FISHING LINE
CATCHES OF THE WEEK
Ricardo Vigil of San Antonio, N.M., caught and released a 4.38-pound largemouth bass Saturday at Elephant Butte Lake.
Veltran Trujillo Jr., 3, and Veltran Trujillo Sr. of Taos caught catfish and limits of trout, including two 21-inch rainbows Sunday at Maxwell Lake. They were using night crawlers for the catfish and PowerBait for trout.
Joe Menicucci, Danny Gonzales and Mike Gonzales of Albuquerque caught and released several tiger muskie, including two that measured 42 inches, at Bluewater Lake on June 18. They were using Husky Jerks and Bomber Herky Jerkys.
AROUND THE STATE
CARSON: The Carson National Forest has closed the Camino Real, Questa, Tres Piedras, El Rito and Canjilon Ranger Districts. The closure order prohibits all recreational activities.
HERON LAKE: Fishing was pretty good last week. On Saturday, Lonny and Tanna McDonald from Carlsbad were attending the Tiller family reunion at the state park. Along with their nephew, Jacob, and niece, Tegan, they caught 20 rainbows and kokanee trolling shallow with Panther Martin spinners and hand-made lures. Other members of the family did well casting spinners from the rocks at the end of Piedra Cove. Fishing from shore using PowerBait was also good at the north end of the cliff, which goes out north on the west side of the dam. On Sunday, Lonny, along with Lloyd and Cain Tiller and Jacob, caught 20 rainbows and kokanee. Don Wolfley, Stone House Lodge
SHADY LAKES: The rainbow trout are averaging 10 to 12 inches, but many 18- to 24-inch ones were caught last week. Trout are biting on night crawler worms, salmon eggs and PowerBait. Catch-and-release largemouth bass and bluegill activity is strong. Bass are ranging 2½-4½ pounds, but 6½-pound bass can be seen from the lake banks. Bass/bluegill are biting on plastics and top water lures.
NOTES from GAME & FISH
At ELEPHANT BUTTE, fishing was excellent using top-water lures, senkos, tubes, jerk baits, chigger craws, sweet beavers and crank baits for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Streamflow on the RIO GRANDE below Elephant Butte on Monday morning was 1,940 cfs. Fishing was good using liver, night crawlers, cut bait and shrimp for catfish. Fishing in TINGLEY BEACH’S Central and Youth ponds was slow, with just a few catfish caught by anglers using homemade dough bait, shrimp and hot dogs. At COCHITI LAKE, fishing was fair to good using corn for carp. Fishing at ABIQUIU LAKE was good using tubes, senkos, jerk baits, crank baits, curly tail grubs and small swim baits for smallmouth bass. Fishing at LAKE MALOYA was excellent using salmon peach and yellow corn PowerBait, Pistol Petes, gold spinners and spoons, elk hair caddis, copper John Barrs and bead-head pheasant tail nymphs for trout. At LAKE ALICE, fishing was good using Pistol Petes, PowerBait, worms and gold spoons for rainbow trout. Streamflow on the RIO GRANDE on Monday morning at the Taos Junction Bridge was 200 cfs. Fishing was good using elk hair caddis, parachute Adams, mop flies, leeches, San Juan worms, Kastmasters, Panther Martins, Mepps spinners and night crawlers for brown and rainbow trout. Fishing from the bank at EAGLE NEST LAKE was very good using worms for perch. The streamflow on the SAN JUAN RIVER below Navajo Lake was increased to 950 cfs Monday night. Fishing through the high-quality waters was rated as good by anglers using dead chickens, hoppers, foam beetles, red annelids, small bead-head pheasant tail nymphs, mini Macs, RS2s and Griffiths gnats. Trout fishing through the bait waters was fair using bead-head hare’s ears, copper John Barrs, chamois leeches, Kastmasters and Fire Balls. Fishing at NAVAJO LAKE was good using jerk baits, crank baits, tubes, senkos, finesse worms, sweet beavers, curly tail grubs and chatter baits for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass.