By GEORGE MORSE
Sports and Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post 

The State Game and Fish Department has ended its Winter Trout Stocking Program. Locations in Southern New Mexico, including the Albuquerque area drainage ditches and Tingley Beach will no longer be stocked with rainbow trout. 

The Department stocked a total of 34,530 rainbow trout weighing 16,179 pounds. Most of the stocking will now be in Northern New Mexico. 

It looks like there will be one of the weakest spring runoffs in memory this year. The snowpack is already disappearing, and the weather has been unseasonably warm and dry. This is reflected in streamflow measurements. 

Winter returned briefly to the mountains last week, covering the higher elevations with beautiful white snow. It won’t do much to help the snowpack, but the soil moisture was most welcome. 

Several lakes in Northeast New Mexico opened for fishing. Morphy Lake State Park, Clayton Lake State Park, Charette Lakes and Maxwell Lake 13 opened after being closed for the winter. Clayton Lake was stocked March 30 with 3,598 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 400 rainbow trout averaging 15.4 inches 

There should be good fishing for holdover rainbow trout at Charette and Maxwell Lake 13. Lower Charette Lake was stocked March 16 with 2,501 rainbow trout. The fishing at Morphy Lake has been good. It was stocked March 31 with 3,002 rainbow trout. Maxwell Lake 13 was stocked March 25 with 2,000 rainbow trout. 

The best fishing will be found below big dams. The San Juan River below Navajo Dam is a good winter trout fishery. 

Streamflow in the Rio Grande was well-below average near the Colorado border and stayed so further downstream over the past week. At Taos Junction Bridge streamflow Sunday (April 5) was 229 cubic-feet-per-second at Taos Junction Bridge. The streamflow at Cerro near the Colorado border was 103 cubic-feet-per-second. The streamflow at Embudo was 250 cubic-feet-per-second.  All these readings are much below to extremely below normal. 

The Rio Grande is one of the most reliable fishing locations. It is well-stocked with rainbow trout, especially in the Pilar area. One of the few benefits of the low streamflow is conditions are very good for fly fishing anglers.  

Anglers should be reminded that they will need to purchase a new fishing license. In New Mexico, the license year runs from April 1 until March 31 of the following year. 

Fenton Lake State Park is open. Camping is by reservation only. Fenton Lake was stocked March 31 with a total of 1,238 rainbow trout. There are also wild brown trout and some Rio Grande cutthroat trout. Only two cutthroat trout may be kept as part of a five-trout daily bag limit. Call 575.829.3630 for current conditions.  There is plenty of open water for bank fishing. 

The Rio Cebolla flows into and out of Fenton Lake. It has wild brown trout. It was stocked March 10 with 249 rainbow trout. 

The Jemez River streamflow was 41.8 cubic-feet-per-second. This higher than last week, but still below normal. It was stocked March 31 with 999 rainbow trout and has wild brown trout.  

The Rio de las Vacas, a Jemez tributary, was stocked March 31 with 499 rainbow trout. 

The Seven Springs Brood Pond, also known as the Kid’s Pond, was stocked March 24 with 507 rainbow trout. It is a few miles north of Fenton Lake. Fishing is for anglers 11 years old or younger. 

Santa Cruz Lake near Chimayo is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The state-record rainbow trout was caught here. There are also wild brown trout. It was stocked March 31 with 2,508 catchable-size rainbow trout. Hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Monday. Call 505.351.1438 or visit blm.gov/visit/santa-cruz-lake-recreation. 

The streamflow in the Santa Cruz River is below normal at 16.0 cubic-feet-per-second. 

The Bureau also manages the Orilla Verde Recreation Area on the Rio Grande at Pilar. The Rio Grande at Pilar was stocked March 18 with 2,001 rainbow trout. There are also wild brown trout, northern pike and smallmouth bass. Some Rio Grande cutthroat trout are now being caught thanks to earlier stockings. 

From the Colorado border to the Taos Junction Bridge, the limit is two trout per day on the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande Gorge above Pilar was stocked March 18 with 250 rainbow trout. 

The streamflow on the Red River below Questa was 36.7 cubic-feet-per-second. This is a little higher than last week and below normal. It was stocked April 2 with 701 rainbow trout and has wild brown trout. 

The Red River Hatchery Pond was stocked April 2 with 400 rainbow trout. Fishing is for anglers 11-years old or younger and 65-years old and older. 

Eagle Rock Lake near Questa is frozen. Ice fishing had been good for rainbow trout. Use caution. There is now open water. It was stocked March 26 with 507 rainbow trout. 

Cabresto Lake is a high-elevation lake accessible by four-wheel drive. It has good fishing for wild brook trout and wild cutthroat trout. It is may still be frozen over. Use caution if attempting to ice fish. 

Abiquiu Lake is managed by the Corps of Engineers. The fishing has been fair-to-good for walleye and smallmouth bass. There are some good-sized trout in Abiquiu, and they are now being caught trolling. Camping by reservation. Call 505.685.4371 for more information.  

The streamflow in the Chama River below Abiquiu Dam was 410 cubic-feet-per-second. This is higher than last week. It was stocked twice last week with a total of 2,355 rainbow trout. There are some big, wild brown trout here. The limit here is two-trout-per-day. 

Heron Lake State Park is open, and bank fishing is fair. The water level is dropping and the banks are muddy.  

El Vado Lake State Park is now open for fishing and boating. Call 575.588.7470 for more information.  

The streamflow in the Chama River below El Vado Dam was 559 cubic-feet-per-second. This is a little lower than last week. It has wild brown trout and stocked rainbow trout. The state-record brown trout was caught here. It was stocked March 25 with 1,853 rainbow trout. 

The Chama River above El Vado Lake streamflow was 468 cubic-feet-per-second at La Puente. This is lower than last week but above average. This is likely due to the melting snow. It was stocked April 1 with 855 rainbow trout. 

The Rio Brazos streamflow was 245 cubic-feet-per-second. 

Over at the Four Corners, the fishing has been fair at Navajo Lake State Park. Trolling minnow imitating lures like Rapalas could produce a trophy brown trout.  The fishing for northern pike has been fair-to-good. Crappie fishing has been good. Bass fishing has been slow. Camping by reservation only. Boating conditions are good. Call 505.632.2278 for more information. 

The San Juan River below Navajo Dam is the best river in New Mexico and well-known in the angling world.  The streamflow was 297 cubic-feet-per-second. This is higher than last week and below normal. It has world-class fly-fishing for big trout. 

The first four miles of river below the dam is known as the Quality Water. Angling is strictly Catch-and-Release using artificial flies and lures with a single barbless hook. Quality Water is stocked with small rainbow trout that grow quickly. It was stocked March 2 with 17,721 sub-catchable rainbow trout. 

There are also big, wild brown trout. Some of these brown trout would shatter the state record if they could be kept and weighed.  

The Bait Water below the Quality Water has good fishing, and a five-fish limit may be kept here. There are big brown trout here, too. It was stocked April 1 with 2 079 rainbow trout. 

Lakes in the Aztec area are now being stocked. Aztec Pond #1 was stocked April 1 with 347 rainbow trout and with 39 rainbow trout averaging 15.4 inches. Tiger Park Pond was stocked with 1,040 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 150 rainbow trout averaging 15.4 inches. 

Lake Farmington was stocked March 26 with 2,460 rainbow trout. 

Hopewell Lake is a small, high elevation lake between Tierra Amarilla and Tres Piedras. It has stocked rainbow trout and wild brook trout. This lake is frozen and ice-fishing has been good. Be cautious if attempting to ice fish. 

Lake Maloya and Lake Alice at Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton are open. Lake Alice was stocked March 25 with 251 rainbow trout, and Lake Maloya was stocked with 1,499 rainbow trout. Call 575.445.1507 for information. 

Eagle Nest Lake State Park is closed to ice-fishing but has mostly open water. The bank fishing has been good for rainbow trout. There are also northern pike, yellow perch and kokanee salmon. If you catch a northern pike at Eagle Nest you must kill it. You cannot release it back into the lake. The state-record kokanee salmon was caught here. It was stocked March 19 with 9,240 rainbow trout. The Lake is open for boating, but the docks are not in. Call 575.377.1594 for information. 

Clayton Lake State Park is where the state-record walleye was caught. There are also catfish and some big largemouth bass. Be sure to check out the dinosaur tracks. 

The Cimarron River has not yet been stocked. Streamflow below Eagle Nest Dam was 11.1 cubic-feet-per-second. 

Morphy Lake State Park near Mora is now open. It was stocked March 31 with 3,002 catchable-size rainbow trout. 

Storrie Lake State Park near Las Vegas is open. It was stocked April 2 with 4,050 catchable-size rainbow trout andwith450 rainbow trout averaging 15.4 inches. 

The Pecos River in Pecos Canyon State Park is losing its ice. Fishing has been fair for rainbows and wild brown trout. It was stocked April 2 with 1,500 rainbow trout. The Pecos River near Villanueva was stocked twice with a total of 1,201 rainbow trout.

The streamflow in the Pecos River was 60.3 cubic-feet-per-second, which is normal. It is higher than last week.

Monastery Lake is open and was stocked April 1 with 250 rainbow trout.

Bluewater Lake near Grants has fair fishing for tiger musky and there are some catfish here. They have been catching some nice holdover rainbow trout. It was stocked March 10 with 3,800 catchable-size rainbow trout and 9,609 sub-catchable rainbow trout. Call 505.876.2391 for more information.