El Vado Lake Trout Fishing Public Access July 14, 2020

El Vado Lake Trout Fishing Public Access

El Vado Lake is a reservoir located in Rio Arriba County, in northern New Mexico. Water is impounded by the earth-filled El Vado Dam, completed in 1935.

The 3,200-acre lake is 5 miles long and over 1 mile wide, and lies at an elevation of 6,900 feet.

El Vado Reservoir, is located 17 miles southwest of Tierra Amarilla via NM 112.

Year-round fishing for rainbow and brown trout. Quiet coves around the lake are great places to catch trout and kokanee salmon.

Boat ramp at north end of reservoir via State 95, limited to high water use. No concessionaires. No food service. No lodging within park. Kokanee salmon season Nov. 1-Jan. 31.

The scenic Chama River flows from El Vado Lake for 32 miles through the Rio Chama Canyon on its way to the Rio Grande through Heron Lake, Abiquiu Reservoir, the Santa Fe National Forest and the Carson National Forest.

The Chama River has seen good fishing recently with streamflows above El Vado Lake running well-below normal for this time of year, making for excellent fly-fishing conditions. The streamflow below El Vado Dam was 605 cubic-feet-per-second. The fishing has been fair-to-good for stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout.

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