New Mexico fishing and stocking reports for April 3, 2018

Catches of the week

Abiquiu Lake: Andres Alvarado and his dad, Michael of Santa Fe, caught four nice walleyes between 18 and 22 inches April 1. They were trolling crank baits. 

Lake Roberts: Josh Chandler, age 10, of Las Cruces, caught a 16-inch rainbow trout March 30. He was using PowerBait.

Quemado Lake: Paul Nee of Edgewood, caught and released a 30-inch plus tiger muskie April 1. He was using a #6 Panther Martin.

Seven Springs Brood Pond: Selene Lopez, age 5, of Los Lunas, and her cousins Jordan Adams, age 4 and Izaiah Adams, age 7, of Belen, caught some nice rainbow trout April 1. They were using worms and salmon eggs.

Tingley Beach: Lucas Gonzales, age 6, and Emily Gonzales, age 3, of Albuquerque, caught limits of rainbow trout March 29. They were using worms and the biggest fish of the day caught by Lucas was 16 inches long.  Gavyn Miller, age 3, of Albuquerque, caught and released two rainbow trout March 31. He was fishing the Youth Pond and using salmon eggs.

The following catches came in late but deserve a mention:

Abiquiu Lake: Rachel Izdepski of Wisconsin, caught and released a walleye that measured about 24 inches March 24. She was trolling a crank bait.

Belen Drain: Jesus Lodoza III, age 5, of Jarales, caught his first fish, a 13-inch rainbow trout, March 23. He was using blue neon PowerBait.

Chama River: Clarabelle Garcia, age 8, of Tierra Azul, caught about a 10-inch rainbow trout March 25. She was fishing below Abiquiu dam and using green glitter PowerBait.

Conchas Lake: Tommy Herrera, age 7, of Las Vegas, caught and release a largemouth bass March 25. He was using a 3-inch chartreuse grub.

Glenwood Pond: Diego Rivero, age 5, of Deming, caught his limit of trout March 24. He was using salmon peach PowerBait.

Jackson Lake: Noah Blue Eyes, age 3, of Farmington, caught his first fish, a 10-inch rainbow trout, March 25. He was using PowerBait.

Lake Maloya: Max Gallegos, age 11, and Joe Gallegos, age 14, of Cimarron, caught limits of trout March 25. They were using Panther Martins and Super Dupers.

Seven Springs Brood Pond: Olivia Marquez, age 8, of Albuquerque, caught and released a good number of trout including several brown trout between 18 and 20 inches. She was fly fishing, and most were caught on a size 20 zebra midge.

Tingley Beach: Dominic Montoya Howland, age 10, of Santa Fe caught a 17-inch chubby rainbow trout March 20. He was using PowerBait and caught four total trout.

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.

April 3 

Northeast

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

Charette Lakes: Fishing was slow for all species.

Clayton Lake:  Fishing was fair using PowerBait and worms for trout. Fishing was slow to fair using worms and liver for catfish. We had no reports on other species. Fishing pressure was light. The boat ramp is open.

Cimarron River: Stream flow below Eagle Nest on Monday was 4.31 cfs. Fishing for trout was slow with just a few caught by anglers drifting worms and using San Juan worms and yellow bead-head nymphs. Fishing at the Gravel Pit Lakes was slow with just a few trout caught by anglers using worms.

Conchas Lake: Fishing for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass was slow to fair using swim baits, jigs, tubes and crank baits. Tim Herrera of Las Vegas reported decent fishing from the bank last week. They caught several largemouth bass and they were using Rapala X Raps and curly tail grubs. Fishing for white bass and walleye was slow. We had no other reports. The surface water temp was in the low to mid 50s.

Costilla Creek: We had no reports from anglers.

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

Coyote Creek: Trout fishing was slow with just a few caught by anglers using salmon eggs.

Eagle Nest Lake: Bank fishing was fair to good using PowerBait for rainbow trout. A 38-inch northern pike was caught this past week, but we have no further details. We had no reports on other species. At present, the lake is closed to all types of boating. For updated conditions, contact 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: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Lake Maloya: Fishing was good using salmon peach PowerBait for rainbow trout. A few were also caught by anglers using Fire Balls.

Los Pinos River: Trout fishing was fair to good using worms, small Fisher-Chick spinners, copper John Barrs and Green Drakes.

Maxwell Lake 13: Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait for trout. Dawn C’de Baca of Albuquerque reported catching a healthy 17-inch rainbow March 29.  She was using PowerBait.

Monastery Lake: Fishing was very good using San Juan worms, Pistol Petes, PowerBait and Fire Balls for trout.

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

Pecos River: Streamflow near Pecos on Monday was 29.4 cfs. Trout fishing was fair to good using salmon eggs.

Red River: Stream flow below the hatchery on Monday was 47.3 cfs. Fishing was slow to fair using PowerBait, copper John Barrs and Fire Balls for trout.

Rio Grande: Stream flow on Monday at the Taos Junction Bridge was 286 cfs. Fishing in the Taos area was fair to good using Kastmasters, night crawlers and a variety of nymphs including bead-head hares ears and flashback pheasant tails for trout. There have been some decent mayfly hatches in the middle of the day and some caddis coming off in the evening hours. Fishing through the Albuquerque area was fair to good using liver and cut bait for catfish. We had no other reports.

Rio Hondo: Fishing was fair using copper John Barrs and zebra midges for trout.

Rio Mora: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Pueblo: Stream flow near Penasco was 20.3 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Santa Cruz Reservoir: Fishing was very good using PowerBait, Fire Balls, Kastmasters, Fisher-Chick spinners, Panther Martins, Pistol Petes and wooly buggers for rainbow and brown trout. Anglers did well from the bank and from boats.

Shuree Ponds:  Closed for the season.

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

Storrie Lake: Fishing was fair to good using salmon peach PowerBait and Fire Balls for trout. We had no other reports.

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

Ute Lake: Fishing was fair to good using crank baits and spinner baits in shallow water for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Fishing for white bass was fair trolling medium running crank baits. Walleye fishing was slow, but a few were caught by anglers using jigging spoons and jig and minnow combinations in deep water.  We had no other reports. The surface water temp dropped a bit this past week and ranged from the high 40s to the low 50s and the water was a bit green in color.

Northwest

Abiquiu Lake: Fishing for walleye was fair using curly tail grubs and trolling crank baits. Smallmouth bass fishing was still a bit slow, but anglers caught a few using jerk baits, tubes and grubs. We had no other reports.

Animas River: Water flow below Aztec on Monday morning was 87.4 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Albuquerque Area Drains: Fishing on the Albuquerque Drain and the Corrales Drain was good using zebra midges, custom tied nymphs and worms for trout. Fishing on the Belen Drain was fair to good using worms and Fire Balls for trout. Fishing on the Peralta Drain was fair using curly tail grubs and night crawlers for largemouth bass. We had no other reports.

Bluewater Lake: Fishing was fair using PowerBait, worms, spoons and spinners for trout. We had no reports on tiger muskie or catfish.

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

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 106 cfs and 367 cfs respectively. Fishing below El Vado was fair for anglers using small bead-head nymphs, Fire Balls and worms for trout. Trout fishing below Abiquiu slowed considerably with the increased flows.

Cochiti Lake: Fishing was fair using swim baits, tubes, senkos, spinner baits, jerk baits and worms for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. A few walleye and northern pike were hooked by anglers using swim baits, crank baits and spinner baits. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp ranged from the high 40s to the low 50s.

El Vado Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using spoons and PowerBait for trout. We had no reports on other species. Fishing pressure was light.

Fenton Lake: Fishing was very good using worms, Pistol Petes, PowerBait, salmon eggs, leech patterns and wooly buggers for brown and rainbow trout.

Heron Lake: Fishing from the bank was good using roe sacs and a wide variety of PowerBait for rainbow trout. We had no reports on other species.

Jackson Lake: Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait and worms for trout. We had no other reports.

Jemez Waters: Stream flow on the Jemez River near Jemez Springs on Monday morning was 36.1 cfs. Fishing on the Jemez was fair using worms and salmon eggs for trout.  Fishing on the East Fork was good using copper John Barrs, worms and salmon eggs. Trout fishing on the Rio Cebolla above Fenton Lake was good using salmon eggs. We had no reports on other streams.

Laguna del Campo: Closed for the season.

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

Lake Farmington: Fishing was good using salmon peach PowerBait, Fire Balls and Pistol Petes for trout. We had no other reports.

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

Navajo Lake: Fishing was fair using swim baits, tubes, senkos, 4-inch worms, curly tail grubs and jigs for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Fishing was fair using swim baits and crank baits for northern pike. A few trout were caught by anglers using PowerBait. We had no other reports. The surface water temp was in the low 50s.

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

San Juan River: Stream flow on Monday morning was 396 cfs and was scheduled to be increased to 550 cfs by late evening. Fly fishing action through the Quality waters was good using WD40s, zebra midges, bead-head pheasant tail nymphs, RS2s, BWOs, rootbeers and San Juan worms. Trout fishing through the bait waters was good using marabou jigs, San Juan worms, copper John Barrs, wooly buggers, jerk baits, night crawlers and Fire Balls.

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

Tingley Beach: Trout fishing at the Youth and Central ponds was good using garlic, chartreuse and salmon peach PowerBait, Velveeta cheese, Panther Martins, Pistol Petes, worms and Fire Balls. We had no other reports.

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

Southwest

Alumni Pond: Fishing was good using PowerBait for trout.

Bear Canyon Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using PowerBait, worms and salmon eggs for trout. We had no other reports.

Bill Evans Lake: Fishing was very good using PowerBait and Fire Balls for trout.

Caballo Lake: Fishing was fair using crank baits, curly tail grubs and spoons for white bass and an occasional walleye. We had no other reports.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing was very good using crank baits, curly tail grubs, white slab spoons, live shiners and Kastmasters for white bass. Fishing was fair using shiners, curly tail grubs, Wally Divers, swim baits and Flicker Shad for walleye. Fishing was good using shiners, cut bait and liver for catfish. Fishing was good using senkos, chigger craws, sweet beavers, tubes, spinner baits, crank baits and jerk baits for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp ranged from the mid to high 50s and the water was stained.

Escondida Lake: Fishing was fair using PowerBait, Fire Balls, olive Pistol Petes, homemade dough bait and worms for trout. Fishing for catfish was slow with just a few caught by anglers using worms and homemade dough bait. We had no other reports.

Gila River: Stream flow on Monday morning was 87.9 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Glenwood Pond: Fishing was good using PowerBait and salmon eggs for trout.

Lake Roberts: Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait, worms, Fire Balls and marshmallows for trout. We had no other reports.

Percha Dam: Fishing was fair using grubs and minnows for white bass. We had no other reports.

Quemado Lake: Fishing was slow with just one tiger muskie reported. It was caught and released by an angler using a #6 Panther Martin with a gold blade.

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

Rio Grande: Stream flow below Elephant Butte Monday morning was 1,280 cfs. Fishing was good using liver, worms and stink bait for catfish. Fishing was very good using minnows, curly tail grubs and worms for walleye and a few crappie. 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 good using PowerBait, worms and Pistol Petes for trout. We had no reports on other species.

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

Black River: Stream flow at Malaga on Monday was 15.8 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Blue Hole Park Pond: Fishing was good using garlic PowerBait and Velveeta cheese 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: Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait for trout.

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 using swim baits, crank baits, senkos and jigs for largemouth bass and white bass. We had no other reports.

Carlsbad Municipal Lake: Fishing was fair to good using PowerBait, Fire Balls, spoons, spinners and worms for trout. Fishing was fair using jerk baits, worms and curly tail grubs for spotted bass and largemouth bass. We had no other reports.

Chaparral Park Lake: Fishing was good using PowerBait, salmon eggs and small spoons for trout. We had no other reports.

El Rito Creek: Fishing was good using wooly buggers, worms, Fire Balls and PowerBait for trout. We had no other reports.

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

Green Meadow Lake: Fishing was good using PowerBait and Fire Balls for trout.

Greene Acres Lake: Fishing was very good using PowerBait, salmon eggs, worms and marshmallows for trout.

Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing was good using PowerBait, salmon eggs, worms and Pistol Petes for trout. A few small smallmouth bass and catfish were caught by anglers using worms and crank baits. We had no other reports.

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

Lake Van: Fishing was fair using Panther Martins, salmon eggs, PowerBait and Pistol Petes for trout. We had no other reports.

Oasis Park Lake: Fishing was good using PowerBait, hot dogs and salmon eggs for trout. We had no other reports.

Pecos River: Stream flow below Sumner Lake on Monday was 78.2 cfs. Fishing was fair to good using liver, stink bait and homemade dough bat for catfish. We had no other reports.

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

Ruidoso River: Stream flow at Hollywood was 12.5 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using curly tail grubs, spoons, crank baits and swim baits for walleye. Fishing was slow for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass with just a few caught by anglers using senkos, worms, jigs and curly tail grubs. We had no other reports.

Sumner Lake: Fishing for walleye was good using curly tail grubs and small swim baits in shallow water. Fishing was slow to fair using swim baits, curly tail grubs and worms for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Fishing for white bass was slow to fair trolling crank baits. The water was stained to murky. We had no reports on other species.