By GEORGE MORSE
Sports and Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post 

Happy New Year!

The snowpack in Northern New Mexico improved somewhat last week and now is 32-percent of normal. The weather forecast for this coming week looks like typical January weather with highs in the 40’s and lows in the low 20’s and teens. 

Next week could see an Artic blast thanks to the Polar Vortex plunging south. These cold blasts are no joke and temperatures can plunge well-below zero in some of our high mountain valleys.

The Moreno Valley where Eagle Nest Lake is located is a prime example. Temperatures here can reach minus-15 or even lower. Please dress warmly. 

The colder temperatures should get the ice-fishing season going. It is likely that popular ice-fishing destinations like Eagle Nest Lake and Fenton Lake will open for ice fishing by the end of this week. Be sure to call ahead if planning a trip. 

The annual Eagle Nest Lake Ice-Fishing Derby will be held Jan. 25,  which is the last Saturday in January. This popular event draws hundreds of anglers. 

The choice of locations to fish in Northern New Mexico is limited by the weather conditions. Some places to try are below El Vado Dam and Abiquiu Dam on the Chama River. The Rio Grande does not totally freeze over, but floating ice can make fishing difficult. 

The only location reporting any ice fishing is Hopewell Lake between Tres Piedras and Tierra Amarilla. Popular ice-fishing locations like Eagle Nest Lake and Fenton Lake have yet to develop safe ice. The colder weather forecast could change the conditions by the end of this week. Be sure to call ahead to receive a report on ice conditions before planning a trip. 

Navajo Lake does not freeze over and remains open all winter. The San Juan River below Navajo Dam has excellent winter fishing and a little bit more elbow room during this time of year.  

Fenton Lake State Park is open. Camping is by reservation only. The fishing has been slow. It was stocked Aug. 28 with 270 Rio Grande cutthroat trout averaging 14.5 inches in length. Fenton Lake was stocked Dec. 17 with 870 rainbow trout. There are also wild brown trout. Only two cutthroat trout may be kept as part of a five trout daily bag limit. Fenton Lake was covered with thin ice that is totally unsafe. Do not attempt to walk on it. Don’t test the ice on your own. State Park workers will check it daily. Call  575.829.3630 for current conditions.

The Rio Cebolla flows into and out of Fenton Lake. It was stocked Nov. 6 with 201 rainbow trout. It also has wild brown trout and Rio Grande cutthroat trout above Fenton Lake. It was stocked Oct. 24 with 5,668 small Rio Grande cutthroat trout. It is likely icing up.  

The Seven Springs Brood Pond, also known as the Kid’s Pond, is open to anglers 11 Years of age and younger. It was stocked Nov. 6 with 449 rainbow trout. There are also some wild brown trout and a few Rio Grande cutthroats. It is north of Fenton Lake. It will likely freeze over soon. 

The Jemez River streamflow was 11.2 cubic-feet-per second. This is a little lower than last week and below normal. It was stocked Dec. 17 with 1,000 rainbow trout and has wild brown trout.  

Santa Cruz Lake near Chimayo is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It is now closed until February 15. Ice fishing is not allowed here. The state-record rainbow trout was caught here. Call 505.351.1438 or visit blm.gov/visit/santa-cruz-lake-recreation-area. 

The Bureau also manages the Orilla Verde Recreation Area on the Rio Grande at Pilar. The Rio Grande at Pilar was stocked Dec. 23 with 1,501 rainbow trout. There are also wild brown trout, northern pike and smallmouth bass. 

From the Colorado border to the Taos Junction Bridge the limit is two trout per day on the Rio Grande.  Streamflow was 435 cubic-feet-per-second at Taos Junction Bridge. This is lower than last week and a little below normal. The Rio Grande  Gorge above Pilar was stocked Dec. 23 with 186 rainbow trout. It was stocked Oct. 18 with 780 Rio Grande cutthroat  

The Rio Pueblo near Penasco is iced over.  

The streamflow on the Red River was 41.2 cubic-feet-per-second below Questa. This is the same as last week. It was stocked Jan. 10 with 701 rainbow trout and has wild brown trout. 

The Red River above Questa is icing over. 

The Red River Hatchery Pond is open again. It was stocked Nov. 18 with 400 rainbow trout. Fishing is for anglers 11 years-old or younger and 65 years-old or older. It may ice over. 

Eagle Rock Lake near Questa was stocked Nov. 6 with 600 rainbow trout. It may soon freeze. 

The Shuree Ponds on the Valle Vidal opened July 1 for fishing. They are likely frozen and are now closed. 

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 likely frozen. Use caution if attempting to ice fish. 

Abiquiu Lake is managed by the Corps of Engineers. The fishing has been  slow for smallmouth bass walleye, crappie and catfish. Anglers are starting to catch some small largemouth bass. Most are under legal size. There are some good-sized trout in Abiquiu. Camping by reservation. Call 505.685.4371 for more information. Portions of the lake will freeze but it seldom completely freezes. 

The streamflow in the Chama River below Abiquiu Dam was 348 cubic-feet-per-second. This is above normal and lower than last week. It was stocked Jan. 6 with 536 rainbow trout. There are some big, wild brown trout here. The limit here is two-trout-per day. 

The Canjilon Lakes are near Canjilon. Access to these lakes will be difficult due to snowfall and they should be freezing up. 

The Trout Lakes near Cebolla were stocked Oct.  8 with 455 rainbow trout. The road to these lakes can be rough when it rains. Access to these lakes will be difficult due to snowfall and they are likely frozen 

Laguna del Campo, a small lake near Los Ojos is now closed. It will reopen May 1. 

Heron Lake State Park is open. Fishing for rainbow trout has been fair. It was stocked Nov. 19 with 3,188 sub-catchable rainbow trout. Kokanee salmon snagging season opened Nov. 11 at Heron. So far it has been slow. Snagging season is now closed. El Vado Lake State Park is closed for construction. Call 575.588.7470 for information.  

The streamflow in the Chama River below El Vado Dam was 103 cubic-feet-per-second. This is the same as last week and below average. It was stocked Oct. 31 with 20,104 small Rio Grande cutthroat trout. It has wild brown trout. The state-record brown trout was caught here. 

The Chama River above El Vado Lake is icing over. It was stocked Nov. 19 with 4,910 sub catchable rainbow trout. It has wild brown trout.  

The streamflow in the Chama River above the town of Chama is no longer being reported and is icing over. 

The streamflow in the Rio Brazos is not being measured. It is likely iced over. 

Over in 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 road to Navajo Dam is closed and the snagging season is closed. The fishing for northern pike has been fair-to-good. Bass fishing has been fair. It was stocked Jan. 6 with 44,899 sub-catchable rainbow trout. 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 343 cubic-feet-per-second. This is a little lower 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. The Quality Water is stocked with small rainbow trout that grow quickly. It was stocked Dec. 26 with 28,335 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 Jan. 6 with 2,295 catchable-size rainbow trout.  

Several lakes in Aztec are being stocked. Aztec Pond  # 1 was stocked  Jan. 8 with 199 rainbow trout. Tiger Park Pond was stocked with 1,591 rainbow trout. 

The Animas River in Aztec was stocked Jan. 8 with 499 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. Expect snow on the ground. Ice fishing has started here. 

The Rio de los Pinos north of Tres Piedras near the Colorado border is heavily-stocked with rainbow trout. It also has wild brown trout. There are brook trout in the headwaters. It is iced over. 

Eagle Nest Lake State Park has been good for rainbow trout. This is a big fertile lake that can produce large trout. It was stocked Oct. 24 with 7,640 rainbow trout. It is now closed to boating and foot traffic as it is freezing over. State Park workers will check the ice to determine when it is safe for ice fishing. 

There are also northern pike, yellow perch and an occasional kokanee salmon. The state-record kokanee  was caught here. If you catch a pike at Eagle Nest you have to kill it. You cannot release it back into the lake. 575.377.1594 for more information. 

The Cimarron River at Cimarron Canyon State Park was stocked Oct. 9 with 2,907 rainbow trout. There are also wild brown trout. The streamflow below Eagle Nest Dam was not measured due to equipment malfunction. The Cimarron River near Cimarron is iced over. 

The Cimarron Gravel Pit Lakes at Maverick Campground were stocked Oct. 8 with 429 rainbow trout. They are likely frozen. 

Lake Maloya in Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton was stocked  Dec. 23 with 1,040 rainbow trout. Lake Alice, a smaller lake at the park, was stocked Dec. 23 with 267 rainbow trout. Call 575.445.1507 for more information. These lakes will soon freeze up. Ice fishing is allowed here when the ice is deemed safe.

Storrie Lake State Park near Las Vegas was stocked Sept. 30 with 3,035 rainbow trout. There are also catfish here. 

The Pecos River in Pecos Canyon State Park was stocked Oct. 9 with 1,502 rainbow trout. Fishing has been fair for stocker rainbows and wild brown trout. Ice may soon be a problem here. 

The streamflow in the Pecos was 42.3 last week. This is above normal. The Pecos River near Villanueva was stocked Jan. 7 with 520 rainbow trout. The Pecos River below Sumner Dam was stocked Jan. 7 with 299 rainbow trout.

Monastery Lake near Pecos is now closed. Ice fishing is not allowed here. It is now frozen. 

Tingley Beach in Albuquerque is now being stocked with rainbow trout. It was stocked Jan. 7 with 2,399 rainbow  trout. 

The drainage canals in the Albuquerque area are now being stocked with rainbow trout. The Albuquerque, Albuquerque South, Belen Riverside, Bernalillo and Peralta drains were stocked last week. 

Bluewater Lake near Grants has fair fishing for tiger muskies. Trout fishing is slow and there are some catfish here. It was stocked Dec. 10 with 4,501 rainbow trout, so trout fishing should pick up. 

McGaffey Lake near Grants was stocked  Oct. 16 with 4,780 rainbow trout. It may freeze.