By GEORGE MORSE
Sports And Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post

The weather forecast is for warmer weather with temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s for the next 5-7 days.

The weather pattern this winter has been a little unusual with the weather systems coming from the south from Mexico. These systems are warmer than your typical winter storms.

The warm temperatures have led to the closure of one popular lake to ice fishing due to unsafe conditions.

Fenton Lake has been closed due to unsafe ice conditions and the ice fishing season looks like it’s over here. It shouldn’t be long before there is some open-water fishing at Fenton. Call 575.829.3630 for current conditions.

The fishing held up well all winter at Fenton and it was well-stocked with rainbow trout all winter long. The early spring fishing should be good here. You might still catch a Rio Grande cutthroat trout here. Remember only two cutthroat trout may be kept as part of a five-fish limit. There are also some big wild brown trout at Fenton.

There is some good fishing near Fenton now. The Seven Springs Brood Pond north of Fenton Lake is open and the fishing has been good. The fishing here is for anglers under 12 years of age. It is well-stocked with rainbow trout and has some wild brown trout.

The fishing has been good in the Jemez River below Battleship Rock. Some of the smaller streams in the Jemez Mountains should start losing their ice and be fishable soon.

The ice at Eagle Nest Lake is still good and it is open for ice fishing. It has been fair-to-good for rainbow trout and yellow perch. No reports on northern pike, but they can be caught here as well. The ice may start breaking up here soon, so it’s best to check on conditions. Call (575).377.1594 for an update on ice conditions.

Lake Maloya at Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton still has ice fishing. It has been good for rainbow trout. Lake Alice, also at Sugarite Canyon State Park, is closed to fishing due to unsafe ice conditions. Call (575).445.5607 for current conditions.

Due to varying ice conditions at Heron Lake State Park, it’s best to call ahead at (575).588.7470 for conditions. There should be some open water for bank fishing here soon. It can be good for holdover rainbow trout and you might catch a lake trout. Heron Lake was stocked Feb. 27 with 41,032 small rainbow trout.

The water is still low at Abiquiu Lake and a four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended for launching a boat. The walleye and rainbow trout should start biting here soon.

Santa Cruz Lake near Chimayo has open water fishing and it has been a hotspot lately for big rainbow trout up to and over 20 inches in size. These fish are likely holdovers from an October stocking of big rainbow trout at Santa Cruz. The lake level here is low but it should start rising soon as they start to store water for the upcoming irrigation season.

Clayton Lake, Maxwell Lake 13 and the Charette Lakes opened for fishing Sunday (March 1) after being closed for the winter. No reports yet on the fishing. Maxwell Lake 13 is very fertile and there should be some good-sized holdover rainbow trout caught here. The Charette Lakes also should have some holdover trout.

Monastery Lake near Pecos now has open water. It was stocked Feb. 25 with 250 rainbow trout. No reports on the fishing but it should be good. Ice fishing is not allowed here.

The fishing at Manzano Lake at Manzano Mountains State Park near Mountainair has been fair-to-good.

Most of the smaller streams in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are still icy.

The Rio Grande is flowing near normal at 591 cubic-feet-per-second. The fishing has been good drifting nymphs. The Rio Grande in the Pilar area was stocked Feb. 26 with 2,000 rainbow trout. Above Pilar, the Rio Grande was stocked Feb. 26 with 251 rainbow trout.

The fishing has been fair-to-good in the Chama River below El Vado Dam for rainbow trout and brown trout. The streamflow here was 91.4 cubic-feet-per-second, which is a nice level for fishing.

There were no reports on the fishing in the Chama River below Abiquiu Dam. The access to this area may be closed due to a stream Habitat improvement project being conducted by the State Game and Fish Department. The streamflow here is 52.2 cubic-feet-per-second. If accessible, the fishing here should be good as it has been stocked and received light fishing pressure. The limit here is two-fish-per-day. Call (505) 685-4371 for access information.

The fishing in the Red River below Questa has been good all winter. It is currently rated as fair-to-good.

The fishing for trout in the Pecos River at Villanueva State Park has been very good. The fishing in the upper Pecos River above the town of Pecos should be improving as the river loses its ice. Try slow drifting nymphs or salmon eggs through the deeper pools and runs.

Over in the Four Corners area, the streamflow in the San Juan River below Navajo Dam was 418 cubic-feet-per-second.

The fishing has been good for rainbow trout and brown trout in the Quality Water using various fly patterns. The fishing here is catch-and-release with flies and lures with a single, barbless hook. The fishing in the Bait Water below the Quality Water has been fair-to-good with flies and spinners. Here you may use any legal method of angling and keep a limit of five fish-per-day. The Bait Water was stocked Feb. 25 with 2,071 rainbow trout.

No reports from Navajo Lake. Anglers should try trolling lures like Rapalas. In the past some big brown trout were caught during the winter at Navajo using this technique. You might hook a northern pike while trolling. The bass and other warmwater gamefish are likely still schooled up in deeper water. Navajo Lake was stocked Feb. 25 with 10,010 small rainbow trout.

Still no reports from Lake Farmington. This lake is owned by the City of Farmington. It is heavily-stocked and the fishing should be good. It was stocked Feb. 25 with 1,962 rainbow trout. There is a $5 fee charged for entry. Try calling the Park Ranger at (505).334.6622 for information.

Heading south, the fishing at Cochiti Lake has been good for catfish.

Tingley Beach in Albuquerque is stocked on a weekly basis. It was stocked twice last week with a total of 2,280 rainbow trout. The fishing has been good.

The drainage canals in the Albuquerque area are being stocked on a weekly basis. The Albuquerque, Albuquerque South, Belen Riverside, Corrales Riverside and Peralta drains were all stocked last week. The fishing has been fair-to-good.

There were no reports from Elephant Butte Lake. The fishing should start picking up here as the weather warms. Bass and walleye should start cruising into shallower water and the white bass start schooling in open water. The catfishing should be good. Hiring a guide is a good way to go here.

In the Ruidoso area, the trout fishing has been good at Alto Lake and at Grindstone Reservoir.

In the Silver City area, Bill Evans Lake received a heavy stocking of trout. It was stocked twice last week with a total of 3,633 rainbow trout. The fishing has been good for the stocked trout. The largemouth bass should start to become more active as the water warms up.

The trout fishing has been good at Lake Roberts. There are rainbow trout and Gila trout here. Here too the largemouth bass should become more active as the weather warms up. Lake Roberts and Bill Evans Lake are designated trophy bass waters. The limit on largemouth bass is two-fish-per-day 18 inches in size or longer.