By GEORGE MORSE
Sports And Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post
The snowpack continues to pile up in the mountains of the Western United States during March. This is just what was needed to help break the drought that has gripped this part of the country the last few years.
This will lead to some flooding thanks to high streamflows later this spring. Hopefully, the snowpack will melt slowly rather than all at once. Flooding is already happening in California, which is bearing the brunt of the series of storms that have been blowing in from the Pacific Ocean. Some lowland flooding is starting to be reported from Arizona. New Mexico is next.
Water levels in the lakes and reservoirs should rise and high streamflows will make fishing difficult in thee streams and rivers. A good strategy during these times is to fish the edges of the current. The high water can make fishing tough, but some of the biggest trout that will be caught all year will be hooked in the early spring as the high water will often get the bigger trout moving around. Even the small headwater streams will yield some surprisingly big, wild brown trout and holdover rainbow trout. A 31-inch brown trout was recently caught in the Rio Cebolla above Fenton Lake.
Some big fish will also be caught in the lakes and reservoirs. It will be one of those years where the spot on the bank where you had been fishing may be under water just a few weeks later.
Fishing may be a bit more challenging this spring, but I expect some very big fish will be landed.
The Bureau of Land Management manages Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area near Chimayo. It will be open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. The fishing should be good for stocked rainbow trout and some wild brown trout. It was stocked March 15 with 3,444 rainbow trout. Overlook Campground will reopen April 15. For updated conditions, check the Bureau of Land Management website 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 was 640 cubic-feet-per-second at Taos Junction Bridge. This is higher than last week and just below normal. The Rio Grande at Pilar was stocked March 10 with 1,378 rainbow trout. There are some big, wild brown trout. Northern pike are caught on big streamers in the Pilar and Taos Junction Bridge areas during the winter.
The Rio Grande at Pilar was stocked Sept. 14 with 58,484 fingerling Rio Grande cutthroat 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 Gorge above Pilar was stocked March 10 with 248 rainbow trout.
Fenton Lake State Park is open for camping. Lake is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Camping by reservation only. It is now closed to ice fishing due to deteriorating ice conditions. 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 March 8 with 2,222 rainbow trout. Only two cutthroat trout may be kept as part of the five fish daily limit at Fenton. For more information and current ice conditions call 575.829.3630.
The Rio Cebolla, which flows into and below Fenton Lake, was stocked March 10 with 248 rainbow trout.
The fishing has been good in the Jemez River. The streamflow is 97.5 cubic-feet-per-second. This is much higher than last week and just below normal. It has wild brown trout. It was stocked March 10 with 1,521 rainbow trout.
The Rio San Antonio, a tributary to the Jemez River near La Cueva, was stocked Oct. 6 with 749 rainbow trout.
The Rio de las Vacas, another tributary, was stocked Oct. 20 with 500 rainbow trout.
These smaller tributaries are frozen over, as is San Gregorio Lake.
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 March 10 with 448 rainbow trout. It was stocked Dec. 12 with 217 catchable-size Rio Grande cutthroat trout. The limit is three trout-per-day.
Eagle Nest Lake at Eagle Nest State Park is now closed to ice fishing. It was stocked April 19 with 82,237 fingerling kokanee salmon. A new state-record kokanee was caught at Eagle Nest last year.
Fishing should be good for rainbow trout, yellow perch and northern pike once the ice melts enough to permit bank fishing in open water. It was stocked Dec.15 with 7,839 sub-catchable rainbow trout. For more information and current ice conditions, call 575.377.1594.
The Cimarron River in Cimarron Canyon State Park is likely frozen over and fishing difficult. The streamflow below Eagle Nest Dam was 1.74 cubic-feet-per-second. This is the same as last week. The Cimarron River near the town of Cimarron is iced over. Check the Carson National Forest website to see if campgrounds are open.
The Cimarron Gravel Pit Lakes at Maverick Campground were stocked Oct. 12 with 399 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 60 rainbow trout averaging 16.1 inches in size. They are likely frozen over now.
Lake Maloya at Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton is now closed to ice fishing. Lake Alice, also at Sugarite State Park is closed due to thin ice. Lake MaIoya was stocked Dec. 27 with 1,312 catchable-size rainbow trout. Call 575.445.5607 for current conditions.
Clayton Lake closed Oct. 31 for the season. It reopened March 1. The state-record walleye was caught here, and it is heavily stocked with rainbow trout. It was stocked March 1 with 3,001 rainbow trout. Call 575.374.8808 for conditions.
Heron Lake State Park is now closed to ice fishing due to deteriorating ice conditions. 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. Lake surface is closed due to poor ice conditions. Boating is closed. The Dam Day Use Area is closed for construction. Water level is low. The banks are very muddy. Try fishing at the north end of the lake where the Chama River comes in.
Bluewater Lake State Park is open. Camping is allowed by reservation only. Lake water level is low. Currently, the lake is beginning to freeze. The lake surface is closed and going on to the ice is strictly prohibited. Tiger muskies were being caught and the fishing for them was fair using big crank baits, spinners and hot dogs. The limit on tiger muskies is one-per-day at least 40 inches in length. It was stocked March 15 with 6,000 rainbow trout. The trout fishing should be good until the stockers are caught or eaten by tiger muskies. Call 505.876.2391 for current conditions.
Morphy Lake State Park has reopened. This lake was heavily-impacted by the Calf Canyon/Hermit Peak Fire. No reports on how the fishing has been.
Storrie Lake State Park near Las Vegas is open for bank fishing. Boating is closed. It received two very heavy stockings last week totaling 7,520 rainbow trout. It also has some big catfish.
Pecos Canyon State Park is open. In the Canyon, the river has thawed and streamflow was measured 26.9 cubic-feet per second. This low compared to normal. There is lot of open water. The streamflow at Anton Chico is 179 cubic-feet-per-second which is well above average. The fishing has been fair-to-good for rainbow trout and brown trout. The Pecos River at Villanueva State Park was stocked March 15 with 500 rainbow trout.
Monastery Lake near Pecos reopened March 9 after the ice melted. It was stocked March 15 with 250 rainbow trout. Fishing should be good.
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. It was stocked April 20 with 219,027 kokanee salmon fingerlings. It was stocked twice last week with a toal of 19,680 sub-catchable rainbow trout. Boating conditions are good. Call 505.632.2278 for conditions. Navajo Lake does not freeze.
Aztec Pond #1 in Aztec was stocked March 15 with 99 rainbow trout. Tiger Park Pond in Aztec was stocked Oct. 25 with 149 rainbow trout averaging 19.2 inches in size. It was stocked again March 1 with 1,251 rainbow trout.
Lake Farmington was stocked March 8 with 2,496 rainbow trout.
Popular fishing locations on Carson National Forest include the Canjilon Lakes, the Trout Lakes near Cebolla and Hopewell Lake between Tres Piedras and Tierra Amarilla. These are high-elevation lakes that are now frozen.
The roads to the Trout Lakes and Canjilon Lakes are likely snowpacked and difficult to travel. Hopewell Lake is close to Highway 64 and may be accessed by hiking in or by snowmobile.
The campground at Hopewell Lake is now closed. The ice fishing has been good for stocked rainbow trout and wild brook trout. US Highway 64 has been reopened. Please be aware that this road may close during hazardous winter driving conditions. Check nmroads.com for road conditions.
The Rio de los Pinos near the border with Colorado is also reopened for camping and fishing. It was stocked Oct. 13 with 1,798 rainbow trout and also has wild brown trout. It is likely icing up and is hard to fish.
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 315 cubic-feet-per-second. This is about the same as last week and way 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 Feb. 21 with 33,090 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 March 15 with 2,338 rainbow trout.
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, but higher than last year at Abiquiu. Mostly open water and no ice fishing. A four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended for launching boats. The fishing has been slow for walleye, catfish and smallmouth bass. There are some good-sized trout in Abiquiu. They may have moved into shallow water. Call 505.685.4371 for more information.
The Chama River below Abiquiu Dam is flowing at 491 cubic-feet-per-second. This is much higher than last week and above normal. It was stocked March 16 with 574 catchable-size rainbow trout. 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.
Streamflow in the Chama River below El Vado Dam was 321 cubic-feet-per-second. This is much higher than last week. The state-record brown trout was caught here.
Above El Vado Lake, the Chama River at La Puente has thawed and streamflow was measured at 95.1 cubic-feet-per-second. This is below normal.
Cochiti Lake has reopened. The fishing has been fair-to-good for northern pike. Fishing for catfish could be worthwhile. Tetilla Peak Recreation Area is open, but the campground is closed.
Tingley Beach in Albuquerque is now being stocked with rainbow trout. It was stocked March 13 with 2,280 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 240 rainbow trout averaging 16.2 inches in size. The stockings will continue throughout the winter.
The winter stocking of trout has begun in the drainage canals of the Albuquerque area, The Albuquerque, Albuquerque (South), Belen, Bernalillo, Corrales and Peralta drains were stocked last week.
The Red River below the Fish Hatchery is flowing at 41.2 cubic-feet-per-second. This is slightly lower than last week and a little below normal. It was stocked March 9 with 688 rainbow trout. The Red River above Questa is iced over.
The Red River Hatchery Pond is likely frozen but the ice is melting rapidly. It was stocked Oct. 17 with 401 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 50 rainbow trout averaging 16.8 inches in size. Fishing is for anglers 11 years of age or younger and 65 years old or older. The limit is three-fish-per day.
Eagle Rock Lake near Questa is open. It was stocked Oct. 31 with 501 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 60 rainbow trout averaging 16.5 inches in size. The ice is rapidly deteriorating and use extreme caution. Best to wait and fish open water.
Cabresto Lake, a small, high-elevation lake accessible by four-wheel drive vehicle near Questa, has good ice fishing for wild brook trout and wild cutthroat trout.
