New Mexico fishing and stocking reports for April 13

04/13/2021

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This fishing report, provided by Dustin Berg of Go Unlimited (supporting disabled anglers) 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.

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A MESSAGE FROM THE DEPARTMENT:

As COVID-19 continues to force all of us to make changes to our daily schedule, the Department would like to remind you that together we can make a difference. To help minimize the spread of the virus:

Practice social distancing
Wash your hands regularly
Avoid non-essential travel
Wear a face covering
Avoid interacting with large groups

Click the flyer to the right. Please share it with your friends and family.

Take the Bass and Trout Challenges!

To promote bass and trout fishing opportunities in New Mexico and encourage anglers to branch out and discover new fishing waters and species, anglers can participate in the New Mexico Bass Challenge and the New Mexico Trout Challenge. Catch all the challenge species that are found throughout New Mexico to receive your certificate and challenge coin.

The Department is continuing to adapt our ways of working to conserve wildlife for all New Mexicans. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, Department biologists and conservation officers continue to conduct wildlife surveys, contact anglers and OHV recreationists and stock fish in open waters throughout the state.

Our teams are wearing personal protective equipment for everyone’s safety while working in small groups for maximum social distancing. We ask for your help to keep everyone safe and healthy by following the NMDOH public health emergency order by wearing PPE while staying at least six feet away from staff and equipment.

Closure Information:

The Department reminds anglers it is their responsibility to be aware of closures and contact land managers for properties of interest when restrictions are lifted.

Consult local government websites for information regarding specific city and town fishing access.

Catches of the week

Abiquiu Lake: Victor Garde of Rio Rancho caught a 24-inch walleye using a curly tail grub April 9.

Eagle Rock Lake: Ayden Taraddei, age 8, of Placitas caught his limit of rainbow trout using orange PowerBait mice tails April 11.

Glenwood Pond: Weston Duncan, age 4, Avery Duncan, age 4, Zoe Anderson-Amaro, age 7, and Brock Anderson-Amaro, age 13, all of Silver City caught many rainbow trout using chartreuse and rainbow PowerBait April 10.

Grindstone Reservoir: Jaylyn Lovato, age 11, and Javier Delgado, age 10, both of Rio Rancho caught their limits of trout using cheese PowerBait April 7.

Morphy Lake: Justin Estrada of Las Vegas caught and released a 16-inch cutthroat trout using a size 18 hare’s ear fly April 11.

Navajo Lake: Joahua Laino of Farmington caught a 2.5-pound largemouth bass using a perch shad rap crankbait April 5.

Pecos River: Gabriel Sedillo of Albuquerque caught an approximate 13-pound flathead catfish using cut bait below Sumner Lake April 4.

Springer Lake: Taylor Griego and Angelico Chavez both of Las Vegas caught a 36-inch pike and a 14-inch black pike using large black streamers April 11.

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 funfishingnm@gmail.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 Fishing Report

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

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

Cimarron River: Stream flow near Cimarron Monday morning was 27.2 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using worms, salmon eggs and spinners.

Clayton Lake: Fishing for trout was good using worms and PowerBait. Fishing for walleye was fair to good using jigs. Fishing for catfish was fair to good using chicken liver.

Conchas Lake: Conchas Lake State Park has closed access to all boat ramps due to dropping water levels. The boat ramps on the south side of the lake, managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, are open. Fishing for walleye and crappie was fair to good using crankbaits, curly tail grubs and minnow swim jigs. Fishing for largemouth bass was good using medium diving crankbait lures.

Costilla Creek: The Department has implemented the final phase of a project to expand Rio Grande cutthroat trout in 120 miles of the Costilla watershed in northern New Mexico. The final phase involved removal of fish within a designated area (Rio Costilla from Costilla Dam downstream to the Valle Vidal Boundary including all tributaries and Comanche Creek from the road culvert crossing on FR 1950 downstream to its confluence with Rio Costilla and all tributaries) with a tentative restocking of Rio Grande cutthroat in spring 2022. Places to fish nearby include Costilla Creek below the fish barrier, Upper Comanche Creek, Shuree Ponds, Middle Ponil Creek, Upper Powderhouse Creek, Little Costilla Creek, Vidal Creek and McCrystal Creek. The Department anticipates completion of this final phase in the fall of 2021. Please check the Department website for additional information on the project and to identify alternative angling opportunities in the interim.

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

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

Eagle Nest Lake: The lake is now open to shore fishing and boating. Fishing for trout was good using salmon peach PowerBait.

Eagle Rock Lake: Fishing for trout was good using PowerBait and orange PowerBait mice tails.

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

Gallinas River: Fishing for trout was good using beadhead nymph flies.

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

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

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

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

Maxwell Lake 13: Anglers reported the lake had little to no water.

Monastery Lake: Check the Open Gate webpage for updates.

Morphy Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good using hare’s ear flies.

Pecos River: Stream flow near the town of Pecos Monday morning was 86.2 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using pheasant tail nymph flies, salmon eggs and beadhead nymph flies.

Red River: Stream flow below the hatchery Monday morning was 70.3 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair using salmon eggs and worms.

Rio Grande: Stream flow at the Taos Junction Bridge Monday morning was 343 cfs. Fishing for trout was very good using caddis nymphs and caddis dry flies in the late afternoons.

Rio Hondo: Stream flow Monday morning near Valdez was 55.1 cfs.

Rio Mora: Stream flow Monday morning was not measured due to ice. Fishing for trout was fair to good using worms.

Rio Pueblo: Stream flow near Penasco Monday morning was 57.5 cfs.

Santa Cruz Reservoir: Fishing for trout was fair to good using yellow PowerBait. Fishing for trout from a boat was good using spinners.

Shuree Ponds: Closed until July 1, 2021.

Springer Lake: Fishing for pike was fair to good using black streamers.

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

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

Ute Lake: Fishing for white bass was fair trolling Berkley Flicker Shad and shad rap lures. Fishing for walleye was good using live minnows, jerk baits and swim baits. Fishing for smallmouth bass was fair to good using vibrating jigs, Senko worms and spinner baits. Fishing for catfish was fair using trotlines with cut bait in the upper Canadian arm of the lake. The water surface temperature was in the mid 50 degrees Fahrenheit and the main lake color was clear.

Northwest Fishing Report

Abiquiu Lake: Fishing for walleye was good jigging plastic minnows and curly tail grubs.

Animas River: Water flow below Aztec Monday morning was 242 cfs.

Albuquerque Area Drains: Fishing for trout was fair using beadhead nymph flies and Blue Winged Olive dry flies.

Bluewater Lake: Fishing for trout was slow to fair using green and yellow PowerBait. Fishing for catfish was slow to fair using hot dogs.

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

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

Chama River: Monday morning flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 984 cfs and 726 cfs, respectively. Fishing for trout below El Vado Lake was fair to good using nightcrawlers and jerk baits (angler reports from before the water flows increased dramatically). Anglers reported high water flows below Abiquiu Lake and poor fishing conditions. Please remember, from the river-crossing bridge on U.S. Highway 84 at Abiquiu upstream seven miles to the base of Abiquiu Dam is special trout waters with a bag limit of two trout only.

Cochiti Lake: Visitors to the lake need to make a reservation by purchasing a ticket at least 24 hours in advance through www.recreation.gov. Tickets and reservations will NOT be sold at the lake. Fishing for bass was good using drop shot rigs, Ned rigs and deep diving jerk baits.

El Vado Lake: El Vado Lake Dam Day Use area is open. Camping by reservation only.

Fenton Lake: Fishing for trout was good using silver and blue Kastmaster lures, pheasant tail nymph flies, leech pattern flies, hare’s ear pattern flies, worms, salmon eggs, green and yellow PowerBait and green and yellow Pistol Pete spinner flies. Please remember, only two cutthroat trout are allowed to be harvested per day within the regular five fish limit.

Heron Lake: The lake is open for fishing. All boat ramps are closed due to low water levels. Paddle craft can be launched from the shoreline. Limited campgrounds are open and camping is by reservation only.

Jemez Waters: Stream flow on the Jemez near the town of Jemez Monday morning was 96.7 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good using worms, Woolly Buggers and mop flies.

Laguna del Campo: Closed for the season; will open May 1, 2021.

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

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

Manzano Lake: Closed until further notice.

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

Navajo Lake: Fishing for bass was fair using perch shad rap crankbaits. The water surface temperature was in the mid 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rio Grande: Fishing for catfish was fair to good using chicken liver.

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

San Juan River: Stream flow Monday morning was 527 cfs. Fishing for trout in the quality waters was good using white leech pattern flies, streamers and midge nymph flies. Fishing for trout in the bait waters was good using PowerBait and small Rapala lures.

Seven Springs Brood Pond: Closed due to COVID-19 health concerns. Check the Department’s Alerts page for future updates.

Tingley Beach: Fishing for trout was fair using corn and white and yellow garlic-scented PowerBait.

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

Southwest Fishing Report

Alumni Pond: Fishing for trout was slow.

Bear Canyon Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

Caballo Lake: Fishing for bass was slow to fair using chatter baits, jerk baits and stick worms. Fishing for crappie was fair to good using curly tail grubs. Fishing for largemouth bass was fair to good using minnows.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing for white bass was good trolling white crankbaits. Fishing for smallmouth bass was fair to good using crankbaits. Fishing for largemouth bass was fair to good using drop shot worms. Fishing for catfish was good using shad, cut carp bait and worms. The water surface temperature was in the mid 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Escondida Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good using garlic PowerBait.

Gila River: Stream flow Monday morning was 54.8 cfs.

Glenwood Pond: Fishing for trout was good using rainbow and chartreuse PowerBait. Please note that even though the hatchery is undergoing renovation, the pond is still open.

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

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

Quemado Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good using PowerBait and worms.

Rancho Grande Ponds: Fishing for trout was fair using rainbow-colored PowerBait.

Rio Grande: Stream flow below Elephant Butte Monday morning was 0 cfs. Fishing for catfish north of Elephant Butte Lake was good using cut bait.

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

Trees Lake: Fishing for trout was good using worms and PowerBait. Fishing for bass was fair using plastic worms.

Young Pond: Fishing for trout was fair to good using brown and yellow winged dry flies, caddis flies, nymph scented PowerBait and corn.

Southeast Fishing Report

Alto Lake: Fishing for trout was good using PowerBait.

Bataan Lake: Fishing for trout, catfish and bluegill was fair to good using dough bait.

Black River: Stream flow at Malaga Monday morning was 11.4 cfs.

Blue Hole Park Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Bonito Lake: Closed until further notice by the city of Alamogordo due to fire damage. It appears that the lake will be out of commission until 2022.

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

Bottomless Lakes: Fishing for trout was fair using yellow PowerBait.

Brantley Lake: Fishing for crappie was fair to good using small yellow jigs.

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

Chaparral Park Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

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

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

Green Meadow Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good using garlic PowerBait.

Greene Acres Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing for trout was good using garlic PowerBait and cheese PowerBait.

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

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

Oasis Park Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Pecos River: Stream flow below Sumner Lake Monday morning was 83.6 cfs. Fishing for catfish was good using cut bait.

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

Ruidoso River: Stream flow Monday morning at Hollywood was 4.31 cfs.

Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing for walleye and bass was fair to good using minnows and curly tail grubs. Fishing for catfish was fair to good using minnows and worms.

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

Tips and Tricks – Spring Bass Fishing Part 2, Smallmouth Bass with Diego Baca and Bryan Novotny

Last week, Diego Baca and Bryan Novotny of Rio Rancho shared some excellent tips for catching spring largemouth bass at Conchas Lake. This week, they share spring smallmouth bass fishing tips from a recent expedition to Cochiti Lake.

April 9, Diego Baca and Bryan Novotny enjoyed a half-day of hard-hitting smallmouth bass fishing at Cochiti Lake before the wind picked up and pushed them off the lake. The water temperature was holding in the mid 50 degrees Fahrenheit and water clarity was approximately 2 to 6-feet at various locations around the lake. Bryan says that mid 50 degree Fahrenheit water temperature is a key factor in increased bass activity. Any cooler, the bass activity slows down, making fishing for them tricky.

On this trip, finesse tactics (smaller baits and light 6-pound test line) were the key to their success. They caught fish on drop-shot rigs, Ned rigs and deep diving jerk baits fished on spinning tackle with 6-pound P-Line CXX. The fish they were catching were holding in 12 to 20-feet of water. Green pumpkin was the color of choice for the plastic baits and shad colors were the preference for the jerk baits.

Spring bass fishing is starting to get really good!

Share your tips and tricks with your fellow anglers by emailing us at funfishingnm@gmail.comand let’s help the next generation of anglers find success.

Thanks for reading and supporting our angling community!