Weekly Fishing Report: Oct. 2, 2019

Pinion trees spotted Sunday in the Tres Piedras area are loaded with nuts. Photo by George Morse/ladailypost.com

Pinion nuts gathered Sunday in the Tres Piedras area. Photo by George Morse/ladailypost.com

 

By GEORGE MORSE

Los Alamos Daily Post
Sports and Outdoors

One of the more unique experiences that you can do during the fall in New Mexico is gathering of pinion nuts.

These were a staple food of the Native Americans and Puebloan peoples that inhabited this area. The name comes from the Spanish word pinionero, that was the name for the nuts of the stone pine. which grows in Spain and other Mediterranean countries.

Already familiar with the use of pine nuts as food, the early European settlers also gathered the nuts. It has become a traditional activity here for families to go out and pick pinion in the fall.

Having heard reports that there was pinion in the Tres Piedras area, I took a drive up there Sunday to see. In 2015, there was a bumper crop of pinion nuts in Northern New Mexico. It seemed like every tree everywhere was loaded with cones and nuts. It was easy to gather a substantial amount just picking them up off the ground.

There are nuts again this year, but the crop is much smaller. It seems like the trees with ripe nuts are scattered and you have to seek them out. You’ll have to work to gather enough nuts this year. A lot of the nuts I gathered Sunday I picked out of cones still hanging on the tree. Sticky work if you don’t wear gloves.

There was a family of pinion pickers camped out in the area, so they had likely gathered a lot of nuts already.

It appears to be the same situation in the Taos area and also between Dixon and Penasco. A much smaller crop than that in 2015. I have heard reports of a good crop in the Pecos area, but haven’t been there yet this year.

The weather remains warmer than normal for this time of the year. It seems like the aspen trees are late this year turning gold. There is not a lot of color in the mountains yet. Streamflows are running low and clear. The fishing is picking up for brown trout and they are more colorful this time of year as they enter their spawning season.

The State Game and Fish Department continues to stock lots of rainbow trout throughout Northern New Mexico.

Once again, the Rio Grande is one of the prime spots as the flows now are slightly below normal for this time of year. The water continues to clear up and some big brown trout are starting to be caught. Panther Martin spinners are one of the better lures on the Rio Grande. Fly fishermen might want to try big streamers to entice some of the bigger brown trout. The Rio Grande in the Pilar area was stocked Sept. 23 with 2003 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 203 rainbow trout averaging 15.3 inches in size. Above Pilar, the Rio Grande was stocked with 207 rainbow trout.

 In the Chama area, the upper Rio Chama is running low and clear. It was stocked Sept. 24 with 1,066 rainbow trout. The Chama below El Vado Dam was stocked with 738 rainbow trout. There are a lot of wild brown trout that grow to good size below El Vado Dam. The fishing has been good.

The fishing in the big lakes like El Vado Lake and Heron lake has been slow. Kokanee salmon snagging season opened Oct. 1 at El Vado. No early reports yet. The kokanee salmon snagging season does not open until Nov.1 at Heron Lake. The trout fishing should pick up at Heron Lake. It was stocked Sept. 25 with 4,550 rainbow trout.

The fishing has been good at all the smaller lakes in this area. Laguna delCampo near Los Ojos, the Canjilon Lakes near Canjilon and the Trout Lakes near Cebolla have all been well-stocked and the fishing is good. The Canjilon Lakes were stocked Sept. 23 with 1,420 rainbow trout. The Trout Lakes were stocked Sept. 26 with 984 rainbow trout.

The conditions at Abiquiu Lake remain about the same. The fishing has been fair-to-good for walleye and smallmouth bass. The fishing for catfish has been fair. The lake level is still low and a four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended for the launching of boats. The lake is still closed to  swimming due to the presence of blue-green algae. Do not let your pets drink from the lake.

The Rio Chama below Abiquiu Dam has been fair for trout. The water is murky here. The streamflow of 428 cubic-feet-per-second is fair for fishing, but not great. Most of the catch has been stocked rainbow trout. There are some big brown trout in this section.

Hopewell Lake between Tierra Amarilla and Tres Piedras continues to have good fishing for stocked rainbow trout and wild brook trout.

The trout fishing continues to be good in the Rio de los Pinos north of Tres Piedras near the Colorado border. Try terrestrial patterns.

The fishing has been good in the Lagunitas Lakes.

In the Jemez Mountains area, fishing continues to be good at Fenton Lake, which was stocked Sept. 24 with 486 rainbow trout.

The Seven Springs Brood Pond at Seven Springs Fish Hatchery continues to be good for trout.

The Jemez area streams are all running low and clear. The fishing has been good in the Valles Caldera for wild brown trout in the Rio San Antonio. The Jemez River was stocked Sept. 24 with 999 rainbow trout.

The Rio Pueblo near Penasco has been good for stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout. It was stocked Sept. 26 with 1,198 rainbow trout.

The Red River/Questa area continues to receive heavy stockings of trout from the Red River Fish Hatchery

Eagle Rock Lake near Questa was stocked on three different days with a total of 1,000 catchable-size rainbow trout, 300 rainbow trout averaging 15.9 inches and 219 rainbow trout averaging 15 inches in size.

The Red River below Questa was stocked Sept. 25 with 300 rainbow trout averaging 15.2 inches in size. The Red River Hatchery Pond was stocked Sept. 25 with 150 rainbow trout averaging 15.2 inches in size.

Eagle Nest Lake has had good fishing for rainbow trout, fair-to-good fishing for yellow perch and fair fishing for northern pike. Kokanee salmon snagging opened Oct. 1 and there are not yet any early reports.

The fishing in the Cimarron River in Cimarron Canyon State Park has been good for stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout. It was stocked Sept. 25 with 2,425 rainbow trout. The Cimarron Gravel Pit Lakes at Maverick Campground were stocked Sept. 25 with 398 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 45 rainbow trout averaging 15.3 inches in size.

Still no reports from Stubblefield Lake or Maxwell Lake 13. If you’re looking for some elbow room, these lakes should have it. Same with the Charette Lakes between Wagon Mound and Springer. The fishing should pick up at these lakes. Maxwell Lake 13 and the Charette Lakes will close to fishing Oct. 31.

There are surprisingly no reports from Lake Maloya at Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton. This lake is well-stocked with rainbow trout and the fishing should be good.

It’s a long drive to Clayton Lake State Park, but it could be worth it as it was stocked Sept. 24 with 3,998 rainbow trout. This lake also has big walleye, fair fishing for catfish and some largemouth bass. The boat ramp is closed.

Coyote Creek at Guadalupita State Park near Mora was stocked Sept. 26 with 686 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 115 rainbow trout averaging 15.7 inches in size. The Coyote Creek Pond was stocked with 602 rainbow trout.

No reports from Storrie Lake near Las Vegas or the Gallinas River near Las Vegas. The Gallinas River could be worth a try as it was stocked Sept. 27 with 251 rainbow trout.

The fishing continues to be good in the Pecos River between the towns of Pecos and Cowles for stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout. It was not stocked last week.

The fishing has been good at Monastery Lake near Pecos. No reports from the Cowles Ponds near Cowles. The water level has dropped at Santa Rosa Lake near Santa Rosa and the water is reported to be muddy. The fishing has been slow at Sumner Lake south of the town of Santa Rosa.

Conchas Lake has had good fishing for smallmouth and largemouth bass. The fishing for catfish has been good, while the fishing for white bass and walleye has been fair.

Over in the Four Corners, the streamflow in the San Juan River below Navajo Dam is 597 cubic-feet-per-second. The fishing in the Quality Water has been good with a variety of fly patterns. There has been some good dry-fly fishing using Griffith‘s gnats and midge clusters. The fishing in the Bait Water has been very good.

Kokanee salmon have been reported porpoising and jumping near the dam at Navajo Lake. Kokanee salmon snagging season opened Oct. 1 and there are not yet any reports on how the snagging has been. The fishing for northern pike has been fair.

The bass fishing at Tingley Beach in Albuquerque picked up last week. The fishing for catfish has been slow-to-fair. Still no trout stocking at Tingley Beach but it shouldn’t be long before it begins. The fishing in the Albuquerque area drainage canals has been good for bass and bluegill. Some anglers have been catching big carp with dough balls.

The fishing for white bass continues to be good at Elephant Butte Lake. The fishing for largemouth bass has been good. The fishing for crappie has been good around the marina with minnows. The fishing for catfish has been good.

The fishing at Alto Lake and Grindstone Reservoir near Ruidoso has been good for trout thanks to recent stockings.

There were no reports from L ake Roberts near Silver City. This Lake is stocked with rainbow trout and Gila trout. It also has catfish and largemouth bass. There were reports of good fishing for crappie at Bear Canyon Lake, also near Silver City.

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