By GEORGE MORSE
SPORTS and Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post
The Chama River below Abiquiu Dam is undergoing a stream improvement project and there are some closures along the river at this location.
You can no longer access the river by driving down Abiquiu Dam. The Chama River can be accessed from a road that runs along the river.
That road starts just north of Bodes General Store in Abiquiu on the left just before you cross the bridge over the Chama River on US Highway 84. It is not suited for passenger cars and you will need four-wheel drive. It will end at a gate about one-quarter to one-half mile below Abiquiu Dam.
The section of the Chama River from that gate to Abiquiu Dam is where the stream improvement project is being done and is closed while the work is being performed. It is scheduled to be completed in March.
The fishing has been good in the Chama River below Abiquiu Dam. It is a popular spot and one of the better winter fishing destinations. The streamflow is low at this time at 76.6 cubic-feet-per-second. The daily limit on trout in this section is two-fish-per-day. Call 505.685.4371 for more access information.
Abiquiu Lake is low and there have been no reports. A four-wheel drive vehicle is needed to launch boats.
The Chama River below El Vado Dam has been fair-to-good for brown trout. The streamflow is at 102 cubic-feet-per-second.
El Vado Lake and Heron Lake are both mostly iced over and there is no open water to allow for shore fishing. There is no ice fishing due to unsafe ice conditions. Call 575.588.7470 for updated conditions.
Fenton Lake remains closed to ice fishing due to unsafe ice conditions. Despite not being open to fishing, it is still being stocked. It was stocked Jan. 8 with 658 rainbow trout. Call 575.829.3630 for updated conditions.
Monastery Lake near Pecos is iced over and closed to fishing. Ice fishing is not allowed here.
On the positive side of the ice fishing scene, Eagle Nest Lake is open to ice fishing. The trout fishing has been good. Yellow perch and northern pike are also being caught through the ice at Eagle Nest. Call 575.377.1594) for updated conditions.
Lake Alice and Lake Maloya at Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton are now open for ice fishing. Both are stocked with rainbow trout and the ice fishing is usually pretty good at either lake with Lake Maloya having the bigger fish. Call 575.445.5607 for conditions.
For open water trout fishing, Storrie Lake near Las Vegas has been fair-to-good for rainbow trout, including some of good size up to 18 inches. These are likely holdover fish from earlier stockings.
Santa Cruz Lake is likely iced over and closed to ice fishing. There were no reports from here.
The streamflows in the Rio Grande are running slightly below normal. The Pilar area should be good for rainbow trout as it has been heavily-stocked. Floating ice can be a problem on the Rio Grande during the winter. The fishing has been fair-to-good with Power Bait.
They are still catching some nice fish from the Red River below Questa. The fishing for rainbow trout has been good with salmon eggs. It was stocked Jan. 7 with 701 rainbow trout.
The Pecos River is stocked during the winter at Villanueva State Park. It was stocked Jan. 6 with 499 rainbow trout. The fishing can be good in this area during the winter. The Upper Pecos is icy.
The fishing in the Jemez River near the town of Jemez Springs has been good.
Over in the Four Corners, the streamflow in the San Juan River below Navajo Dam was 462 cubic-feet-per-second. The dry fly-fishing has been good in the Quality Water using midge patterns. The fishing with midge larvae fly patterns and egg patterns has also been good in the Quality Water. The Bait Water has been fair-to-good with flies, nightcrawlers and salmon eggs.
There were no reports from Navajo Lake. It was stocked last week with a total of 31,443 small rainbow trout. It might be worth a try trolling a small minnow-imitating lure like a Rapala near where these little trout were stocked as they can attract larger, predatory fish like brown trout and northern pike.
There have been no reports from Lake Farmington. The fishing here should be good because it has been heavily-stocked for several weeks. It was stocked Jan. 6 with 1,092 rainbow trout.
Tingley Beach in Albuquerque is heavily-stocked with rainbow trout during the winter and the fishing has been good. It was stocked Jan. 7 with 2,396 rainbow trout.
The drainage canals in the Albuquerque area are being stocked on a weekly basis with rainbow trout. The fishing has been fair-to-good. The Albuquerque, Albuquerque South, Belen Riverside, Corrales Riverside and Peralta drains were all stocked last week.
There were no reports on the fishing at Elephant Butte Lake. During the winter, the fish at Elephant Butte tend to school up in deeper water. Find the schools and the fishing can be good vertically jigging with slab spoons or other lures. If you really want to try winter fishing at Elephant Butte, hiring a guide might be the way to go. They usually know where the fish are at any given time of year.
No reports on the fishing below Elephant Butte Dam on the Rio Grande. Trout are stocked here during the winter. Since there is practically no flow this time of year, try baits like salmon eggs or Power Bait in the deeper pools. The limit here is three-trout-per-day. It was stocked Jan. 9 with 920 rainbow trout.
Although there have been few reports lately fishing in several lakes in the Silver City area should be good as they have been heavily-stocked. Bill Evans Lake was stocked Jan. 7 with 1,173 rainbow trout. Bear Canyon Lake was stocked Jan. 7 with 1,249 rainbow trout. Lake Roberts was stocked Jan. 7 with 1,249 rainbow trout.
The fishing at Alto Lake near Ruidoso has been good for trout. There were no reports from Grindstone Reservoir near Ruidoso but the fishing here should be good as it was stocked Jan. 6 with 1,500 rainbow trout.