By GEORGE MORSE
Sports And Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post
Spring runoff from the melting snowpack took off with a bang last week. Streamflows increased dramatically in rivers throughout Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado.
The Jemez River drew the most attention and is a good example of how quickly conditions can change. It was flowing April 4 at 121 cubic-feet-per-second, which was near normal. By April 9, it had increased to 396 cubic-feet-per-second and was well-above normal. April 12, the Jemez was a roaring torrent at 1,280 cubic-feet-per-second. There was some flooding in the San Ysidro area and portions of State Highway 4 had water flowing across them.
The streamflow has since dropped to 526 cubic-feet-per-second Monday. It is likely that spring runoff has peaked on the Jemez River.
Other rivers in Northern New Mexico are still several weeks if not a month away until they reach their peak. The Rio Grande, Chama River and Pecos River are now all running well-above normal. They will continue to rise. Remember that the streamflow below reservoirs is controlled by the amount of water being released from below the dams. The Chama River below El Vado Lake and Abiquiu Lake is a good example.
To check on streamflows before planning a trip to your favorite river, check the United States Geological Survey streamflow chart online. There is also a link to this website on the Weekly Fishing and Stocking Report-New Mexico.
The Bureau of Land Management manages Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area near Chimayo. It will be open 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. The fishing should be good for stocked rainbow trout and some wild brown trout. It was stocked April 13 with 3227 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 1,140 cubic-feet-per-second at Taos Junction Bridge. This is much higher than last week and above normal. The Rio Grande at Pilar was stocked April 13 with 1,801 rainbow trout. There are some big, wild brown trout. Northern pike are caught on big streamers in the Pilar and Taos Junction Bridge areas.
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 April 14 with a total of 15,252 fingerling Rio Grande cutthroat 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. Much of the ice has melted and there ismore open water for bank fishing. 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 April 5 with 1,820 rainbow trout. Only two cutthroat trout may be kept as part of the five fish daily limit at Fenton. For more information and current lake conditions call (575).829.3630.
The Rio Cebolla, which flows into and below Fenton Lake, was stocked April 5 with 320 rainbow trout.
The Jemez River reached flood stage this past week, overflowing its banks. The streamflow Sunday was 500 cubic-feet-per-second. Streamflows reached as high as over 1,200 cubic-feet-per-second during the past week. There was significant flooding in the San Ysidro area and portions of State Road 4 had water flowing over it. State Road 4 is not closed. The US Forest Service closed fishing and camping areas along State Road 4 below Jemez Springs. The river is now blown out with spring runoff and fishing will be very difficult.
The smaller tributaries of the Jemez River are also swollen with runoff. San Gregorio Lake likely has rapidly deteriorating ice. Portions of State Road 126 were closed due to heavy snow last week so check: nmroads.com for closures:
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 April 5 with 385 rainbow trout. It also has some wild brown trout and some Rio Grande cutthroat trout from an earlier stocking. The limit is three trout-per-day.
Eagle Nest Lake at Eagle Nest State Park now has plenty of open water for bank fishing. Boating is closed
Fishing should be good for rainbow trout, yellow perch, northern pike and an occasional kokanee salmon. The state-record kokanee was caught at Eagle Nest. For more information and current conditions, call (575).377.1594.
The Cimarron River in Cimarron Canyon State Park is opening up. The streamflow below Eagle Nest Dam was 9.52 cubic-feet-per-second. This is higher than last week. The Cimarron River near the town of Cimarron is losing its ice and streamflow was measured at 30.9 cubic-feet-per second. Check the Carson National Forest website to see if campgrounds are open.
The Cimarron Gravel Pit Lakes at Maverick Campground are likely open now but have not been stocked.
Lake Maloya and Lake Alice at Sugarite State Park near Raton have some open water. Lake Maloya was stocked March 28 with 1,266 rainbow trout and Lake Alice was stocked with 500 rainbow trout. Call (575).445.5607 for current conditions.
Clayton Lake reopened March 1. The state-record walleye was caught here and it is heavily-stocked with rainbow trout. It was stocked April 5 with 1,830 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 400 rainbow trout averaging 17.8 inches in size. Call (575).374.8808 for conditions.
Heron Lake State Park is now closed to ice fishing due to deteriorating ice conditions. Should be some open water for bank fishing soon. The boat ramps are closed. The lake level is still low.
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.
Laguna del Campo, a popular, small lake near Los Ojos, will open May 1 for fishing.
Bluewater Lake State Park is open. Camping is allowed by reservation only. Lake water level is low but it is rising. Currently, the lake is mostly open water. 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 by anglers or eaten by tiger muskies. Call (505).876.2391 for current conditions.
McGaffey Lake is being stocked again. It was stocked April 11 with 1,703 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 33 rainbow trout averaging17.8 inches in size.
Morphy Lake State Park near Mora has reopened. This lake was heavily-impacted by the Calf Canyon/Hermit Peak Fire. It was stocked April 5 with 3,599 catchable-size rainbow trout.
Coyote Creek State Park is open. Coyote Creek was stocked April 11 with 633 rainbow trout. The Coyote Creek Pond was stocked with 461 rainbow trout.
The Charette Lakes have good fishing for holdover rainbow trout and were stocked March 30 with 1,249 catchable-size rainbow trout. There are also yellow perch here.
Storrie Lake State Park near Las Vegas is open for bank fishing. Boating is closed. It was stocked April 4 with 2205 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 378 cubic-feet per second. This is higher than last week and well above normal. There is lot of open water. It was stocked twice last week with a total of 1,044 rainbow trout. The streamflow at Anton Chico is 642 cubic-feet-per-second which is well-above average. It is higher than last week. The fishing has been fair-to-good for rainbow trout and brown trout, but high water may make fishing difficult. The Pecos River at Villanueva State Park was stocked twice last week with a total of 1,021 rainbow trout.
A Flood Advisory for the Pecos River was canceled. Anglers should pay attention for rising water anywhere in the state.
The Mora Fork of the Pecos River was stocked April 6 with 325 rainbow trout.
Monastery Lake near Pecos reopened March 9 after the ice melted. It was stocked April 4 with 198 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 three times last week with a total of 54,632 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 April 4 with 244 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 45 rainbow trout averaging 14.7 inches in length. Tiger Park Pond in Aztec was stocked April 4 with 854 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 150 rainbow trout averaging 14.7 inches in size.
Lake Farmington was stocked April 11 with 2,250 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 Forest Service 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. The ice is starting to deteriorate here and caution should be used. Check nmroads.com for road conditions.
The Rio de los Pinos is near the border with Colorado. It is thawing 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 284 cubic-feet-per-second. This is slightly higher than 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 April 4 with 2,445 rainbow trout.
The following locations also are 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 1,380 cubic-feet-per-second. This is much higher than last week and above normal. The water is murky. It was stocked April 4 with 836 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 1,150 cubic-feet-per-second. This is a much higher than last week and above normal. The state-record brown trout was caught here. It was stocked April 4 with 950 rainbow trout.
Above El Vado Lake, the Chama River at La Puente has thawed and streamflow was measured 955 cubic-feet-per-second. This is much higher than last week and well-above normal. It was stocked April 4 with 836 rainbow trout.
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 will not be stocked with trout again until fall. It was not stocked last week.
The winter stocking of trout has ended in Albuquerque area drainage ditches. They were not stocked last week.
The Rio Pueblo near Penasco is free of ice and streamflow was measured at 208 cubic-feet-per-second. This is well-above normal. It was stocked April 13 with 961 rainbow trout.
The Red River below the Fish Hatchery is flowing at 105 cubic-feet-per-second. This is higher than last week and well-above normal. It was stocked April 5 with 560 rainbow trout. The Red River above Questa is losing its ice and streamflow was measured at 66.4 cubic-feet-per-second. It was stocked April 14 with 500 fingerling Rio Grande cutthroat trout.
The Red River Hatchery Pond is open. Fishing is for anglers 11 years of age or younger and 65 years old or older. The limit is now five-fish-per day. It was stocked April 5 with 325 rainbow trout.
Eagle Rock Lake near Questa is open. The ice is almost gone. It is best to fish the open water. It was stocked March 23 with 499 rainbow trout.
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.
