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CATCHES OF THE WEEK
Mike Torres from Arlington, Texas, caught a 6-pound, 7-ounce smallmouth bass at Elephant Butte on Friday. He was using a KVD 1.5 square-billed crank bait. Fishing guide Frank Vilorio reports that it is a lake record. Bert Scott of Albuquerque caught and released a 23-inch rainbow trout at Red River on Saturday. He was using a gold and orange Dynamic HD trout. Andrew Orlicky of Albuquerque caught a 25-inch, 5-pound, 6-ounce brown trout at Navajo Lake on March 14. He was using a rainbow-colored Rapala. Bobby Moore of Edgewood caught a 29-inch, 7-pound, 2-ounce walleye at Santa Rosa Lake on Saturday. He was using a swim bait. Sylvia Zamora caught and released a 20 1/4-inch largemouth bass at Escondida Lake on Saturday. She was using salmon eggs. Jerome Aguilar, Jr. of Bernalillo, landed a 23 1/2-inch, 5 1/4-pound german brown with a black and white spoon on Sunday at Shady Lakes. AROUND THE STATE SHADY LAKES: The Big Trout are averaging 15 to 17 inches and the Easy Catch Trout are running around 11 inches. Baits are primarily worms and salmon eggs with the Big Trout fishing off the bottom if using bait. Bass activity is slowly beginning to fire up with reports of up to four caught in a day. Baits are crank baits and swim fish plastics with a shallow dive out in the open water. The bluegill are now up and visible. Activity reports best with flies although surely these fish are awake enough to be tempted with worms. Jan Phillips, director OASIS STATE PARK: The Park will hold its Spring Trout Derby Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on both days. Oasis State Park is located 7.6 miles north of Portales, 18.5 miles south of Clovis off of NM 467. For more information, call at 575-356-5331. ISLETA LAKES: Fishing at both SUNRISE and TURTLE lakes has been good for rainbow trout. Most anglers are reporting consistent bag limits of five fish each. Baits being reported are peach salmon, garlic, garlic glitter and garlic rainbow power baits. Catfish activity is also increasing with the warmer temperatures. Baits for catfish being used are night crawlers, shrimp and chicken liver. Curtis Thompson, Isleta Lakes & RV Park SANDIA LAKES: Weekly stockings are continuing each Saturday with rainbow trout ranging from 10 to 18 inches in length. Anglers are reporting good catch rates and most success is being reported with lures of various types. Preferences on lure type and color seems to vary widely day to day.. Jason Wiebenga, Wildcat Environmental Services NOTES from GAME & FISH: Trout fishing at MONASTERY LAKE was good using salmon eggs, spinners, egg pattern flies and Power Bait. Water flow on the PECOS RIVER on Monday near the town of Pecos was 30cfs. Trout fishing was good using egg patterns, copper John Barrs and salmon eggs. At BLUEWATER LAKE, fishing was good using swim baits, jerk baits and crank baits for tiger musky. Water flow on the SAN JUAN RIVER below Navajo Lake as of Monday morning was 258cfs but expected to be back up to 350 by Tuesday. Fishing in the quality water section was good using zebra midges, olive and black wooly buggers, egg patterns, small bead-head pheasant tails, Griffith’s gnats and olive leeches. Fishing at UTE LAKE was fair using grubs and swim baits in the shallows for white bass.
