By GEORGE MORSE Sports and Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post
The walleye fishing at Abiquiu Lake turned on last week, with fishing rated as very good. One lucky angler caught a 29-inch walleye. Because the water level is higher this year at Abiquiu, a lot of previously dry land has been flooded. When this happens the fertility of the water increases, particularly in the shallower water.
This is where the walleye will be feeding. Early morning, late afternoon and evening will be the best times to fish. Although a lot of walleye fishing is done from boats, they can be caught from the bank. Fish during the prime feeding times and try to find an area that has weeds. The weed beds have a lot of food that attracts the walleyes.
The smallmouth bass fishing has been fair at Abiquiu. There have been few reports of big bass this year at Abiquiu. Bass fishing is dependent on how successful the bass were at spawning in previous years. Perhaps spawning conditions were not good a few years ago. When I’ve gone to Abiquiu this year, I have caught numbers of smaller bass so spawning conditions may have been better the last couple of years. Maybe in a year or two the bass will be a little bit bigger on average.
Trout fishing at Abiquiu will be slow for now as the water is too warm and the fish have moved into deeper water. Once it starts to cool down, usually starting mid-to-late September, it should pick up. Trout prefer cooler water than bass and walleye.
The bank fishing for trout at Heron Lake continues to be good. Here, as at Abiquiu, water levels are higher and previously dry ground has been flooded. Because Heron sits at a higher elevation than Abiquiu, the water temperatures is shallow water remain comfortable for trout. That’s why they are feeding in the shallows at Heron.
The fishing for smallmouth bass at El Vado Lake remains good. This is a relatively new fishery, as El Vado previously held just trout. Here also, water levels are higher. If you want to try for trout at El Vado, I suggest fishing the north end of the lake where the Chama River enters.
The Chama River below El Vado Dam remains one of the best spots to fish in Northern New Mexico thanks to low streamflows (153 cubic-feet-per-second Monday). The low streamflows provide great conditions for anglers. This area is heavily-stocked with rainbow trout and also contains some big, wild brown trout.
Thanks to average to above-average streamflows, the fishing in the Chama River above El Vado also continues to be good.
The streamflow in the Rio Grande is running close to average and the fishing has been good. Streamflows in the tributaries of the Rio Grande coming out of the Sangre de Crito Mountains are all above average. The Red River, Rio Hondo, Rio Pueblo and Rio Embudo are some good spots to try.
The fishing at Fenton Lake remains slow. The streams in the Jemez Mountains are running low and the fishing has been slow except on the Rio Cebolla, which was recently stocked.
The fishing at the smaller lakes, which is very dependent on the number and size of fish from the most recent stocking, is good at some and poor at others. The Gravel Pit Lakes near Cimarron are good thanks to regular stockings. These are not the most scenic lakes, because they are just that, old gravel pits. Eagle Rock Lake near Questa has been good thanks to recent stockings. Lake Maloya near Raton is a pretty spot and has been good all summer and continues to be heavily-stocked with rainbow trout. For some reason, the fishing at Hopewell Lake near Tres Piedras hasn’t been good and there are few reports from there. I have a hunch it may be good there if you fish the evening rise with flies. Monastery Lake near Pecos and Morphy Lake near Las Vegas have been fair-to-good.
Although the Shuree Ponds on the Valle Vidal received a stocking of big rainbow trout last week, the fishing there hasn’t been good. The Shuree Ponds used to be a great fishery, but the water quality has declined in recent years and lately the fishing has been almost totally dependent on stockings of big rainbow trout from the Red River Fish Hatchery. These are not the prettiest fish, as their fins are often worn out and ragged from having spent so much time crowded in the concrete walls of the hatchery.
If you’re up for a long road trip, the Southwest corner of New Mexico has been receiving lots of monsoon moisture and steamflows there are well above average. The Gila River and its tributaries offer fishing for a variety of species. In its lower reaches, the Gila River has smallmouth bass, channel catfish and flathead catfish. Higher up, the Gila and its smaller tributaries have rainbow and brown trout. In this area, you can also fish for Gila trout. Gila trout were native to the area, but their population was impacted by the introduction of other species to the Gila watershed. Big forest fires in the Gila National Forest have also hurt the species. The State Game and Fish Department has made a big effort to bring back the Gila trout and now stocks them in a number of areas. There are also some wild populations of Gila trout in some of the smaller streams in the area. If you’d like to try and catch a Gila trout and add it to your bucket list of species you’ve caught, the spring issue of New Mexico Wildlife Magazine (available on the Department’s website) details where you can fish for this species. You’ll also need a free Gila trout permit that’s available on the Department’s website.
It won’t be long until summer transitions into fall. It’s one of the best times of the year to fish, with the gorgeous fall scenery highlighted by the golden leaves of the aspen trees in the mountains. The colors of the brook trout and brown trout will be darkening and becoming more vibrant as they get ready to spawn. The bugling of bull elk will soon be echoing through the mountains.