09-04-2003, 02:08 PM
AROUND THE STATE
NAVAJO: Light pressure over the long weekend. Fair for kokanee; some limits taken at about 50 feet in the main body, trolling Arnies baited with corn. No reports on trout or catfish. Fair for catch-and-release of small (less than legal size) smallmouth bass with crankbaits. Lake level is still dropping, but the rate of dropping has slowed. Sims Mesa ramp is closed. Pine River ramp is open and usable; 4WD recommended for larger boats.
SAN JUAN: As of Tuesday. Flowing at 500 cubic feet a second (same as last week) and clear; scheduled to be reduced Wednesday morning to 450 cfs. Good for most anglers for catch-and-release of 12- to 22-inch trout, mostly rainbows, on brown or orange San Juan Worms, Princess flies, UFOs and chocolate Foam-Wings. Black Single Midges and small black Parachute Midges also have worked well - even in sunshine. The regular water fished really good over the weekend for 6- to 22-inch trout, mostly rainbows, on salmon eggs, garlic cheese and night crawlers.
JICARILLA LAKES: As of Tuesday. Last week we received a fair amount of rain which should help cool the waters and make trout a bit more active. The last couple of days have been warm and dry, and roads to the lakes are in pretty good shape. No reports on Stone; we plan on electro-fishing here this week. Very weedy at Horse and difficult to launch a boat. No reports. La Jara is very low; no reports. Fair at Mundo for 10- to 14-inch rainbows on any color of PowerBait or black Woolly Buggers. Fair at night for 16- to 18-inch catfish on chicken liver and worms. Good at Enbom for 12- to 16-inch rainbows on any color of PowerBait or olive Damselflies.
HERON LAKE: As of Monday evening. Slow to fair. A few small kokanee taken trolling at about 25 feet with orange or silver Cripplures baited with corn. Fair for 10- to 12-inch rainbows from the bank, mostly with PowerBait. Willow Creek ramp is still usable.
CHAMA RIVER below EL VADO: Flow Tuesday was at 350 cfs (no change from last week) and still murky. Stocked last week with rainbows. Fair to good near the cabins for stocker rainbows, and downriver for browns to 18 inches; best with PowerBait, worms and salmon eggs.
SAN GREGORIO: A one-day report for Saturday. Light fishing pressure. Lake is low, has muddy banks and moss close to shore. Slow fishing but for fat, heavy rainbows and the best fishing I've seen here in the last two years (I fish here three or four times a year). From 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. partner Dana Dodge of Albuquerque and I caught three fish - a 17-inch and a 16-inch rainbow by Dodge, and a 15-inch rainbow by me. On a tackle-box scale the 17-inch rainbow weighed 3 1/4 pounds, and the 15- and 16-inch fish weighed about 3 pounds each. All three were caught by 12:30 and all on PowerBait (PowerBait even worked better than live grasshoppers); and all fish were caught from the muddy shoreline away from the dam.
FENTON: As of Tuesday. The lake and Rio Cebolla below the lake were still murky from recent rains. Fishing has been as poor as it will get - clearer water needed.
SANDIA PUEBLO LAKES: Good for 1- to 4-pound catfish on chicken liver, stink bait and worms. At our 12th Annual Labor Day Weekend Fishing Derby, eight of 20 tagged fish were caught for cash prizes that ranged from $25 to $100.
COCHITI: Still pretty quiet, and few reports. Good for white bass and catfish at the lake. A large brown was taken below the lake.
NORTHERN WATERS: As of Tuesday. Continues good on the Rio Grande from The Box to the Pilar area - as long as smaller tributaries do not get rain and muddy up the big river. Best for 8- to 22-inch rainbows and browns on large attractor flies with nymph droppers, plus streamers or caddis flies. The Red River has been good for 8- to 18-inch rainbows and browns on caddis flies or a combination of grasshopper flies with nymph droppers. Cimarron flow has been about 20 cfs for a few days. Good for 8- to 14-inch rainbows and browns on small mayfly patterns and small attractor patterns like Tricos, Blue-Wing Olives and Adams. On the Valle Vidal (all Special Trout Waters), Rio Costilla has been very good for catch-and-release of 8- to 16-inch cutthroats, some rainbows, on terrestrial patterns with nymph droppers.
EAGLE NEST: Best fishing continues to be from boats anchored off the west and northeast shorelines - in 6 to 10 feet of water with a small weight, a 4- to 5-foot leader and PowerBait. A 5-pound, 1-ounce rainbow was caught from an anchored boat. Fair trolling Panther Martins or Super Dupers baited with PowerBait, or Christmas tree-worm rigs for 14-inch rainbows and 16-inch kokanee. Good from the bank for 14-inch rainbows with the same rig used from anchored boats; excellent for perch on worms.
PECOS RIVER above the VILLAGE of PECOS: Few reports over the long weekend. Most anglers used worms and some reported the fish were "definitely not taking salmon eggs." After rains on Friday and Saturday, a 20-inch rainbow was caught Sunday on worms.
SPRINGER AREA: Extremely low water at Springer lake and Maxwell No. 13; no action reports. Fair most days at Charette for 9- to 17-inch rainbows trolling Christmas tree-worm rigs, using PowerBait or corn-marshmallow combinations, or using flies in the evening. Excellent for perch with worms.
CLAYTON: Good for 2- to 5-pound channel catfish on liver or night crawlers. Slow for other species.
UTE: Wind and rain all weekend, few reports. Several parties reported trolling good for white bass with Wally Divers and Bombers.
CONCHAS: Some walleye have been caught just above Big Island with minnows off the bottom. Anglers have been taking white bass on Bombers; best early mornings. Good for catfish on trotlines with liver or shrimp.
BRANTLEY: The lake is holding steady at its current elevation and is not expected to change for the next couple of weeks. Fishing has been slow, with a few reports of catfish caught in the Rocky Bay Primitive area early in the morning.
BLUEWATER: As of Wednesday. Slow for catfish and trout. The water is a little warm - surface temperature about 70 degrees. Only the main park ramp is usable.
ELEPHANT BUTTE: A 37-pound striper was taken Aug. 28. But in general fishing was slow - likely related to the water level being low, hot weather and heavy boat traffic over the long weekend. Should improve as the weather cools.
This text was copied from the Albuquerque Journal Fishing Report Sept 3, 2003, and provide to the New Mexico BFT board for your convience.
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NAVAJO: Light pressure over the long weekend. Fair for kokanee; some limits taken at about 50 feet in the main body, trolling Arnies baited with corn. No reports on trout or catfish. Fair for catch-and-release of small (less than legal size) smallmouth bass with crankbaits. Lake level is still dropping, but the rate of dropping has slowed. Sims Mesa ramp is closed. Pine River ramp is open and usable; 4WD recommended for larger boats.
SAN JUAN: As of Tuesday. Flowing at 500 cubic feet a second (same as last week) and clear; scheduled to be reduced Wednesday morning to 450 cfs. Good for most anglers for catch-and-release of 12- to 22-inch trout, mostly rainbows, on brown or orange San Juan Worms, Princess flies, UFOs and chocolate Foam-Wings. Black Single Midges and small black Parachute Midges also have worked well - even in sunshine. The regular water fished really good over the weekend for 6- to 22-inch trout, mostly rainbows, on salmon eggs, garlic cheese and night crawlers.
JICARILLA LAKES: As of Tuesday. Last week we received a fair amount of rain which should help cool the waters and make trout a bit more active. The last couple of days have been warm and dry, and roads to the lakes are in pretty good shape. No reports on Stone; we plan on electro-fishing here this week. Very weedy at Horse and difficult to launch a boat. No reports. La Jara is very low; no reports. Fair at Mundo for 10- to 14-inch rainbows on any color of PowerBait or black Woolly Buggers. Fair at night for 16- to 18-inch catfish on chicken liver and worms. Good at Enbom for 12- to 16-inch rainbows on any color of PowerBait or olive Damselflies.
HERON LAKE: As of Monday evening. Slow to fair. A few small kokanee taken trolling at about 25 feet with orange or silver Cripplures baited with corn. Fair for 10- to 12-inch rainbows from the bank, mostly with PowerBait. Willow Creek ramp is still usable.
CHAMA RIVER below EL VADO: Flow Tuesday was at 350 cfs (no change from last week) and still murky. Stocked last week with rainbows. Fair to good near the cabins for stocker rainbows, and downriver for browns to 18 inches; best with PowerBait, worms and salmon eggs.
SAN GREGORIO: A one-day report for Saturday. Light fishing pressure. Lake is low, has muddy banks and moss close to shore. Slow fishing but for fat, heavy rainbows and the best fishing I've seen here in the last two years (I fish here three or four times a year). From 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. partner Dana Dodge of Albuquerque and I caught three fish - a 17-inch and a 16-inch rainbow by Dodge, and a 15-inch rainbow by me. On a tackle-box scale the 17-inch rainbow weighed 3 1/4 pounds, and the 15- and 16-inch fish weighed about 3 pounds each. All three were caught by 12:30 and all on PowerBait (PowerBait even worked better than live grasshoppers); and all fish were caught from the muddy shoreline away from the dam.
FENTON: As of Tuesday. The lake and Rio Cebolla below the lake were still murky from recent rains. Fishing has been as poor as it will get - clearer water needed.
SANDIA PUEBLO LAKES: Good for 1- to 4-pound catfish on chicken liver, stink bait and worms. At our 12th Annual Labor Day Weekend Fishing Derby, eight of 20 tagged fish were caught for cash prizes that ranged from $25 to $100.
COCHITI: Still pretty quiet, and few reports. Good for white bass and catfish at the lake. A large brown was taken below the lake.
NORTHERN WATERS: As of Tuesday. Continues good on the Rio Grande from The Box to the Pilar area - as long as smaller tributaries do not get rain and muddy up the big river. Best for 8- to 22-inch rainbows and browns on large attractor flies with nymph droppers, plus streamers or caddis flies. The Red River has been good for 8- to 18-inch rainbows and browns on caddis flies or a combination of grasshopper flies with nymph droppers. Cimarron flow has been about 20 cfs for a few days. Good for 8- to 14-inch rainbows and browns on small mayfly patterns and small attractor patterns like Tricos, Blue-Wing Olives and Adams. On the Valle Vidal (all Special Trout Waters), Rio Costilla has been very good for catch-and-release of 8- to 16-inch cutthroats, some rainbows, on terrestrial patterns with nymph droppers.
EAGLE NEST: Best fishing continues to be from boats anchored off the west and northeast shorelines - in 6 to 10 feet of water with a small weight, a 4- to 5-foot leader and PowerBait. A 5-pound, 1-ounce rainbow was caught from an anchored boat. Fair trolling Panther Martins or Super Dupers baited with PowerBait, or Christmas tree-worm rigs for 14-inch rainbows and 16-inch kokanee. Good from the bank for 14-inch rainbows with the same rig used from anchored boats; excellent for perch on worms.
PECOS RIVER above the VILLAGE of PECOS: Few reports over the long weekend. Most anglers used worms and some reported the fish were "definitely not taking salmon eggs." After rains on Friday and Saturday, a 20-inch rainbow was caught Sunday on worms.
SPRINGER AREA: Extremely low water at Springer lake and Maxwell No. 13; no action reports. Fair most days at Charette for 9- to 17-inch rainbows trolling Christmas tree-worm rigs, using PowerBait or corn-marshmallow combinations, or using flies in the evening. Excellent for perch with worms.
CLAYTON: Good for 2- to 5-pound channel catfish on liver or night crawlers. Slow for other species.
UTE: Wind and rain all weekend, few reports. Several parties reported trolling good for white bass with Wally Divers and Bombers.
CONCHAS: Some walleye have been caught just above Big Island with minnows off the bottom. Anglers have been taking white bass on Bombers; best early mornings. Good for catfish on trotlines with liver or shrimp.
BRANTLEY: The lake is holding steady at its current elevation and is not expected to change for the next couple of weeks. Fishing has been slow, with a few reports of catfish caught in the Rocky Bay Primitive area early in the morning.
BLUEWATER: As of Wednesday. Slow for catfish and trout. The water is a little warm - surface temperature about 70 degrees. Only the main park ramp is usable.
ELEPHANT BUTTE: A 37-pound striper was taken Aug. 28. But in general fishing was slow - likely related to the water level being low, hot weather and heavy boat traffic over the long weekend. Should improve as the weather cools.
This text was copied from the Albuquerque Journal Fishing Report Sept 3, 2003, and provide to the New Mexico BFT board for your convience.
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