CATCHES OF THE WEEK:

 

Navajo Lake: On May 9, Alex Candelaria age 11 of Bloomfield while fishing with his Grandparents caught and released a 15 inch, 2 pound 4 ounce crappie. He was using a jig.

 

Santa Rosa Lake: On May 17, Maria Vasquez of Albuquerque caught a 17 inch smallmouth bass with a 13 inch girth and a 22 inch walleye. She was using a dark colored tube.

 

Conchas Lake: On May 18, Tom McWhorter of Bosque Farms caught a 4.65 pound largemouth bass. He was using a worm.

 

Chama River: On May 18, Anthony Martinez of Cuba caught a 22 inch german brown. He was fishing below El Vado and using a night crawler.

 

Heron Lake: On May 19, Tom O’Brien of Rio Rancho caught a 38.25 inch, 25.5 pound lake trout. He was using a jig in 51 feet of water.

 

NORTHEAST AREA

 

CHARETTE LAKES:           Trout fishing was fair-to-good this past week for anglers using power bait, salmon eggs, spinners and worms. Fishing for perch was fair using worms and power bait.

CIMARRON RIVER:            Water flow below Eagle Nest Lake as of Monday was 21 cfs. Trout fishing was very good for anglers using small gold spinners, bead head hares ears, copper john barrs, salmon eggs and worms. Trout fishing at the Gravel Pit Lakes was fair for anglers using power bait, worms, Pistol Petes and spinners.

CLAYTON LAKE:               Anglers fishing from boats had the best luck this past week. They reported catching limits of trout while using spinners and spoons.  Anglers trolling also caught a few walleye but rated the walleye fishing as slow. There were no reports on other species.

CONCHAS LAKE:               Fishing for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass was very good this past week although anglers reported that most of the fish caught were small. Best baits were sweet beavers, brush hogs, lizards, salt craws, worms and jerk baits worked shallow. Fishing for crappie was good for anglers using minnows, tubes and jigs. Fishing for walleye was fair for anglers using crank baits, jigs, tubes, grubs and minnows. Fishing for catfish was good using liver, dough baits and night crawlers. We had no reports on other species.

COYOTE CREEK:                 Trout fishing was good this past week for anglers using small spinners, worms, salmon eggs, power bait, copper john barrs and corn.

EAGLE NEST LAKE:           Trout fishing was fair-to-good for anglers using Panther Martins, Wedding Rings, Z Rays, salmon eggs and power bait. Anglers trolling for trout also picked up a few kokanee. Fishing for perch was fair for anglers using worms.

LAKE MALOYA/

LAKE ALICE:       Trout fishing was fair-to-good this past week at both lakes. Anglers fishing at Lake Maloya did well using home made dough baits, Pistol Petes, Panther Martins, Rooster Tails and Daredevles. Fishing at Lake Alice was good for anglers using power bait and home made dough baits.

MAXWELL LAKES            Trout fishing was fair for anglers using power bait, worms and minnows.  

MCALLISTER LAKE          Due to poor water quality, the lake will remain closed until further notice.  

MONASTERY LAKE:         Trout fishing was fair for anglers using power bait and corn.

MORPHY LAKE:                 Trout fishing was good this past week for anglers using power bait, corn, spoons, wooly buggers and spinners.   

PECOS RIVER:                      Water flow near the town of Pecos as of Monday morning was 320cfs. Trout fishing this past week was slow-to-fair for anglers using spinners, salmon eggs, night crawlers and wooly buggers. Fishing on the Mora was good for anglers using night crawlers and copper john barrs.

RED RIVER:                          Water flow below the hatchery was 246cfs. The water was murky. We had no reports from anglers this week.

RIO GRANDE:                      The water flow Monday morning at the Taos Junction Bridge was 2,000cfs. Trout fishing was fair for anglers using small jerk baits, night crawlers and spinners.  

SPRINGER LAKE:                Fishing picked up this past week as several northern pike were caught by anglers using Rat-L-Traps and Mepps spinners. Fishing for catfish was fair using cut bait and worms. We had no reports on other species.  

STORRIE LAKE:                  Trout fishing was fair for anglers using garlic cheese, power bait and salmon eggs. Fishing for all other species was slow.

STUBBLEFIELD:                  Fishing was fair using spinner/night crawler rigs for walleye. We had no reports on other species.   

UTE LAKE:                           Crappie fishing was the hot ticket again this past week. Several anglers reported doing very well using minnows, jigs, tubes and artificial leeches. Most of the crappie were in less than 10 feet of water. Fishing for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass was good for anglers using jerk baits, tubes, worms, jigs, lizards, grubs and spinner baits. The bass were shallow and most of the fish caught were males. Fishing for catfish was very good for anglers using night crawlers, liver and dough baits and fishing shallow. Fishing for walleye and white bass was slow-to-fair as anglers reported that these two species appeared to be scattered. A few were caught by anglers trolling crank baits at various depths and a few more were taken by anglers drifting minnows.

 

NORTHWEST AREA

 

ABIQUIU LAKE:                 Fishing was good for some but slow for others again this past week. Anglers trolling for walleye caught more brown trout and the best action for the browns was at the upper end of the lake. A few walleye and smallmouth bass were taken by anglers drifting minnows and grubs. We had no reports on other species. The water was quite murky.  

ALBUQUERQUE 

   AREA DRAINS:                We had no reports from anglers this week.   

BLUEWATER LAKE:         Trout fishing was fair for anglers using spinners, worms, power bait, corn and salmon eggs. A few tiger musky were caught by anglers using jerk baits, swim baits and spinners.  We had no reports on other species.

CHAMA RIVER:                  Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 619cfs and 768cfs respectively. Trout fishing below El Vado was good for anglers using night crawlers and power bait for a mix of brown and rainbow trout. Action should pick up during the week for fly and spin anglers as the river will be lowered to 200cfs and remain there for several days. Anglers fishing below Abiquiu reported catching a few good browns and some stocker rainbows. They were using spinners, night crawlers and power bait.  

COCHITI LAKE:                  Fishing for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass was slow-to-fair this past week. Anglers did best using spinner baits, jigs, sweet beavers and crank baits. Most of the bass caught were taken in less than six feet of water. Fishing was slow-to-fair using liver, night crawlers and dough bait for catfish. A few crappie and white bass were taken by anglers using minnows and crank baits. We had no reports on other species.

EL VADO LAKE:           Trout fishing was slow-to-fair for anglers trolling Panther Martins near the dam. The rainbows caught were in the 15-to-18 inch range and were taken at 12-to-15 feet. The lake level is up and boats can now be launched at the upper boat ramp.

FARMINGTON LAKE: Fishing was slow-to-fair using spinners and worms for trout. We had no reports on other species.       

FENTON LAKE:                   Trout fishing was fair-to-good for anglers using Pistol Petes, Kastmasters, salmon eggs, power bait and night crawlers.

HERON LAKE:                     Fishing for lake trout was slow again this week but there were a few fish taken on jigs worked at 30-to-51 feet along with a few small lakers taken by anglers fishing from the bank and using corn. Anglers fishing from the bank also caught a few rainbow trout while using corn and power bait.  

JEMEZ WATERS:               Water flow on the Jemez as of Monday morning was 151cfs near Jemez Springs. Trout fishing on the Jemez, the San Antonio and the Rio Las Vacas was good for anglers using small gold and silver spinners, egg patterns, copper john barrs, worms, salmon eggs, prince nymphs and small stone flies.

LAGUNA Del CAMPO:      (Burns Canyon Lake) We had no reports from anglers this week.  

MANZANO LAKE:             We had no reports from anglers this week.  

MCGAFFEY LAKE:             Trout fishing was good for anglers using power bait, spinners, spoons and worms.   

NAVAJO LAKE:                  Crappie fishing slowed on the Francis Canyon and San Juan arms but picked up on the Pine arm. Best baits were jigs, minnows, small grubs and tubes. Fishing for northern pike was very good for anglers using jerk baits, crank baits, spinner baits and plastics. Most of the pike action was reported by anglers fishing on the San Juan arm. Fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass was fair-to-good for anglers using jerk baits, sweet beavers, tubes, salt craws, worms and crank baits. A few trout were taken by anglers fishing from the bank and using power bait, salmon eggs, worms and spinners. A few were also taken by anglers trolling spinners and crank baits. We had no reports on other species but expect the kokanee action to pick up any day.

   RAMAH LAKE:                Trout fishing was good for anglers using Pistol Petes, spinners, salmon eggs, power bait, corn and worms.

SAN JUAN:                          Water flow below Navajo Lake as of Monday morning was at 1,010cfs. From there, the flow will be gradually increased to 5,000cfs by May 28^th where it will stay until June 23^rd. The flow will then be reduced over the next several days to 500cfs. This was the latest release plans as of May 9. Trout fishing through the Quality Waters was fair for anglers using small hair jigs, little princesses, leeches, bead head pheasant tails, red annelids and San Juan worms. Fishing in the bait waters was fair using jerk baits, wooly buggers, spinners, garlic cheese and night crawlers.

SANTA CRUZ LAKE:        Trout fishing was fair using spinners, spoons, small crank baits, power bait, worms and salmon egg/corn combinations.

SEVEN SPRINGS

    BROOD POND:                It’s just for kids under 12 and the trout fishing was very good again this past week. Best bait was power bait.  

TINGLEY BEACH:               Trout fishing at the Youth Pond and the Central Pond was fair again this past week for anglers using salmon eggs. Fishing for bluegill was good using worms, leeches and small jigs. Fishing for catfish was good using power bait and liver. Fishing for bass was good using jerk baits. At the Catch and Release Pond trout fishing was good early and late in the day for anglers using leeches, parachute adams and orange and yellow egg patterns.

 

SOUTHWEST AREA

 

BEAR CANYON:                 We had no reports from anglers this week.

BILL EVANS LAKE:            We had no reports from anglers this week.   

BURN LAKE:                        Fishing was slow.

CABALLO LAKE:               Fishing was good this past week for anglers using jigs, grubs, minnows and crank baits for walleye and white bass. Most of the action was at the upper end of the lake. A few catfish were taken by anglers using liver and night crawlers. We had no reports on other species.

ELEPHANT BUTTE:           Fishing for white bass was very good for some anglers and fair for others. Anglers working around the mouth of McRae Canyon reported the best success with several limits taken. They were trolling and casting crank baits and drifting live bait and grubs. Fishing for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass was fair for anglers using worms, crank baits, chatter baits, jigs, tubes and jerk baits. A few bass were also taken by anglers using top water lures. Fishing for walleye was a bit slow but some anglers caught a few while trolling crank baits, drifting minnows and casting grubs to the bank. Fishing for catfish was fair-to-good using cut bait, night crawlers, dough bait, shrimp and liver. The best catfish reports again came from anglers fishing the north end of the lake. A few striped bass were taken by anglers using live bait. We had no reports on other species.

ESCONDIDA LAKE:           We had no reports from anglers this week.   

GILA RIVER:                         Water flow on the Gila as of this past Monday was 92cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.

LAKE ROBERTS:                 Trout fishing was fair-to-good using power bait, salmon eggs, spinners, spoons and worms.                  

PERCHA DAM:                   Fishing was fair using grubs and minnows for white bass and walleye. We had no reports on other species.

QUEMADO LAKE:             Fishing was fair using power bait and spinners for trout.     

RIO GRANDE:                      Water flow below Elephant Butte on Monday was 1,650cfs.  Fishing on the river below Williamsburg was fair for anglers using grubs, tubes, minnows and spinners for walleye and white bass. Fishing below Caballo was fair using grubs, minnows and tubes for white bass. Anglers fishing for white bass also caught a few walleye. We had no reports on other species.

SNOW LAKE:                      Trout fishing was slow-to-fair for anglers using salmon eggs, Pistol Petes and power bait.   

 

SOUTHEAST AREA

 

BATAAN LAKE:                 We had no reports from anglers this week. 

BONITO LAKE:                   Effective May 1, the lake was closed due to high fire danger in the area. Look for updates from the Lincoln National Forest for additional information.  

BOSQUE REDONDO:          We had no reports from anglers this week.  

BOTTOMLESS

 LAKES:                                 Fishing was slow. Stocking has been suspended due to a golden algae bloom.

BRANTLEY LAKE:             Anglers are to practice catch and release for all fish here as high levels of DDT were found in several fish. 

CARLSBAD

     MUNICIPAL LAKE:       We had no reports from anglers this week.   

GRINDSTONE

RESERVOIR:                  Trout fishing was fair-to-good for anglers using corn, power bait, salmon eggs, spinners and Pistol Petes.

JAL LAKE:                            We had no reports from anglers this week.      

LAKE VAN:                          Fishing was slow for all species.     

PECOS RIVER:                      Water flow on Monday below Sumner Lake was .51cfs. Prior to the draw down, fishing was fair using night crawlers and liver for catfish. We had no reports on other species.

PERCH LAKE:                      We had no reports from anglers this week.

RUIDOSO RIVER:                Water flow at Ruidoso on Monday was 2.1cfs. Trout fishing was slow.

SANTA ROSA LAKE:        Fishing for crappie was fair this past week for anglers using jigs, grubs, night crawlers and minnows. Most of the crappie caught this past week were taken by anglers fishing brush in the main channel. Fishing for walleye was slow-to-fair for anglers trolling Reef Runners and Wally Divers. A few were also taken on grubs and tubes. A few smallmouth bass were taken by anglers using top water lures, tubes, crank baits and jerk baits. We had no reports on other species.  

SUMNER LAKE:                  Fishing was very good this past week for anglers using minnows, worms, grubs, crank baits and tubes for crappie, white bass and walleye. Fishing was good using jerk baits, tubes, worms, crank baits, top water lures and jigs for largemouth and smallmouth bass.  Fishing was fair using night crawlers and dough baits for catfish.

 

STOCKING REPORT

 

Crews stocked 11,638 rainbow trout averaging 9.4 inches in the following waters: BIG TESUQUE, CEBOLLA RIVER, CLAYTON LAKE, COW CREEK, DRY CIMARRON, EL PORVENIR CREEK (2115), GALLINAS ICE POND, GALLINAS RIVER-Near Las Vegas, JEMEZ RIVER, LOS PINOS RIVER, MONASTERY LAKE, MORPHY LAKE, PECOS RIVER-Cowles to Village of Pecos, RED RIVER-Below Questa, RED RIVER HATCHERY POND, RIO DEL MEDIO, RIO EN MEDIO, RIO FRIJOLES, RIO LAS VACAS, SAN JUAN RIVER-Below Quality Waters, SEVEN SPRINGS BROOD POND & STORRIE RESERVOIR.

In addition, crews stocked 187,520 kokanee salmon fry in Heron Reservoir.