By GEORGE MORSE Before I start the fishing report, I want to remind outdoorsman that the hunting seasons for blue grouse, dove, band-tailed pigeons and squirrels began Friday in Northern New Mexico. It’s also the beginning of the first archery season for elk. Blue grouse are one of my favorite species because they are good-sized birds that are delicious eating.
You can also do some foraging for edible mushrooms. Shaggy mane mushrooms are especially common this time of year. Just be 100-percent sure of what species you are picking. When in doubt, don’t eat it even if it looks good. Some species of mushrooms are highly toxic with no known antidote.
It’s a little early for the bull elk to start bugling, but you may hear some. The rut, when the big bulls are gathering their harems, begins in earnest later in September and extends well into October. There’s nothing quite like the bugling of bull elk that echoes through the forest.
The fishing was good last week at the Shuree Ponds on the Valle Vidal. There were several reports of limit catches of the big rainbow trout that were stocked the week before last. The Valle Vidal is home to a big herd of elk. This is a beautiful area and worth the trip for the outdoor experience alone. Personally, I don’t like fishing for recently-stocked trout, but the majority of anglers don’t care. Kids especially could care less. All they know is they caught a big fish.
The Shuree Ponds are limited to the use of artificial flies and lures with a single, barbless hook. You may keep two fish per day 15 inches or longer. Since the Ponds are stocked with rainbow trout averaging 16 inches in size, any fish you catch will likely be a keeper.
The Gravel Pit Lakes near Cimarron received a planting of big rainbow trout. The Gravel Pit Lakes are located in Cimarron Canyon State Park near the Maverick Campground. The Cimarron River received a hefty stocking of 2,426 catchable-size rainbow trout last week and also contains some wild brown trout.
Eagle Rock Lake near Questa received a stocking of big rainbow trout and is a good spot to take kids because it’s easy to fish. The nearby Red River is always well-stocked. One lake I’ve been meaning to try is nearby Cabresto Lake. It is not stocked, but has wild brook trout and cutthroat trout.
The fishing at Fenton Lake picked up last week thanks to a stocking of 1,524 rainbow trout averaging 12.5 inches.
If you’re planning a trip up to the Four Corners area over the Labor Day weekend, the San Juan River below Navajo Dam was stocked with over 5,000 rainbow trout averaging 12 inches in size. These trout were stocked below the Quality Waters. There will be a release of water from below Navajo Dam starting Sept. 1 and lasting 10 days that will raise the level of the river and likely make it a little murky.
The quality Waters on the San Juan extend 3.5 miles downstream from Navajo Dam. The fishing is catch-and-release. Anglers are limited to the use of artificial flies and lures with a single, barbless hook
The fishing at Navajo Lake has been good for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and northern pike.
The fishing continues to be good in the Chama River below El Vado Dam and slow in the Chama River below Abiquiu Dam. Heron Lake continues to have very good bank fishing for rainbow trout, especially near the boat ramps.
The Rio Grande has been good for trout and the flows there are at a good level for fishing. The Rio de los Pinos north of Tres Piedras is heavily stocked with rainbow trout and the fishing has been good. There are some wild brown trout in this stream.
Abiquiu Lake has been fair for smallmouth bass and good for walleye. Abiquiu will likely be crowded with boats over the weekend, so it’s best to fish early and late to avoid the boat traffic.
I expect the State Game and Fish Department will be stocking a lot of rainbow trout throughout this week in preparation for the upcoming Labor Day weekend. Wherever you decide to wet a line, the weather seems to be cooling down a bit and this is a great time to be outdoors.