Weekly Fishing Report: September 19, 2023

Written by George Morse
Sports and outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post

Last week saw some much needed rain, especially after the dry summer we had in July and August.

Sewer flows rose slightly across the north, helping smaller sewers maintain adequate flows. Cooler temperatures should cause trout to move from deeper to shallow water in lakes. Smaller trout lakes and ponds should see more activity, and fishing for wild brown trout in our streams and rivers is expected to begin soon. There was already a dusting of snow on top of Wheeler Peak, New Mexico’s highest mountain. The 14ers in Colorado received some snow at the highest elevations. Now is a particularly colorful time in our mountains. The whiteness of fresh snow gives way to sparkling golden poplars. Plan a day trip and enjoy the scenery and maybe catch some fish as a reward.

Fenton Lake State Park is open for camping. The lake is open from 7 am to 7 pm. Camping is by reservation only. It is heavily stocked with rainbow trout. It also has some wild brown trout and some Rio Grande trout from previous stockings. It was stocked on September 7 with 951 rainbow trout. For more information and current lake conditions call 575.829.3630.

70 rainbow trout were stocked in the Rio Cibola River, which flows in and below Lake Vinton, on Sept. 7. It also has wild brown trout.

Downstream flow of the Jemez River on Monday was 20.6 cubic feet per second. This is higher than last week and lower than normal. The Jemez River was stocked June 21 with 323 rainbow trout.

The smaller tributaries of the Jemez River decline. 369 rainbow trout were stocked at the Rio San Antonio on August 17. All streams in the Jemez Bank also hold wild brown trout.

Seven Springs Brood Pond, also known as Kid’s Pond, is open. Located in the Seven Springs Fish Hatchery. Fishing is intended for anglers 11 years of age or younger. It was stocked on September 7 with 450 rainbow trout. It also has some wild brown trout and some Rio Grande trout from a previous stock. The maximum is three trout per day.

The Bureau of Land Management manages the Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area near Chimayo. It will be open from 6:30 am to 8 pm from Thursday to Sunday. Fishing should be good for stocked rainbow trout and some wild brown trout. The water in Santa Cruz may be too warm to stock, and the trout will be in deeper water. The water level is low, but the boat ramp is still open. Cold weather may cause trout to move into shallow water.

For updated conditions, check with the Bureau of Land Management website Or call 505.351.1438.

The office also manages the Orilla Verde Recreation Area along the Rio Grande River in Pilar. Camping is on a first-come, first-served basis. No reservations. Downstream flow of the Rio Grande was 223 cubic feet per second at the Taos Junction Bridge. This is higher than last week and lower than normal. The Rio Grande at Pilar was stocked on September 11 with 2,001 rainbow trout. Fishing conditions are very good on the Rio Grande right now.

From the Colorado state line downstream to the Taos Junction Bridge, the limit is two trout per day on the Rio Grande. 249 rainbow trout were stocked in the Rio Grande Gorge area above Pilar on September 11.

Eagle Nest Lake in Eagle Nest State Park is open. Boating is open and docks are present.

Fishing should be good for rainbow trout, yellow perch, northern pike, and the occasional kokanee salmon. Eagle Nest is receiving heavy stockings of large, catchable spawning fish, which is unusual. Larger trout are stocked in hopes of mitigating losses from predation by northern pike. Remember, if you catch a pike at Eagle Nest, you won’t be able to return it to the lake. You have to kill him. For more information and current conditions, call 575.377.1594.

Downstream flow of the Cimarron River below Eagle Nest Dam was 33.8 cubic feet per second. This is slightly lower than last week. The Cimarron River near the town of Cimarron was measured to flow at 37.6 cubic feet per second. It was stocked on September 12 with 2,415 rainbow trout. Check the Carson National Forest website to see if campgrounds are open.

The Cimarron Gravel Pit at Maverick Campground is now open. It was stocked on September 12 with 399 rainbow trout.

Lake Maloya and Lake Alice in Sugarite State Park near Raton are open. Lake Maloya was stocked on August 17 with 2,156 catchable size rainbow trout. Lake Alice was stocked on August 17 with 501 rainbow trout. Call (575) 445-5607 for current conditions.

Heron Lake State Park is now open. There is open water for bank fishing, which was good for catching rainbow trout. The boat dock and boat ramp are now open.. The lake level is much higher than in previous years.

Call 575.588.7470 for conditions at both Lake Huron and Lake El Vado.

Lake El Vado State Park is closed. Try fishing at the north end of the lake where the Chama River empties.

Laguna del Campo, a popular small lake near Los Ojos, is open to fishing. It was stocked on September 12 with 504 rainbow trout. Hunting is for anglers 11 years of age or younger and 65 years of age or older. The limit is three fish per day.

Morphy Lake State Park near Mora has reopened. It was stocked July 12 with 1,350 rainbow trout.

Coyote Creek State Park near Guadalupita was stocked Sept. 14 with 801 rainbow trout. Coyote Creek Pond is stocked with 600 rainbow trout.

Charette Lakes has good rainbow trout fishing. There is also yellow perch here. It was stocked on June 27 with 2,497 rainbow trout.

Storrie Lake State Park near Las Vegas is open. It was stocked on September 11 with 4,009 rainbow trout. It also has some big catfish.

Pecos Canyon State Park is open. In the valley, the river flow was measured at 31.6 cubic feet per second. This is slightly higher than last week and below normal. Fishing for trout and brown trout has been fair to good. Pecos Canyon was stocked Sept. 6 with 1,500 rainbow trout.

In the Pecos drainage area, Holy Ghost Creek was stocked Sept. 6 with 200 rainbow trout. The Mora Fork was stocked Sept. 6 with 200 rainbow trout. Cow Creek was stocked on August 28 with 504 rainbow trout.

Monastery Lake near Pecos was fair. It was stocked on September 12 with 1,006 rainbow trout.

In the Four Corners area, Navajo Lake State Park is open. Camping is by reservation only. Trolling with imitation baits such as Rapalas can produce brown trout. Northern pike fishing has been fair to good. The fishing has been fair. Kokanee salmon are starting to school near the dam at a depth of 50-60 feet. Boating conditions are good. Call 505.632.2278 for terms.

Popular fishing spots in the Carson National Forest include Canjilon Lakes and Trout Lakes near Cibola and Hopewell Lake between Tres Piedras and Tierra Amarilla.

Forest Service roads leading to Trout Lakes and Kanjilon Lakes are now open. Canjilon was stocked on September 11 with 1,176 rainbow trout and has a small run of trout. Trout Lakes on September 11 were stocked with 840 rainbow trout.

The campground at Hopewell Lake is open. Fishing has been good for trout and wild trout. It was stocked on September 11 with 2,184 rainbow trout.

The Lagunitas lakes were stocked and the fishing was very good. It was stocked on September 6 with 1,499 rainbow trout.

The Rio de los Pinos region is located near the border with Colorado. II was stocked on September 12 with 1,796 rainbow trout. It has wild brown trout.

The best river in the state and known throughout the fishing world is the San Juan River below Navajo Dam. Stream flow here is now 892 cubic feet per second, which is higher than last week. San Juan offers world-class fishing for large trout.

Fishing has been good with a variety of fly patterns in the four miles of quality water below the dam. Fishing here is done by catch and release with flies and lures that have a single barbed hook. It is full of small rainbow trout that grow quickly in the fertile waters. Large wild brown trout are found in high quality water. Some of these fish would likely break the state record if they could be kept and weighed.

Bait Water fishing in San Juan below the water quality was fair to good using flies, lures and lures. A regular daily limit of five trout can be kept here. There are some big brown trout here too. It has been stocked for two weeks with a total of 1,812 rainbow trout.

Lake Abiquiu is open, including a boat ramp and picnic areas. Camping is open. It is managed by the Corps of Engineers. Reservations can be made at www.recreation.gov. The water levels here have been much better this year than in previous years. Fishing has been fair for walleye, catfish and smallmouth bass. There are some good sized trout at Abiquiu. Call 505.685.4371 for more information.

The Chama River flows below the Abiquiu Dam at a rate of 1,200 cubic feet per second. This is slightly higher than last week and above normal. The water is murky. Fishing is likely to be fair for stocked and held trout. There are a few large wild brown trout here. It was stocked on September 5 with 1,029 rainbow trout. The limit here is two fish per day.

The streamflow of the Chama River below the Alvado Dam was 494 cubic feet per second. This is much higher than last week and above normal. It has wild brown trout. It was stocked on September 7 with 401 rainbow trout.

Above Lake El Vado, the Chama River at La Puente was clear and the river flow was 68.0 cubic feet per second. This is significantly higher than last week and slightly above normal. It was stocked on September 5 with 1,029 rainbow trout.

The Brazos River was flowing at a rate of 29.2 cubic feet per second. It was much higher than last week and above normal. It was stocked on September 5 with 505 rainbow trout.

Lake Cochiti has reopened. The lake water level rose 11 feet. The lake level has since dropped and the picnic areas are no longer flooded. Fishing has been fair to good for northern pike. Catfish fishing may be beneficial. Tetilla Peak Recreation Area is open, but the campground is closed.

Catfish are now being stocked at Tingley Beach in Albuquerque. It was stocked on August 31 with 473 catfish averaging 18 inches in length.

The flow of the Rio Pueblo River near Peñasco was measured at 11.0 cubic feet per second. This is higher than last week and lower than normal. It was stocked on September 13 with 1,200 rainbow trout. It has wild brown trout.

Sipapu Pond was stocked on August 29 with 67 rainbow trout

The Red River flows below the fish hatchery at a rate of 57.1 cubic feet per second. This is higher than last week and above normal. It was stocked on September 6 with 701 rainbow trout. The Red River above Questa was stocked on September 13 with 2,900 rainbow trout.

Red River Hatchery Pond is open. Hunting is for anglers 11 years of age or younger and 65 years of age or older. The limit now is five fish a day. It was stocked on September 6 with 399 catchable size rainbow trout.

Both the East and West Forks of the Red River were stocked on August 22 with 300 rainbow trout.

Eagle Rock Lake near Questa is open. It was stocked on September 7 with 499 rainbow trout.

105 rainbow trout were stocked in Valle Vidal’s Shuri Ponds on July 24, averaging 15.2 inches.

Cabristo Lake, a small, high-elevation lake accessible by four-wheel drive near Cuesta, has good fishing for brook trout and wild trout.