By GEORGE MORSE
Sports and Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post
There was no stocking activity in Northern New Mexico last week. Only Tingley Beach and the drainage canals in the Albuquerque area were stocked.
There have been some good reports of nice- sized brook trout being caught at Bonito Lake. These are wild fish that spawn In Bonito Creek. It is one of just a handful of year-around trout fisheries in Southeast New Mexico. This lake was closed to all activities for several years due to damage caused by flooding from wildfire burn scars. It is now open for fishing and is being stocked with rainbow trout. The brook trout proved resilient and have been providing anglers with the bonus of catching a species of trout not widely available in New Mexico. Bonito Lake is located in the Sacramento Mountains near Alamogordo.
Small streams at higher elevations are starting to ice up. The Rio Pueblo, Santa Cruz River and Rio Costilla are already reporting icy conditions that prevent the measurement of streamflow. Lakes are starting to develop thin ice, but it will be a while before the ice is thick enough for safe ice fishing. Be sure to call ahead to check on ice conditions
The best fishing will be found below big dams. The San Juan River below Navajo Dam is good winter trout fishing.
This time of year is good time to plan a trip to Southern New Mexico. The weather is warmer than Northern New Mexico and a lot more comfortable than dealing with the hot temperatures of summer that occur in Southern New Mexico. Many small lakes and ponds are being stocked with rainbow trout.
Santa Cruz Lake and Monastery Lake do not allow any ice-fishing. Both are still open but will be closed if they freeze over.
Streamflow on the Rio Grande increased near the Colorado border but stayed consistent further downstream over the past week. At Taos Junction Bridge streamflow Sunday (1/18) was 478 cubic-feet-per-second at Taos Junction Bridge. The streamflow at Cerro near the Colorado border was 415 cubic-feet-per-second, which is well-above normal. The streamflow at Embudo was 440 cubic-feet-per-second.
The Rio Grande seldom freezes completely and is one of the more reliable fishing locations during the winter season. It is well-stocked with rainbow trout, especially in the Pilar area. Floating chunks of ice can be a problem.
Fenton Lake State Park is open. Camping is by reservation only. Fenton Lake was stocked Jan. 6 with 1,198 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. The ice is still not safe for fishing.
The Rio Cebolla flows into and out of Fenton Lake. It was stocked Oct. 15 with 206 rainbow trout. It was stocked Oct. 21 with 2,024 fingerling Rio Grande cutthroat trout. It also has wild brown trout.
The Seven Springs Brood Pond, also known as the Kid’s Pond, is open to anglers 11 years of age and younger. There are also some wild brown trout. It is north of Fenton Lake. It was stocked on Aug. 20 with 200 rainbow trout that averaged 17.4 inches. It was stocked Oct. 23 with 692 catchable-size rainbow trout. The lake is starting to freeze, but there was some open water.
The Jemez River streamflow was 14.2 cubic-feet-per-second. This is lower than last week and below normal. It was stocked Jan. 6 with 999 rainbow trout and has wild brown trout.
The East Fork of the Jemez River was stocked Oct. 21 with 6,838 fingerling Rio Grande cutthroat trout. Peralta Creek in the Jemez drainage was stocked Nov. 20 with 501 fingerling Rio Grande cutthroat trout. All streams in the Jemez drainage have wild brown trout. The headwaters are icing up.
San Gregorio Lake was stocked Oct. 20 with 10,000 fingerling Rio Grande cutthroat trout. Some good-sized holdover cutthroats have been caught here recently. This hike-in lake is likely frozen over.
Santa Cruz Lake near Chimayo is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The state-record rainbow trout was caught here. It was stocked twice Dec. 3 with a total of 2,167 catchable-size rainbow trout. There are also wild brown trout. Hours are 7 a.m.–5 p.m., Thursday through Monday. Call 505.351.1438 or visit blm.gov/visit/santa-cruz-lake-recreation.
The Santa Cruz River above the lake is icing up.
The Bureau also manages the Orilla Verde Recreation Area on the Rio Grande at Pilar. The Rio Grande at Pilar was stocked Dec. 18 with 27,686 sub-catchable 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. Streamflow was 478 cubic-feet-per-second at Taos Junction Bridge. This is lower than last week. The Rio Grande Gorge above Pilar was stocked Aug. 21 with 20,000 Rio Grande cutthroat trout. It was stocked on Nov. 18 with 15,017 fingerling rainbow trout.
The Rio Pueblo near Penasco is icing up. Streamflow was not measured. It was last stocked Sept. 22 with 1,202 rainbow trout and has wild brown trout.
The streamflow on the Red River below Questa is 28.4 cubic-feet-per-second below Questa. This is lower than last week. It was stocked Jan. 8 with 700 rainbow trout and has wild brown trout.
The Red River Hatchery Pond is open. It was stocked Oct. 15 with 650 catchable-size rainbow trout. Fishing is for anglers 11 years old or younger and 65 years old or older. It may be frozen.
Eagle Rock Lake near Questa was stocked Oct. 16 with 650 catchable-size rainbow trout. It may be frozen.
The Shuree Ponds on the Valle Vidal are closed.. They are likely frozen.
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 may 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. Camping by reservation. Call 505.685.4371 for more information.
The streamflow in the Chama River below Abiquiu Dam was 96.5 cubic-feet-per-second. This is higher than last week. It was stocked Jan. 6 with 690 rainbow trout. There are some big, wild brown trout here. The limit here is two-trout-per day.
The Canjilon Lakes were last stocked Oct. 9 with 2,001 small Rio Grande cutthroat trout. These lakes are likely frozen over and may be hard to reach
The Trout Lakes near Cebolla are open. Access to these lakes can be difficult when it rains. They were stocked Oct. 9 with 530 rainbow trout. These lakes will soon freeze over and be inaccessible.
Heron Lake State Park is open. Fishing for rainbow trout has been fair. Kokanee salmon snagging season ended Dec. 31. El Vado Lake State Park is now open for fishing. El Vado Lake was stocked Nov. 17 with 40,027 fingerling rainbow trout. Call 575.588.7470 for more information.
The streamflow in the Chama River below El Vado Dam was 91.7 cubic-feet-per-second. It has wild brown trout. It was stocked Oct. 1 with 436 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 5,012 fingerling rainbow trout. The state record brown trout was caught here.
The Chama River above El Vado Lake streamflow was 177 cubic-feet-per-second at La Puente. This is much higher than last week. It was stocked Oct. 1 with 1,070 rainbow trout. It has wild brown trout.
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. Bass fishing has been fair. Navajo Lake has the best kokanee salmon fishing in the state. Kokanee salmon snagging season closed Dec 31. 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 284 cubic-feet-per-second. This is just a little higher than last week and below normal. It has world-class fly-fishing for big trout. Conditions for wading anglers have improved.
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. 3 with 30,009 fingerling 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 twice last week with a total of 2 556 catchable-size rainbow trout.
Lakes in the Aztec area are now being stocked. Aztec Pond #1 was stocked Jan. 7 with 103 rainbow trout. Tiger Park Pond was stocked Jan. 7 with 1,035 catchable-size 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. It was stocked Oct. 10 with 1,205 small Rio Grande cutthroat trout. It was stocked a month ago with a total of 2,409 catchable-size rainbow trout. This lake is frozen and ice-fishing has been good. Be cautious if attempting to ice fish.
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 likely icing up.
Eagle Nest Lake State Park is good for rainbow trout. This is a big fertile lake that can produce large trout. It was stocked Oct. 16 with 11,002 sub-catchable rainbow trout. There is also northern pike, yellow perch and an occasional kokanee salmon. The state-record kokanee was caught here. Snagging season for kokanee salmon closed Dec. 31. If you catch a pike at Eagle Nest you must kill it. You cannot release it back into the lake. Call 575.377.1594 for more information. It is freezing up but not yet safe for boating or fishing.
The Cimarron River at Cimarron Canyon State Park is stocked with rainbow trout. There are also wild brown trout. It was stocked Oct. 7 with 2,420 rainbow trout. The streamflow below Eagle Nest Dam was 2.00 cubic-feet-per-second. The same as last week. The Cimarron River near Cimarron is icing up.
The Cimarron Gravel Pit Lakes at Maverick Campground were stocked Oct. 7 with 401 catchable-size rainbow trout. They are likely frozen.
Lake Maloya in Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton. Lake Maloya was stocked Oct. 14 with 5,163 rainbow trout. Lake Alice, a smaller lake at the park, was stocked Oct. 14 with 499 rainbow trout. Call 575.445.1507 for more information. Both lakes should soon be frozen over, but may still have some open warer.
Storrie Lake State Park near Las Vegas was stocked Nov. 18 with 20,022 fingerling rainbow. It could freeze over.
The Pecos River in Pecos Canyon State Park was stocked Oct. 7 with 3,001 catchable-size rainbow trout. Fishing has been fair for rainbows and wild brown trout. The Pecos River near Villanueva was stocked Jan. 5 with 501 rainbow trout.
The streamflow in the Pecos River at Pecos was 75.5 cubic-feet-per-second. This is higher than last week and above normal. It may start icing up.
The Cowles Ponds are likely starting to freeze.
Monastery Lake near Pecos is now open. It was stocked Jan. 5 with 252 rainbow trout.
The drainage canals in the Albuquerque area are now being stocked with catchable-size rainbow trout. The Albuquerque, Albuquerque South, Belen Riverside, Bernalillo, Corrales Riverside and Peralta drains were stocked last week.
Tingley Beach in Albuquerque is stocked with rainbow trout. It was stocked twice last week with a total of 2,400 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 three weeks ago with a total of 5,751 rainbow trout. It was stocked Dec. 2 with 29,965 fingerling rainbow trout. Call 505.876.2391 for more information.