Fishing report - Jan. 25

This fishing report, provided by the Department of Game and Fish, has been generated from the best information available from area officers, anglers, guides and local businesses. Conditions may vary as stream, lake and weather conditions alter fish and angler activities.

Northeast

Charette Lakes — The lake has closed for the season and will reopen next spring.

Clayton Lake — Closed until noon March 1.

Conchas Lake — Fishing is fair for crappie and walleye using minnows. Fishing pressure has been slow due to cold temperatures and wind.

Costilla Creek — No report.

Coyote Creek — Closed for the winter.

Eagle Nest Lake —16-17 inches of ice. Fishing is fair for yellow perch and rainbows with Power Bait and salmon eggs. The weather has been cold and windy but most fish are being caught by the boat dock and north access.

Lake Alice and Lake Maloya — Ice is 9-13 inches thick at Lake Maloya. Power Bait and salmon eggs have been catching 6- to 13-inch rainbow trout. Fishing is poor at Lake Alice due to thin ice and the lake has not been stocked.

Maxwell Lakes — Closed until noon March 1.

Monastery Lake: Closed to ice fishing.

Morphy Lake — Closed until April 1.

Pecos River — The upper river is under ice. In lower sections, fishing has been slow.

Red River — Fishing has been slow below the hatchery but some rainbows and browns are being caught.

Rio Grande — 428 cfs at Embudo. Fishing is picking up for pike using bunny leeches, fair for trout using midges and bead-head nymphs.

Rio Hondo — No report.

Rio Pueblo — No report.

Shuree Ponds — Closed until July 1.

Springer Lake — Closed to ice fishing.

Storrie Lake — Lake is open for fishing with no ice. Fishing has been fair for trout using Power Bait and salmon eggs. Weather has been windy.

Ute Lake — The water temperature is 42 degrees. Some white bass are being caught at a depth of 45-50 feet, and occasionally a walleye.

Southeast

Rio Ruidoso — Fishing should improve with stocking of 625 rainbow trout last week.

Bonito Lake —The lake is closed for the season and will reopen next spring.

Bottomless Lakes: No report, but was stocked with 249 rainbow trout last week.

Brantley Reservoir — There has been light pressure and no current report. A mandatory catch and release is in place at Brantley Lake because pesticides have been found in the fish. Do not keep or eat them.

Grindstone Reservoir — Fishing should improve with stocking of 4,872 9-inch rainbow trout last week. Try worms, Power Bait and Pistol Petes.

Lake Van — Fishing is good on Power Bait and salmon eggs. The lake was stocked with 3,027 trout last week.

Oasis State Park Lake — Trout fishing is good on a variety of baits. The late was stocked with 823 trout two weeks ago.

Southwest

Gila River — With warmer weather the flow is 220 cfs . Fishing pressure is very light.

Rio Grande — Fishing has been fair between Elephant Butte and Caballo lakes for stocked triploid rainbow trout. Anglers report that a few white bass were caught on night crawlers and plastics below Caballo.

Bear Canyon Lake — Fishing for trout is good with Power Bait. Other species are slow.

Bill Evans Lake — Fishing for trout is reported as good with bright-colored Power Bait, fireballs, spinners and flies all working well. 1,500 triploid rainbow trout were stocked last week so fishing should remain good. No reports on other species.

Caballo Lake — Water levels are very low and caution should be used if boating. Very light fishing pressure and no reports of success.

Elephant Butte Lake — No report.

Escondida Lake — No report.

Glenwood Ponds — Fishing is reported as good for trout. Brigh-colored Power Bait is working best.

Lake Roberts — Trout fishing is reported as slow with Power Bait. Fishing pressure has been light.

Quemado Lake — No report.

Snow Lake — Roads to Snow Lake are impassible.

Northwest

Animas River — With snow and cold weather conditions, fishing has been slow. Anglers who have been checked are reporting very few fish being caught at this time.

Chama River — Fishing on the upper Chama is reported as slow due to snow and ice along the river. The river is flowing at 60cfs. Fishing below Abiquiu Lake has been fair to good with anglers catching 10- to 14-inch trout using brown or green wooly buggers and size 24 midge patterns. Fishing below El Vado dam for browns if fair using Panther Martins and orange Rapalas. Fly fishermen have reported having luck catching browns using bead-headed nymphs. Fishing is fair using night crawlers and cheese floating baits.

Abiquiu Lake — Fishing is slow for all species.

El Vado Lake — The main campground is closed and most of the shoreline is frozen over, making it tough to fish. The ice is too thin for ice fishing.

Heron Lake — Fishing is slow, with some anglers having luck catching rainbow and lake trout with rainbow — colored Power Bait off the shore at La Jara and Willow Creek boat ramps.

Jackson Lake — Fishing is very slow, with ice forming around the edges.

Lake Farmington — Trout fishing is slow and pressure has been light.

Ramah Lake — The lake has very little water and is frozen in most places. No anglers to report.

Navajo Lake — Fishing is slow with very few fishermen to report.

San Juan River — Fishing is reported as good. Fish are being caught in the upper waters using a size 18 red larva, size 24 and 26 grey scintillas or any other San Juan pupa and midge emerger—type patterns. The lower waters are reported good using orange egg patterns.

West-Central, including the Jemez Mountains

Jemez River, East Fork, Guadalupe and San Antonio — Most of the streams in the Jemez are frozen and covered with snow. Fishing the accessible portions of these streams in the lower portions of the Jemez is reported slow due to the lack of fishermen and cold weather.

Metro Drainages — Fishing is fair to good on all parts of the drains using a variety of different Power Baits. The drains were stocked Jan. 18: Albuquerque with 301 rainbow trout; Belen with 200 rainbow trout; Bernalillo with 79 rainbow trout; and Peralta with 249 rainbow trout.

Bluewater Lake — Ice fishing is reported as good with the northern part of the lake having 10 inches of icet. Trout are being caught on corn and salmon eggs and tiger muskies are being caught on an assortment of plastic baits.

Cochiti Lake — Fishing is still slow due to the ice that is forming around the lake. Boats are still unable to launch due to the ice and the Tetilla Peak side will remain closed for the season.

Fenton Lake — The lake is iced over and there is no ice fishing due to unsafe conditions caused by warm thermal releases under the ice. The lake most likely will be closed until spring.

Tingley Beach — Fishing is fair to good with the ponds being stocked almost every week. Garlic Power Bait appears to be the best for catching fish this week for the kids and central ponds. Anglers are still reporting catching big fish in the catch and release pond using bunny leaches.