By GEORGE MORSE
Sports and Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily
As the days get a little shorter and mornings seem a bit cooler it will soon be time to hop in your truck or car and cruise through our beautiful mountains as the aspen trees turn golden. Fall is arguably the most best time of the year to be outdoors.
It is a great time to be out fishing. Fishing pressure eases as kids return to school and football season begins.
The cooler temperatures r s will have the trout feeding more actively. Brown trout and brook trout will get ready to spawn. Their colors will deepen and males will develop hooked jaws.
This is a good time to maybe hook into that trophy brown trout you’ve been trying to catch. Just remember that brown trout are no longer stocked and maintain their numbers by natural reproduction.
Anglers have been reporting murky to muddy water conditions at Pilar on the Rio Grande. Flows on the Rio are not too high, so the rain may be to blame.
Grouse season began Sunday (Sept. 1), so keep an eye out for these birds. They are great eating but can be hard to find. Spotting some while driving the Forest Service roads may help you find a good spot t look for them.
Bow-hunting season for big game like elk and deer also began Sunday, as did small game hunting for dove and squirrel.
Summer evenings can be a good time for night fishing for catfish in some of our reservoirs.
Anglers wanting to catch a Cila trout should try White Water Creek or Black Canyon Creek. Both were rented stocked with good-sized Gila trout. Gila trout are found only in Southwestern New Mexico primarily in Gila National Forest. This week Gila trout were also stocked in Willow Creek and Gilita Cfeek. Be sure to obtain a free permit to fish for Gila trout from the Department’s website.
Streamflows are in decent shape. It is still best to plan your fishing time around the early morning or evening hours.
It is always a good idea to check conditions at the location you are headed to. Streamflows can be checked on the United States Geological Survey (USGS) streamflow website.
Streamflows are now at a good level for fishing in the upper Chama and Pecos Rivers. The water quality of the San Juan River remains good because of the cold water released from below Navajo Dam.
Fenton Lake State Park is open. Camping is by reservation only. The fishing has been slow. Conditions here have improved. It was stocked Aug. 28 with 270 Rio Grande cutthroat trout averaging 14.5 inches in length. Sept. 5, Fenton Lake was stocked with 1,040 rainbow trout. There are also wild brown trout. Fishing pressure can get heavy. Only two cutthroat trout may be kept as part of a five trout daily bag limit. Fishing from a float tube or kayak may be your best bet. Call 575.829.3630 for current conditions.
The Rio Cebolla flows into and out of Fenton Lake. It was stocked Aug. 27 with 892 rainbow trout. It also has wild brown trout and Rio Grande cutthroat trout above Fenton Lake.
The Seven Springs Brood Pond, also known as the Kid’s Pond, is open to anglers 11 Years of age and younger. It was stocked Aug. 27 with 892 rainbow trout. There are also some wild brown trout and a few Rio Grande cutthroats. It is north of Fenton Lake.
The Jemez River streamflow was 13.1 cubic-feet-per second. This is lower than last week and below normal. It has been stocked with rainbow trout and has wild brown trout.
The tributaries of the Jemez River have been stocked with rainbow trout. The Rio de las Vacas, San Antonio River and Rio Guadalupe also have wild brown trout and Rio Grande cutthroat trout.
Santa Cruz Lake near Chimayo is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It was last stocked May 2. The water here is warming up and the trout heading to deeper water. It also has brown trout. The state-record rainbow trout was caught here. It is open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday through Monday. Call 505.351.1438 or visit blm.gov/visit/santa-cruz-lake-recreation-area.
The Bureau also manages the Orilla Verde Recreation Area on the Rio Grande at Pilar. The Rio Grande at Pilar was stocked Sept. 6 with 2,000 rainbow trout. There are also wild brown trout, northern pike and smallmouth bass.
From the Colorado border to the Taos Junction Bridge the limit is two trout per day on the Rio Grande. Streamflow was 211 cubic-feet-per-second at Taos Junction Bridge. This is lower than last week and below normal. The Rio Grande Gorge above Pilar was stocked Sept. 6 with 251 rainbow trout.
The streamflow on the Rio Pueblo near Penasco was 14.1 cubic-feet-per-second. This is a little higher than last week and just below normal. It was stocked Aug. 8 with 1,266 rainbow trout. It has wild brown trout.
The Sipapu Pond was stocked July 11 with 66 rainbow trout.
The streamflow on the Red River was 54.3 cubic-feet-per-second below Questa. This is lower than last week. It was stocked Sept. 3 with 700 rainbow trout and has wild brown trout.
The Red River above Questa was stocked Sept. 3 with 700 rainbow trout. The streamflow was 32.5 cubic-feet-per-second.
The Red River Hatchery Pond is closed. It should reopen later in September.
The West Fork and the East Fork of the Red River were each stocked Aug. 27 with 299 rainbow trout.
Goose Lake, a high-elevation lake near Red River, was stocked Aug. 8 with 449 rainbow trout.
Fawn Lake at the Fawn Lake campground south of the town of Red River was recently stocked, according to anglers.
Eagle Rock Lake near Questa was stocked Aug 27 with 501 rainbow trout.
The Shuree Ponds on the Valle Vidal opened July 1 for fishing. They were stocked Aug. 15 with 593 rainbow trout.
Cabresto Lake a high-elevation lake accessible by four-wheel drive, has good fishing for wild brook trout and wild cutthroat trout.
Abiquiu Lake is managed by the Corps of Engineers. The fishing has been fair for smallmouth bass walleye, crappie and catfish. Anglers are starting to catch some small largemouth bass. Most are under legal size. 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 143 cubic-feet-per-second. This is below normal and lower than last week. It was stocked Sept. 3 with 1,015 rainbow trout. There are some big, wild brown trout here. The limit here is two-trout-per day.
The Canjilon Lakes near Canjilon were stocked Aug. 26 with 1,400 rainbow trout. There are also some brook trout.
The Trout Lakes near Cebolla were stocked Aug. 29 with 924 rainbow trout. The road to these lakes can be rough when it rains.
Laguna del Campo, a small lake near Los Ojos, was stocked Sept. 4 with 580 rainbow trout. Fishing is for anglers 11 years-old or younger and 65 years-old or older.
Heron Lake State Park is open. Fishing for rainbow trout has been fair. Fishing for carp is good. El Vado Lake State Park is closed for construction. Call 575.588.7470 for information.
The streamflow in the Chama River below El Vado Dam was 99.8 cubic-feet-per-second. It was stocked Sept. 4 with 234 Rio Grande cutthroat trout. It was stocked sept. 3 with 508 rainbow trout. It has wild brown trout. The state-record brown trout was caught here.
The streamflow above El Vado Lake was 54.3 cubic-feet-per-second at La Puente. This is lower than last week and a little below normal. This is still an excellent flow for fishing. It was stocked Sept. 3 with 544 rainbow trout. It was stocked Aug. 23 with 10,001 sub-catchable rainbow trout. It has wild brown trout.
The streamflow in the Rio Brazos was 23.4 cubic-feet-per-second. This is lower than last week and a little above normal. It was stocked Sept. 4 with 544 rainbow trout.
Over in the Four Corners the fishing has been good at Navajo Lake State Park. Trolling minnow imitating lures like Rapalas could produce a trophy brown trout. The kokanee salmon are starting to school in deeper water near the dam. Check at the Marina for the depth they may be caught at. Currently about 70 feet. Navajo Lake has the best fishing for kokanee salmon in New Mexico. The fishing for northern pike has been fair-to-good. Bass fishing has been fair. 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 590 cubic-feet-per-second. This is the same as last week. It has world-class fly-fishing for big trout.
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 Sept. 5 with 74,994 sub-catchable 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 three times two weeks ago with a total of 6,880 catchable-size rainbow trout. It was stocked Aug. 22 with 60,771 sub-catchable 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. There have been some nice brookies caught. It was stocked July 24 with 1,039 rainbow trout. Algae growth has gotten heavy here, hampering bank fishing.
Placer Creek, which flows into and below Hopewell Lake, was stocked July 15 with 1,250 fingerling brook trout.
The Lagunitas Lakes were stocked July 16 with 1,500 rainbow trout.
The Rio de los Pinos north of Tres Piedras near the Colorado border has good fishing. It was stocked Sept. 3 with 1 502 rainbow trout. It also has wild brown trout. There are brook trout in the headwaters.
Eagle Nest Lake State Park has been good for rainbow trout. This is a big fertile lake that can produce large trout. It was stocked Aug. 28 with 8,820 eight-inch rainbow trout.
There are also northern pike, yellow perch and an occasional kokanee salmon. The state-record kokanee was caught here. Kokanee fishing has been picking up. If you catch a pike at Eagle Nest you have to kill it. You cannot release it back into the lake. Heavy weed growth has been hampering anglers at Eagle Nest. Call 575.377.1594 for more information.
The Cimarron River at Cimarron Canyon State Park was stocked Aug. 29 with 2,424 rainbow trout. There are also wild brown trout. The streamflow below Eagle Nest Dam was 22.1 cubic-feet-per-second. This is higher than last week.
The Cimarron Gravel Pit Lakes at Maverick Campground were stocked Aug. 29 with 355 rainbow trout.
Lake Maloya in Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton was stocked Aug. 20 with 2,599 rainbow trout. Lake Alice, a smaller lake at the park, was stocked Aug. 20 with 499 rainbow trout. Call 575.445.5607 for more information.
Clayton Lake State Park was stocked June 5 with 4,000 rainbow trout. The state-record walleye was caught here. This is a trophy bass Lake. The limit is two largemouth bass-per-day. Minimum size is 14 inches. There are also catfish. Check out the dinosaur tracks when at Clayton Lake.
The Charette Lakes between Wagon Mound and Springer have good fishing for stocked and holdover rainbow trout. There are also yellow perch. Lower Charette Lake was stocked June 13 with 2,501 rainbow trout.
Coyote Creek State Park was stocked July 28 with 800 rainbow trout. The Coyote Creek Pond was stocked with 588 rainbow trout.
Morphy Lake near Mora was stocked June 4 with 2,700 rainbow trout. There are a few cutthroat trout here.
Storrie Lake State Park near Las Vegas was stocked July 1 with 1,348 trout. There are also catfish here.
The Pecos River in Pecos Canyon State Park was stocked two times last week with a total of 2,998 rainbow trout. Fishing has been good for stocker rainbows and wild brown trout.
The streamflow in the Pecos was 82.1 cubic-feet-per-second. This is a little higher than last week and still below normal.
The Mora Fork of the Pecos River was stocked Sept. 5 with 400 rainbow trout. Holy Ghost Creek was stocked Sept. 3 with 400 rainbow trout.
The Cowles Ponds were stocked Aug. 22 with 184 rainbow trout.
Cow Creek in the Pecos drainage was stocked Aug. 28 with 499 rainbow trout.
Monastery Lake near Pecos was stocked Sept. 4 with 1,000 rainbow trout.
Tingley Beach in Albuquerque is no longer being stocked with rainbow trout. It was stocked twice Aug. 29 with 465 18-inch channel catfish.
Bluewater Lake near Grants has fair fishing for tiger muskies. Trout fishing is slow and there are some catfish here. It was stocked July 8 with 699 tiger muskies.
McGaffey Lake near Grants was stocked May 16 with 999 rainbow trout. It was stocked Aug. 29 with 135 channel catfish.