By GEORGE MORSE
Sports and Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post
Overnight camping will be allowed at most of New Mexico’s State Parks beginning Thursday, Oct. 1 after being closed since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Camping is for New Mexico residents only. Camping will be by reservation only. No first come, first served or primitive dry camping allowed.
Groups will be limited to 10 people or less. Campers should still practice safety measures, including wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.
El Vado Lake State Park, Pecos Canyon State Park, Morphy Lake State Park and Manzano Mountains State Park will remain closed to overnight camping.
For more information and to make reservations, visit nmparks.com or call 1.877.664.7787.
The special snagging season for kokanee salmon opens Thursday at Navajo Lake, El Vado Lake and Eagle Nest Lake. Kokanee are a landlocked form of sockeye salmon that are stocked in Navajo Lake, Heron Lake, El Vado Lake and Eagle Nest Lake. In the fall they gather in large schools prior to spawning. After spawning, the salmon die.
In order that these fish may be harvested, anglers are allowed to use other angling methods during the special season, including snagging. Snagging utilizes heavy treble hooks that are cast into the schools of salmon and then retrieved by a series of jerks to impale the salmon. The daily bag limit for salmon is increased to 12 fish-per-day.
In recent years, the most consistent snagging success has been at Navajo Lake. Success at El Vado and Eagle Nest has been sporadic.
The kokanee salmon snagging season opens Nov. 15 at Heron Lake State Park. Heron Lake is a primary source of kokanee salmon eggs that are gathered by the State Department of Game and Fish. The eggs are gathered from Oct. 1 through Nov. 15 and taken to Los Ojos Fish Hatchery. There they are hatched and raised for restocking the lakes in New Mexico. While the eggs are being gathered, the possession of kokanee salmon at Heron Lake is prohibited.
Heron Lake was once the premier kokanee salmon fishery in the state. Low water levels in recent years have negatively impacted the fishery and success during the snagging season has not been as good as previous years.
The special snagging season for kokanee salmon closes at all lakes Dec. 31 and snagging is no longer allowed.
Fenton Lake State Park reopened Sept. 11 and the fishing was very good. It is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday-Monday. Fenton Lake was stocked Sept. 14 with 639 Rio Grande cutthroat trout averaging 11 inches in size. These fish came from the nearby Seven Springs Fish Hatchery. It also was stocked Sept. 16 with 2,200 rainbow trout from Los Ojos Fish Hatchery. Remember that only two cutthroat trout per-day may be kept as part of the five-fish-per-day daily limit for trout. Fenton Lake also contains some big, wild brown trout. Expect at least one stocking of rainbow trout during the coming week.
The fishing is improving in the streams and rivers of the Jemez Mountains.. Most are running low, but the cooler weather has allowed them to be stocked again. The Jemez River is flowing at 9.20 cubic-feet-per-second. The Jemez River was stocked Sept. 16 with 704 rainbow trout. Most of the stockings have been in the Rio Cebolla near Fenton Lake. It was stocked Sept. 23 with 419 rainbow trout. The Rio San Antonio near La Cueva was stocked Sept. 23 with 750 rainbow trout. They all contain wild brown trout.
The Department stocked 710 Rio Grande cutthroat trout averaging 5.4 inches in length Aug. 17 in the Rio San Antonio. This stocking is a “put-and-grow” stocking to try to establish a self-sustaining population of cutthroat trout. Please release these fish to give them a chance to grow and reproduce.
San Gregorio Lake is open but has not been stocked in more than a month. It may still be fair for any remaining rainbow trout from earlier stockings.
Abiquiu Lake is open for fishing 24/7. There is no overnight camping. The lake level is low and four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended for the launching of boats as the ramp does not reach the water. Fishing has been fair for smallmouth bass and walleye. A 32-inch and a 26-inch walleye were caught recently. Night fishing for catfish should be worth a try.
Blue-green algae has been detected at Abiquiu Lake. The algae does not affect the fish and they may be safely eaten. Pets, livestock and children should not be allowed to play in or drink water from the lake. Swimming in the lake is discouraged. Blue-green algae can cause health risks if ingested, inhaled or touched. Avoid areas where algae tends to accumulate, like the back of coves and along shorelines.
The Chama River below Abiquiu Dam is running at 353 cubic-feet-per-second. This is a low-to-medium flow and fishing could be fair-to-good. The water here is usually murky. There are stocked rainbow trout here and some big, wild brown trout. The limit here is two fish per-day. It was stocked Sept. 15 with 1,250 rainbow trout.
Streamflow in the Chama River below El Vado Dam is 598 cubic-feet-per-second. This is a medium flow and makes for fair-to-good fishing conditions for the stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout found here. It was stocked Sept. 16 with 605 rainbow trout. The state-record brown trout was caught here.
The State Game and Fish Department stocked 4,085 Rio Grande cutthroat trout averaging 4.7 inches in size July 15 in the Chama River below El Vado Dam. It was stocked again July 21 with another 6,061 small Rio Grande cutthroat trout. These were “put-and-grow” stockings to try to establish a fishery for cutthroats here. These fish should grow to catchable-size by next year. Please release them if caught and give them a chance to grow.
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 for smallmouth bass and carp at El Vado Lake. The fishing for trout is slow. The fishing has been fair for rainbow trout at Heron Lake. No reports on the fishing for kokanee salmon and for lake trout.
The Chama River above El Vado Lake has risen substantially thanks to the melting of a recent snowfall. Stream temperatures have fallen. Above Chama the streamflow has returned to near normal at 22.7 cubic-feet-per-second. The streamflow at La Puente was 32.8 cubic-feet-per-second. The higher streamflows and colder water temperatures should invigorate the trout and fishing should be good. The river was stocked Sept.15 with 1,500 rainbow trout. Most of the stockings take place close to the town of Chama. Streamflows will probably be dropping most of this week.
Streamflow in the Chama River below Heron Dam has increased by several hundred cubic-feet-per-second as they are releasing water from Heron Lake. This water is very cold and the trout will be more active here.
The Department stocked the Chama River above El Vado Lake Sept. 15 with 54,060 fingerling Rio Grande cutthroat trout. The goal is to create a self-sustaining population of cutthroat trout. It will be a couple of years before these fish reach catchable size.
The streamflow in the nearby Brazos River was 16.1 cubic-feet-per-second. The fishing should be at least fair for stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout. It was stocked Sept. 16 with 605 rainbow trout.
El Rito Creek, a small stream that flows through the town of El Rito, was stocked July 28 with 1,960 small Rio Grande cutthroat trout averaging 4.7 inches in size. Please release these trout and give them a chance to grow.
Laguna del Campo near Los Ojos was stocked Sept. 16 with 548 catchable-size rainbow trout and stocked with 180 rainbow trout averaging 18.3 inches in length. Weed growth is probably getting heavy in this little lake. It 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 Canjilon Lakes are fishing well thanks to recent stockings of rainbow trout and Rio Grande cutthroat trout. The lakes were stocked Sept. 23 with 1,225 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 115 rainbow trout averaging 17.4 inches in size. These little lakes are likely getting very weedy and receive heavy fishing pressure.
The fishing at the Trout Lakes near Cebolla has been good thanks to recent stockings. They were stocked Sept. 22 with 495 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 100 rainbow trout averaging 18.3 inches in size.
The Lagunitas Lakes were stocked Sept. 1 with 1,500 rainbow trout, greatly improving the fishing there. The campground is open. Anglers might try fishing the small streams in the Cruces Basin Wilderness Area.
Hopewell Lake between Tres Piedras and Tierra Amarilla had been fishing well. In addition to recent stockings of rainbow trout, there was an earlier stocking of Rio Grande cutthroat trout and it also contains wild brook trout. Weed growth is getting heavy in this lake. Water quality has improved here and stocking has resumed. It was stocked Sept. 23 with 1,715 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 385 rainbow trout averaging 17.6 inches in size.
The Rio de los Pinos Wildlife Management Area near the Colorado border is open. The fishing has been just fair for stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout. It is open for day-use only. The streamflow has risen here and stream temperatures have fallen. It was stocked Sept. 15 with 1,800 rainbow trout.
Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area near Chimayo is open for day use Thursday-Sunday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. There is no overnight camping. The Overlook parking area is closed. It has not been recently stocked and the fishing could be slow as the trout have likely retreated to deeper water. Boats can no longer be launched here. The streamflow in the Santa Cruz River above the lake was just 6.62 cubic-feet-per-second. The fishing should improve here as the water temperatures cool down.
The streamflow in the Rio Grande is still low at 159 cubic-feet-per-second at Taos Junction Bridge. Flows near Cerro at the Colorado border are very low at 33.6 cubic-feet-per-second. The fishing has been good for rainbow trout and brown trout. Smallmouth bass are also being caught. Remember that there is a 12-inch size limit on smallmouths, as many of them are small. The Rio Grande above Pilar was stocked Sept. 24 with 250 rainbow trout. In the Pilar area, the Rio Grande was stocked with 2,000 rainbow trout.
The State Game and Fish Department stocked 96,341 fingerling Rio Grande cutthroat trout Sept. 18 in the Rio Grande Gorge above Pilar. The goal is to establish a self-sustaining population of cutthroats here. Rio Grande cutthroats were the only trout native to the Rio Grande before rainbow trout and brown trout were introduced in the early 20th century.
The Rio Pueblo near Penasco is low at 2.95 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. It was stocked Sept. 23 with 1,199 rainbow trout. The brown trout should be more active soon.
There is still a decent streamflow in the Red River at 32.8 cubic-feet-per-second below Red River Fish Hatchery. Flows have dropped above Questa to 15.3 cubic-feet-per-second. The Red River below Questa was stocked Sept.16 with 1,100 rainbow trout. The fishing has been good. This stream also contains wild brown trout.
Eagle Rock Lake near Questa is a small lake right off the highway and receives heavy fishing pressure. It was stocked Sept. 23with 498 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 54 rainbow trout averaging 15.1 inches in size. The fishing is fair-to-good as long as the stockers last.
The Shuree Ponds on the Valle Vidal near Costilla were stocked Aug. 19 with 500 rainbow trout averaging 15.2 inches in length. The fishing is limited to artificial flies and lures having a single, barbless hook. The limit is two-fish-per-day. The fishing should be good.
Fishing has been good on the Rio Costilla for brown trout, rainbow trout and Rio Grande cutthroat trout. It was stocked Sept. 23 with 399 rainbow trout. The streamflow has dropped to 8.22 cubic-feet-per-second. The Open Gate property is now open.
Eagle Nest Lake State Park is open Thursday-Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weed growth may be starting to get heavy here. Trout fishing has been fair-to-good. Northern pike fishing has been fair-to-good. Anglers should try crank baits and swim baits resembling small rainbow trout. Eagle Nest was stocked Sept. 16 with18,764 small rainbow trout. Perch fishing should be fair with worms. Anglers may pick up a few kokanee salmon while trolling for trout.
Cimarron Canyon State Park is open Thursday-Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Cimarron River was stocked Sept. 22 with 2,424 rainbow trout. It also contains wild brown trout. The Cimarron Gravel Pit Lakes at Maverick Campground were stocked Sept. 22 with 400 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 45 rainbow trout averaging 15.2 inches in length. Streamflow in the Cimarron River below Eagle Nest Dam is at 16.1 cubic-feet-per-second.
The fishing should be fair at Stubblefield Lake for largemouth bass, walleye and catfish. Water levels here may be getting low. The state-record channel catfish was caught at Stubblefield Lake.
Trout fishing at Maxwell Lake 13 on the Maxwell Lakes National Wildlife Refuge will be slow due to warm water temperatures. The trout here are mostly good-sized holdovers and they have moved to deeper water. There are also largemouth bass and catfish here. The state-record yellow perch was caught at Maxwell Lakes.
Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton has reopened after being briefly closed due to a wildfire in Colorado. It is open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The fishing for rainbow trout has been good at Lake Maloya and fair at Lake Alice. Lake Maloya was stocked Sept. 15 with 3,000 rainbow trout. Lake Alice was stocked with 501 rainbow trout.
Clayton Lake State Park is open Friday-Sunday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The trout fishing here received another shot in the arm when it was stocked Sept. 21 with 3,985 rainbow trout. There also some big walleye, catfish and some good-sized largemouth bass here. Some of those big walleye will likely begin to eat some of those recently-stocked trout. The boat ramp is closed. The state-record walleye was caught at Clayton Lake.
The Charette Lakes between Wagon Mound and Springer have been fair 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 Friday-Sunday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. It was stocked Sept. 8 with 800 rainbow trout. The Coyote Creek Pond was stocked Sept. 8 with 599 rainbow trout. The fishing has been fair-to-good.
Storrie Lake State Park is open Thursday-Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. It was stocked Aug. 31 with 3,003 rainbow trout. It was the first stocking here in weeks, so the fishing should pick up. There are also catfish here.
The Gallinas River near Las Vegas is running low at 1.14 cubic-feet-per-second. The trout are concentrated in the deeper pools. The fishing is fair. It was stocked Sept. 1 with 1,000 rainbow trout. The Gallinas Ice Pond was stocked Sept.1 with 201 rainbow trout.
Conchas Lake State Park is open Friday-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 reopened Aug. 26 after being closed Aug. 12 due to an employee having tested positive for COVID-19. The Marina and two boat ramps are open. It is open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The fishing for smallmouth bass has been fair-to-good. The fishing for largemouth bass, walleye and white bass has been fair.
At Pecos Canyon State Park, roadside day-use fishing areas are open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mora, Burt Clancy, Terrero and Willow Creek areas open Thursday-Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open to New Mexico residents only. This area receives very heavy fishing pressure. The Pecos River was stocked Sept. 22 with1,999 rainbow trout. There are also wild brown trout here. The streamflow is at 18.2 cubic-feet-per-second, which is very low. The water is warm, so early morning fishing is recommended.
The Mora Fork of the Pecos River was stocked Sept. 22 with 201 rainbow trout. Holy Ghost Creek in the Pecos drainage was stocked Sept. 15 with 200 rainbow trout.
The Cowles Ponds are open and were stocked Aug. 19 with 181 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 20 rainbow trout averaging 16.0 inches in size.
Monastery Lake remains closed to the public.
The Pecos River at Villanueva State Park was stocked Sept. 3 with 102 channel catfish. Villanueva State Park is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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 daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The fishing should be good for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike. Fishing for catfish should be fair. Trout fishing should be slow-to-fair with the trout hanging out in deeper water. Navajo Lake was stocked three times last week with a total of 57,653 small rainbow trout.
Navajo 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 being caught at, which can be as deep as 85 feet. The salmon are beginning to develop the hooked jaws and bright red colors prior to spawning.
Snagging season for kokanee salmon will begin Thursday (Oct. 1) at Navajo Lake. In recent years this has been the best location for snagging kokanee in the state. The season ends Dec. 31. During this time, the daily limit for kokanee salmon is increased to 12 salmon per-day.
The streamflow in the San Juan River below Navajo Dam was at 706 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, which may be feeding on small rainbow trout. The Quality Water was stocked Sept. 23 with 18,885 small rainbow trout. The fishing has been good in the Bait Water below the Quality Water with flies, lures and bait. The Bait Water was stocked Sept. 22 with 3,286 catchable-size rainbow trout.
Bluewater Lake State Park near Grants opened Sept.11 and the fishing was good for tiger musky. It is open Friday through Monday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. It was stocked Sept. 17 with 666 catchable-size rainbow trout and 580 rainbow trout averaging 16.2 inches in size.
Cochiti Lake remains closed to anglers and camping
Tingley Beach in Albuquerque is now open. It was stocked Sept. 3 with 504 channel catfish so the fishing should be picking up here. It has been fair for catfish and bluegill. It was stocked July 14 with 50 largemouth bass averaging 15 inches in size.
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 Sept. 3 with 204 channel catfish averaging 18 inches in size. It was stocked July 14 with 40 largemouth bass averaging 15 inches in size. The fishing has been fair.
Elephant Butte Lake State Park is open Thursday-Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The fishing has been very good for white bass. The fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and walleye has been slow-to-fair. The fishing for catfish is good. Lake water levels are dropping significantly as they are letting a lot more water out than is coming in. The lake is extremely low.
The streamflow in the Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam has dropped to 0.00 cubic-feet-per-second as they are not releasing water from Elephant Butte Lake. This concentrates the fish into the deeper pools. The fishing has been good for catfish. The fishing for walleye, white bass and some largemouth bass has been slow-to- fair.
Caballo Lake State Park is open Thursday-Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fishing has been fair for white bass, walleye and catfish.
Anglers in the Roswell area should be aware that Berrendo Creek, an Open Gate property formerly open for fishing, has been closed to the public.
In the Ruidoso area, the trout fishing should be picking up a bit at Alto Lake. It was stocked Sept. 22 with 999 rainbow trout. The fishing for catfish and largemouth bass has been good. It was stocked Sept. 3 with 102 channel catfish.
The trout fishing is still holding up at Grindstone Reservoir. It was stocked Sept. 24 with 1,000 rainbow trout. The trout have pulled away from the shallows seeking deeper water and cooler water temperatures. There are also smallmouth bass here and the fishing for bluegill has been good. There is a lot of traffic on the water other than fishing.
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 0.28 cubic-feet-per-second. It was stocked Sept. 4 with 1,001 rainbow trout. The fish are likely stacked on top of each other in the remaining deeper pools and quite visible. The fishing should be good but it will likely get fished out quickly.
The Timberon Ponds were stocked Sept. 22 with 248 rainbow trout. These little ponds are also stocked with catfish. They were stocked Sept. 3 with 102 channel catfish.
In the Silver City area, the trout fishing has been fair at Lake Roberts. It was stocked Sept. 17 with 2,128 rainbow trout. 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, crappie and largemouth bass.
Bill Evans Lake is open. Trout fishing is over here too. 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 are also catfish here.
The streamflow in the Gila River is dropping and is now at 30.6 cubic-feet-per-second near Gila Hot Springs. 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 fair-to-good for rainbow trout. It was stocked Aug. 3 with 3,910 small, 8-inch rainbow trout. This is a “put-and-grow” stocking so try to release these trout now to give them a chance to grow. Quemado has plenty of catchable-size trout. It was stocked Sept. 23 with 2,480 rainbow trout.
