Sports and Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post
This has been one of the driest and hottest monsoon seasons on record. It is confirmed by the low streamflows and reservoir levels throughout the state.
The numbers are almost scary for some of our major rivers and lakes. The United States Geological Survey provides the streamflow numbers, while reservoir numbers are provided by the National Resource Conservation Service.
The mighty Rio Grande is now little more than a stream when it enters New Mexico from Colorado. The streamflow at Cerro in the Rio Grande was just 33 cubic-feet-per-second Monday. There was more water in the Red River than in the Rio Grande.
Reservoirs along the Chama River, the Rio Grande’s main tributary in New Mexico, were at very low numbers. Abiquiu Lake is at just four-percent of its capacity, while El Vado Lake was at just 16-percent. Streamflows in the upper Chama River were under 20 cubic-feet-per-second. Heron Lake, which receives its water from the San Juan River drainage via a tunnel that crosses the Continental Divide, was at 22-percent of capacity.
The numbers further downstream on the Rio Grande are not any better. Elephant Butte Reservoir is at just five-percent of capacity. Caballo Lake, right below Elephant Butte, is at 10-percent.
The Pecos River drainage is hurting as well. Brantley Reservoir near Carlsbad is barely hanging on at just one-percent of capacity. Sumner Lake is at just seven-percent. Streamflow at the town of Pecos is just 20.5 cubic-feet-per-second versus an average flow of 74 cubic-feet-per-second.
Combine these low levels with warm water temperatures and the wild trout in these waters are taking a beating. The State Game and Fish Department can artificially provide fishing by throwing in large numbers of hatchery fish, That likely doesn’t help the wild fish any. They are already struggling to survive and it likely doesn’t help to have a thousand stupid hatchery fish dumped on top of them.
More attention needs to be paid to this situation.
A deep snowpack this coming winter and subsequent strong spring runoff is badly needed. Cross your fingers. It looks like our stretch of hot and dry weather is coming to an abrupt end. An unusually early and strong blast of cold air is forecast to sweep across the state by Wednesday, bringing much cooler temperatures and some heavy mountain snows to New Mexico.
Fenton Lake State Park in the Jemez Mountains and Bluewater Lake State Park near Grants remain closed. There is still no overnight camping at any of New Mexico’s state parks.
The best fishing currently in the Jemez Mountains is in the area’s streams and rivers. Most are running very low and have not been stocked. The Jemez River is flowing at just 8.45 cubic-feet-per-second. They all contain wild brown trout. Most of the stockings have been in the Rio Cebolla near Fenton Lake. It was stocked Sept. 2 with 576 rainbow trout. The Rio San Antonio near La Cueva was stocked Aug. 26 with 751 rainbow trout.
The Department stocked 710 Rio Grande cutthroat trout averaging 5.4 inches in length Aug. 17 in the Rio San Antonio. This stocking is a “put-and-grow” stocking to try to establish a self-sustaining population of cutthroat trout. Please release these fish to give them a chance to grow and reproduce.
San Gregorio Lake is open but has not been stocked in more than a month. It may still be fair for any remaining rainbow trout from earlier stockings.
Abiquiu Lake is open for fishing 24/7. There is no overnight camping. The lake level is low and four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended for the launching of boats as the ramp does not reach the water. Fishing has been fair for smallmouth bass and walleye. A 32-inch walleye was caught recently. Night fishing for catfish should be worth a try.
Blue-green algae has been detected at Abiquiu Lake. The algae does not affect the fish and they may be safely eaten. Pets, livestock and children should not be allowed to play in or drink water from the lake. Swimming in the lake is discouraged. Blue-green algae can cause health risks if ingested, inhaled or touched. Avoid areas where algae tends to accumulate, like the back of coves and along shorelines.
The Chama River below Abiquiu Dam is running at 578 cubic-feet-per-second. This is a medium flow and fishing could be fair. The water here is usually murky. There are stocked rainbow trout here and some big, wild brown trout. The limit here is two fish per-day. It was stocked Sept. 1 with 1,008 rainbow trout.
Streamflow in the Chama River below El Vado Dam is 796 cubic-feet-per-second. This is a medium-to-heavy flow and makes for fair-to-good fishing conditions for the stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout found here. It was stocked Sept. 2 with 1,500 rainbow trout. The state-record brown trout was caught here.
The State Game and Fish Department stocked 4,085 Rio Grande cutthroat trout averaging 4.7 inches in size July 15 in the Chama River below El Vado Dam. It was stocked again July 21 with another 6,061 small Rio Grande cutthroat trout. These were “put-and-grow” stockings to try to establish a fishery for cutthroats here. These fish should grow to catchable-size by next year. Please release them if caught and give them a chance to grow.
El Vado Lake State Park and Heron Lake State Park are open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fishing from the bank has been fair for smallmouth bass, brown trout and carp at El Vado Lake. The fishing has been fair for rainbow trout at Heron Lake. No reports on the fishing for kokanee salmon and for lake trout.
The Chama River above El Vado Lake is low and streamflow at La Puente is just 19.0 cubic-feet-per-second. Stream temperatures are warm. Above Chama the streamflow is 15.9 cubic-feet-per-second. The river was stocked Sept. 1 with 1,440 rainbow trout. Most of the stockings take place close to the town of Chama.
Streamflow in the Chama River below Heron Dam has increased by several hundred cubic-feet-per-second as they are releasing water from Heron Lake. This water is very cold and the trout will be more active here.
The streamflow in the nearby Brazos River was 12.6 cubic-feet-per-second. The fishing should be at least fair for stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout. It was stocked Sept. 1 with 576 rainbow trout.
El Rito Creek, a small stream that flows through the town of El Rito, was stocked July 28 with 1,960 small Rio Grande cutthroat trout averaging 4.7 inches in size. Please release these trout and give them a chance to grow.
Laguna del Campo near Los Ojos was stocked Sept. 2 with 500 catchable-size rainbow trout and stocked Sept. 3 with 180 rainbow trout averaging 17.5 inches in length. Weed growth is probably getting heavy in this little lake. It is limited to anglers 14 years old and younger and anglers 65 years old or older. The limit is three fish per-day and the lake is open sunrise to sunset.
The Canjilon Lakes are fishing well thanks to recent stockings of rainbow trout and Rio Grande cutthroat trout. The lakes were stocked Sept. 2 with 1,296 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 113 rainbow trout averaging 17.5 inches in size. These little lakes are likely getting very weedy and receive heavy fishing pressure.
The fishing at the Trout Lakes near Cebolla had been slow. It should improve after they were stocked Sept. 3 with 500 ranbow trout.
The Lagunitas Lakes were Sept. 1 with 1,500 rainbow trout, greatly improving the fishing there. The campground is open. Anglers might try fishing the small streams in the Cruces Basin Wilderness Area.
Hopewell Lake between Tres Piedras and Tierra Amarilla had been fishing well. In addition to recent stockings of rainbow trout, there was a stocking of Rio Grande cutthroat trout and it also contains wild brook trout. Weed growth is getting heavy in this lake. There have been problems with water quality here and it will not be stocked again until September when the weather cools down.
The Rio de los Pinos Wildlife Management Area near the Colorado border is open. The fishing has been just fair for stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout. It is open for day-use only. The flow is low and water temperatures are warm. It was stocked Aug. 27 with 2,100 rainbow trout.
Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area near Chimayo is open for day use Thursday-Sunday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. There is no overnight camping. It has not been recently stocked and the fishing could be slow as the trout have likely retreated to deeper water. Boats can no longer be launched here. The streamflow in the Santa Cruz River above the lake was just 6.41 cubic-feet-per-second.
The streamflow in the Rio Grande is very low at just 155 cubic-feet-per-second at Taos Junction Bridge. Flows near Cerro at the Colorado border are extremely low at 33.0 cubic-feet-per-second. The fishing has been good for rainbow trout and brown trout. Smallmouth bass are also being caught. Remember that there is a 12-inch size limit on smallmouths, as many of them are small.
The Rio Pueblo near Penasco is low again at 3.36 cubic-feet-per-second. The fish are concentrated in the deeper pools. The fishing has been fair-to-good for stocked rainbow trout and some wild brown trout. It was stocked Sept. 2 with1,201 rainbow trout.
There is still a decent streamflow in the Red River at 37.5 cubic-feet-per-second below Red River Fish Hatchery. Flows have dropped above Questa to 14.8 cubic-feet-per-second. The Red River above Questa was stocked Aug. 31 with 698 rainbow trout. The Red River below Questa was stocked Aug. 31 with 1,100 rainbow trout. The East Fork of the Red River was stocked Aug. 26 with 300 rainbow trout. The West Fork of the Red River was stocked Aug. 23 with 300 rainbow trout. The fishing has been good.
Eagle Rock Lake near Questa is a small lake right off the highway and receives heavy fishing pressure. It was stocked Aug. 31 with 499 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 54 rainbow trout averaging 15.1 inches in size. The fishing is fair-to-good as long as the stockers last.
The Shuree Ponds on the Valle Vidal near Costilla were stocked Aug. 19 with 500 rainbow trout averaging 15.2 inches in length. The fishing is limited to artificial flies and lures having a single, barbless hook. The limit is two-fish-per-day. The fishing should be good.
Fishing has been good on the Rio Costilla for brown trout, rainbow trout and Rio Grande cutthroat trout. It was stocked Sept. 2 with 402 rainbow trout. The Streamflow has dropped to 8.51 cubic-feet-per-second.
Eagle Nest Lake State Park is open Thursday-Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weed growth may be starting to get heavy here. Trout fishing has been fair-to-good. Northern pike fishing has been fair-to-good. Anglers should try crank baits and swim baits resembling small rainbow trout. It was stocked Sept. 1 with 18,777 small rainbow trout. Perch fishing should be fair with worms. Anglers may pick up a few kokanee salmon while trolling for trout.
Cimarron Canyon State Park is open Thursday-Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Cimarron River was stocked Sept. 3 with 2,425 rainbow trout. It also contains wild brown trout. The Cimarron Gravel Pit Lakes at Maverick Campground were stocked Sept. 3 with 402 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 45 rainbow trout averaging 15.3 inches in length. Streamflow in the Cimarron River below Eagle Nest Dam is lower at 17.5 cubic-feet-per-second.
The fishing should be fair at Stubblefield Lake for largemouth bass, walleye and catfish. Water levels here may be getting low. The state-record channel catfish was caught at Stubblefield Lake.
Trout fishing at Maxwell Lake 13 on the Maxwell Lakes National Wildlife Refuge will be slow due to warm water temperatures. The trout here are mostly good-sized holdovers and they have moved to deeper water. There are also largemouth bass and catfish here. The state-record yellow perch was caught at Maxwell Lakes.
Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton has reopened after being briefly closed due to a wildfire in Colorado. It is open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The fishing for rainbow trout has been good at Lake Maloya and fair at Lake Alice. Lake Maloya received heavy stockings of rainbow trout in August. It was stocked Aug. 10 with 3,100 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 400 rainbow trout averaging 15.6 inches in size. It received a heavy stocking Aug. 13 of 7,007 catchable-size rainbow trout
Clayton Lake State Park is open Friday-Sunday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The trout fishing here has been very slow and it has not been stocked recently. There are also some big walleye, catfish and some largemouth bass here. The boat ramp is closed. The state-record walleye was caught at Clayton Lake.
The Charette Lakes between Wagon Mound and Springer have been fair for stocked rainbow trout with some holdover trout. There are also yellow perch here.
Springer Lake has been slow-to-fair for northern pike and catfish.
Coyote Creek State Park near Guadalupita is open Friday-Sunday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. It was stocked Aug. 25 with 800 rainbow trout. The Coyote Creek Pond was stocked Aug. 25 with 599 rainbow trout. The fishing has been fair-to-good.
Storrie Lake State Park is open Thursday-Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. It was stocked Aug. 31 with 3,003 rainbow trout. It was the first stocking here in weeks, so the fishing should pick up. There are also catfish here.
The Gallinas River near Las Vegas is running low at 1.34 cubic-feet-per-second. The trout are concentrated in the deeper pools. The fishing is fair. It was stocked Sept. 1 with 1,000 rainbow trout. The Gallinas Ice Pond was stocked Sept.1 with 201 rainbow trout.
Conchas Lake State Park is open Friday-Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fishing has been fair-to-good for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white bass, bluegill and crappie.
Ute Lake State Park near Logan reopened Aug. 26 after being closed Aug. 12 due to an employee having tested positive for COVID-19. The Marina and two boat ramps are open. It is open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The fishing for smallmouth bass has been fair-to-good. The fishing for largemouth bass, walleye and white bass has been fair.
At Pecos Canyon State Park, roadside day-use fishing areas are open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mora, Burt Clancy, Terrero and Willow Creek areas open Thursday-Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open to New Mexico residents only. This area receives very heavy fishing pressure. The Pecos River was stocked Sept. 2 with 1,500 catchable-size rainbow trout and 50 rainbow trout averaging 16.2 inches in size. There are also wild brown trout here. The streamflow is at 20.5 cubic-feet-per-second, which is low. The water is warm, so early morning fishing is recommended.
The Mora Fork of the Pecos River was stocked Sept. 2 with 199 rainbow trout. Holy Ghost Creek in the Pecos drainage was stocked Sept. 2 with 199 rainbow trout.
The Cowles Ponds are open and were stocked Aug. 19 with 181 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 20 rainbow trout averaging 16.0 inches in size.
The Pecos River at Villanueva State Park was stocked Sept. 3 with 102 channel catfish. Villanueva State Park is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Santa Rosa Lake State Park is open Friday-Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The lake is very low and muddy. The boat ramp does not reach the water. Fishing is slow-to-fair for walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie and catfish.
Over in the Four Corners, Navajo Lake State Park is open daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The fishing should be good for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike. Fishing for catfish should be fair. Trout fishing should be slow-to-fair with the trout hanging out in deeper water. This lake has the best kokanee salmon fishing in the state. They are usually caught by trolling at the proper depth. Fishing is usually best in deep water near the dam. Check with the marina to see if they have information as to what depth the kokanee are being caught at. The salmon are beginning to develop the hooked jaws and bright red colors prior to spawning.
The streamflow in the San Juan River below Navajo Dam was at 917 cubic-feet-per-second. The trout fishing has been good with a variety of fly patterns in the Quality Water. They have been catching some big brown trout in the Quality Water, which may be feeding on small rainbow trout. The Quality Water was stocked Aug. 19 with 65,041 small rainbow trout. The fishing has been good in the Bait Water below the Quality Water with flies, lures and bait. The Bait Water was stocked Aug. 19 with 3,611 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 300 rainbow trout averaging 17 inches in length.
Tingley Beach in Albuquerque is now open. It was stocked Sept. 3 with 504 channel catfish so the fishing should be picking up here. It has been fair for catfish and bluegill. It was stocked July 14 with 50 largemouth bass averaging 15 inches in size.
The drainage canals in the Albuquerque area are not being stocked with rainbow trout. Fishing for catfish, carp and a few largemouth bass has been fair. The Rio Grande in Albuquerque is running well below normal. Fishing has been fair for catfish and carp.
Escondida Lake near Socorro was stocked Sept. 3 with 204 channel catfish averaging 18 inches in size. It was stocked July 14 with 40 largemouth bass averaging 15 inches in size. The fishing has been fair-to-good.
Elephant Butte Lake State Park is open Thursday-Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The fishing has been very good for white bass. The fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and walleye has been slow-to-fair. The fishing for catfish is good. Lake water levels are dropping significantly as they are letting a lot more water out than is coming in. The lake is extremely low.
The Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam is flowing at 1,020 cubic-feet-per-second. That is a about normal for this time of year. The fishing has been fair for catfish and white bass.
Caballo Lake State Park is open Thursday-Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fishing has been fair for white bass, walleye and catfish.
In the Ruidoso area, the trout fishing is slowing down a bit at Alto Lake. The best fishing is for catfish and largemouth bass. It was stocked Sept. 3 with 102 channel catfish.
The trout fishing is still holding up at Grindstone Reservoir. It was stocked Aug. 18 with 2,999 rainbow trout. The trout have pulled away from the shallows seeking deeper water and cooler water temperatures. There are also smallmouth bass here and the fishing for bluegill has been good.
These lakes are administered by the City of Ruidoso. They are limiting the number of cars that can be admitted each day. Ruidoso residents are given preference.
The Ruidoso River is running extremely low at 0.14 cubic-feet-per-second. It was stocked Sept. 4 with 1,001 rainbow trout. The fish are likely stacked on top of each other in the remaining deeper pools and quite visible. The fishing should be good but it will likely get fished out quickly.
The Timberon Ponds were stocked Aug. 31 with 250 rainbow trout. These little ponds also are stocked with catfish. They were stocked Sept. 3 with 102 channel catfish.
In the Silver City area, the trout fishing has been slow-to- fair at Lake Roberts. The water is too warm and the trout lethargic. This is a designated trophy-bass water with a daily limit of two largemouth bass 18 inches in size or longer. The fishing for catfish has been fair. The bluegill fishing has been good.
Bear Canyon Reservoir is open. The trout fishing is about over here. The best fishing is for catfish, crappie and largemouth bass.
Bill Evans Lake is open. Trout fishing is over here too. This is a designated trophy-bass water with a daily limit of two largemouth bass per-day 18 inches in size or longer. The state-record largemouth bass was caught at Bill Evans Lake There are also catfish here.
The streamflow in the Gila River is dropping and is now at 34.3 cubic-feet-per-second Some big flathead catfish have been caught in the lower Gila River. There are also channel catfish and smallmouth bass here. In the upper reaches and in the forks of the Gila River, the fishing is for rainbow trout, brown trout and some Gila trout.
The fishing at Quemado Lake has been fair-to-good for rainbow trout. It was stocked Aug. 3 with 3,910 small, 8-inch rainbow trout. This is a “put-and-grow” stocking so try to release these trout now to give them a chance to grow. Quemado has plenty of catchable-size trout. It was stocked Sept. 2 with 2,790 rainbow trout.
Credit: Source link
