New Mexico fishing and stocking reports for May 15, 2018

CATCHES OF THE WEEK:

Abiquiu Reservoir: Valerie Sparks of Albuquerque caught a 20-inch and a 19-inch walleye May 13. She was using a jig and worm combination.

Brantley Lake: Jaxon Von Sifuentes, age 2, of Artesia, caught and released his first largemouth bass May 11. He was fishing with his Cars Kids fishing pole and using a minnow.

Cochiti Lake: Isaac Sanchez of Albuquerque caught a 27.25-inch, 1-pound 6-ounce, walleye May 10. He was fishing from shore and using a whacky rig.

Cowles Ponds: Natalie Chavez, age 12, of Rio Rancho, caught three 15-inch rainbow trout May 13. She was using salmon peach PowerBait.

Eagle Nest Lake: Grace Vijal of Albuquerque caught a 41-inch, 24 3/8-pound northern pike May 12. She was using PowerBait.

Elephant Butte Lake: Coy Wagley, age 15, of Animas, caught and released a 7.2-pound largemouth bass May 10. He was using a 4-inch senko and it was his first bass ever caught at the lake and his personal best. Cap Massey, age 16, of Animas, caught and released a 6.15-pound largemouth bass May 12. He was using a 4-inch senko and he and his partner, Coy Wagley, won the New Mexico Bass Angler Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) National High School Team Qualifier.

Maxwell Lake 13: Logan Floyd, age 7, Rowen Floyd, age 10, and Caden Floyd, age 15, along with their mom, Becky Floyd (pictured left) of Maxwell, all caught great rainbow trout May 13. Big fish were Caden’s at 21.5 inches and Mom’s about 20 inches, and all were caught trolling worm harnesses and shaky shad lures.

Monastery Lake: Sarahi Camarena, age 7, of Pena Blanca, caught an 18.5-inch rainbow trout May 10. It was her very first trout and she was using sherbet PowerBait.

Pecos River: Isaiah Flores, age 12, of Rio Rancho, caught a 20-inch rainbow trout May 12. He was fishing in Dalton Canyon and using a worm.

Seven Springs Brood Pond: Hunter Keelin, age 8, of Albuquerque, caught a limit of trout including one double catch May 12. He was using peach garlic PowerBait.

Tingley Beach: Angelo Lovato, age 8, of Albuquerque caught a 27-inch catfish May 10. He was using a hot dog.

The following catches came in late but deserves a mention:

Bluewater Lake: Julian Big Eye of Lupton, Arizona caught and released a 37-inch tiger muskie. He was using a hot dog.

Caballo Lake: Alex Porter, age 13, of Las Cruces, caught a 16.5-inch white bass May 5. He was using an orange colored crank bait.

Farmington Lake: Paul Smith of Farmington caught a 36-inch, 35-pound, catfish May 6. He was fishing off the pier and using chicken liver.

Tingley Beach: Kenny Arnett of Albuquerque caught and released a 21-inch rainbow trout May 6. He was fishing the Bob Gerding Catch and Release Pond and using a size 20 olive perdigon nymph.

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, location, type of fish, length and weight if possible and bait, lure or fly used.

Northeast:

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

Charette Lakes: Fishing was good using salmon peach PowerBait and Fire Balls for rainbow trout. Most of the fish caught ranged from 14 to 19 inches. We had no reports on perch.

Clayton Lake:  HOT SPOT FOR TROUT: Fishing was very good with many limits of trout caught by anglers using PowerBait. We had no reports on other species.

Cimarron River: Stream flow below Eagle Nest on Monday morning was 22.6 cfs. Trout fishing was good using worms, yellow sallies, golden stone flies, micro mays and bead-head hares ears. Fishing at the Gravel Pit lakes was good using PowerBait, salmon eggs and worms.

Conchas Lake: Fishing was good using chatter baits, swim baits, salt craws, lizards, sweet beavers, tubes, worms and senkos for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Most of the bass were small. Fishing for walleye was fair to good using worm harnesses, jig and minnow combinations, sassy shad and curly tail grubs. Fishing for crappie was good using minnows. Fishing was fair using chicken liver, homemade dough bait and worms for catfish. We had no other reports. The surface water temp was in the low to mid 60s.

Costilla Creek: We had no reports from anglers.

Cowles Ponds: Fishing was very good using red worms, marshmallows and PowerBait for trout.

Coyote Creek: Fishing was good using Fire Balls and worms for trout.

Eagle Nest Lake: Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait, spoons, spinners and worms for rainbow trout. The courtesy docks are in place.

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

Hopewell Lake: Trout fishing was fair to good using copper John Barrs, Pistol Petes and PowerBait for trout.

Lake Alice: Trout fishing was good using Pistol Petes, gold spoons, wooly buggers, Panther Martins and PowerBait for trout.

Lake Maloya: HOT SPOT FOR TROUT: Fishing was very good using pink PowerBait, Pistol Petes, gold Kastmasters and brown wooly buggers for trout up to 20 inches. The Sugarite Canyon State Park Annual Fishing Derby will be held Sat. May 26-Sun. June 3. For more information, contact the park office and (575) 445-5607.

Los Pinos River: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Maxwell Lake 13: Fishing was good using worm harnesses, soft plastics, crank baits and PowerBait for trout. A few largemouth bass were caught by anglers using shaky shad, tubes and crank baits. We had no other reports.

Monastery Lake: Fishing was fair using PowerBait, worms and Fire Balls for trout.

Morphy Lake: The boat ramp has been closed due to low water conditions. Hand launching of small craft, such as kayaks and canoes, is still allowed. For updates, contact the park office at (575) 387-2328. Fishing was good using PowerBait, Pistol Petes and worms for trout.

Pecos River: Streamflow near Pecos on Monday morning was 21.9 cfs. Trout fishing was very good using worms, PowerBait, Fire Balls, prince nymphs, copper John Barr and small spinners.

Red River: Stream flow below the hatchery on Monday morning was 41.9 cfs. Trout fishing was fair to good using copper John Barrs, Fire Balls and worms. Trout fishing at the hatchery pond was good using Fire Balls, worms and PowerBait.

Rio Grande: Stream flow on Monday morning at the Taos Junction Bridge was 302 cfs. Fishing was good using elk hair caddis, crane fly nymphs, BWO nymphs, micro mays, zonkers, leeches, copper John Barrs, spinners and night crawlers for brown and rainbow trout and smallmouth bass. Chris Gallegos of Espanola caught and released a beautiful 19-inch brown trout over the weekend. He was fishing in the Pilar area and using a custom tied black and brown rabbit zonker. We had no reports on other species.

Rio Hondo: Stream flow on Monday morning near Valdez was 20.4 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Mora: Fishing was fair to good using worms for trout.

Rio Pueblo: Stream flow near Penasco on Monday morning was 14.4 cfs. We had no reports from anglers.

Santa Cruz Reservoir: Fishing was good using Kastmasters, copper spoons, wooly buggers, Fire Balls and PowerBait for rainbow and brown trout. This past week, Penny Frick and Chuck Estrada of Albuquerque caught limits of trout. They were trolling small gold Rapalas and fishing from the bank with white PowerBait.

Shuree Ponds:  Closed for the season.

Springer Lake: Fishing was fair using Rat L Traps for northern pike up to 24 inches. We had no reports on other species.

Storrie Lake: Fishing was fair to good using salmon peach PowerBait and Velveeta cheese for trout. We had no reports on other species.

Stubblefield Lake: Fishing was fair to good using crank baits, curly tail grubs, swim baits, jerk baits and night crawlers for walleye and largemouth bass.

Ute Lake: HOT SPOT FOR CRAPPIE: It was another great week for crappie fishing as anglers did very well using small grubs, minnows and road runners. Fishing was good using swim jigs, tubes, curly tail grubs, senkos, worms and creature baits for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Fishing was good using minnows, leeches, sassy shad and crank baits in 8 to 10 feet of water for walleye. Fishing was good using worms and small grubs for bluegill. Fishing was fair using stink bait and cut bait for catfish. The surface water temp was in the mid 60s.

Northwest:

Abiquiu Lake: Fishing was good using jerk baits, crank baits, tubes, senkos, swim baits, curly tail grubs, swim baits and wooly buggers in shallow water for smallmouth bass. Fishing was fair to good using jig and grub or jig and worm combination, crank baits, curly tail grubs and minnows for walleye at 10 to 30 feet. We had no other reports.

Animas River: Water flow below Aztec on Monday morning was 1,080 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

Bluewater Lake: Fishing was fair using worms, hot dogs and liver for catfish. Fishing was slow to fair using hot dogs, large streamers and Rapalas for tiger muskie. We had no other reports.

Brazos River: Fishing was good using copper John Barrs, Fire Balls and worms for trout.

Canjilon Lakes: Closed by the U.S. Forest Service until further notice. The area may reopen later this year.

Chama River: Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 699 cfs and 681 cfs respectively. Trout fishing below El Vado was slow to fair for anglers using weighted wooly buggers, zonkers, salmon eggs and night crawlers. Fishing below Abiquiu was slow.

Cochiti Lake: Fishing was good using minnows for crappie. Fishing was fair using sassy shad, curly tail grubs, swim baits and crank baits for white bass. Fishing was fair to good using crank baits, jerk baits, jigs, tubes, senkos and grubs for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Fishing was slow to fair using minnows, jigs, crank baits, minnows and Rooster Tails for northern pike and walleye. Fishing was good using homemade dough bait and liver for catfish. We had no reports on other species.

El Vado Lake: Fishing was very good using crank baits, jerk baits, tubes, Panther Martins, swim baits and worms for smallmouth bass. Fishing was good using night crawlers, Fire Balls, PowerBait and Panther Martins for brown and rainbow trout.

Fenton Lake: Fishing was good for anglers using worms, Pistol Petes, Fire Balls, PowerBait, mop flies and small spoons for brown and rainbow trout.

Heron Lake: Fishing was fair using PowerBait, Fire Balls and worms from the bank for rainbow trout up to 17 inches. We had no reports on other species.

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 10.6 cfs. Trout fishing on the Cebolla was good using worms and a wide variety of small bead-head nymphs. Fishing on the San Antonio was fair to good using ant patterns and micro mays. We had no other reports.

Laguna del Campo: Fishing was good using Pistol Petes, Fire Balls, worms and PowerBait for trout.

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

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

Manzano Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using PowerBait and garlic cheese for trout.

Navajo Lake: Fishing was good using crank baits, jerk baits, curly tail grubs, senkos, worms, tubes and chatter baits for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Fishing was fair to good using swim baits, spinner baits and crank baits for northern pike. Fishing was fair using minnows, small grubs and small tubes for crappie. We had no other reports. The surface water temp was in the low 60s.

San Gregorio Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

San Juan River: Stream flow on Monday morning was 396 cfs. Fishing was a bit up and down like the flows on the river this past week. Best flies through the quality waters were small fore and afts, cream larva, small bead-head pheasant tail nymphs, crystal flash midges, RS2s, and foam wing emergers.  Trout fishing through the bait waters was fair using small spoons, Pistol Petes, copper John Barrs, night crawlers and Fire Balls.

Seven Springs Brood Pond: Fishing was very good using PowerBait, worms and Fire Balls for rainbow trout.

Tingley Beach: Trout fishing at the Youth and Central ponds was slow. A few catfish were caught by anglers using homemade dough bait and liver. At the Catch and Release Pond, trout fishing was fair to good for anglers using small bead-head nymphs. We had no other reports.

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

Southwest:

Alumni Pond: Fishing was slow for all species.

Bear Canyon Lake: Fishing was fair using stink bait, homemade dough bait, night crawlers and liver for catfish. Fishing was fair using PowerBait and Pistol Petes for trout. Fishing was fair using minnows and small grubs for crappie. We had no other reports.

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

Caballo Lake: Fishing was fair to good using minnows, curly tail grubs, slab spoons and crank baits for white bass. Fishing was fair using liver and cut bait for catfish. We had no other reports.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing was very good using spoons, crank baits, jerk baits, curly tail grubs, streamers and minnows for white bass. Fishing for walleye was fair using jig and minnow combinations, sassy shad and crank baits. Fishing was fair using minnows, and small jigs for crappie. Fishing for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass was fair using senkos, tubes, chatter baits, jerk baits, creature baits and crank baits. Fishing was good using cut bait, shiners and liver for catfish. The surface water temp ranged from the low to mid 60s.

Escondida Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week

Gila River: Stream flow on Monday morning was 29.0 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Glenwood Pond: Fishing was good using PowerBait and Fire Balls for trout.

Lake Roberts: Night fishing was fair using worms, liver, chicken guts and homemade dough bait for catfish. Fishing for trout was slow with just a few caught by anglers fishing at night and using wooly buggers and worms. We had no other reports.

Percha Dam: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

Rancho Grande Ponds: Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait and salmon eggs for trout.

Rio Grande: Stream flow below Elephant Butte Monday morning was 699 cfs. Fishing was fair to good using liver, cut bait and night crawlers and for catfish. Fishing was fair using minnows, curly tail grubs, night crawlers and small spoons for walleye and white bass. 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: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

Black River: Stream flow at Malaga on Monday morning was 3.37 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Blue Hole Park Pond: Fishing was fair using salmon peach and garlic PowerBait, Fire Balls and worms for trout.

Bonito Lake: Closed until further notice by the city of Alamogordo due to fire damage. The lake is scheduled to reopen in August 2018.

Bosque Redondo Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

Brantley Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using chatter baits, jerk baits, crank baits, worms, spinners, spoons, sassy shad, tubes and senkos for largemouth bass and white bass. Fishing was fair to good using night crawlers and cut bait for catfish. We had no other reports.

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

Chaparral Park Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

El Rito Creek: Fishing was fair using PowerBait for trout. We had no other reports.

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

Green Meadow Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

Greene Acres Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing was good using PowerBait, salmon eggs, worms, Kastmasters and Super Dupers for trout. We had no other reports.

Jal Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

Lake Van: Fishing was slow with just a few catfish caught by anglers using liver and punch bait.

Oasis Park Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

Pecos River: Stream flow below Sumner Lake on Monday morning was 79.2 cfs. Fishing below Sumner and through the Carlsbad area was fair using liver, night crawlers and cut bait for catfish. We had no other reports.

Perch Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

Ruidoso River: Stream flow on Monday morning at Hollywood was 5.96 cfs. Trout fishing was slow.

Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing was good using crank baits, swim jigs, tubes, senkos, chatter baits and creature baits for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Fishing was fair to good using minnows, sassy shad, curly tail grubs and crank baits for crappie and walleye. A few catfish were caught by anglers fishing with chicken liver. We had no other reports. The surface water temp was in the low to mid 60s.

Sumner Lake: Fishing for walleye was fair to good using crank baits, sassy shad, minnows and jig and night crawler combinations. Fishing for crappie was slow to fair using minnows. Fishing was good using swim baits, jerk baits, crank baits, chatter baits, tubes and a variety of Pour House plastics for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and white bass. We had no other reports.