Romero of Albuquerque caught a brown trout over 20 inches July 8. He was fishing below El Vado and using PowerBait. Lake Maloya: Leandra Knoop of Albuquerque caught a 20-inch rainbow trout July 7. She was using a size 14 parachute Adams with a size 14 bead-head hares ear dropper. Navajo Lake: Charlotte Bazan of Albuquerque caught a 30-inch northern pike July 14. She was trolling a Kastmaster near the Sims Marina. Oasis Park Lake: Sunee Cozine of Clovis caught an 8-pound channel catfish July 7. She was using a night crawler. Trout Lakes: Michael Clenaghan, 7, of Rio Rancho, caught a big rainbow trout July 8. He was using garlic PowerBait. 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.

July 18  

Northeast

Charette Lakes: Fishing was slow to fair using PowerBait and Fire Balls for trout. We had no other reports.

Clayton Lake: Fishing was slow. A few trout were caught by anglers using PowerBait and worms. We had no other reports. Due to low water conditions, the boat ramp remains closed.

Cimarron River: Stream flow below Eagle Nest on Monday was 26 cfs. Trout fishing was good using, elk hair caddis, parachute Adams, stimulators, Cimarron specials, worms, salmon eggs, PowerBait and spinners. Fishing at the Gravel Pit Lakes was good using Pistol Petes, PowerBait, salmon eggs and worms for trout.

Conchas Lake: Fishing was fair to good using stick baits, crank baits, Ricos, buzz baits, finesse worms, senkos, swim baits, curly tail grubs and jerk baits for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Fishing for white bass and walleye was fair to good using leeches, minnows, bottom bouncer night crawler combinations, grubs and crank baits. Fishing was fair to good using shrimp, cut bait, hot dogs, and liver for catfish. Fishing was good using worms and small poppers for bluegill. We had no other reports.

Costilla Creek: Stream flow on Monday below Costilla Dam was 78.6 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Cowles Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Coyote Creek: Trout fishing was slow to fair using elk hair caddis, worms and salmon eggs.

Eagle Rock Lake: Fishing was good using PowerBait, Fire Balls, Pistol Petes, Super Dupers, Kastmasters and wooly buggers for trout.

Eagle Nest Lake: Fishing was very good using a variety of PowerBait from the bank and from anchored boats for trout. Anglers also caught several trout and a few kokanee salmon while trolling Platte River specials, Panther Martins and kokanee killers. Fishing was very good using worms for perch. Fishing was good using spoons, spinners, swim baits and large streamers for northern pike. Gallinas River: Trout fishing was fair to good using salmon eggs, worms and copper John Barrs.

Hopewell Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Lake Alice: Trout fishing was slow.

Lake Maloya: Trout fishing was good using gold spoons, Pistol Petes, elk hair caddis, parachute Adams, bead-head hares ear nymphs, worms, PowerBait and Fire Balls. The best reports are coming from anglers fishing in the evening hours and from those trolling with silver Panther Martin and Mepps spinners.

Los Pinos River: Fishing was good using prince nymphs, green copper John Barrs, salmon eggs and worms for rainbow and brown trout.

Maxwell Lake 13: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Monastery Lake: Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait and salmon eggs for trout.

Morphy Lake: Fishing was fair to good using Pistol Petes, hoppers, PowerBait and salmon eggs for trout.

Pecos River: Streamflow near Pecos on Monday was 68 cfs. Fishing was good using Fire Balls, PowerBait, San Juan worms, prince nymphs, Pecos Specials, elk hair caddis and Panther Martins.

Red River: Stream flow below the hatchery on Monday was 90.1 cfs. Fishing below the hatchery was good using Fire Balls, PowerBait, worms, copper John Barrs and wooly buggers for trout.

Red River City Ponds: Kids Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week. Adult pond is closed.

Rio Grande: Stream flow on Monday at the Taos Junction Bridge was 594 cfs. Fishing was good using poundmeisters, wooly buggers, San Juan worms, hoppers, Panther Martin spinners and night crawlers. We had no other reports.

Rio Hondo: Stream flow near Valdez on Monday was 46.8 cfs. Fishing was good using poundmeisters and worms for trout.

Rio Mora: As of Monday, stream flow near Terrero was 12.2 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Pueblo: Stream flow near Penasco on Monday was 18.9 cfs. 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.

Shuree Ponds: Fishing was good using hopper patterns, dragon fly nymphs and copper John Barrs.

Springer Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Storrie Lake: Fishing for trout was slow with just a few caught by anglers using assorted PowerBait. We had no other reports.

Stubblefield Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Ute Lake: Fishing for smallmouth bass was good using drop shot rigs with finesse worms, senkos and tubes. The bigger bass were in 20 to 30 feet of water off main lake and secondary points. Fishing for white bass was fair to good using minnows, crank baits and top water lures. Walleye fishing was slow with a few caught by anglers using crank baits, jerk baits, night crawlers and live minnows. Fishing for bluegill was very good using worms under a bobber. Fishing was good using cut bait and stink bait over baited holes for catfish. The surface water temp was in the high 70s.

Winsor Creek: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Northwest

Abiquiu Lake: Fishing was fair using curly tail grubs, tubes, crank baits, wooly buggers, crawdad imitation flies and night crawlers for small smallmouth bass. Fishing for walleye was fair for anglers using leeches, minnows and jig and grub combinations. Fishing was slow to fair using jerk baits and PowerBait for trout. We had no other reports.

Animas River: Water flow near Aztec on Monday morning was 781 cfs. Trout fishing was good using night crawlers, Fire Balls, wooly buggers, San Juan worms and spinners.

Albuquerque Area Drains:  We had no reports from anglers this week.

Bluewater Lake:  Fishing was fair using dark colored crank baits, swim baits and jerk baits for tiger muskies. Fishing for catfish and trout was slow during the day but action picked up at night. Best baits were homemade beef liver bait and Red Devil spoons.

Brazos River: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Canjilon Lakes: Closed by the U.S. Forest Service until further notice.

Chama River: Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 612 cfs and 765 cfs respectively. Trout fishing above El Vado was good using Chernobyl ants, hoppers, copper John Barrs, wooly buggers, Mepps spinners and Panther Martins for brown and rainbow trout. Fishing below El Vado was good using Berkley Power Worms, copper John Barrs, hoppers, wooly buggers, Panther Martins, night crawlers and PowerBait for rainbow and brown trout. We had no reports from below Abiquiu. NEW SPECIAL TROUT WATER: The river from the USGS gauging station to the confluence of the Rio Nutrias is now catch and release only using single barbless hook artificial flies and lures.

Cochiti Lake: Fishing was fair using crank baits, creature baits. tubes and worms for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Fishing was fair using spinners, grubs and crank baits for white bass. Fishing was fair using shrimp, hot dogs and chicken liver for catfish. We had no other reports.

El Vado Lake: Fishing was fair to good using spinners, worms and wooly buggers for smallmouth bass. The bass range in size for 6 to 12 inches. Fishing was good using hoppers for brown and rainbow trout at the north end of the lake.  PowerBait or corn for a mixed bag of kokanee salmon and rainbow trout.

Fenton Lake: Fishing was slow again this past week with just a few trout caught by anglers using worms, Fire Balls, and rainbow PowerBait.

Heron Lake: Bank fishing picked up a bit this past week as we had reports of rainbow trout caught in the Rincon area, Brushy Point and near the dam. Anglers were using salmon peach PowerBait and Gulp eggs.   We had no other reports.

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 22.5 cfs. Trout fishing on the Jemez and East Fork was slow. Fishing on the Rio De Las Vacas was fair using salmon eggs for trout. Sergio Beltran and family fished the San Antonio on the Valles Caldera and the Cebolla and reported good to great fishing. They were using a variety of flies including elk hair caddis, stimulators and royal coachmen.  Michael Riddle of Questa reported that he and a friend caught and released a good number of brown and rainbow trout on the Rio Guadalupe this past Saturday. They were using hoppers, caddis and a variety of nymphs.

Laguna del Campo: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

Manzano Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Navajo Lake: Fishing was good using Ricos, swim baits, finesse worms, jerk baits, tubes, baby brush hogs, wooly buggers, crawdad flies and spinners for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Fishing was good using an assortment of wet flies for carp. Fishing was fair using jigs, swim baits, minnows, jerk baits and crank baits for northern pike. Fishing was fair to good trolling kokanee killers, double whammies, Arnies and Cripplures tipped with PowerBait and corn for kokanee salmon. We had no other reports.

San Gregorio Lake: Trout fishing was good using elk hair caddis, royal coachmen, parachute Adams, Pistol Petes, and garlic and salmon egg PowerBait.

San Juan River: Stream flow from Navajo Reservoir on Monday was 484 cfs. Trout fishing through the Quality Waters was rated as good to excellent by anglers using Big Mac, Disco and Rootbeer midges, chocolate foam wing   emergers, hoppers, ants, San Juan worms, pink egg patterns and chamois leeches. Through the bait waters, anglers did well using San Juan worms, hoppers, Fire Balls, PowerBait, night crawlers, small spoons and pins minnows.

Seven Springs Brood Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Tingley Beach: Fishing at the Youth and Central ponds was slow with just a few catfish and bluegill caught by anglers using hot dogs, homemade stink bait and worms.

Trout Lakes: Fishing was good using PowerBait, salmon eggs, grass hoppers and Pistol Petes for trout.

Southwest

Alumni Pond: Fishing was slow for all species.

Bear Canyon Lake: Fishing was good using homemade beef liver bait and night crawlers for catfish. We had no other reports.

Bill Evans Lake: Fishing was slow with just a few catfish and largemouth bass caught. Anglers were using homemade liver baits and night crawlers for the catfish and finesse worms and tubes for the bass.

Caballo Lake: Fishing was very good using spoons and spinners for white bass. Jose Carlos Rivera reported that he and two others caught their limits of white bass this past Sunday. They were using spinners. Fishing was fair to good using cut bait and chicken liver for catfish. We had no other reports.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing was fair using crank baits, spinners, sassy shad, minnows and grubs for white bass. Fishing was slow to fair using crankbaits, finesse worms, grubs and minnows for walleye. Fishing was fair using Pop Rs, Ricos, creature baits, worms, senkos, sassy shad, tubes and spinners for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Night fishing was fair to good using cut bait, minnows and chicken liver for catfish. We had no other reports.

Escondida Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Gila River: Stream flow on Monday morning was 59.9 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Glenwood Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Lake Roberts: Fishing was fair to good using earth worms, watermelon seed leeches and frog imitations, crank baits, Zoom natural blue finesse worms and jerk baits for largemouth bass and an occasional crappie. Fishing was very good using homemade liver baits, worms and shrimp for catfish. The best catfish reports came from anglers fishing at night at the northeast end of the lake. We had no other reports.

Percha Dam: Fishing was good using worms and cut bait for catfish and white bass. A few white bass were also caught by anglers using grubs.

Quemado Lake: Fishing was fair using copper John Barrs for trout. Fishing for tiger muskie was slow.

Rancho Grande Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Grande: Stream flow below Elephant Butte Monday morning was 2,380 cfs. Fishing below Elephant Butte and Caballo and at the Mesilla Valley Dam was good using night crawlers, minnows, beef liver, chicken liver, grubs and cut bait for catfish. Fishing was good using grubs, minnows and spinners for white bass.

Anglers fishing for white bass also caught a few walleyes. Fishing was good using corn for carp. We had no other reports.

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

Young Pond: Fishing was slow for all species.

Southeast

Alto Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

Bataan Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Black River: Stream flow at Malaga on Monday was 28.2 cfs. Fishing was slow for all species.

Blue Hole Park Pond: Fishing was slow to fair using beef liver, chicken liver and shrimp for catfish. We had no other reports.

Bonito Lake: Closed until further notice by the city of Alamogordo due to fire damage.

Bosque Redondo Lake: Fishing was fair using chicken liver, night crawlers and shrimp for catfish. We had no other reports.

Bottomless Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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 good using top water lures, crank baits, jerk baits, tubes, finesse worms, creature baits, spinners and senkos for largemouth bass and white bass. Fishing for catfish was good using liver and worms. We had no other reports.

Carlsbad Municipal Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Chaparral Park Lake: Fishing was slow with just a few catfish caught by anglers using chicken liver and worms. We had no other reports.

El Rito Creek: Fishing was fair to good using Zeke’s floating trout bait, salmon eggs and worms for trout. We had no other reports.

Eunice Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using night crawlers and homemade dough bait for catfish. Fishing was slow to fair using crank baits and night crawlers for largemouth bass. We had no other reports.

Green Meadow Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Greene Acres Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing was good using PowerBait and salmon eggs for trout. Anglers did best early in the day.

Jal Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Lake Van: Fishing was fair using shrimp, homemade dough bait, night crawlers, blood bait and chicken liver for catfish. We had no other reports.

Oasis Park Lake: Fishing was fair to good using worms, homemade dough baits and liver for catfish. We had no other reports.

Pecos River: Stream flow below Sumner Lake on Monday was 91.5 cfs. Fishing was good using liver, night crawlers and cut bait for catfish. We had no other reports.

Perch Lake: Fishing was slow for all species. Fishing was slow to fair using salmon eggs for trout.

Ruidoso River: Stream flow at Hollywood on Monday was 7.68 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing was good using creature baits, senkos, worms, top water lures, crank baits and tubes for largemouth bass. Fishing was fair to good using curly tail grubs with night crawlers, swim baits and tubes for walleye. Anglers fishing for walleye also caught a few crappies. We had no reports on other species

Sumner Lake: Fishing was fair trolling crank baits, sassy shad and using jig and grub combinations for white bass. Fishing was fair to good using flukes, crawdads, jerk baits and swim jigs for smallmouth bass. We had no other reports.