CATCHES OF THE WEEK
Val Armijo of Albuquerque caught a 20-inch brown trout on the Rio Chama using a Panther Martin spinner below Abiquiu Lake on March 23.
At Cochiti Lake, Ensley Aguilar of Kewa Pueblo caught a 31-inch pike using an 8-inch swimbait March 21. … Nathaniel Sierra of Albuquerque caught and released eight catfish up to 30 inches long using cut carp bait March 19.
Brandon Hawkins of Las Cruces caught a 4-pound smallmouth bass at Elephant Butte Lake using a shad-pattern jerkbait March 25.
Nikolai LaVolpa, 6, of Albuquerque caught his limit of rainbow trout at Estancia Park Lake using PowerBait on March 21.
Ricky Torres, 7, of Santa Teresa caught his first fish and a total of four rainbow trout at Grindstone Reservoir using garlic PowerBait on March 19.
Vincenzo Padilla of Albuquerque caught a 15-inch rainbow trout at Morphy Lake using pink lemonade PowerBait on March 24.
Trevor Stevenson of Lubbock, Texas, caught a 27-inch rainbow trout on the Pecos River using a worm March 18.
Mario Martinez of Taos caught a 24-inch pike on the Rio Grande using a brown trout-pattern lure March 24.
Antonio Lente, 8, of Los Lunas caught a 14-inch and 17-inch rainbow trout at Tingley Beach using rainbow PowerBait in the kids’ pond March 19.
Korey Beckner won the Hereford Bass Club Tournament at Ute Lake with a total weight of 11.64 pounds using a spring craw-pattern Berkley Frittside Crankbait on March 26.
Frank Rittel and Brian Rittel of El Paso, Texas, caught their limits of trout at Young Pond using corn March 24.
If you have a catch of the week story, send it to funfishingnm@gmail.com.
NOTES FROM GAME & FISH
Northeast fishing report
Cabresto Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Charette Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.
Streamflow on the Cimarron River near Cimarron on Monday morning was 4 cubic feet per second (cfs).
Fishing for trout at Clayton Lake good using worms and PowerBait. Fishing for walleye was fair using curly-tail grubs and crankbaits.
Conchas Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
At Costilla Creek, the Valle Vidal is closed to fishing until July.
Cowles Ponds had no reports from anglers this week.
Coyote Creek had no reports from anglers this week.
The Eagle Nest Lake surface is closed to all activities due to deteriorating ice conditions. For updated lake conditions, visit the park’s webpage or call the park office at 575-377-1594.
Eagle Rock Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
National Forest closures have been in place restricting fishing access on the Gallinas River. Visit the Santa Fe National Forest webpage or call the Santa Fe National Forest office at 505-438-5300 for the latest closure information.
Hopewell Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Lake Alice is closed due to unsafe ice conditions.
Lake Maloya had no reports from anglers this week.
Los Pinos River had no reports from anglers this week.
Maxwell Lake 13 had no reports from anglers this week.
Monastery Lake has been freshly stocked with trout and reopened for fishing. The Benedictine Monastery Lake is part of the Department’s Open Gate Program. Please visit our website for more information about this property.
Fishing for trout at Morphy Lake was good using pink lemonade PowerBait and Thomas spoons.
Streamflow on the Pecos River near Pecos on Monday morning was 40 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair using perdigon flies and worms.
Streamflow on the Red River below the Red River Hatchery on Monday morning was 42 cfs.
Streamflow on the Rio Grande below the Taos Junction Bridge on Monday morning was 536 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair using Panther Martin spinners and nightcrawler worms. Fishing for pike was slow to fair using brown trout pattern lures and Woolly Bugger flies south of Pilar.
Streamflow on the Rio Hondo near Valdez on Monday morning was 14 cfs.
Streamflow on the Rio Mora near Terrero on Monday morning was not measured due to ice.
Streamflow on the Rio Pueblo near Peñasco on Monday morning was not measured due to ice. Fishing for trout was good using pink and purple nymph flies.
Fishing for trout at the Santa Cruz Reservoir was very good using bright-yellow PowerBait.
Shuree Ponds is closed to fishing until July.
Springer Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Storrie Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Stubblefield Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Fishing for walleye at Ute Lake was good using jigs with live minnows or Berkley Gulp minnows and bottom bouncers with live minnows. Fishing for white bass was fair to good swimbaits and deep-diving crankbaits. Fishing for smallmouth and largemouth bass was good using spring craw-pattern Berkley Frittside crankbaits. Fishing for crappie was fair to good using live minnows in 15-20 feet of water. The main lake water surface temperature was in the low 50s, and the water was clear.
Northwest fishing report
Abiquiu Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Streamflow on the Animas River below Aztec on Monday morning was 310 cfs.
Fishing for trout at the Albuquerque Area Drains was fair to good using white egg pattern flies and orange PowerBait.
Fishing for all species was slow at Bluewater Lake.
Brazos River had no reports from anglers this week.
Canjilon Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.
Fishing for pike at Cochiti Lake was good using 8-inch swimbaits. Fishing for smallmouth bass was fair using chartreuse and orange swimbaits. Fishing for catfish was good using cut carp bait.
El Vado Lake is closed due to dam construction project. For more information, visit El Vado Lake State Park’s webpage or call 575-588-7247.
Due to deteriorating and dangerous ice conditions, Fenton Lake is now closed for ice fishing. Going onto the ice or throwing objects onto the ice is strictly prohibited. The park will remain open for day use and camping. For updated lake conditions, visit the park’s webpage or call the park office at 575-829-3630.
The city is in the final stages of repairs at Grants Riverwalk Pond and stocking will resume soon.
Heron Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
At the Jemez Waters, streamflow near Jemez on Monday morning was 70 cfs. Fishing for trout above Fenton Lake was fair using pink Trout Magnet lures. Due to the rising popularity of fishing in Valles Caldera National Preserve, the National Park Service will begin charging a fee for its fishing permits starting April 1, 2023 to support the management of its fishing program. The new fee schedule will be $20 for an annual pass ($10 for youth 12-17) and $5 for a 7-day pass ($3 for youth 12-17). A state of New Mexico fishing license is also required to fish within Valles Caldera. For more information visit nps.gov/vall.
Laguna del Campo had no reports from anglers this week.
Lagunitas Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.
Lake Farmington had no reports from anglers this week.
Stocking efforts at McGaffey Lake have been suspended due to extremely low water levels and unstable ground conditions. Lake conditions will be monitored and stocking will resume once conditions improve.
Fishing for pike at Navajo Lake was fair using large streamer flies and jerkbaits.
Streamflow on the Rio Chama below El Vado Lake on Monday morning was 213 cfs; streamflow below Abiquiu Lake Monday morning was 247 cfs. Anglers reported the water clarity below El Vado Lake was murky. Fishing for trout below Abiquiu Lake was good using Panther Martin spinners. Please remember, from the river-crossing bridge on U.S. Highway 84 at Abiquiu upstream 7 miles to the base of Abiquiu Dam is special trout waters with a bag limit of two trout only.
Rio Grande had no reports from anglers this week.
Riverside Park Pond (Aztec Pond #1) had no reports from anglers this week.
San Gregorio Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Streamflow on the San Juan River near Archuleta on Monday morning was 289 cfs. Fishing for trout in the quality waters was slow to fair using San Juan worm flies and red annelid flies.
Seven Springs Brood Pond had no reports from anglers this week.
Tiger Park Reservoir had no reports from anglers this week.
Fishing for trout at Tingley Beach was good using rainbow PowerBait. Fishing for trout in the catch-and-release pond was good using midge pattern flies.
Trout Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.
Southwest fishing report
Fishing for trout at Alumni Pond was good using double-hackle Pistol Pete spinner flies. Fishing for bass was fair to good using largemouth bass pattern streamer flies, and large gold, gray and green streamer flies.
Bear Canyon Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
The department is conducting a boater and angler improvement project at Bill Evans Lake from February to April. Improvements include the installation of a new concrete boat ramp and dock; improvements to the existing boat ramp; the installation of rock, fishing jetties; road improvements; and re-grading the north camping access area. Anglers should expect road and lake closures during construction. For current conditions, contact the department’s Fisheries Management Division at 505-476-8055. Anglers are encouraged to visit surrounding lakes such as Bear Canyon Lake, Lake Roberts and Trees Lake for alternate fishing locations.
Fishing for catfish at Caballo Lake was good using cut bait.
Fishing for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass at Elephant Butte Lake was good using shad-pattern jerkbaits, square-billed crankbaits and silver-and-blue Rapala lures. Fishing for white bass was fair to good using small, chartreuse jig heads with soft plastic baits. Fishing for crappie was good using small, dark-colored jigs and live minnows. Fishing for catfish was good using live minnows and cut bait.
Fishing for trout at Escondida Lake was good using salmon-peach PowerBait.
Fishing for trout at Estancia Park Lake was good using PowerBait.
Streamflow on the Gila River near Gila on Monday morning was 539 cfs.
Fishing for trout at Glenwood Pond was good using salmon eggs and orange PowerBait.
Fishing for trout at Lake Roberts was good using rainbow-pattern spoons, yellow-and-black Panther Martin spinners, crawdad-pattern lures and nymph flies from a boat. Fishing for trout was fair to good using cheese PowerBait from the shore.
Percha Dam had no reports from anglers this week.
Quemado Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Fishing for all species was slow at Rancho Grande Ponds.
Streamflow on the Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam on Monday morning was 0 cfs. Fishing for walleye was fair to good using cut bait near Elephant Butte Lake.
Snow Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Fishing for trout at Trees Lake was good using PowerBait and worms.
Fishing for trout at Young Pond was good using salmon eggs, corn, cheese PowerBait and garlic PowerBait.
Southeast fishing report
Fishing for trout at Alto Lake was good using PowerBait.
Bataan Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Please visit the Open Gate webpage for more information on Berrendo Creek.
Streamflow on the Black River at Malaga on Monday morning was 3 cfs.
Blue Hole Park Pond had no reports from anglers this week.
Bonito Lake is closed until further notice by the City of Alamogordo due to fire damage.
Bosque Redondo Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Fishing for trout at Bottomless Lakes was fair to good using green PowerBait.
Brantley Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Fishing for trout at Carlsbad Municipal Lake was fair to good using lime-green PowerBait.
Chaparral Park Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Corona Pond had no reports from anglers this week.
Fishing for trout at Eunice Lake was fair to good using corn-flavored PowerBait.
Fishing for trout at Green Meadow Lake was good using worms fished beneath a bobber.
Greene Acres Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Fishing for trout at Grindstone Reservoir was good using garlic PowerBait and salmon-peach PowerBait.
Fishing for trout at Harry McAdams Park Pond was good using homemade dough bait. Fishing for bass was fair to good using purple, plastic worms and creature baits.
Fishing for trout at Lake Van was good using PowerBait.
Fishing for trout at Ned Houk Ponds was good using salmon-peach PowerBait.
Fishing for trout at Oasis Park Lake was good using PowerBait.
Streamflow on the Pecos River below Sumner Lake on Monday morning was 55 cfs.
Perch Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Rio Bonito had no reports from anglers this week.
Streamflow on the Rio Ruidoso at Hollywood on Monday morning was 33 cfs.
Rock Lake Hatchery Kids’ Pond had no reports from anglers this week.
Santa Rosa Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Sumner Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Timberon Ponds had no reports from anglers this week.
