Jicarilla Fishing Blog

HELLO ICE ANGLERS

PLease share this information with anyone who you think would be interested in this event. This is a very late call but please share. This could be a great event with as few as 20 anglers. I will be on the ice helping out. The weather should be good and the format is very simple. CASH MONEY!!!!!!

Kevin Terry

Click Here For Derby Details

Fishing Report 2-21-12

            Ice fishing continues at the Jicarilla Lakes. The ice sheet is currently 15 inches thick at Stone Lake and assumed the same at Mundo Lake. The wet snow from last week’s storm was quickly incorporated into the ice sheet during recent clear cold nights. The weather outlook is good through the weekend this week. Stone Lake has received all of the attention recently and Mundo Lake remains untracked. Oxygen levels are hanging on at Stone and the fish caught are still fighting well.

            Stone Lake has been getting some attention from local anglers. Fishing has been variable from day to day. At least 8 fish were caught over the long weekend by a group of anglers. Sunday was the best action with 6 fish landed between three anglers. The fish ranged in size from 12 inches to 19 inches. This group was on the North side of the lake and had some action each of three days this weekend.

            Mundo Lake is covered in a fresh coat of snow with zero trace of fishing activity. The most recent report from last week came from a local angler who caught a diverse bag of fish near shore on the East side of the lake. He took Bass, Bluegill, Catfish, and a few skinny Trout with jigs.

            Late winter ice fishing can be hit or miss. Fish are slow and hunkered down waiting for spring. The Dissolved Oxygen levels at or near the bottom will not support trout for an extended period of time. Fishing higher in the column will put you in more fish. The sunny weather coming up should make for great conditions on the ice. Soak up the rays and catch some nice fish too. See you out there.

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Apache Game and Fish Department  

Fishing Report 2/14/12

            Happy Valentines to all of you fish lovers out there. Hopefully your hearts are content with all of the great fishing presents you received. Thanks goes out to everyone who came to see us at Bob Gerding’s Outdoor Adventures Show. It’s nice to get feedback from veterans and to meet new anglers that are interested in the Jicarilla Lakes. The report this week will be brief, as we had very few reports.

            Stone Lake is the source of the only the only reports and those were not very detailed. In total, I heard about two fish being caught over the weekend. One was small and I didn’t get any other news than that. The other report was sent via a txt message that included a very nice picture which will be attached below. Audie Reval caught this 19.5 inch beauty on Saturday.

            The weather outlook is mixed with chances of snow at times throughout the week and into the weekend. Give us a call at 575-759-3255 if you want to check on the roads before heading out. The roads are currently wet and slushy in places. The ice is 12 inches thick at both lakes, but there is a layer of slushy wet snow on top from the recent storm.

            Ice fishing continues at the Jicarilla Lakes. We have approximately one month left, as the lakes tend to thaw out in the last couple of weeks in March. Please send in reports by visiting the website www.jicarillahunt.com and clicking on the contact us menu. Check out Audies nice fish below and have a great week on the ice.

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Apache Game and Fish Dept.

Audie Reval, caught 2-10-12, 19.5 inch Rainbow Trout

Fishing Report 2/8/12

            The Jicarilla Lakes are sitting under 12 inches of good ice. Fishing pressure has been low, but some action was reported at both Stone Lake and Mundo Lake this week. The forecast is mixed right now, calling for partly cloudy to possible snow showers through the weekend.

            Stone Lake produced several nice Rainbows up to 20 inches this weekend. Anglers were also getting bites and several hook ups, with lost fish were in the mix. Nothing specific was reported this week, but working jigs in relatively shallow water in the afternoons should result in some action. We have seen some real trophies come through the ice this year, so get out here and give it a shot.

            Mundo Lake continues to be pretty slow this week. A few locals have been out there with mixed results. Bluegill and Bass have been hitting on the east side of the lake and are probably biting on the south end as well. If you find a pod of bluegill, you should be able to catch quite a few. The trout fishing has been slow and the average size (10 inches) is below what we want to see. However, there are some really nice trout in Mundo and the surprise factor of this lake makes for a great ice fishing adventure.

            Have a great week on the ice. If you are in Albuquerque this weekend, please stop by our booth at Bob Gerding’s Outdoor show. Let’s talk fish!!!!

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Apache game and Fish Dept.

Fishing Report 1/31/12

            The Jicarilla Lakes are in good shape as far as ice goes. The ice thickness at both Mundo and Stone has actually increased in the past couple of weeks. The ice at Mundo is nearly 12 inches and the Ice at Stone is estimated to be about the same. Pressure was down this weekend but we did get a couple of reports.

            Stone Lake is still producing fish but the catch rates are still slow. A group of six caught three fish and missed quite a few bites at Stone on Sunday. The fish caught were two 19 inch Rainbows and one 17 inch Rainbow. All of the action was concentrated in the afternoon from 2:30 to 4:30pm. Stone Lake has produced some real monsters this winter and the fish seem to be well distributed. Fishing the top six feet or so of water and concentrating near shore in most situations will have better results.

            Mundo Lake was also slow this week. We had two reports and besides that the lake was unoccupied as far as we could tell. One report came from a local angler who caught two small trout (10-12”) in 3 and ½ hours. The other report came from a group of two anglers who only caught one fish in 4 hours. This is a far cry from the huge results we had two weeks ago at the derby, so don’t write Mundo off if you are looking to ice fish.

            The forecast is calling for a slight chance of snow for Thursday and Friday, and then things will clear up and get into the 40’s for the weekend. I hope you all have a great week, and please call us or send an email if you have any report info.

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Apache Game and Fish Department.

Fishing Report 1/24/12

            The 6^th annual Jicarilla Ice Derby was a great success with a total of 170 anglers on the ice between Mundo and Stone Lakes. The event was particularly exciting this year, because for once the reporting information has been stronger at Stone when compared to Mundo. Anglers were moving back and forth, but when it was all said and done, Mundo Lake prevailed again in all three prizes by weight. This can be attributed to sheer numbers of fish and also to diversity in the species that were caught there. Stone Lake did offer quite a few fish and took the longest fish of the day prize, but it was difficult for any one individual to catch more than 2 fish. We heard a lot of battle stories from Stone with break offs, straightened hooks, and fish too fat to get through the hole.

            The take home was awesome this year as 119 of the 170 contestants drew a door prize which ranged from augers to lures. The weather held out for most of the day, but slush and rain chased us away right after the awards ceremony. All in all, it was a great derby and the Jicarilla Game and Fish Department would like to thank everyone who came to the event and all of our great sponsors that helped make it possible.

            This year’s grand champion was Shawn Jones out of Albuquerque, NM. Shawn was diligent at Mundo Lake and managed to capture multiple species in good numbers. Shawn’s total weight was 17 lbs which included 6 trout, 12 Bluegill, and 16 channel catfish. In second place was Bryan Berrios also from Albuquerque, NM. Bryan had 15 trout and 6 catfish for a combined weight of 13.5 lbs. out of Mundo Lake. In third place was Mitch Roggy, and yes he is from Albuquerque, NM too. This is the second year in a row that Mitch was in the running, and after a hair raising weigh off for third, Mitch prevailed with 8.5 lbs. of fish that included 11 trout and 2 catfish. The longest fish of the day went to Jamil Montoya from Dulce, NM and he caught a 21.5 inch rainbow out of Stone Lake. Jamil has been competitive in this event for all 6 years and his behemoth kept one prize here in Dulce.

            The weather has turned a bit since Saturday with 4 to 5 inches of new snow out at the lakes. We stand to get a little more today and tonight, but fishing should be good at either lake. The roads are currently snow packed, but they should be ok for the weekend. Feel free to call us (575)759-3255 to check road conditions before your trip. Thanks for fishing with us!!

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Apache Game and Fish Dept.

Fishing Report 1/10/12

            The Jicarilla Fishing Lakes are getting into a deep winter groove. Unfortunately, this means that fishing tends to slow down a little, which has been the case in the last couple of weeks. In more bad news, we believe that Dulce Lake has already or very nearly winterkilled for the season. The Dissolved Oxygen readings at the surface are just below the threshold for trout survival, while those in the mid column and at the bottom are way below the threshold that can support trout. We expected Dulce to winterkill, but we were hoping that it would hold on until the Ice Derby (BUMMER). However, Both Mundo Lake and Stone Lake have good levels of dissolved oxygen. Also, we now know that Mundo Lake and Stone Lake will be the only two lakes involved in the Ice derby next weekend on January 21^st. We only have a few reports from these fisheries as lips are tight right now.

            Mundo Lake is slow to fair, which is a slight upgrade from last week’s report. A few skunks were out there over the weekend but there were also some successful anglers. One report from today was good. An angler ventured out onto the ice armed with corn and managed to catch 3 fish in 15-30 minutes much to the dismay of two other anglers who had been out there for over 2 hours with zero action on powerbait and salmon eggs. The biggest fish of the three was 16 inches while the other two were 10 inches. I also talked to a few folks that caught at handful of fish at Mundo, and several other people who didn’t.

            Stone Lake has been fair to good but the news is definitely lacking flow when it comes to getting to my office. What I have heard has been good, especially considering the average size of fish caught. It is worth mentioning, for those who don’t know, that Stone Lake requires serious time for limited action in nearly every case. The payoff can be huge though and that will be what folks will gamble with when it comes to a Derby strategy. Rosie (Fisheries Technician) was out there today measuring Dissolved Oxygen and he managed to get the hook into two fish within an hour from 3:15 to 4:15pm. Both of them got away, but they both took a pink and white jig. Besides Rosie’s report, I don’t have much in terms of solid info to report. I do know that there were nearly 20 people out over the weekend though.

            The ice is at least 7 inches at all of the lakes and in great shape despite the recent streak of Sun. There is one more weekend to get ready and then the big event. Have a great week.

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Game and Fish Dept.

Fishing Report 1/4/12

            The fishing report is brief this week from the Jicarilla Lakes. Either folks were focused on the New Year’s celebrations, or they are just tight lipped in preparation for the Ice derby which is coming up on January 21^st. The few reports that we do have are not great.

            Mundo Lake is very slow according to two reports. One group of two anglers was skunked and another group of four caught one 8 inch rainbow in 3 hours. This is unusual for Mundo, especially considering a late stocking (October) of large trophy class fish. I expect things to turn around at Mundo soon.

            Dulce Lake has finally cooled off. The fishing is considered slow right now but a few fish were caught over the weekend. Please take care at Dulce Lake this week because we just got an aerator going out there and there will be open water spots around them. We recommend that you remain 100 ft. away from aeration holes.

            Stone Lake is still producing fish to those folks who put the time in. There weren’t any monsters reported this week but rest assured they are there.

            There hasn’t been any new info from either Horse Lake or Enbom Lake. I am not optimistic about Enbom, but I do think that Horse Lake is still alive. We just need to dial in the right combo.

            Well that’s it for this week. The Ice is stable and at least 6 inches at all of the lakes. The weather forecast is looking good through the weekend with sunny comfortable weather. Have a great week on the ice.

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Game and Fish Dept.

Fishing Report 12-27-11

            The Jicarilla Lakes have been busy this week, with lots of sunshine and good fishing. There are also some anglers looking to perfect a strategy for the 6^th annual ice derby which is coming up on Saturday January 21^st 2012. We received a few great reports this week. In fact, the year’s biggest reported fish from Stone was landed through the ice on Friday. The ice thickness is at least 5 inches at all of the lakes, and the cold single digit nights will continue to add on to that. The hot spot this week is Dulce Lake, but the quality of the fish in Stone brings it up a notch in my opinion. Mundo is slow, which is a surprise and Horse and Enbom still haven’t produced a good report.

            Dulce Lake is producing Rainbows that average 16 inches with both bait and jigs. Wax worms and meal worms are both working as is yellow powerbait. Jigs vary from crappie feather jigs to plastics and have been working in a variety of colors. The water is very clear and the lake is shallow which allows for a good view of your rig if you get down on the ice and look through your hole. Some friends and I had a blast sight fishing with jigs out there last week.

            Stone Lake has given up some very nice fish to jigs over the past week. The prime time seems to be around 2:30pm considering that several reports mention the same timing. They have been hitting white, pink, chartreuse and other colored jigs and are often hooked within 4-6 feet from the ice. Audie Reval from Dulce caught a lunker this weekend which measured 26 inches and was estimated to be 7.5 lbs based on the 15 inch girth. A picture of this monster will be attached below.

            Mundo Lake has been slow according to two reports this week. One report was from 3 anglers who fished 4 hours with zero bites and the other was from an angler who fished for an hour and caught 1 bass. This is not typical for Mundo Lake, and I feel like things will turn around soon.

            Horse Lake is the source of bad news this week. I tried it for an hour with two other guys last week and we got skunked. I also tried it several days prior to that trip and had the same result. To top it off, I just had a call from a veteran ice man and he got skunked in 3 and ½ hours. I don’t know what is going on out there, but I hope to have some answers for next week’s report. The reason I am so surprised is due to the great gill net results we had in late November (and no I did not net them all!).

That’s it this week. We didn’t hear anything from Enbom which is not a surprise with Stone and Dulce doing so well but we hope to get some info for you next week. Check out the picture of Audie’s 26 incher below.

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Apache Game and Fish Department     

Audie Reval- 12-23-11- Stone Lake 26 inch, 15 inch girth, est. weight 7.5lbs.