By GEORGE MORSE
Sports And Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post
There was at least one bit of good news for anglers this week. Santa Cruz Lake near Chimayo has finally opened up to anglers.
The recreation area will be open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. There is a $5 fee for day use. There is no overnight camping. There will be portable toilets available.
Santa Cruz is a lower-elevation trout lake and with temperatures forecast to be in the high 90’s this coming week, the trout are likely hanging out in deeper water. The best fishing will be early morning and in the evening. Santa Cruz has not been stocked in many weeks, so fishing could be a little slow. Lake water levels are likely going to drop as irrigation water is released. The inflow from the Santa Cruz River is running well-below normal at just 9.31 cubic-feet-per-second.
Other than the reopening of Santa Cruz, there are few if any changes from last week’s conditions. There is no overnight camping allowed at any of New Mexico’s State Parks. Fenton Lake State Park in the Jemez Mountains and Bluewater Lake State Park near Grants remain closed to anglers.
Most of the campgrounds on Santa Fe National Forest and Carson National Forest Lands are open. Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are still in effect. No campfires or charcoal grills. Campgrounds administered by the Bureau of Land Management are either closed or open for day use only. Dispersed camping on Forest Service lands is allowed.
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Wildlife Management areas are open for day use only. No overnight camping allowed yet. Morphy Lake, Monastery Lake and Rio Costilla Open Gate properties are still closed. All Department Fish Hatcheries are closed to the public.
Cochiti Lake is closed as it is located on land belonging to Cochiti Pueblo.
Very high temperatures and little rainfall is in the forecast for the next week or so. The best fishing will be early in the morning and in the evening. Streamflows continue to be low throughout most of the state.
One effect of the coronavirus pandemic is the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish reports record sales of fishing licenses. This is great news, but it also means the most popular spots are likely to get crowded. Practice social distancing.
Fishing during the week may be less crowded than on weekends.
A good source of information concerning which federal lands are open and what the current restrictions and regulations are is the New Mexico Public Lands Information Center. Call Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at (505).954.2002.
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish continues to stock rainbow trout in waters where the temperatures are suitable to their survival. The Department is also stocking good-sized channel catfish in the small municipal lakes and ponds in Southern New Mexico. The limit on these catfish is two-fish-per-day. They average 18 inches in size.
In the Jemez Mountains, streamflows are very low. The fish are concentrated in deeper pools. Streamflow in all Jemez streams is low. The only stream currently being stocked is the Rio Cebolla. It was stocked July 1 with 433 rainbow trout.All these streams also contain wild brown trout. The streamflow in the Jemez River was 10.2 cubic-feet-per-second.
San Gregorio Lake still has fair fishing for stocked rainbow trout.
Abiquiu Lake is at low levels. The boat ramp is open but a four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended for the launching of boats. The fishing has been fair for walleye and smallmouth bass. Some crappie and trout are also being taken. There is no overnight camping, but the lake is open for fishing 24/7.
The Chama River below Abiquiu Dam is flowing at 796 cubic-feet-per-second. This is a heavy flow and fishing will be difficult. There are stocked rainbow trout and some big wild brown trout here. The road from Abiquiu Dam is open.
The Chama River below El Vado Dam is flowing at 598 cubic-feet-per-second. The fishing has been fair-to-good for rainbow trout and wild brown trout.
El Vado Lake State Park and Heron Lake State Park are open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fishing from the bank has been fair-to-good for smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, brown trout and perch at El Vado Lake. The fishing has been fair-to-good for rainbow trout at Heron Lake. No reports on the fishing for kokanee salmon and for lake trout.
The Chama River above El Vado is running very low. The best fishing will be found below Heron Dam above El Vado Lake where cold water from beneath Heron Dam enters the Chama River. Streamflow in the Chama River at La Puente is a very low 15.4 cubic-feet-per-second.
Laguna del Campo near Los Ojos was stocked recently and the fishing has been fair. This lake is limited to anglers 14 years old and younger and anglers 65 years old or older. The limit is three fish per-day and the lake is open sunrise to sunset.
The fishing at the Canjilon Lakes has been fair-to-good for stocked rainbow trout with some brook trout in the upper lake. The best fishing has been reported at the middle lake.
The fishing has been fair at the Trout Lakes near Cebolla.
Hopewell Lake between Tierra Amarilla and Tres Piedras has been fair-to-good for stocked rainbow trout and wild brook trout.
The Lagunitas Lakes were recently stocked and the fishing is good. The campground is open.
The Rio de los Pinos Wildlife Management Area near the Colorado border is open. The fishing has been good for stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout. It is open for day-use only.
The streamflow in the Rio Grande is very low at just 229 cubic-feet-per-second at Taos Junction Bridge. The fishing has been fair for rainbow trout and brown trout. Fly-fishing conditions have been good. Fishing with spinners and nightcrawlers has also been productive. Smallmouth bass are also being caught. Remember that there is a 12-inch size limit on smallmouths.
The Rio Pueblo near Penasco is very low at just 4.31 cubic-feet-per-second. The fish are concentrated in the deeper pools. The fishing has been fair-to-good for stocked rainbow trout and some wild brown trout.
There is still a good flow in the Red River and it is being heavily-stocked. The Red River above Questa was stocked July 1 with 2,900 rainbow trout. The west Fork of the Red River and the East Fork of the Red River were each stocked with 299 rainbow trout. Fishing has been good.
Eagle Rock Lake near Questa is a small lake is right off the highway and receives heavy fishing pressure. It was stocked July 1 with 501 rainbow trout. The fishing is fair-to-good as long as the stockers last.
The Shuree Ponds on the Valle Vidal near Costilla were stocked June 18 with 500 rainbow trout averaging 15.2 inches in size. The Shuree Ponds opened for fishing July 1 and the fishing is limited to artificial flies and lures having a single, barbless hook. The limit is two-fish-per-day 15 inches in size or longer. The fishing should be good Eagle Nest Lake State Park is open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The fishing has been good for rainbow trout. The fishing for northern pike has been fair-to-good. The fishing for perch should be fair-to-good with worms. Anglers trolling for trout should pick up a few kokanee salmon.
Cimarron Canyon State Park is open 6 am. to 9 p.m. daily. The Cimarron River was stocked June 29 with 2,424 rainbow trout. The Cimarron Gravel Pit Lakes at Maverick Campground were stocked June 29 with 356 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 46 rainbow trout averaging 14.8 inches in size. Streamflow in the Cimarron River below Eagle Nest Dam was a heavy 64.8 cubic-feet-per-second.
The fishing should be fair at Stubblefield Lake for largemouth bass, walleye and catfish.
Trout fishing at Maxwell Lake 13 on the Maxwell Lakes National Wildlife Refuge may be slowing down as the weather gets warmer. The trout here are mostly good-sized holdovers and they may have moved to deeper water. There are also largemouth bass and catfish here.
Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton is open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The fishing for rainbow trout has been good at Lake Maloya and at Lake Alice.
Clayton Lake State Park is open daily 6 am. to 9 p.m. daily. The trout fishing here has been slow and it has not been stocked recently. There also are some big walleye, catfish and some largemouth bass here.
The Charette Lakes between Wagon Mound and Springer have been fair-to-good for stocked rainbow trout with some holdover trout. There are also yellow perch here.
Springer Lake has been slow-to-fair for northern pike and catfish.
Coyote Creek State Park near Guadalupita is open 6 am. to 9 p.m. daily. Coyote Creek was stocked June 30 with 802 rainbow trout. The Coyote Creek Pond was stocked with 598 rainbow trout. The fishing has been fair-to-good.
Storrie Lake State Park is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. It has not been stocked recently and the trout fishing is very slow. There also are catfish here.
The Gallinas River near Las Vegas is running very low at just 1.56 cubic-feet-per-second. The trout are concentrated in the deeper pools. It was stocked June 29 with 1,001 rainbow trout. The fishing is fair. The Gallinas Ice Pond was stocked with 201 rainbow trout.
Conchas Lake State Park is open Thursday-Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fishing has been fair-to-good for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white bass, bluegill and crappie.
Ute Lake State Park near Logan is open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The fishing has been fair for walleye, white bass, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass.
Pecos River Canyon State Park is open Thursday-Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This area receives very heavy fishing pressure. The Pecos River was not stocked with rainbow trout last week. There are also wild brown trout here. The streamflow was 36.7 cubic-feet-per-second.
The Pecos River at Villanueva State Park was stocked July 2 with 96 channel catfish.
The Mora Fork of the Pecos River was recently stocked and the fishing has been fair-to-good.
Santa Rosa Lake State Park is open Friday-Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The lake is very low and muddy. The boat ramp does not reach the water. Fishing is slow-to-fair for walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie and catfish.
Over in the Four Corners, Navajo Lake State Park is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The fishing should be good for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike and crappie. Trout fishing should be fair and some big brown trout have been caught trolling. This lake has the best kokanee salmon fishing in the state. They are usually caught by trolling at the proper depth. Fishing is usually best in deep water near the dam. Check with the marina to see if they have information as to what depth the kokanee are schooling at.
The streamflow in the San Juan River has increased but is still low for this time of year at 803 cubic-feet-per-second. The trout fishing has been good with a variety of fly patterns in the Quality Water. They have been catching some big brown trout in the Quality Water. The fishing has been good in the Bait Water with flies, lures and bait.
Tingley Beach in Albuquerque is now open. It was stocked July 2 with a total of 492 channel catfish, so the fishing should be picking up here.
The drainage canals in the Albuquerque area are not being stocked with rainbow trout. Fishing for catfish, carp and a few largemouth bass has been fair. The Rio Grande in Albuquerque is running well below normal. Fishing has been fair for catfish and carp.
Escondida Lake near Socorro was stocked July 2 with 198 channel catfish.
Elephant Butte Lake State Park is open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. The fishing has been very good for white bass. The fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and walleye has been fair. It was stocked last week with 11,836 largemouth bass fry. The fishing for catfish is good. Lake water levels are likely dropping as they are letting a lot more water out than is coming in.
The Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam is flowing at a heavy 2,280 cubic-feet-per-second. The fishing has been fair for catfish and white bass.
Caballo Lake State Park is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. The fishing has been fair for white bass and walleye. It was stocked last week with a total of 31,678 largemouth bass fry.
In the Ruidoso area, the trout fishing is slowing down a bit at Alto Lake. There are also catfish and largemouth bass here.
Alto lake was stocked July 2 with 96 channel catfish.
The trout fishing is still holding up at Grindstone Reservoir. There are also smallmouth bass here and the fishing for bluegill has been good.
These lakes are administered by the City of Ruidoso. They are limiting the number of cars that can be admitted each day.
Ruidoso residents are given preference.
The Ruidoso River is running low at .40 cubic-feet-per-second. Fishing should be okay in the deeper pools for stocked rainbow trout.
In the Silver City area, the trout fishing has been fair at Lake Roberts. This is a designated trophy-bass water with a daily limit of two largemouth bass 18 inches in size or longer. The fishing for catfish has been fair. The bluegill fishing has been good.
Bear Canyon Reservoir is open. The trout fishing is about over here. The best fishing is for catfish and crappie.
Bill Evans Lake is open. There may still be a few trout left here in deeper water, but not many. This is a designated trophy-bass water with a daily limit of two largemouth bass per-day 18 inches in size or longer. The state-record largemouth bass was caught at Bill Evans Lake.
There is a good streamflow in the Gila River. Some big flathead catfish have been caught in the lower Gila River. There are also channel catfish and smallmouth bass here. In the upper reaches and in the forks of the Gila River, the fishing is for rainbow trout, brown trout and some Gila trout.
The fishing at Quemado Lake has been very good for rainbow trout.