Fishing report - April 4

This fishing report, provided by Bill Dunn and the Department of Game and Fish, 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.

Reminder: The new fishing license year began April 1. Make sure you buy a new license before heading out!

Catches of the week:

San Juan River: March 24, Tia Hernandez of Albuquerque caught a 24-inch brown trout. She was fishing below Cottonwood campgrounds and using a worm.

Navajo Lake: March 31, Donna Herrera of Farmington caught a 9.50-pound northern pike. She was using a tube. Mike Kitts of Farmington caught a 9.65-pound northern pike. He was using a reaction bait. Mike Tafoya of La Plata caught a 4.62-pound largemouth bass. Johnny Johnson of Farmington caught a 4.96-pound smallmouth bass. He was using a reaction bait. April 1, Dalton King of Aztec caught a 3.96-pound largemouth on a jerk bait and two northern pike about 9 pounds each on spinner baits.

If you have a catch of the week story or just want to tell us about your latest New Mexico fishing experience, send it to us at [email protected]. We may include your story in our next report.

For catches of the week, include name, date, and location, type of fish, length and weight if possible and bait, lure or fly used.

Northeast

Animas River: As of Monday morning, flow near Cedar Hill was 1,550 cfs. Fishing was slow.

Charette Lakes: Trout fishing was fair using salmon eggs.

Cimarron River: Water flow below Eagle Nest Lake as of Monday was 1.7 cfs. Trout fishing was slow.

Clayton Lake: Hot spot for trout. Fishing was very good using garlic Power Bait and homemade dough baits for limits of trout. Many of the fish were in the 16-to-18 inch range. We had no reports on other species.

Conchas Lake: Fishing was generally slow for all species. A few walleye were taken by anglers using jig and minnow combinations. Fishing pressure was light. The surface water temp was in the mid to high 50s.

Coyote Creek: Trout fishing was fair using salmon eggs and Power Bait. Big fish reported this past week was a 14-inch brown.

Eagle Nest Lake: Hot spot for trout. Bank fishing was very good using salmon peach Power Bait and salmon eggs for perch and trout. A few northern pike were taken on spinners and Power Bait.

Lake Maloya: Hot spot for trout. Fishing was very good using salmon eggs, worms, corn and Power Bait.

Maxwell Lake 13: Trout fishing was fair-to-good using Power Bait, salmon eggs and salmon egg/corn combinations.

Monastery Lake: Trout fishing during the day was fair using salmon eggs and Power Bait. In the evening hours anglers did well using size 16 brown or gray hackle peacock flies.

Morphy Lake: Fishing on opening weekend was a bit slow but there were a few rainbows and cutthroat trout caught by anglers using spinners, salmon eggs and Power Bait.

Pecos River: Water flow near the town of Pecos on Monday was 264 cfs. Trout fishing slowed with the higher runoff but a few fish were taken on worms and salmon eggs.

Red River: Water flow below the hatchery was 113 cfs. Trout fishing below the hatchery was fair using egg patterns, bead-head San Juan worms, salmon eggs and worms.

Rio Grande: The water flow Monday at the Taos Junction Bridge was 1,250 cfs. Fishing on the upper Rio was slow for all species.

Shuree Ponds: Closed for the season. Opens July 1.

Springer Lakes: Fishing for all species was slow.

Storrie Lake: Trout fishing from the bank was good for anglers using salmon peach and yellow Power Bait and salmon eggs.

Ute Lake: Fishing was good using crank baits and jerk baits up the Canadian arm for white bass. Fishing was good using senkos and tubes for a mix of smallmouth and largemouth bass. Most of the fish were in 6 to 8 feet of water. Fishing was fair trolling crank baits and drifting minnows for walleye. Fishing was good using stink baits and chicken liver for catfish. The surface water temp ranged from the mid to upper 50s.

Northwest

Abiquiu Lake: Fishing for walleye was slow with just a few fish taken on slow-drifted jig and minnow combinations. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp was in the mid 40s in the morning hours and upper 40s as the days warmed up.

Albuquerque area drains: Trout fishing on the Albuquerque, Belen and Peralta Drains was fair using salmon eggs, small bead-head pheasant tail nymphs and worms. We had no reports from the Corrales Drain.

Bluewater Lake: Trout fishing was slow-to-fair using corn/salmon egg combinations and salmon peach Power Bait. Fishing for tiger musky from boats was fair using assorted spinners and Z Rays. Most of the tiger muskies caught were less than 30 inches in length. The surface water temp was in the mid 40s.

Chama River: Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 412 cfs and 297 cfs respectively. Fishing below El Vado was good using nightcrawlers, Panther Martins and Power Bait for a mixed bag of brown and rainbow trout. Fishing below Abiquiu was slow with a few trout taken on worms, spinners and salmon eggs.

Cochiti Lake: Fishing was slow for all species. A few smallmouth bass were taken on jigs, tubes and minnows.

El Vado Lake: Fishing was slow for all species.

Fenton Lake: Hot spot for trout. Fishing was very good from the bank and from boats this past week. Anglers did well using olive Pistol Petes, salmon eggs, corn and yellow and salmon peach Power Bait.

Heron Lake: Fishing for lake trout was slow but a few small lakers have been taken by anglers trolling rainbow-colored Rapalas and using jigs tipped with cut bait. We had no reports on other species.

Jackson Lake: Trout fishing was fair using Power Bait, salmon eggs and corn.

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

Jemez Waters: Water flow on the Jemez as of Monday morning was 227 cfs and murky. Fishing the Jemez streams was slow.

Manzano Lake: Trout fishing was slow-to-fair using Power Bait, corn and salmon eggs.

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

Navajo Lake: Hot spot for big bass: Fishing was very good this past weekend using tubes, jerk baits, crank baits, swim baits and spinner baits for smallmouth and largemouth bass. Anglers fishing a tournament weighed in several bass over 4 pounds. Anglers fishing the tournament also reported catching pike and a few crappies. Fishing was good using swim baits, tubes, jerk baits and crank baits for northern pike. Water surface temps ranged from 48 to 54 degrees.

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

San Juan: Water flow below Navajo Lake as of Monday morning was 470 cfs. Trout fishing through the Quality Waters was fair-to-good using small flies including zebra midges, Griffith's gnats, dead chickens and small streamers. Fishing through the bait waters was good using salmon eggs, Power Bait, worms, jerk baits and jigs.

Santa Cruz Lake: Trout fishing was good using spinners, salmon eggs and Power Bait.

Tingley Beach: Trout fishing at the Central Ponds was very good using salmon eggs, Power Bait and Pautzke's Fire Bait. Angler using the Fire Bait also caught a few catfish. Fishing at the Catch-and-Release Pond was fair using small zebra midges.

Southwest

Bear Canyon: Trout fishing was fair using salmon eggs, garlic cheese, worms and Power Bait.

Bill Evans Lake: Trout fishing was fair using salmon eggs and Power Bait. We had no reports on other species.

Caballo Lake: Early this past week fishing for white bass was good trolling crank baits, drifting minnows and casting grubs and crank baits on the east side of the lake. A few walleye were taken by anglers drifting jig and minnow combinations.

Elephant Butte: Fishing was fair using minnows, grubs, crank baits and jigs for white bass and crappie. A few largemouth and smallmouth bass were taken on minnows, jerk baits, tubes and on shallow and medium depth crank baits. We had no reports on other species. Surface temps on the main lake ranged from the high 50s to the low 60s. We checked out the area around Rock Canyon mid-week and found a few smallmouth, largemouth, white bass and carp. Boaters working the tire barrier by the marina outfished us. They were using jig and minnow combinations and catching a mix of crappie, white bass and largemouth bass.

Escondida Lake: Trout fishing was fair-to-good using salmon eggs, yellow Power Bait, worms and corn.

Gila River: Water flow on the Gila as of this past Monday was 144 cfs. Trout fishing on the Forks was slow.

Glenwood Pond: Trout fishing was fair using Power Bait.

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

Quemado Lake: Trout fishing was fair using Power Bait, worms and salmon eggs. We had no reports on tiger musky. The lake is full and looks good for spring fishing.

Rio Grande: Water flow below Elephant Butte on Monday was 1,100 cfs. Fishing was slow but should pick up in a few days with the increased flow. Water is also being released from Caballo Lake downstream.

Southeast

Bataan Lake: Trout fishing was slow to fair using Power Bait and salmon eggs.

Bonito Lake: Opened for the season this past Sunday but we had no reports from anglers.

Bosque Redondo: Trout fishing was fair using salmon egg/corn combinations, spinners and Power Bait.

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

Brantley Lake: Anglers are to practice catch-and-release for all fish here as high levels of DDT were found in several fish.

Carlsbad Municipal Lake: Trout fishing was fair using salmon eggs, spinners and Power Bait.

Grindstone Reservoir: Fishing for trout was fair using Power Bait, salmon eggs and corn.

Jal Lake: Trout fishing was fair using Power Bait and salmon eggs.

Lake Van: Trout fishing was fair using Power Bait, salmon eggs and spinners.

Oasis Park Lake: The winter trout stocking program has ended but there are still plenty of trout to be caught. Anglers did very well this past week catching limits of trout. They were using Power Bait and an assortment of lures.

Pecos River: Water flow on Monday below Sumner Lake was 63 cfs. Fishing was slow with just a few trout taken on salmon eggs.

Perch Lake: Trout fishing was slow-to-fair using Power Bait, corn and Pistol Petes under a bubble.

Ruidoso River: Water flow at Hollywood on Monday was 17 cfs. Trout fishing was fair using salmon eggs.

Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing was slow. A few walleye and crappie were taken by anglers using jig and minnow combinations and curly tail grubs. A few smallmouth bass were taken on jigs and jerk baits. We had no reports on other species.