Fishing Line for May 14, 2023

By Journal staff and wire reports Published: Sunday, May 14th, 2023 at 12:02AMUpdated: Sunday, May 14th, 2023 at 12:15AM

CATCHES OF THE WEEK

Evan Shields of Clovis caught a 5-pound largemouth bass at Bosque Redondo Lake using a deep-diving, pumpkin-colored crankbait on April 30.

Valerie Wyatt of Roswell caught a 16-inch walleye at Brantley Lake using chicken breast bait on May 6.

At Conchas Lake, Dewey Loveless of Conchas caught his limit of walleye, with the largest being 7.75-pounds, using a Firetiger Berkley Flicker Shad lure trolling in 6-8 feet of water on May 4. … Meriah Sandoval of Albuquerque caught and released a 14.5-inch 1-pound, 7-ounce crappie using a plastic worm on May 3.

At Fenton Lake, Leia Trujillo and her great-grandfather Manuel Baca of Pe ñ a Blanca caught and released 15 trout using PowerBait on May 3. … Ryan Spurlock of Albuquerque caught a 19-inch rainbow trout using PowerBait on April 29.

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Ethan Cameron, 12, of Silver City caught a 17-inch and 15-inch trout at Lake Roberts using garlic marshmallow bait on May 6.

Vincent Pacheco of Las Vegas caught an 18-inch rainbow trout at Morphy Lake using orange salmon eggs on May 7.

At Navajo Lake, Alejandro Graham of Albuquerque caught a 40-inch pike using a Dardevle Spoon on May 2. … Isabel Madrid, 9, of Bernalillo caught a 28-inch brown trout using a Rapala lure on April 28.

Alvin Garcia of Albuquerque caught a 20-inch rainbow trout on the Pecos River using worms on May 7.

Zane and Elijah Lam, 2, caught two 15-inch rainbow trout at Quemado Lake using Garlic PowerBait and Panther Martin spinners on April 30.

Dominic Rodarte of Albuquerque caught a 35-inch, 20-pound, 14-ounce catfish on the Rio Grande near the Village of Corrales using bluegill on May 7.

Leandra Pino of Las Vegas, New Mexico caught an 18-inch 2-pound rainbow trout at Storrie Lake using salmon eggs on May 3.

At Tingley Beach, Sam Stewart of Albuquerque caught an 18-inch, 2.86-pound largemouth bass using a 3.5-inch Lost Creek swimbait on May 6. … Lowell Smith of Paraje caught a 20-inch, 4-pound catfish using cut bluegill bait on May 2. … Richard Martinez of Albuquerque caught a 20-inch catfish using Orange PowerBait on April 30. … Melvin Martinez of Albuquerque caught a 20-inch catfish using Orange PowerBait on April 30.

Andrew Romero of Las Vegas caught and released a 21-inch rainbow trout at Trout Lakes using a Panther Martin spinner on May 5.

If you have a catch of the week story, send it to [email protected].

NOTES FROM GAME & FISH

Northeast fishing report

Fishing for trout at Cabresto Lake was good using Zebra Midge flies and Euro Nymph flies.

Fishing for trout at Charette Lakes was fair using nightcrawler worms.

Streamflow on the Cimarron River near Cimarron on Monday morning was 50 cubic feet per second (cfs). Fishing for trout was fair to good using bead-head nymph flies, worms, salmon eggs and Yellow Garlic PowerBait.

Fishing for trout at Clayton Lake was good using PowerBait and worms. Fishing for walleye was fair using nightcrawler worms. Fishing for catfish was fair using chicken liver and nightcrawler worms.

Fishing for smallmouth bass at Conchas Lake was good using jerkbaits and soft-plastic worms. Fishing for walleye was good trolling using Firetiger Berkley Flicker Shad lures. Fishing for crappie was fair using soft-plastic worms.

At Costilla Creek, the Valle Vidal is closed to fishing until July.

Cowles Ponds had no reports from anglers this week.

Coyote Creek had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Eagle Nest Lake was fair to good using black Woolly Bugger flies and Salmon Peach PowerBait. The boat docks are now in the water. For updated lake conditions, visit the park's webpage or call the park office at 575-377-1594.

Fishing for trout at Eagle Rock Lake was good using black spinners, White PowerBait Eggs and Pistol Pete spinner flies.

National Forest closures have been in place restricting fishing access on the Gallinas River. 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 had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Lake Alice was fair using silver/brass-schemed spoons, small tube jigs and PowerBait worms. The lake is closed to vessel/boat operation.

Fishing for trout at Lake Maloya was good using Pistol Pete spinner flies, Gulp Trout Bait, size-17 flies and silver/brass/black/yellow/red-schemed Panther Martin spinners. Fishing for bluegill and perch was fair to good using small bait and flies. The ADA dock is open to anglers, with priority given to mobility-impaired persons.

Los Pinos River had no reports from anglers this week.

Maxwell Lake 13 had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Monastery Lake was good using Pistol Pete spinner flies and PowerBait. The Benedictine Monastery Lake is part of the Department's Open Gate Program. Please visit our website for more information about this property.

Fishing for trout at Morphy Lake was good using orange salmon eggs, CDC Flashback Pheasant Tail nymph flies and Panther Martin spinners.

Streamflow on the Pecos River near Pecos on Monday morning was 471 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good using worms and gold bead-head nymph flies.

Streamflow on the Red River below the Red River Hatchery on Monday morning was 195 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair using worms.

Streamflow on the Rio Grande below the Taos Junction Bridge on Monday morning was 2,620 cfs.

Streamflow on the Rio Hondo near Valdez on Monday morning was 92 cfs.

Streamflow on the Rio Mora near Terrero on Monday morning was 157 cfs.

Streamflow near Peñasco on Monday morning was 275 cfs. Fishing for trout was fair to good using worms.

Fishing for trout at Santa Cruz Reservoir was good using black Pistol Pete spinner flies, worms, spinners, Orange PowerBait and Rainbow PowerBait.

Shuree Ponds is closed to fishing until July.

Springer Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Storrie Lake was fair to good using salmon eggs and garlic PowerBait.

Stubblefield Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for walleye Ute Lake was fair trolling using Berkley Flicker Shad lures, Wally Diver lures, Berkley Flicker Minnow lures and nightcrawler spinner rigs. Fishing for walleye was fair jigging using live minnows and Gulp Minnows. Fishing for white bass was fair to good using crankbaits that dive 8-10 feet. Fishing for smallmouth and largemouth bass was good using chatter baits, Bandit Crankbaits, Senko worms and crawdad-pattern baits. Fishing for crappie was fair to good using live minnows in 12-15 feet of water. Fishing for catfish was fair using chicken liver and punch bait. The main lake water surface temperature was in the low to mid 60s and the water was clear.

Northwest fishing report

Abiquiú Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Streamflow on the Animas River below Aztec on Monday morning was 2,730 cfs.

Albuquerque Area Drains had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for all species was slow at Bluewater Lake.

Brazos River had no reports from anglers this week.

Canjilon Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for pike at Cochiti Lake was good using 6-inch, topwater lures and jerkbaits. Fishing for white bass was slow using crankbaits. Fishing for smallmouth and largemouth bass was fair to good using jerkbaits and swimbaits. Fishing for catfish was good using nightcrawler worms and cut carp bait.

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

Fishing for trout at Fenton Lake was good using Mop Flies, black Rooster Tail spinners and PowerBait. For updated lake conditions, visit the park's webpage or call the park office at 575-829-3630.

Fishing for trout at Grants Riverwalk Pond was fair to good using Pistol Pete spinner flies.

Heron Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

At the Jemez Waters, fishing for trout was good using nymph flies near Fenton Lake. Streamflow near the Village of Jemez Springs on Monday morning was 308 cfs. Due to the rising popularity of fishing in Valles Caldera National Preserve, the National Park Service began charging a fee for its fishing permits starting April 1 to support the management of its fishing program. The new fee schedule will be $20 for an annual pass ($10 for youth 12-17) and $5 for a 7-day pass ($3 for youth 12-17). A State of New Mexico fishing license is also required to fish within Valles Caldera. For more information visit nps.gov/vall.

Laguna del Campo had no reports from anglers this week.

Lagunitas Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Lake Farmington was good using dough bait.

Fishing for trout at McGaffey Lake was good using PowerBait. The lake is full and was recently stocked with rainbow trout.

Fishing for trout at Navajo Lake was slow to fair using Rapala lures. Fishing for pike was slow to fair using large crankbaits and spoons. Fishing for bass was slow.

Streamflow on the Rio Chama below El Vado Lake on Monday morning was 129 cfs; streamflow below Abiquiú Lake on Monday morning was 1,540 cfs. Fishing for trout below El Vado Lake was fair using nightcrawler worms and brown trout-pattern Rapala lures. Please remember, from the river-crossing bridge on U.S. Highway 84 at Abiquiú upstream 7 miles to the base of Abiquiú Dam is special trout waters with a bag limit of two trout only.

Fishing for catfish on the Rio Grande was good using cut bait near the village of Corrales area.

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

San Gregorio Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Streamflow on the San Juan River near Archuleta on Monday morning was 515 cfs. Fishing for trout in the quality waters was slow to fair using midge-pattern flies, leech-pattern flies and red annelid flies. Fishing for trout in the bait waters was fair using silver Kastmaster lures and PowerBait.

Fishing for trout at the Seven Springs Brood Pond was good using PowerBait Floating Mice Tails.

Fishing for trout at Tiger Park Reservoir was good using Kastmaster lures and bead-head nymph flies.

Fishing for catfish at Tingley Beach was fair to good using cut bluegill bait and Orange PowerBait. Fishing for bass was fair to good using white streamer flies and swimbaits. Fishing for trout was slow.

Fishing for trout at Trout Lakes was good using Panther Martin spinners.

Southwest fishing report

Fishing for catfish at Alumni Pond was good using beef liver and chicken liver. Fishing for bass was fair to good using small, black floating shad-pattern lures.

Bear Canyon Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

The department is conducting a boater and angler improvement project at Bill Evans Lake extending into May. Improvements include the installation of a new concrete boat ramp and dock; improvements to the existing boat ramp; the installation of rock, fishing jetties; road improvements; and regrading the north camping access area. Anglers should expect road and lake closures during construction. For current conditions, contact the department's Fisheries Management Division at 505-476-8055. Anglers are encouraged to visit surrounding lakes such as Bear Canyon Lake, Lake Roberts and Trees Lake for alternate fishing locations.

Fishing for white bass at Caballo Lake was fair using curly-tail grubs and small crankbaits. Fishing for walleye was good using white Bomber lures, Rat-L-Trap crankbaits and curly-tail grubs.

Fishing for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass at Elephant Butte Lake was fair to good using shad-pattern jerkbaits, square-billed crankbaits, live minnows and swimbaits. Fishing for white bass was fair to good using crankbaits. Fishing for walleye was fair using liver shiners. Fishing for crappie was fair to good using live minnows. Fishing for catfish was very good using raw shrimp at the marina.

Fishing for bass at Escondida Lake was fair to good using artificial worms.

Estancia Park Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Streamflow on the Gila River near Gila on Monday morning was 158 cfs.

Fishing for trout at Glenwood Pond was good using Orange and Chartreuse PowerBait fished with a bobber.

Fishing for trout at Lake Roberts was fair using garlic marshmallow bait and PowerBait.

Percha Dam had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Quemado Lake was fair to good using Garlic PowerBait and Panther Martin spinners.

Fishing for trout at Rancho Grande Ponds was good using PowerBait.

Streamflow on the Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam on Monday morning was 351 cfs.

Snow Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for bass at Trees Lake was fair using 3-inch, soft-plastic worms.

Fishing for catfish at Young Pond was slow using hot dogs.

Southeast fishing report

Fishing for trout at Alto Lake was fair to good using PowerBait and various flies. Fishing for bass was fair to good using plastic worms.

Bataan Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for bass at Berrendo Creek was fair to good using Senko worms. Please visit the Open Gate webpage for more information on this property.

Streamflow on the Black River at Malaga on Monday morning was 3 cfs.

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

Bonito Lake is closed until further notice by the City of Alamogordo due to fire damage. The lake is full but needs time for aquatic habitat to develop in order to sustain a healthy fish population. The city hopes to reopen the lake for recreational purposes in June 2024.

Fishing for catfish at Bosque Redondo Lake was fair to good using cut shad bait. Fishing for bass was good using deep-diving, pumpkin-colored crankbaits.

Bottomless Lakes had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for white bass at Brantley Lake was fair to good using live minnows. Fishing for walleye was fair to good using chicken breast bait and crankbaits.

Fishing for catfish at Carlsbad Municipal Lake was fair using hot dogs.

Chaparral Park Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Corona Pond was fair using Salmon Peach PowerBait. Fishing for catfish was fair to good using raw chicken.

Eunice Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for largemouth bass at Green Meadow Lake was good using nightcrawler worms with garlic scent.

Greene Acres Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Fishing for trout at Grindstone Reservoir was good using Garlic PowerBait and Salmon Peach PowerBait.

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

Fishing for catfish at Lake Van was fair using worms.

Ned Houk Ponds had no reports from anglers this week.

Oasis Park Lake had no reports from anglers this week.

Streamflow on the Pecos River below Sumner Lake on Monday morning was 109 cfs. Fishing for catfish was fair using hot dogs south of Carlsbad.

Fishing for catfish at Perch Lake was fair using cut-shad bait and garlic salmon eggs.

Rio Bonito had no reports from anglers this week.

Streamflow on the Rio Ruidoso at Hollywood on Monday morning was 12 cfs.

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

Fishing for all species was slow at Santa Rosa Lake. The water temperature was in the upper 50s and water quality was poor with high levels of turbidity.

Fishing for walleye at Sumner Lake was fair using live minnows and Berkley Flicker Shad lures.

Fishing for trout at Timberon Ponds was fair to good using Woolly Worm flies.