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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2023-24 Fishing Licenses are no longer valid.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.

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

NORTHEAST

NORTHEAST CATCHES OF THE WEEK

Pecos River: Orlando Mora of Albuquerque caught a 26-inch rainbow trout using PowerBait on July 2.

Red River: Sisters Sofia and Eve Mondragon, ages 12 and 10, of Ojo Caliente each caught three trout using worms near Questa on July 6 (above, left). Greg Vigil caught an 18-inch rainbow trout using a homegrown nightcrawler worm on July 1 (above, right).

Santa Cruz Reservoir: Hunter and Aubrey Finegan, ages 15 and 18, of Albuquerque caught and released an assortment of 10 rainbow and brown trout 12 to 15-inches long using worms and Roostertail spinners on July 6 and 7.

NORTHEAST FISHING REPORT

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

Charette Lakes: Fishing for trout was fair when using PowerBait.

Cimarron River: Streamflow near Cimarron Monday morning was 42 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 Senko worms. Fishing for catfish was good when using worms.

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

Cowles Ponds: Fishing for trout was good when using dry flies in the evenings.

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

Eagle Nest Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using Yellow PowerBait, Rapala lures, red wiggler worms and Salmon Egg Glitter PowerBait. Fishing for pike was slow to fair when using white paddle-tail swimbaits and Streamer flies. 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 good 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 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 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.

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 69 cfs. Fishing for trout was good when using PowerBait, nightcrawler worms, salmon eggs and Rapala Countdown lures.

Red River: Streamflow below the Red River Hatchery on Monday morning was 65 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good when using Pink PowerBait, nightcrawler worms, flies and salmon eggs near the town of Red River.

Rio Grande: Streamflow below the Taos Junction Bridge on Monday morning was 405 cfs. Fishing for trout was slow to fair when using homemade, white Streamer flies. Fishing for pike was slow to fair when using Streamer flies. Anglers reported murky water conditions.

Rio Hondo: Streamflow near Valdez Monday morning was 38 cfs.

Rio Mora: Streamflow near Terrero Monday morning was 23 cfs.

Rio Pueblo: Streamflow near Peñasco Monday morning was 23 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 slow when using jigs tipped with nightcrawler worms and minnows. Fishing for white bass was good when using Wally Divers. Fishing for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass was fair when using Carolina Rigged Gulp minnows and 4-inch Gulp worms. Fishing for crappie was slow. Fishing for catfish was fair when using cut bait. 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 clear.

NORTHWEST

NORTHWEST CATCHES OF THE WEEK

San Juan River: Joaquin Trujillo of Española caught a 23-inch 5.5-pound brown trout using a shad pattern Rapala lure on July 4 (above, left). Ayden Gabaldon, age 8, of Albuquerque caught and released a 14-inch brown trout using a black and gold Panther Martin spinner on June 26 (above, right).

NORTHWEST FISHING REPORT

Abiquiu Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. 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 686 cfs.

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

Bluewater Lake: Fishing for trout was fair when using deep-diving crankbaits. Fishing for tiger muskie was slow to fair when using swimbaits.

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 good when using white swimbaits. Fishing for pike was good when using spoons, curly-tail jigs, rainbow-trout-pattern swimbaits and Rapala lures.

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: Fishing for trout was good when using Joe’s Flies. Other anglers reported dirty water conditions and slow fishing, possibly from recent rains. 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: Fishing for trout and sucker fish was slow when using JBT Boilie Baits and Joel-O-Shotz.

Jemez Waters: Streamflow near Jemez Monday morning was 20 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 bass was fair when using watermelon-colored plastic 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 good when using jerk baits 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 101 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 485 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

Lake Roberts: Ryan Busby, age 12, of Red Rock, Arizona, caught five catfish weighing over 2-pounds using homemade stink bait on July 1.

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 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 stink bait.

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

Quemado Lake: Fishing for trout was good 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 2,320 cfs. Fishing for catfish was fair to good when using worms and chicken liver.

Snow Lake: Fishing for trout was good when using corn and Garlic PowerBait. On Monday, anglers reported the fishing was slow.

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 CATCH OF THE WEEK

There were no catches of the week submitted for the Southeast. Please send us your photos as you get out and fish!

SOUTHEAST FISHING REPORT

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

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

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

Black River: Streamflow at Malaga Monday morning was 4 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 bass was fair to good when using live minnows.

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 114 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. The boat ramp was closed due to the recent block release of water.

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

Fishing for Catfish with Red Kool-Aid and Hot Dogs

By Dustin Berg and Kevin Ortiz

Have you ever tried fishing for catfish using those stink-bait balls that come in a little plastic pouch from the bait store? Those terrible-smelling, little nuggets of who-knows-what! It is probably best not to know. It is definitely best to bring a pair of plastic gloves if you plan to use those things for bait. Once that nasty smell gets on your hands, it is hard to get it off. Don’t be surprised if you can still smell a little catfish blood bait on your hands at the dinner table even after multiple vigorous washings.

What I find to be a much more enjoyable bait to work with is a good old-fashioned hot dog. One for me, one for the fish…it’s not so bad at all! And the fish eat them up. Especially the red hot dogs.

Kevin Ortiz shared some tips below on how to set up hot dogs using red Kool-Aid and slide sinkers. I’m a big fan of the slide sinker setup. The fish can take the bait without really feeling the weight.

Kevin Ortiz with a 5-pound catfish he caught at Green Meadow Lake.

Kevin says: I use a slip sinker that is not too heavy; just enough weight to cast out a good 50-feet or so. I use 10 to 12-pound-test-line (preferably clear or green). To stop the slip sinker from sliding all the way to the hook, I use a stopper, either a barrel swivel or split-shot weight like the one in the picture below.

I prefer to use a number 2 or 4, circle bait hook. Circle hooks are my favorite, but you can also use the basic Eagle Claw bait hooks. They both work great!

I like to mix my hot dogs with garlic salt and red Kool-Aid in a Ziploc bag. When using a hot dog, you must make sure to gently feed the hook through it; if you start ripping at the hotdog piece it ruins the grip of the hook on the soft textured hot dog.

Check the stocking report to find out where catfish have recently been released! , Let us know how you do if you try Kevin Ortiz’s Red Kool-Aid Hot Dog Rig for catfishing.

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!