REEL REPORT
This fishing report, provided by Dustin Berg and Go Unlimited (supporting disabled anglers) 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.
Catch of the week
ALBUQUERQUE AREA DRAINS: Jonathon Casados of Mora, caught a 16-inch rainbow trout using a gold Mepps spinner Feb. 13. Darrell Kundargi of Albuquerque caught a 15.5-inch rainbow trout using a grub on a jig head Feb. 13. ELEPHANT BUTTE LAKE: Rebecca Calcutt and her son Joseph, 9, of Albuquerque, caught 14 large white bass trolling crankbait lures Feb. 13. GRINDSTONE RESERVOIR: Easton Sanchez, 5, of Ruidoso, caught a 14-inch rainbow trout using green PowerBait, Feb. 11.
SANTA ROSA LAKE: Elias Ramirez, 10, of Albuquerque caught a 19-inch walleye and 7-inch crappie using garlic PowerBait and a PowerBait paddle tail lure Feb. 6.
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 funfishingnm@gmail.com. We may include your story in our next report.
For catches of the week, include name, age, hometown, date, location, type of fish, length, and weight if possible, and bait, lure or fly used.
STATE WATERS
NORTHEAST
CABRESTO LAKE: No reports from anglers this week.
CHARETTE LAKES: Closed for the season.
CIMARRÓN RIVER: Stream flow near Cimarrón Monday morning was not measured due to ice. In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Jan. 29, NM State Parks are open to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information.
CLAYTON LAKE: Closed until March 2021.
CONCHAS LAKE: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Jan. 29, NM State Parks are open to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information. Conchas Lake State Park has closed access to all boat ramps due to dropping water levels. The boat ramps on the south side of the lake managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers are open. COSTILLA CREEK: The Department has implemented the final phase of a project to expand Río Grande cutthroat trout in 120 miles of the Costilla watershed in northern New Mexico. The final phase involved the removal of fish within a designated area (Río Costilla from Costilla Dam downstream to the Valle Vidal Boundary including all tributaries and Comanche Creek from the road culvert crossing on FR 1950 downstream to its confluence with Río Costilla and all tributaries) with a tentative restocking of the Río Grande cutthroat trout in spring 2022. Places to fish nearby include Costilla Creek below the fish barrier, Upper Comanche Creek, Shuree Ponds, Middle Ponil Creek, Upper Powderhouse Creek, Little Costilla Creek, Vidal Creek and McCrystal Creek. The Department anticipates the completion of this final phase in the fall of 2021. Please check the Department website for additional information on the project and to identify alternative angling opportunities in the interim.
COWLES PONDS: No reports from anglers this week.
COYOTE CREEK: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Jan. 29, NM State Parks are open to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information.
EAGLE NEST LAKE: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Jan. 29, NM State Parks are open to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information. The lake is closed to ice fishing.
EAGLE ROCK LAKE: No reports from anglers this week.
FAWN LAKES: No reports from anglers this week.
GALLINAS RIVER: No reports from anglers this week.
HOPEWELL LAKE: No reports from anglers this week.
LAKE ALICE: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Jan. 29, NM State Parks are open to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information. The lake is closed to ice fishing.
LAKE MALOYA: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Jan. 29, NM State Parks are open to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information.
LOS PINOS RIVER: No reports from anglers this week.
MAXWELL LAKE 13: Closed for the season.
MONASTERY LAKE: Closed due to COVID-19 health concerns. Check the Open Gate webpage for future updates. MORPHY LAKE: Closed for a renovation project on the dam and no firm opening date has been set.
PECOS RIVER: Stream flow near the town of Pecos Monday morning was not measured due to ice.
RED RIVER: Stream flow below the hatchery Monday morning was 36.3 cubic feet per second (cfs). Fishing for trout near the hatchery was fair using small nymph and egg pattern flies.
RÍO GRANDE: Stream flow at the Taos Junction Bridge, Monday morning was 393 cfs. Fishing for trout was good using double nymph rig combinations of large crane fly nymphs and small midge larvae. RÍO HONDO: Stream flow near Valdez, Monday morning was not measured due to ice.
RÍO MORA: Stream flow Monday morning was not measured due to ice.
RÍO PUEBLO: Stream flow near Peñasco, Monday morning was not measured due to ice.
SANTA CRUZ RESERVOIR: No reports from anglers this week.
SHUREE PONDS: Closed until July 1, 2021.
SPRINGER LAKE: No reports from anglers this week.
STORRIE LAKE: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Jan. 29, NM State Parks are open to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information.
STUBBLEFIELD LAKE: No reports from anglers this week.
UTE LAKE: In accordance with the Public Health Order, effective Jan. 29, NM State Parks are open to New Mexico residents for day-use only. Please check the State Parks’ website for more information. Fishing for all species was slow. The water surface temperature was 41 degrees.
Much is uncertain in 2021, but for local athletes, the biggest uncertainty on the horizon is the fate of the 2021 high school sports seasons. The season is set to begin Feb. 23, but the school district is still working to develop a plan to adjust to any roadblocks it may encounter.
For the past 11 months, schools have been using an at-home online model, but Feb. 10, the Taos Municipal School board voted 4-1 in favor of returning to some form of in-person classes. The decision opened the door for a possible return to sports.
Along with in-person learning, the state has promised local sports teams a season. It will begin with football and other fall sports, moving on to winter sports, and eventually spring sports taking place for the first time in over a year.
As Taos High preps for the new season, athletes and coaches are remaining optimistic.
“Obstacles and challenges might lie ahead for us,” said Taos High boys basketball coach Hernándo Chávez. “But challenges are what push us. We search for ways to overcome them. It’s our duty to search for avenues to get our students in our community back to some way of normal.”
With a potential football season fast approaching, Taos High varsity football coach Arthur Abreu, Jr., says he is planning to play, but recognizes the need for flexibility.
“Control what you can,” said Abreu. “We keep hoping. There is no manual on how to handle a situation like this. But we must try. We must be willing to adapt. We still have a lot to learn.”
Despite the potential for yet another cancelled season, the athletic department staff at Taos High believes it is possible to safely have high school sports.
“It’s not going to be perfect. By no means. But I believe we have a good shot to complete this season,”
said Abreu. “Our athletes want it. They need it now. We took it for granted. Now the perspective has changed.”
The coaches and athletic department aren’t the only ones hopeful about a potential season. The athletes are using their voices as well, raising awareness of the benefits of organized sports for mental and physical health, and creating a sense of community and safety.
“This is when the whole team comes together. Without a season, it would feel empty,” said Abdul
Khweis, captain of the boys’ basketball team at Taos High. “Practice is now more a privilege … I use practice as an outlet for my life. It elevates my mental health; it has become my coping mechanism. Being with the guys builds culture even after I leave. I want to create a culture here where success is normalized.”
The Jan. 26 announcement from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said that schools could begin forming plans for a return to inperson learning, sparking new hope in Taos High coaches and athletes.
“Intensity levels, focus, excitement [all] rose. The decision lit [the athletes’] fire,” said coach Abreu when students returned after hearing the news.
“You can see the glimmer of hope is their eyes” said coach Chávez. “They never completely gave up hope. There were moments of doubts. But now, the possibility is real. We don’t know exactly what is going to happen ... You prepare to win and do your absolute best. I know that given the opportunity to play, they will not quit.”
Though the state and the NMAA have released a revised sports schedule for the year, the Taos Municipal School board has yet to release dates for a return to sports for Taoseño students, or decide if Taos High students will return to the pitch/field/court/ diamond at all for the 2020-2021 season.
As of now, however, hope is in steady supply for the first time in a long time.
“We are ready for it.” said Khweis. “If we stay ready, it comes out as a win. Things are not a given anymore. We are preparing for whatever comes.”
With the unknown, comes unexpected trials. However, the teams are focused on their goals and achieving their dreams. Taos High varsity basketball player Josiah Duke, like many of his teammates, is dedicated to his team and said, “as long as there’s hope I’ll keep playing and working with my teammates. Even when I have my doubts I’ll stick with the program till the end.”
You prepare to win and do your absolute best. I know that given the opportunity to play, they will not quit.’
HERNÁNDO CHÁVEZ
Taos High boys basketball coach