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Thursday, March 18, 2010
Bill Dyroff's Fishing Line
Fishing Line
CATCHES of the WEEK: Sunday on Quality Water of the San Juan River below Navajo Lake, Joseph DiBernardo, 11, of Albuquerque caught and released a 22-inch rainbow on a size 22 Flashback Pheasant Tail Nymph.
NEW FISHING YEAR – NEW LICENSE: The 2010-2011 fishing license year starts April 1 (Thursday of next week). The new license and the state's Fishing Rules publication are available at Game & Fish offices and expected to be at license vendors throughout the state by the end of next week (March 26). The "What's New in 2010" section on page 2 has 11 entries this year — some good reading for just about every fisherman.
A BRIEF CLOSING AT MONASTERY LAKE: Monastery Lake, a short distance north of Pecos, was closed on Wednesday and will remain closed through tomorrow (Friday, March 19) to accommodate filming of the movie "True Grit."
COLORADO FLY FISHING TOURNAMENT: A fly fishing tournament on the Conejos River in south-central Colorado looks for entries from New Mexico. The tournament will have an amateur event April 9-11 and a professional event April 17-18.
...Headquarters for the tournament will be at Mogote, Colo. about 4 miles west of Antonito, Colo. (Antonito is on U.S. 285, about 6 miles north of the Colorado-New Mexico boundary.
...For more information, contact Jon Harp, Mogote, Colo., (719) 376-5660.
AROUND THE STATE
SAN JUAN RIVER: Flowing Monday at 500 cubic feet a second and with clarity at 3-feet-plus. Most anglers who fished flies in Quality Water rated the action good for catch-and-release of rainbows to 22 inches. Best reports on Red Hots, cream-color UFOs, Flashback Pheasant Tail Nymphs, Fluff Baetis and Zebra Midges. Good dry fly action on Comparaduns and Single Black Midge flies. Bait water fished slow for bait and fly fishermen. Recommend using salmon eggs or live worms.
Peggy Harrell at Abe's
JICARILLA LAKES: As of Tuesday (March 16). The ice slab is still solid at both MUNDO and STONE LAKES, but the shoreline areas are rapidly deteriorating, creating unsafe conditions. It is hard to predict when we will have open water to fish — I would be hard pressed to say we will have that open water to fish any time before April 1 — but this is prep time for what is typically great ice-out fishing at the Jicarilla Lakes. I should have a much better grasp by next week, as we are expecting warm weather and plenty of sun for the next few days.
Kevin Terry, fisheries biologist, Jicarilla Game & Fish
HERON LAKE: As Monday. We have about 8 inches of snow on the ground, and it is wet and muddy — but the main roads are all open. The lake is mostly ice-covered, and no way to put a boat in the water. Ice is about 8 inches thick, and with some breaks. Definitely not many breaks, and no current reports of any open water fishing near LaLaja boat ramp or at Willow Creek.
Marilyn Morrison, Stone House Lodge
RIO CHAMA below EL VADO: As of Monday. Main roads are all open. The river is flowing at 80 cubic feet a second and it is fairly clear. Very light fishing pressure, and the fish are biting real soft. No fish bigger than 14 inches reported this week.
David Cooper, El Vado Guest Ranch
TINGLEY BEACH: As of Tuesday, March 16. Trout fishing at Central and Children's Ponds is great — anglers have been catching limits with Tasmanian Devils, Super Dupers, leeches and yellow PowerBait. The New Mexico Department of Game & Fish Red River Hatchery will stock 1,500 rainbow trout in the Central and Children's Pond by Thursday (March 18). Youths age 11 and under do not need a N.M. fishing license, and we are open every day, sunrise to sunset. Trout fishing at the South/Catch and Release Pond has been good— with anglers catching trout on red Copper Johns, Dead Chickens, Griffith's Gnats and olive-color Leeches.
Rebecca Houtman, Tingley Beach curator
SANDIA PUEBLO LAKES: As of Wednesday. Anglers have reported good catch rates for 12- to 18-inch rainbows. Plus most anglers report 5-fish limits and success on virtually all types of baits, lures and flies. Water temperatures remain cool, and Sandia Lakes will be stocking to capacity next week in anticipation of another month of trout fishing. Sandia Lakes has scheduled another trout tournament for March 27. Contact the lake store, (505) 771-5190 for registration information.
Jason Wiebenga, Wildcat Environmental Services, for Sandia Lakes
SHADY LAKES: As of Monday. Largemouth bass are hitting on basically everything on the warmer days — spinnerbaits, plastic worms, flies and trout lures have been the reported tackle used. Some reports of bluegill up to 7 inches have been reported caught and released on flies and trout lures. It is early Spring and the lily pads have not grown up yet — so the lakes are relatively clear. Reported bass sizes have run from 7 inches to 2-plus pounds. Surprisingly, the large trout stocked in the Big Trout Pond are still taken regularly — primarily with night crawlers, lures and flies. The trout average 16 inches, and continue to hit actively on salmon eggs, lures and PowerBait. All trout have been full-bodied and with great color. Bass, catfish and bluegill are in the large Catch-and-Release ponds. All trout caught must be kept and are in separate ponds.
Jan Phillips, Director of Shady Lakes
NOTES FROM NEW MEXICO GAME & FISH: As of Tuesday. Trout fishing in the Albuquerque Upper and Corrales Drains is poor due to work on the drains causing the ditches to be very turbid. The Albuquerque Lower, Belen, and Bernalillo Drains are fair to good using PowerBait and salmon eggs. — BLUEWATER LAKE is closed until further notice. The main area of the state park is scheduled to open sometime this Spring. —CLAYTON LAKE fishing is slow due to weather, but some trout are being caught on yellow PowerBait. — LAKES MALOYA and ALICE are closed due to thin ice. — The RIO GRANDE (in the northeast) has been fair for pike, slow to fair for trout, and poor for smallmouth bass. The river has come up in flow and the water is murky, 12-18 inches of visibility. Try crane fly larvae, stonefly nymphs and caddis larva on a long nymph rig. — Fishing is improving overall with white bass being caught in the Upper Ute Creek on crankbaits and jerkbaits. Some walleye are biting the same baits at 8 to 12 feet, but the bass fishing is still very slow. Catfish are taking stinkbaits in 4 to 8 feet of water. Water temperature is 48 degrees and the water is very clear. — Trout fishing has been good at GRINDSTONE LAKE on PowerBait and salmon eggs. — Slow at SANTA ROSA and SUMNER LAKES due to cold weather. Anglers will have best results deep jigging on outside main channel bends for walleye at Santa Rosa and near the spillway at Sumner. Use silver jigging spoons or minnow-tipped jig heads.— Fishing has been slow for all species at ESCONDIDA LAKE. A few trout have been caught using worms. Socorro County Fishing Day will be Saturday (March 20). For information and registration, contact the Socorro County Chamber of Commerce at (575) 835-0424. — Slow for all species at ELEPHANT BUTTE LAKE. — SNOW LAKE has been inaccessible due to snow. — QUEMADO LAKE ice has thinned to about 5 inches at the thickest with the edges completely thawed during the day. Ice fishing is not recommended.
SAN ILDEFONSO PUEBLO: We stocked our fishing pond on March 12 with 1,500 rainbows averaging 10 inches. Fishing has been real good with limits of stockers caught on salmon eggs, peach PowerBait, Pistol Petes and worms. Several 15- to 20-inch rainbows and browns caught over the weekend.
Ray Flores, tribal ranger
NAMBE PUEBLO: Nambe Lake and Falls will open 4 days a week (Thursday through Sunday) starting March 25- (next Thursday). Hours will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. As the season progresses, the lake and falls will be open 7 days a week. The lake has been stocked with 16,000 rainbow trout averaging 9 to 14 inches. As the season progresses, the lake and falls will be open 7 days a week, Ice is starting to thaw out. For more information, call (505) 455-2036 or (505) 927-6570.
Joe Vigil, lake manager
EAGLE NEST LAKE: Ice thickness on Sunday was about 22 inches, with a foot to 14 inches of snow on the ice. Ice fishing has been good along the west side for 14-inch rainbows and 10-inch perch. Best reports on jigs baited with worms. Only snowmobiles or ATVs allowed for travel on the ice.
Sue Finley, Mountain View Cabins
