By GEORGE MORSE
Sports And Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post
The State Game and Fish Department stocked a total of 18,579 triploid rainbow trout last week that weighed a total of 6,647 pounds. Included in the stocking were 993 trout that averaged between 15.2 and 17.8 inches in size that weighed a total of 1,910 pounds.
For the past 10 seasons the Department has included the stocking of larger-than-average rainbow trout in its regular stocking routine. This had initially started because the Department had to close the Los Ojos Fish Hatchery due to the presence of Whirling Disease.
Whirling Disease is a parasitic infection that destroys the skeletal cartilage of young trout, often causing them to swim in circles, hence its name.
The Hatchery was shut down and thoroughly cleansed of disease. Once back in operation the Hatchery had to raise a number of rainbow trout to maturity or over two years of age to confirm that the fish were free of the disease. So these fish would not be wasted, they were then stocked into public waters after being tested.
The response of anglers to being able to catch these larger-than-average trout was so positive that the Department decided to include a percentage of larger trout in its regular stockings from then on.
For a number of years, the Department has stocked only triploid rainbow trout. Triploid rainbow trout are sterile and cannot reproduce. To create triploid trout, the rainbow trout eggs are exposed to irradiation or to high temperatures that adds an extra gene to their DNA during development. The resulting fish are basically all sterile females.
The advantages of stocking triploid trout are that they cannot breed with New Mexico’s native species of trout, the Rio Grande cutthroat trout and the Gila trout. This protects the wild populations of the native fish from hybridization and dissolution of their genetic character. Since triploid trout do not have to undergo the stress of breeding, they grow faster than fertile trout.
The Department will stock over two million trout over the course of a season. They provide New Mexico anglers with plenty of thrills and good meals.
Santa Cruz Lake has good fishing. It was stocked May 2 with 3,208 catchable size rainbow trout and with 300 rainbow trout averaging 18.3 inches in size. There are also some big wild brown trout. The Overlook Campground is open. The lake is open Thursday-Sunday from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Lake water levels are holding their own thanks to recent rains keeping flows in the Santa Cruz River above normal. With the hot temperatures, the trout may be moving to deeper water. The boat ramp is open and fishing from a boat seems to be better than bank fishing. For updated conditions, check the Bureau of Land Management website at: blm.gov/visit/santa-cruz-lake-recreation-area or call 505.351.1438.
The Bureau also manages the Orilla Verde Recreation Area along the Rio Grande at Pilar. Camping is on a first-come basis. No reservations. The Rio Grande streamflow is 465 cubic-feet-per-second at Taos Junction Bridge. This is above normal and lower than last week. The fishing had been fair-to-good for rainbow trout and brown trout. Fishing for smallmouth bass should be improving between Pilar and Velarde. Some northern pike are being caught around Pilar. The river looks muddy in recent photos. The Rio Grande at Pilar was stocked July 18 with 1,502 rainbow trout. From the Colorado state line downstream to the Taos Junction Bridge, the limit is two-trout-per-day in the Rio Grande.
The Rio Grande is open for fishing from the Colorado/New Mexico state line downstream through the Wild Rivers Recreation Area. The Rio Grande Gorge above Pilar was stocked June 22 with 250 rainbow trout.
State Parks that are currently closed due to wildfire and/or flooding conditions include Morphy Lake and Pecos Canyon.
The following State Parks are open for fishing:
Fenton Lake State Park reopened June 24 for fishing and is now open for camping. The fishing was very good. It is heavily stocked with rainbow trout. It also has some wild brown trout and some Rio Grande cutthroat trout from earlier stockings. It was stocked Aug. 11 with 200 rainbow trout averaging 17.8 inches in size. Only two cutthroat trout may be kept as part of the five fish daily limit at Fenton. Weed growth may be getting heavy. For more information call 575.829.3630.
The Rio Cebolla, which flows into and below Fenton Lake, was stocked Aug. 2 with 820 rainbow trout.
The Seven Springs Brood Pond, also known as the Kid’s Pond, is open. The fishing is for anglers 11-years of age or younger. It was stocked Aug. 2 with 492 rainbow trout. The limit is three trout-per-day.
Eagle Nest Lake at Eagle Nest State Park is open for boating. It was stocked April 19 with 82,237 fingerling kokanee salmon. A new state-record kokanee was caught at Eagle Nest last year. The best kokanee fishing is normally done trolling from a boat. Fishing should be good for rainbow trout, yellow perch and northern pike.. Weed growth may be getting heavier here. For more information and current conditions, call 575.377.1594.
Cimarron Canyon State Park reopened for fishing June 24.The fishing is good for stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout. The streamflow below Eagle Nest Dam was 15.2 cubic-feet-per-second. This is the same as last week. The streamflow near the town of Cimarron was 33.8 cubic-feet-per-second. The Cimarron River was stocked Aug. 11 with 2,423 catchable-size rainbow trout. Check the Carson National Forest website to see which campgrounds are open.
The Cimarron Gravel Pit Lakes at Maverick Campground were stocked Aug. 10 with 355 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 45 rainbow trout averaging 15.2 inches in size.
Lake Maloya at Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton is now open to fishing. Lake Alice, also at Sugarite State Park, is open for fishing. Lake Maloya was stocked Aug. 9 with 3,098 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 400 rainbow trout averaging 16.3 inches in size. Call 575.445.5607 for current conditions.
Clayton Lake State Park opened March 1 for fishing. It is stocked with rainbow trout and has big walleye. The state-record walleye was caught here. This is a trophy bass lake. The daily limit is two largemouth bass with a 14-inch and longer size limit. It was stocked June 1 with 3,999 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 200 rainbow trout averaging 16.2 inches in size. There are also catfish. Call 575.374.8808 for current conditions.
Heron Lake State Park has open water for bank fishing. Be aware that the banks are very muddy. The boat ramps are closed. The lake level is still low. It was stocked April 20 with 147,290 fingerling kokanee salmon. It was stocked June 27 with 40,006 sub- catchable-size rainbow trout.
Call 575.588.7470 for conditions at both Heron Lake and El Vado Lake.
El Vado Lake State Park has rainbow trout, brown trout, perch and small smallmouth bass. Boating is closed. The Dam Day Use Area is closed for construction. Water level is low. The banks are very muddy.
Bluewater Lake State Park is open. Camping is allowed by reservation only. Lake water level is low. Tiger muskies are being caught and the fishing for them is fair using big crank baits, spinners and hot dogs. The limit on tiger muskies is one-per-day at least 40 inches in length. The boat ramp is closed. Anglers may launch boats at their own risk along undeveloped shoreline. Call 505.876.2391 for current conditions.
Storrie Lake State Park near Las Vegas is open for bank fishing. Boating is closed. It was stocked June 7 with 3,034 rainbow trout. It also has some big catfish.
Over in the Four Corners, Navajo Lake State Park is open. Camping is by reservation only. Trolling minnow-imitating lures like Rapalas could produce a trophy brown trout. Fishing for northern pike has been fair. Bass fishing should be picking up. Fishing for catfish has been good, while crappie fishing is fair. It was stocked April 20 with 219,027 kokanee salmon fingerlings. Boating conditions are good. Call 505.632.2278 for conditions.
Anglers with boats should start checking with the Marina to see if the kokanee salmon are starting to school up and at what depth they can be found at. Deep trolling for kokanee salmon is a popular method of catching these fish in the summer at Navajo Lake.
Popular fishing locations on Carson National Forest now available again to anglers include the Canjilon Lakes, the Trout Lakes near Cebolla and Hopewell Lake between Tres Piedras and Tierra Amarilla.
The campground at the Canjilon Lakes is now open. These lakes were stocked Aug. 8 with 1,577 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 200 rainbow trout averaging 17.8 inches in size.
The Trout Lakes near Cebolla were stocked Aug. 10 with 498 rainbow trout. The road to these lakes can be rough and muddy.
The campground at Hopewell Lake is now open. Hopewell was last stocked June 6 with 1,701 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 300 rainbow trout averaging 17.1 inches in size. It also has wild brook trout. The fishing was very good since reopening, but may be slowing down due to weed growth. There is a lot of algae in the water.
The Rio de los Pinos near the border with Colorado is also reopened for camping and fishing. It was stocked June 28 with 1,718 rainbow trout and also has wild brown trout.
The best river in the state and well-known throughout the angling world is the San Juan River below Navajo Dam. The streamflow here is 689 cubic-feet-per-second. This is higher than last week and below normal. The San Juan offers world-class fly fishing for big trout.
The fishing has been good with a variety of fly patterns in the four miles of Quality Water below the Dam. The fishing here is catch-and-release with flies and lures having a single, barbless hook. There are big, wild brown trout in the Quality Water. Some of these fish would likely shatter the state record if they could be kept and weighed. The Quality Water was stocked Aug. 1 with 39,774 sub-catchable rainbow trout.
The fishing in the Bait Water of the San Juan below the Quality Water has been fair-to-good with flies, bait and lures. A regular daily limit of five trout may be kept here. There are some big brown trout here too. It was stocked Aug. 3 with 2,053 rainbow trout.
The trout fishing had been good in the Jemez River. The streamflow is 40.3 cubic-feet-per-second. This is lower than last week. Much of the river below Battleship Rock and Jemez Springs is closed. The river is carrying a lot of ash from the Cerro Palado Wildfire.
The following locations are also open for fishing:
Abiquiu Lake is open, including the boat ramp and picnic areas. Camping is open. It is managed by the Corps of Engineers. Reservations may be made at www.recreation.gov. The water level is low at Abiquiu. A four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended for launching boats. The fishing has been slow for walleye and smallmouth bass. There are some good-sized trout in Abiquiu. They may have moved to deeper water. Night fishing for catfish could be worth a try.
The Chama River below Abiquiu Dam is flowing at 12.6 cubic-feet-per-second. This is exceptionally low. The water here is murky. It was stocked Aug. 1 with 1,027 rainbow trout. Trout will be concentrated in pools. The fishing is likely fair for stocked and holdover rainbow trout. There are a few big, wild brown trout here. The limit here is two-fish-per-day.
The Chama River below El Vado Dam is flowing at 146 cubic-feet-per-second. This is lower than last week. The fishing has been fair for stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout. You may hook a cutthroat trout here. It was stocked Aug. 1 with 474 rainbow trout. The state-record brown trout was caught here.
Above El Vado Lake, the streamflow on the Chama River at La Puente was 101 cubic-feet-per-second. This is lower than last week. It was stocked Aug. 1 with 1,027 catchable-size rainbow trout.
Streamflow in the Rio Brazos was 60.9 cubic-feet-per-second. This is lower than last week. The Brazos was stocked June 15 with 598 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 50 rainbow trout averaging 16.2 inches in size.
Laguna del Campo, a small lake near Los Ojos, is open. It was stocked June 2 with 378 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 80 rainbow trout averaging 16.1 inches in size. Fishing here is for anglers 11 years old and younger or 65 years old and older. The limit is three-trout-per-day. Lake may be getting a little weedy.
The Charette Lakes between Wagon Mound and Springer have good fishing for good-sized, holdover rainbow trout.
Lower Charette Lake was stocked June 14 with 2,500 rainbow trout.
Cochiti Lake has reopened. The fishing has been fair-to-good for northern pike and bass. Night fishing for catfish could be worthwhile. Tetilla Peak Recreation Area is open, but the campground is closed.
Tingley Beach in Albuquerque is no longer being stocked with rainbow trout. It is now being stocked with channel catfish. It was stocked July 28 with a total of 531 catfish averaging 18 inches in size. It was stocked June 8 with 55 largemouth bass averaging 13.7 inches in size.
The Rio Pueblo near Penasco was flowing at 28.1 cubic-feet-per-second. This is lower than last week. It was stocked July 12 with 1,200 rainbow trout.
The Sipapu Pond was stocked July 12 with 65 rainbow trout.
The Red River below the Fish Hatchery is flowing at 81.2 cubic-feet-per-second. This is lower than last week. It was stocked Aug. 11 with 699 rainbow trout. The Red River above Questa is now open. The streamflow is 57.9 cubic-feet-per-second. It was stocked Aug. 11 with 2,700 rainbow trout.
The Red River Hatchery Pond is now open. It was stocked Aug. 11 with 398 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 80 rainbow trout averaging 15.8 inches in size. It was stocked Aug.12 with another 401 catchable-size rainbow trout. Fishing is for anglers 11 years of age or younger and 65 years old or older. The limit is three-fish-per day.
The Red River City Ponds were stocked Aug. 2 with 68 rainbow trout averaging 15.9 inches in size and with 633 catchable-size rainbow trout. The West Fork of the Red River and the East Fork of the Red River were each stocked Aug. 11 with 301 rainbow trout.
Eagle Rock Lake near Questa is open. It was stocked Aug. 11 with 632 catchable size rainbow trout and with 68 rainbow trout averaging 15.8 inches in size.
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