CATCHES OF THE WEEK
Mark Brittelle, 8, of Albuquerque caught a 2-pound white bass at Conchas Lake using a watermelon pumpkin Ned rig Nov. 28.
At Eagle Nest Lake, Joey Dailey of Albuquerque caught and released 21- and 23-inch rainbow trout using red, white and blue PowerBait Dec. 4. … Carlos Barraza, 10, of Pecos caught 22- and 23-inch rainbow trout using rainbow PowerBait on Nov. 28.
Justin Kersting of Albuquerque and Daniel Martinez of Santa Fe both caught 5-pound blue catfish at Elephant Butte Lake using cut bait Dec. 11.
Nick Keele of Hobbs caught a 15-inch rainbow trout at Green Meadow Lake using a gold Panther Martin spinner and a 16-inch largemouth bass using garlic PowerBait on Dec. 13.
At Grindstone Reservoir, Joshua Terrazas of Las Cruces caught a 19-inch, 2-pound, 3-ounce rainbow trout using a yellow Trout Magnet lure Dec. 5. … Joseph Gonzales of Roswell caught a 20-inch rainbow trout using a nightcrawler worm Dec. 4.
Patrick Iverson of Santa Fe caught a 16.5-inch brown trout on the Rio Grande using a bunny leech fly near Pilar on Dec. 4.
Marcus Gurule, 8, of Albuquerque caught a 20-inch rainbow trout at Seven Springs Brood Pond using a worm under a bobber Dec. 4.
Gilbert Gonzales of Albuquerque caught an 18 and 19-inch rainbow trout at Tingley Beach using homemade dough bait Dec. 4.
If you have a catch of the week story, send it to funfishingnm@gmail.com.
Notes from Game and Fish
Northeast fishing report
Cabresto Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Charette Lakes is closed and will reopen in March 2022.
Streamflow on the Cimarron River near Cimarron on Monday morning was 9.07 cubic feet per second. Fishing for trout was good using small worms and grey nymph flies.
Clayton Lake is closed and will reopen in March 2022.
Conchas Lake has new winter season hours: open for day-use access only Thursday-Sunday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Please contact State Parks at 1-888-667-2757 with any questions. Fishing for white bass was fair using watermelon pumpkin Ned rigs.
At Costilla Creek, fishing for trout was good using caddis dry flies. The department has implemented the final phase of a project to expand Rio Grande cutthroat trout in 120 miles of the Costilla watershed in northern New Mexico. The final phase involved removal of fish within a designated area (Rio Costilla from Costilla Dam downstream to the Valle Vidal Boundary including all tributaries and Comanche Creek from the road culvert crossing on Forest Road 1950 downstream to its confluence with Rio Costilla and all tributaries) with a tentative restocking of Rio Grande cutthroat in spring 2022. Places to fish nearby include Costilla Creek below the fish barrier, Upper Comanche Creek, Shuree Ponds, Middle Ponil Creek, Upper Powderhouse Creek, Little Costilla Creek, Vidal Creek and McCrystal Creek. Please check the department website for additional information on the project and to identify alternative angling opportunities in the interim.
Cowles Ponds had no reports from anglers this week.
Coyote Creek had no reports from anglers this week.
Eagle Nest Lake has new winter season hours: open for day-use access only Thursday-Sunday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The Moreno and Six Mile free access areas for New Mexico licensed anglers and hunters at Eagle Nest will remain open for day-use daily. Please contact State Parks at 1-888-667-2757 with any questions. Fishing for trout was fair to good using rainbow PowerBait and red, white and blue PowerBait.
Eagle Rock Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Gallinas River had no reports from anglers this week.
Hopewell Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Lake Alice had no reports from anglers this week.
Lake Maloya had no reports from anglers this week.
Los Pinos River had no reports from anglers this week.
Maxwell Lake 13 is closed and will reopen in March 2022.
Monastery Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Morphy Lake is closed and will reopen in March 2022.
Streamflow on the Pecos River near the town of Pecos on Monday morning was not measured due to ice. Fishing for trout was good using salmon eggs and worms.
Streamflow on the Red River below the hatchery Monday morning was 31.7 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good using dry flies with dropper nymph flies.
Streamflow on the Rio Grande at the Taos Junction Bridge on Monday morning was 327 cfs. Fishing for trout near Pilar was good using bunny leech flies.
Streamflow on the Rio Hondo on Monday morning near Valdez was not measured due to ice.
Streamflow on the Rio Mora on Monday morning near Tererro was not measured due to ice.
Streamflow on the Rio Pueblo near Peñasco on Monday morning was not measured due to ice.
Santa Cruz Reservoir had no reports from anglers this week.
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.
Fishing for white bass and walleye at Ute Lake was fair using vertical jigging blade baits, slab spoons, grubs and swimbaits in 20 to 25 feet of water near the main lake channel. The water surface temperature was in the low 50s and the water’s color was dirty.
Northwest fishing report
Abiquiú Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Waterflow on the Animas River below Aztec on Monday morning was 149 cfs.
Fishing for trout at Albuquerque Area Drains was fair to good using salmon eggs.
Bluewater Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Brazos River had no reports from anglers this week.
Canjilon Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.
Monday-morning flows on the Chama River below El Vado and Abiquiú were 97.3 cfs and 146 cfs, respectively. There were no reports this week from below El Vado Lake or from 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 two trout only.
Cochiti Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
A release of water from the El Vado dam has begun to lower El Vado Lake in preparation for dam reconstruction. Kokanee salmon snagging is allowed between the Heron Lake release to the El Vado Lake dam. Snagging is prohibited in the quality waters upstream from the Heron Lake release as it violates quality waters rules.
There was no fishing due to thin ice covering Fenton Lake . Please remember, only two cutthroat trout are allowed to be harvested per day within the regular five-fish limit.
All boat ramps are currently closed at Heron Lake . Small watercraft such as kayaks and paddleboards can launch from the shoreline. Fishing for kokanee salmon was fair to good using snagging hooks near Sierra Vista boat launch at Ridge Rock and at the bottom corner of the dam at Ridge Rock.
A t the Jemez Waters, streamflow on the Jemez near the village of Jemez Springs on Monday morning was 17.6 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using gold and silver spinners.
Laguna del Campo is closed and will reopen in May 2022.
Lagunitas Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.
Lake Farmington had no reports from anglers this week.
Due to extremely low water levels and unstable ground conditions, stocking efforts have been suspended at McGaffey Lake . Lake conditions will be monitored and stockings will resume once conditions improve.
Fishing for kokanee salmon at Navajo Lake was good using snagging hooks near the dam.
Rio Grande had no reports from anglers this week.
San Gregorio Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Streamflow on the San Juan River on Monday morning was 280 cfs. Fishing for trout in the quality waters was good using egg pattern flies, leech pattern flies, Griffith gnat flies, midge cluster flies and size 22-26 black, grey and olive midge pattern flies. Fishing for trout in the bait waters was good using worms.
Fishing for trout at Seven Springs Brood Pond was good using garlic dough bait, green PowerBait and worms.
Fishing for trout at Tingley Beach was good using salmon eggs, garlic PowerBait and homemade dough bait.
Trout Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.
Southwest fishing report
Fishing for trout at Alumni Pond was fair to good using salmon peach PowerBait and marshmallows.
Fishing for all species was slow at Bear Canyon Lake .
Bill Evans Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Caballo Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Fishing for bass at Elephant Butte Lake was fair using watermelon green plastic worms. Fishing for catfish was good using cut carp bait and shad.
Fishing for trout at Escondida Lake was fair to good using PowerBait, worms and salmon eggs.
Streamflow on the Gila River on Monday morning was 59.9 cfs.
Fishing for trout at Glenwood Pond was good using egg worm combo flies.
Fishing for trout at Lake Roberts was good using beaded egg and worm flies.
Percha Dam had no reports from anglers this week.
Quemado Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Rancho Grande Ponds had no reports from anglers this week.
Streamflow on the Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Monday morning was 0.03 cfs.
Snow Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Fishing for trout at Trees Lake was good using chartreuse PowerBait, orange Gulp PowerBait, salmon peach PowerBait and small bluegill swimbaits. Fishing for bass was fair using live worms. Fishing for bluegill was good using beadhead nymph flies and Beetle Bou jigs.
Fishing for trout at Young Pond was fair using marshmallows and salmon peach PowerBait.
Southeast fishing report
Fishing for trout at Alto Lake was fair using orange 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 12.6 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. It appears that the lake will be out of commission until 2022.
Bosque Redondo Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Bottomless Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.
Fishing for bass at Brantley Lake was fair using wacky rigged Senko worms.
Carlsbad Municipal Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Chaparral Park Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Corona Pond had no reports from anglers this week.
Eunice Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Fishing for trout at Green Meadow Lake was fair to good using Panther Martin spinners. Fishing for bass was fair using garlic PowerBait.
Greene Acres Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Fishing for trout at Grindstone Reservoir was good using yellow Trout Magnet lures, nightcrawler worms and garlic PowerBait.
Jal Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Fishing for trout at Lake Van was fair to good using PowerBait.
Oasis Park Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Streamflow on the Pecos River below Sumner Lake Monday morning was 15.5 cfs.
Perch Lake had no reports from anglers this week.
Streamflow on the Ruidoso River on Monday morning at Hollywood was 4.09 cfs.
Santa Rosa Lake is open to boating, but due to low lake levels, Santa Rosa Lake State Park will operate as a no-wake lake until conditions improve. Fishing for all species was slow.
Fishing for walleye at Sumner Lake was fair using 3-inch transparent swimbaits and curly tail grubs while jigging.
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