This fishing report, provided by the Department of Game and Fish in cooperation with Dustin Berg of www.gounlimited.org (“supporting disabled anglers”), has been generated from the best information available from area officers and anglers. Conditions encountered after the report is compiled may differ, as stream, lake and weather conditions alter fish and angler activities.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Tell us about your latest New Mexico fishing adventure, or your catch of the week. Send it to us at funfishingnm@gmail.com. We may include your story in our next report. For catches of the week include: name, age, hometown, date, location, type of fish, length and weight if possible, and bait, lure or fly used. Fish weights and measurements are provided by the angler and printed here as received.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST STOCKING REPORT

The 2024-25 license year is here. Get your new Fishing License now!

2023-24 Fishing Licenses are no longer valid. A 2024-25 Fishing License is now required since the new license year began on April 1. The 2024-25 Fishing Rules and Information Booklet (RIB) is available online and in print in English and Spanish.

Check the Fishing Conditions and Trip Planner!

The Department's Fishing Conditions and Trip Planner was created using data from past Weekly Fishing Reports to develop graphs depicting fishing conditions for several species and waterbodies throughout the year. Each graph represents the average fishing conditions for each week of the year over the four-year period. 

The Department has also developed an interactive Fishing Waters Map with a wealth of information on fishing locations in New Mexico. It displays hundreds of fishing access points with information of fish species available, facilities, accessibility, boat ramps and general regulations.

Check out the webpage to plan your trip now!

Take the Bass and Trout Challenges!

To promote fishing opportunities in New Mexico and encourage anglers to branch out and discover new fishing waters and species, anglers can participate in the New Mexico Bass Challenge, the New Mexico Trout Challenge and the Master Angler Challenge. Who knows, you could catch a New Mexico Record Fish.

Catch all the challenge species that are found throughout New Mexico or a New Mexico State Record Fish and receive a certificate and challenge coin for your accomplishment!

Land Management Agency Links

The Department reminds anglers to “know before you go” and to contact land management agencies regarding additional regulations or restrictions on specific properties of interest prior to heading afield.

• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
• U.S. Forest Service (USFS)
• New Mexico State Lands
• New Mexico State Parks 
• New Mexico Open Gate Properties 
• New Mexico Wildlife Management Areas
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Consult local government websites for information regarding specific city and town fishing access. 

NORTHEAST

NORTHEAST CATCHES OF THE WEEK

Charette Lakes: Phillip T Salazar of Maxwell caught 20 and 21-inch rainbow trout using Salmon Peach PowerBait on July 14.

Conchas Lake: Maycie Rael, age 12, of Tucumcari (above left) caught her first fish, a crappie, using Gulp minnows on July 9. Kenzie Rael, age 11, of Tucumcari (above right) had a great day catching eight fish in a mixed bag of walleye, smallmouth bass and white bass on July 9.

Eagle Nest Lake: Cody Trujillo of Abiquiu caught an 18-inch kokanee salmon using a silver Kastmaster lure on July 13. Michael Mondragon and Paul Mondragon of Española caught trout ranging in size from 12-18 inches and several small pike using a variety of Blue Fox spinners, 4-inch perch-pattern Rapala lures and floating pike minnow lures on July 4.

Pecos River: Giovanni and Isabella Yannoni, ages 4 and 2, of Albuquerque caught six rainbow trout using Glitter PowerBait on July 13.

Red River: David Morris of Dalhart, Texas, caught and released an 18-inch rainbow trout using a Panther Martin spinner on July 10.

NORTHEAST FISHING REPORT

Cabresto Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using PowerBait and worms.

Charette Lakes: Fishing for trout was good when using Salmon Peach PowerBait.

Cimarron River: Streamflow near Cimarron Monday morning was 30 cubic feet per second (cfs). Fishing for trout was fair to good when using bead-head nymph flies.

Clayton Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Conchas Lake: Fishing for bass was fair to good when using Gulp minnows and Senko worms. Fishing for white bass was fair to good when using Gulp minnows. Fishing for walleye was fair when using Gulp minnows. Fishing for crappie was fair when using Gulp minnows.

Costilla Creek: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Cowles Ponds: Fishing for trout was good when using PowerBait.

Coyote Creek: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Eagle Nest Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using Green Glitter PowerBait, Blue Fox spinners, 4-inch perch-pattern Rapala lures and floating pike minnow lures. Fishing for pike was slow to fair when using 4-inch perch-pattern lures. Fishing for kokanee salmon was slow to fair when using silver Kastmaster lures. For updated lake conditions, visit the park’s webpage or call the park office at 575-377-1594.

Eagle Rock Lake: Fishing for trout was fair when using salmon eggs and PowerBait.

Gallinas River: National Forest closures have been in place restricting fishing access. Visit the Santa Fe National Forest webpage or call the Santa Fe National Forest office at 505-438-5300 for the latest closure information.

Hopewell Lake: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using dry flies and olive-green Pistol Pete spinner flies.

Lake Alice: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Lake Maloya: Fishing for trout was good when using silver spoons. The ADA dock is open to anglers with priority given to mobility-impaired persons.

Los Pinos River: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using Mayfly Nymph flies, Prince Nymph flies and Hare’s Ear flies.

Maxwell Lake 13: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Monastery Lake: Fishing for trout was fair when using Garlic PowerBait. The lake is part of the Department’s Open Gate Program. Please visit our website for more information about this property.

Morphy Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using Orange PowerBait Mousetails, Yellow Garlic PowerBait, Green Garlic PowerBait, PowerBait Salmon Egg Balls and spinners.

Pecos River: Streamflow near Pecos Monday morning was 54 cfs. Fishing for trout was good when using Panther Martin spinners and Glitter PowerBait.

Red River: Streamflow below the Red River Hatchery on Monday morning was 55 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using Panther Martin spinners and small nymph flies near the town of Red River.

Rio Grande: Streamflow below the Taos Junction Bridge on Monday morning was 319 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair when using Mepps spinners.

Rio Hondo: Streamflow near Valdez Monday morning was 24 cfs.

Rio Mora: Streamflow near Terrero Monday morning was 20 cfs.

Rio Pueblo: Streamflow near Peñasco Monday morning was 15 cfs. Fishing for trout was good when using Prince Nymph flies.

Santa Cruz Reservoir: Fishing for trout was good when using worms and Roostertail spinners.

Shuree Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Springer Lake: Fishing for pike was fair when using spoons.

Storrie Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Stubblefield Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Ute Lake: Fishing for walleye was fair when using nightcrawler worm harness rigs and swimbaits. Fishing for white bass was good when using inline spinners and spoons. Fishing for smallmouth bass was fair when using tubes, jigs, Whopper Plopper lures and popping lures. Fishing for crappie was slow. Fishing for catfish was good when using punch bait and nightcrawler worms. Fishing for bluegill was good when using worms and small jigs. The main lake’s water surface temperature was in the high-70 F range, and the water was stained. 

NORTHWEST

NORTHWEST CATCHES OF THE WEEK

 Abiquiu Lake: Hunter Ortiz, age 9, of Las Vegas caught a 28-inch walleye using a jig head tipped with a worm on July 12. 

Bluewater Lake: George Romero of Grants caught 18 and 15-inch trout using corn on July 11.

Cochiti Lake: Nicole Hadley of Rio Rancho (top left) caught a 25-inch, 4.5-pound pike using a lipless white crankbait on July 12. Joaquin Garcia of Albuquerque (top right) caught a 24-inch catfish using a spinner tipped with bread on July 8. Mike Archuleta of Albuquerque (above) caught a 33-inch pike using a crankbait on July 2.

Navajo Lake: Danette Davis of Rio Rancho caught a 1-pound, 4-ounce smallmouth bass using a green-pumpkin Senko worm on July 4.

NORTHWEST FISHING REPORT

Abiquiu Lake: Fishing for walleye was fair when using jig heads tipped with worm. Contact the Abiquiu Lake Main Office at 505-685-4371 for updated lake conditions and closure information.

Animas River: Streamflow below Aztec Monday morning was 322 cfs.

Albuquerque Area Drains: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Bluewater Lake: Fishing for trout was fair when using corn.

Brazos River: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Canjilon Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Cochiti Lake: Fishing for white bass was fair to good when pink Roostertail spinners. Fishing for pike was fair to good when using lipless white crankbaits, spoons and rainbow-trout-pattern swimbaits.

El Vado Lake: Closed due to dam construction project. For more information, visit El Vado Lake State Park’s webpage or call 575-588-7247.

Fenton Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. For updated lake conditions and potential closure information, visit the park’s webpage or call the park office at 575-829-3630.

Grants Riverwalk Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Heron Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Jemez Waters: Streamflow near Jemez Monday morning was 15 cfs. Fishing for trout was good when using multi-colored PowerBait and dry flies. Fishing the East Fork was very good when using spinners, Copper John flies, Pheasant-Tail Nymph flies, Prince Nymph flies and Caddis Stimulator dry flies.

Laguna del Campo: Fishing for trout was fair when using blue-and-pink Mepps spinners, various PowerBait and salmon eggs.

Lagunitas Lakes: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using flies, salmon eggs and PowerBait.

Lake Farmington: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Liam Knight Pond: Fishing for catfish was fair when using worms and stink bait. Fishing for bluegill was good when using worms.

McGaffey Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Navajo Lake: Fishing for kokanee salmon was fair to good when using spinners tipped with corn. Fishing for pike was fair to good when using chartreuse swimbaits and cut bait. Fishing for bass was fair to good when using green-pumpkin Senko worms and wacky-rigged, soft-plastic worms.

Rio Chama: Streamflow below El Vado Lake Monday morning was 486 cfs; streamflow below Abiquiu Lake Tuesday morning was 106 cfs. Please remember, from the river-crossing bridge on U.S. Highway 84 at Abiquiu upstream 7 miles to the base of Abiquiu Dam is special trout waters with a bag limit of only two trout.

Rio Grande: Fishing for catfish was good when using shrimp.

Riverside Park Pond (Aztec Pond #1): We had no reports from anglers this week.

San Gregorio Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

San Juan River: Streamflow near Archuleta Tuesday morning was 596 cfs. Fishing for trout in the quality waters was fair to good when using red San Juan worms, green Wooly Bugger flies and green Scud Flies. Fishing for trout in the bait waters was fair to good when using shad-pattern Rapala lures and black-and-gold Panther Martin spinners.

Seven Springs Kids’ Pond: Fishing for trout was fair to good when using olive Woolly Bugger flies, rainbow-colored PowerBait and worms. Rio Grande chub are a native fish in the Jemez River drainage and can be found in the Seven Springs Kids’ Ponds. Anglers often mistake these awesome native fish for an invasive species and leave them on the banks to die. If you catch a Rio Grande chub, please do not leave it on the bank; return it to the water where it can survive as part of our native ecosystem.

Tiger Park Reservoir: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Tingley Beach: Fishing for bass was fair to good when using frog-pattern lures.

Trout Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week. 

SOUTHWEST

SOUTHWEST CATCHES OF THE WEEK

Elephant Butte Lake: Rachel Peña of Las Cruces caught a 23-inch, 6.5-pound largemouth bass using a crank bait on July 10. 

Lake Roberts: Irma Herrada of El Paso, Texas, caught a 22-inch catfish using hot dogs on July 5.

SOUTHWEST FISHING REPORT

Alumni Pond: Closed for repairs until further notice.

Bear Canyon Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Bill Evans Lake: Fishing for bass was fair to good when using spinnerbaits.

Caballo Lake: Fishing for walleye was good when using minnows. Fishing for catfish was good when using cut bait.

Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing for bass was good when using silver-and-blue Rat-L-Trap lures and white crankbaits. Fishing for white bass was very good when using Rat-L-Trap lures, Flicker Shad lures, chrome Kastmaster lures and shad-pattern swimbaits. Fishing for walleye was good when using chartreuse grubs and silver spinners. Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using live minnows, cut shad bait and cut carp bait.

Escondida Lake: Fishing for catfish was good when using chicken liver.

Estancia Park Lake: Fishing for bass was fair to good when using Whopper Plopper lures and soft-plastic, pink worms.

Gila River: Streamflow near Gila Monday morning was 63 cfs.

Glenwood Pond: Fishing for trout was fair when using PowerBait. Anglers reported an accumulation of moss in the pond.

Lake Roberts: Fishing for catfish was good when using hot dogs and stink bait.

Percha Dam: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Quemado Lake: Fishing for trout was slow to fair when using Kastmaster lures, chartreuse Rooster Tail spinners, PowerBait, Pistol Pete’s spinner flies, crankbaits and Panther Martin spinners.

Rancho Grande Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Grande: Streamflow below Elephant Butte Dam on Tuesday morning was 2,230 cfs. Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using worms and chicken liver.

Snow Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Trees Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Young Pond: Fishing for catfish was good when using chicken and nightcrawler worms. 

SOUTHEAST

SOUTHEAST CATCHES OF THE WEEK

Carlsbad Municipal Lake: Autumn Sandoval, age 9, of Carlsbad caught and released a 13-inch catfish using chicken liver on July 7.

Grindstone Reservoir: Rutger Carr of Ruidoso caught and released a 19.58-pound catfish and a 35-inch, 38-pound catfish using cut bait on July 13.

SOUTHEAST FISHING REPORT

Alto Lake: Evacuation orders in the Ruidoso area have been lifted, but please continue to exercise caution.

Bataan Lake: Fishing for catfish was slow to fair when using chicken liver and dough bait.

Berrendo Creek: Please visit the Open Gate webpage for more information on this property.

Black River: Streamflow at Malaga Monday morning was 26 cfs.

Blue Hole Park Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Bonito Lake: The lake remains closed due to wildfire impacts. Visit https://www.nmfireinfo.com for the latest information.

Bosque Redondo Lake: Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using worms.

Bottomless Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Brantley Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Carlsbad Municipal Lake: Fishing for catfish was slow to fair when using chicken liver and dough bait.

Chaparral Park Lake: Fishing for bass was fair to good when using Texas-rigged, green-colored Bandito Plastic Bugs.

Corona Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Dennis Chavez Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Eunice Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Green Meadow Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Greene Acres Lake: Fishing for catfish was good when using cut bait.

Grindstone Reservoir: Evacuation orders in the Ruidoso area have been lifted, but please continue to exercise caution.

Harry McAdams Park Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Jal Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Lake Van: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Ned Houk Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Oasis Park Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Pecos River: Streamflow below Sumner Lake Monday morning was 100 cfs. Fishing for catfish was good when using chicken breasts and hot dogs.

Perch Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Bonito: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Rio Ruidoso: Streamflow at Hollywood Tuesday morning was not reported. The area has been experiencing heavy flooding as a result of recent fire activity in conjunction with heavy rains.

Rock Lake Hatchery Kids’ Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using worms.

Spring River Pond: Fishing for catfish was good when using shrimp bait.

Sumner Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Timberon Ponds: We had no reports from anglers this week. 

TIPS, TRICKS AND STORIES

New Trout Challenge Coins Look GOOD!

These brand-new, collectible challenge coins will be stamped with the year you complete your challenge!

New Mexico is a state where the Rocky Mountains meet the desert. It is also a state that is rich in diversity from its many different climates to the fish and wildlife. Sportsmen and women of New Mexico are very fortunate to have such a diverse fishing opportunity, especially when it comes to trout.

New Mexico’s winter trout stocking program allows anglers across the state the opportunity to catch a trout in places that might not have them on a regular basis due to weather and water conditions. The best part about trout fishing in New Mexico is that anglers have the opportunity to catch trout from one end of the state to the other, whether stream or lake.

How to Enter

Catch five trout (Rio Grande cutthroat, Gila, brown, brook and rainbow trout) within New Mexico lakes and streams. Anglers who complete the challenge in New Mexico waters receive special awards and appear on the Department’s website.

Anglers submitting a catch for this challenge can do so by emailing them to dgf-fishingchallenges@dgf.nm.gov. Anglers must submit all catches at once when they have completed the challenge. All submissions must include the following information:

1. The angler’s current New Mexico fishing license number. Licenses are not required for New Mexico resident and non-resident anglers 11 years of age or younger.
2. The angler’s Customer Identification Number (CIN). This is required of all participants in the challenge.
3. What body of water the fish was caught in.
4. A photo of the fish. These photos will become the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish’s property to share on social media, while promoting fishing in New Mexico, the New Mexico Bass Challenge and any other agency publications.

Anglers who don’t have access to email can mail them to DGF Fishing Challenges, 1615 W. College Blvd., Roswell, NM 88201.

For Official Rules and more information, visit the Department’s website. 

Let us know how your fishing trip goes! Share your tips and tricks with your fellow anglers by emailing us at funfishingnm@gmail.com and let’s help the next generation of anglers find success.

Thanks for reading and supporting our angling community!