Fishing Line for Jan. 2, 2025

CATCHES OF THE WEEK

Caleb Furneri caught his first fish, a rainbow trout using PowerBait, on the Pecos River while fishing with his dad on Dec. 26.

Christopher Dewitt caught a Rio Grande cutthroat trout on the Rio Grande using a self-tied size-18 olive leach-pattern fly on Dec. 25.

Wacey Hudson caught an 18-inch rainbow trout at Bluewater Lake using a crankbait 30 minutes before sunset on Dec. 28.

Paul E Mondragon caught five pike at Cochiti Lake using a 4-inch gold spoon fished shallow along the shoreline on Dec. 22.

Jackie Massey and company caught nine rainbow trout at Fenton Lake using Garlic Glitter PowerBait on Dec. 6.

Elina Davis caught ten rainbow trout at the Seven Springs Kids’ Pond using salmon eggs on Dec. 26.

Alejandro Castaneda caught five rainbow trout—including one palomino trout, a gold-colored genetic variant of a rainbow—using trout magnet lures at Tingley Beach on Dec. 23.

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 is closed for the season and will reopens March 1.

Streamflow on the Cimarron River near Cimarron Monday morning was not measured due to ice.

Clayton Lake is closed for the season and will reopen March 1.

Conchas Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Costilla Creek had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout was slow at Cowles Ponds.

Coyote Creek had no reports from anglers this week.

Eagle Nest Lake is closed due to unsafe 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.

Anglers have begun ice fishing at Hopewell Lake.

Lake Alice had no reports from anglers this week.

Lake Maloya had no reports from anglers this week. The ADA dock is open to anglers with priority given to mobility-impaired persons.

Los Pinos River had no reports from anglers this week.

Maxwell Lake 13 is closed for the season and will reopen March 1.

Monastery Lake is closed due to unsafe ice conditions. The lake is part of the Department’s Open Gate Program. Please visit our website for more information about this property.

Morphy Lake is closed for the season and will reopen March 1.

Streamflow on the Pecos River near Pecos on Monday morning was 44 cubic feet per second (cfs). Fishing for trout was slow.

Streamflow on the Red River below the Red River Hatchery on Monday morning was 42 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using black streamer flies and San Juan Worms. Trout are concentrated but feeding consistently throughout the day.

Red River Hatchery Pond had no reports from anglers this week.

Streamflow on the Rio Grande below the Taos Junction Bridge on Monday morning was 610 cfs. Fishing for trout was slow to fair using olive leach-pattern flies and black streamer flies.

Streamflow on the Rio Hondo near Valdez on Monday morning was not measured due to ice.

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.

Santa Cruz Lake is closed and will reopen on Feb. 15.

Shuree Ponds had no reports from anglers this week.

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.

Ute Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Northwest fishing report

Contact the Abiquiú Lake Main Office at 505-685-4371 for updated lake conditions and closure information.

Streamflow on the Animas River below Aztec on Monday morning was 278 cfs.

Albuquerque Area Drains had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Bluewater Lake was good using crankbaits and Garlic White PowerBait Eggs.

Fishing for trout on the Brazos River was good using worms.

Canjilon Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for pike at Cochiti Lake was fair to good using 4-inch gold spoons.

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.

Fishing for trout at Fenton Lake was good using Garlic Glitter PowerBait. Fenton Lake is now partially covered in dangerously thin ice. Going onto the ice for any reason is strictly prohibited. Visit the park’s webpage or call the park office at 575-829-3630 for updates.

Grants Riverwalk Pond had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for kokanee salmon at Heron Lake using snagging hooks was very slow.

At the Jemez Waters, streamflow near the Village of Jemez Springs on Monday morning was 20 cfs.

Laguna del Campo is closed for the season and will reopen May 1.

Lagunitas Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Lake Farmington was slow to fair using PowerBait.

Fishing for trout at Liam Knight Pond was fair using Orange PowerBait and green flies.

Fishing for trout at McGaffey Lake was very good using White Garlic PowerBait Eggs.

Navajo Lake had no reports from anglers this week. The dam is closed to vehicle traffic until May 2025.

Streamflow on the Rio Chama below El Vado Lake on Monday morning was 97 cfs; streamflow below Abiquiú Lake on Tuesday morning was 502 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good using Woolly Bugger flies below Abiquiú Lake. Please remember, from the river-crossing bridge on U.S. Highway 84 at Abiquiú upstream 7 miles to the base of Abiquiú Dam is special trout waters with a bag limit of only two trout.

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 343 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using red-and-black midge-pattern flies.

Fishing for trout at Seven Springs Kids’ Pond was very good using salmon eggs. The pond was half covered in ice but still fishable. If you catch a native Rio Grande chub in the Kid’s Pond, please do not leave it on the bank; return it to the water where it can survive as part of our native ecosystem.

Tiger Park Reservoir had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Tingley Beach was fair to good using salmon eggs, Trout Magnet lures and white egg-pattern flies.

Trout Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.

Southwest fishing report

Alumni Pond is closed for repairs until further notice.

Fishing for trout at Bear Canyon Lake was fair to good using PowerBait and spinners.

Fishing for bass at Bill Evans Lake was fair using Strike King Wire Spinners. Fishing for trout was slow using Green PowerBait, salmon eggs and worms.

Caballo Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for walleye at Elephant Butte Lake was slow to fair using plastic baits. Fishing for catfish was fair to good using cut bait. Anglers reported that water levels were rising and color was mildly stained.

Fishing for trout at Escondida Lake was fair using salmon eggs and PowerBait.

Estancia Park Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Streamflow on the Gila River near Gila on Monday morning was 65 cfs. Fishing for catfish was fair using crawdads.

Gila Waters had no reports from anglers this week.

Glenwood Pond had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Lake Roberts was good using PowerBait and spinners.

Percha Dam had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Quemado Lake was good using Rainbow PowerBait.

Rancho Grande Ponds had no reports from anglers this week.

Streamflow on the Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam on Tuesday morning was 1 cfs.

Snow Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Trees Lake was good using PowerBait.

Fishing for trout at Young Pond was fair to good using small rainbow-pattern spoons.

Southeast fishing report

Alto Lake is closed indefinitely due to extensive damage caused by the South Fork Fire. The wildfire has left significant impacts on the natural environment and infrastructure surrounding the lake, necessitating immediate and prolonged closure for safety and restoration efforts. Please visit ruidoso-nm.gov for the most current information.

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 8 cfs.

Blue Hole Park Pond had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout was good at Bonito Lake using flies, lures and worms. Only fishing activities are permitted at Bonito Lake.

Bosque Redondo Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Bottomless Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.

Brantley Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Carlsbad Municipal Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Chaparral Park Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Corona Pond was good using earthworms.

Dennis Chavez Pond had no reports from anglers this week.

Eunice Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Green Meadow Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Greene Acres Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Grindstone Lake was good using PowerBait. Grindstone Lake is currently open for fishing. Due to changing wildfire impact closures, please see the Grindstone Lake Webpage before planning a visit.

Harry McAdams Park Pond had no reports from anglers this week.

Jal Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Lake Van had no reports from anglers this week.

Ned Houk Ponds had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Oasis Park Lake was very good using PowerBait. Fishing for bass was slow.

Streamflow on the Pecos River below Sumner Lake on Monday morning was 10 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 5 cfs. The area has been experiencing heavy flooding due to recent fires and heavy rain.

Rock Lake Hatchery Kids’ Pond had no reports from anglers this week.

The boat ramp at Santa Rosa Lake is open.

Spring River Pond 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.