New Mexico Fly Fishing Report October 2005

Conditions encountered after the report is compiled may differ, however, as stream, lake and weather conditions alter fish and angler activities.

NORTHEAST AREA

CANJILON LAKES: Fishing is fair-to-good for rainbow trout using flies under a bubble, spinners, spoons, powerbait and salmon eggs.

CIMARRON RIVER: The river is fairly low. Fishing is good for rainbow and brown trout using a variety of midge patterns, including parachute adams in sizes 18-22, light-colored caddis in sizes 16-20, blue wing olives and gnats.

CLAYTON LAKE: Fishing is fair for rainbow trout on powerbait, fireballs and nightcrawlers. Fishing is fair for catfish on chicken liver. Fishing is fair for black bass on a variety of lures, with a couple in the 6-pound class caught over the weekend. No reports on other species.

COCHITI LAKE: Fishing is fair for white bass and crappie using minnows. Fishing for bluegill is fair. A few catfish and smallmouth bass have been caught as well. Fishing pressure is very light.

CONCHAS LAKE: Walleye fishing has been picking up due to the recent cooler weather. Anglers are having success trolling wally divers and Bomber model A’s. Crappie fishing is good with minnows. Bluegill fishing is good with nightcrawlers. White bass fishing is good with silver spinners and minnows. Black bass fishing is good on motor oil or blue w/ firetail powerworms. Catfishing has been good on trot lines with liver, cutbait and shrimp.

COYOTE CREEK: Fishing is fair-to-good for rainbow trout.

EAGLE NEST LAKE: Fishing is slow for anglers fishing from the shore for rainbow trout. Fishing is only slightly better for anglers trolling from boats. Fishing is slow for perch. No reports on other species.

MORPHY LAKE: Fishing is good for rainbow trout using flies, spinners, spoons, powerbait, salmon eggs and nightcrawlers.

PECOS RIVER: Water flow at Pecos is 140 cfs. Fishing has been very good for brown and rainbow trout on midge patterns in the morning, and caddis and baetis in the afternoon. Nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, small spinners and spoons have also been catching fish.

RED RIVER: Fishing is fair-to-good for brown and rainbow trout with nymphs, hare’s ears, nightcrawlers and salmon eggs.

RIO GRANDE: Fishing is very good for brown and rainbow trout from 10 to 16 inches. Afternoon has been best with baetis patterns, caddis larva, double hackle peacock’s, HDA favorites, streamers and chartreuse copper john barrs.

SPRINGER LAKE: Fishing is fair for anglers using liver and cutbait for catfish. No reports on other species.

STORRIE LAKE: Fishing is fair for catfish on liver, cutbait and shrimp. Fishing is slow for all other species.

UTE LAKE: Walleye fishing is starting to pick up with the cooler weather. Most of the fish are in 30-40 feet of water. Jig and grub and jig and worm combinations have been good, as well as bottom bouncers with nightcrawlers. Smallmouth bass fishing is good on finesse plastics, rattletraps and spinnerbaits. The white bass are starting to school up and bite on top-water baits and minnows. Catfishing is fair-to-good on cutbait. Bluegill fishing is very good for small fish.

NORTHWEST AREA

ABIQUIU LAKE: Walleye fishing picked up over the weekend. Anglers fishing from the shore caught a few channel catfish. Fishing is slow for all other species.

BLUEWATER LAKE: Fishing is good for trout. Fishing for catfish is slow. There were no reports on other species.

CHAMA RIVER: Water flow below El Vado was 75 cfs as of Monday. Trout fishing has been good below El Vado. One angler caught and released a 20-inch brown trout. Several 17-inchers were also caught over the weekend. Best baits were nightcrawlers, wooly buggers and powerbait.

EL VADO LAKE: Fishing is slow for all species.

FENTON LAKE: Fishing is fair for rainbow trout. Best baits were salmon eggs and nightcrawlers.

HERON LAKE: Fishing is slow for lake trout. Fishing is slow-to-fair for rainbow trout from the bank on powerbait and cripplelures. Kokanee salmon snagging season opens November 15.

JEMEZ WATERS: Fishing is very good for rainbows and browns up to 12 inches. Best baits were small bead head wooly buggers, baetis mayflies, nightcrawlers and salmon eggs.

NAVAJO LAKE: Fishing is good for black bass on crankbaits. Anglers have also caught several northern pike on gitzits. Kokanee salmon snagging is in full swing, with most snaggers limiting out in about 2 hours. Anglers are still catching some Kokanees trolling with downriggers at depths of 75 feet. There were no reports on other species.

SAN GREGORIO: Fishing is very slow.

SAN JUAN RIVER: Water flow below Navajo Dam was 627 cfs as of Monday morning. Fishing in the quality waters is very good. Anglers are having good success with foam wings, cream UFOs, chocolate zebra midges and red annelids. Several brown and rainbow trout up to 19 inches were caught on black wooly buggers fished near the bottom. Fishing is also good in the bait waters on nightcrawlers, salmon eggs and spinners.

SOUTHWEST AREA

BURN LAKE: Fishing is slow for catfish using stink baits and shrimp.

CABALLO LAKE: Fishing is slow. Some catfish were taken on worms and shad.

ELEPHANT BUTTE: Fishing is slow for most species. A few catfish were taken on liver, live bait or cut bait at the north end of the lake. Fishing for black bass has been best near rocky points.

ESCONDIDA LAKE: No reports from anglers this week.

GLENWOOD POND: This pond was recently stocked with rainbow trout. Fishing should be good using salmon eggs and powerbait.

LAKE ROBERTS: Rainbow trout were stocked last week so fishing should improve.

PERCHA DAM: Fishing is slow. Some white bass and walleye were being caught on artificial lures.

QUEMADO LAKE: Fishing should be good since the lake was recently stocked with rainbow trout.

WILLOW CREEK: Fishing is good for trout using salmon eggs and powerbait.

SOUTHEAST AREA

BATAAN LAKE: Fishing is slow. Look for trout fishing to pick up in November when stocking begins.

BONITO LAKE: Fishing for rainbow trout is good for some, slow for others. Some anglers had success with elk hair caddis fished early and late in the day. A few fish were taken on nightcrawlers, salmon eggs and powerbait as well.

BOSQUE REDONDO: No reports from anglers this week.

BRANTLEY LAKE:
Fishing is slow for all species.

CARLSBAD MUNICIPAL LAKE: Fishing is fair for largemouth bass. Most of the fish were fairly small (under 10 inches).

GRINDSTONE LAKE: Fishing is fair-to-good for rainbow trout.

PECOS RIVER: Water flow below Sumner Lake was 98 cfs as of Monday. Fishing is fair for channel catfish using nightcrawlers, liver and shrimp.

PERCH LAKE: No reports from anglers this week.

RUIDOSO RIVER: Fishing is fair-to-good for rainbow trout.

SANTA ROSA LAKE: Fishing is slow-to-fair for smallmouth and largemouth bass. Most of the fish have been fairly small. Catfishing has slowed down significantly. There were no reports on other species.

SUMNER LAKE: Fishing has been good for bluegills, but slow for all other species. Look for the walleyes to start moving again with the recent cooler weather.