Jicarilla Fishing Blog

Fishing Report 8-2-2011

            Fishing has been good at the Jicarilla Lakes this week. Big catfish are being caught at Mundo Lake. A few 20 inch Rainbows were caught at Stone Lake and fishing is considered fair to good at Stone this week. Enbom has been slower and underreported again this week. The PASS program had a successful night fishing derby at Mundo on Saturday. The summer is winding down and we are getting into what I consider the best 3 months of fishing at the Jicarilla Lakes. The monsoons have been less than predictable this year but we have had some significant rainfall at the lakes recently.

            Mundo Lake is excellent for Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, and Bluegill. The Cats are hitting liver, worms and commercial stinkbaits with three fish over 26 inches caught last week. Sutherland White of Dulce caught the big cat this week which measured 26 inches and was estimated at approximately 9 lbs (SEE Picture Below). The Bass and Bluegill are very active and can be caught on a wide variety of flies and lures. Trout fishing has been fair to good at Mundo with early mornings and evenings up until well after dark fishing the best.

            Enbom Lake has been slow with very few reports coming in this week. Again, fishing in the early morning and late evening will produce the best results.

            Stone Lake is producing fish for the few anglers out there fishing. Trolling and casting lures is good in the evenings. We are happy to share a fly fishing report this week. Two anglers from Albuquerque caught 4 fish on Saturday(7-30) morning using large woolly buggers and muddler minnow patterns. These fish were all in the 20 inch range. Check out the photos of the fish and their stomach contents below. It shouldn’t be a surprise that both fish kept were completely stuffed with Damsel Flies. The fishing derby that was scheduled for this weekend at Stone Lake has been cancelled. Also, be aware that we are in the middle of a significant green algae bloom at Stone Lake which has affected water clarity but not necessarily fishing.

            Dulce Lake is not recommended this week due to the Aquatic weed problem. The weeds have all but choked out this very shallow lake and reduced the fishable areas to very small spots here and there. The fish are still doing fine so it is possible to catch them but be warned the weeds are very bad.  Don’t forget to check out the photos below and have a great week.

 

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Apache Game and Fish Department

Sutherland White- Mundo Lake- 26 inches 9 lbs

 

Chuck Biller- two nice Stone Lake Rainbows caught on the fly

Stomach Contents of the Two Stone Lake fish- Damsels, Damsels, Damsels!!!

 

Fishing Report 7/27/11

            Fishing has been fair to good at the Jicarilla Lakes this week. We finally have a break in the hot weather today after a good soaking rain last night. Fishing should also pick up a little in the next few days as the rain and overcast skies should help reduce surface temperatures and increase fish activity. The forecast is calling for more thunderstorms through the weekend with at least a 30% chance daily.

            Mundo Lake is fishing good to excellent for Bass, Bluegill, and Channel Catfish. The Bass are congregated near shore and they are pretty aggressive on flies and lures. Bluegill are hitting bait including worms and corn as well as almost any beadhead nymph size 16 or smaller. Catfish are biting extremely well on a variety of baits with liver on the top of the list. Gary Henry of Lumberton, New Mexico caught a lunker of a Cat last night at Mundo Lake with Chicken Liver. The fish was in great condition measuring 27 inches and weighing in at 9.5 lbs.(see picture below). A local student program called PASS (Planning Ahead for Student Success) which has been operating a small boat rental business at Mundo Lake is hosting a night fishing derby this Saturday (7/30/11) at Mundo Lake. I apologize for a lack of info on the event but I do know that the Adult entry fee is $20. Trout fishing has picked up at Mundo this week and is considered fair to good. The average Mundo Lake Rainbow is 10-12 inches and they are hitting bait and flies. Weed harvesting is 80% complete at Mundo Lake.

            Enbom Lake has been slow except for the sunrise and sunset hours when it picks up a little. The recent rain and cooler temps may throw this trend off a bit but I expect that early and late will remain as the optimum fishing times. The average Rainbow in Enbom is 13-14 inches and these fish are quite chunky compared to those in Mundo.

Stone Lake has been good for July standards at this difficult fishery. Despite a couple of very positive reports I suggest that only those serious trout anglers looking for big Rainbows venture to Stone Lake. A boat or tube is almost necessary too, in order to get away from weeds and move around to find the fish. Some very nice Rainbows were caught last week and none of them were reported below 17 inches. Audie Reval, our local Stone Lake guru, has been crucial for our Stone Lake reports this year and he has spent lots of time on the water. He was successful in all three outings last week landing some very nice trout and missing quite a few others. Audie fishes in the evenings and has good success trolling lures including z rays and also casting lures in deeper weed free water. We had one fly fishing report that came in late last week just after the report was finished. Two anglers fishing from float tubes hooked and lost a total of 6 fish with some very good fights. They were both using a three fly rig with damsels, woolly buggers, and hares ear nymphs.

            Dulce Lake is all but choked out with aquatic vegetation. There are a couple of very small areas with open water but they are few and far between. At this point a small hand carried boat is about the only way to get at the fish. With that said, there was one angler fishing from the shore last week who caught a nice Channel Catfish from a bobber. These fish will head down into the weeds and wrap you up but this report is proof that they can be caught.

            We did not have any reports from the river this week. Again, the Forecast is calling for monsoon rains so be prepared with appropriate clothing. Have a good week and good luck to those of you who are planning to attend Saturday nights fishing derby. Have a look at the picture below to check out Gary’s big Mundo Lake Catfish!

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Apache Game and Fish Department

 

 Gary Henry- Caught 7-26-2011 with Chicken Liver- 27 inches and 9.5 lbs.

 

                                                                                               

Fishing Report 7/19/2011

            The news from the Jicarilla Lakes has been minimal this week. Lake conditions are good but as usual aquatic weeds are a major factor to consider in July and August. We are performing weed harvesting operations this week at Mundo Lake in conjunction with a removal effort to reduce the population size of Bluegill. All in all, fishing at the Jicarilla Lakes has been fair this week.

            Mundo Lake is fishing fair for Rainbow trout averaging 10-13 inches. The best bite is for folks in boats or tubes using various flies. Bait fishing is fair but the weeds have been troubling to shore anglers. The weed harvesting will alleviate but not eliminate this problem. The bite on Bass and Bluegill is good and there are good numbers of feisty 10-12 inch Bass near the shore by weed beds. Bluegill are also hitting well on small bead head flies and small chunks of worms. The mature Bluegill are also in spawning condition for the second time this season and they can be found near shore building and guarding nests. Channel Catfish are biting very well on stinkbait and liver.

            Enbom Lake is assumed to be fishing fair to slow for Rainbows in the 13 inch range. We did not receive any reports this week which suggests that the lake remains slow with fair fishing early and late in the day. Enbom is a shallow fishery and therefore prone to very warm conditions that will cause trout to hunker down during the hotter periods of the day.

            Stone Lake is fishing extremely slow according to the one report that I received yesterday on the phone. The report came from an angler who has fished Stone for years and he told me that it was absolutely horrible for the two hours he fished. The weeds are beginning to cause problems but the water is fairly clear. I wish I had more to report but that’s all I got, so there it is. After last week’s positive report with several successful anglers I wouldn’t write it off for those of you trophy fishermen. Stone Lake is the next stop for the weed harvester and we expect to be out there by the first week in August.

            Dulce Lake continues to get weedier by the day but the few anglers who can get a small hand carried boat or float tube into the middle of the lake are still doing quite well for Rainbows in the 15-16 inch range. I assume the catfish are biting well also, especially for anglers who can access the middle portion of the lake. We cannot launch our weed harvester at Dulce Lake so unfortunately we will have to suffer through the weedy season. The payoff can be big though.

            The Navajo River is in fishing condition but we did not receive any reports again this week. The river is prone to turbid conditions and any monsoon activity will likely muddy up the water in minutes.

            Good Luck out there this week!  

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Apache Game and Fish Department

  

Fishing Report 7-12-11

            Rain at last at the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes. Recent monsoons have been torrential and at long last we have the moisture we needed so badly. We are not out of the woods yet; we still need more precipitation to get to fire safe conditions. For now, the open fire ban continues with only gas stoves and grills allowed at the lakes. Fishing has been interesting this week. Stone Lake has the best report for the first time of the year and everything except for trout is biting at Mundo. Chalk it up to July fishing I guess.

            Mundo Lake has been good for Bass and Bluegill. There hasn’t been any info on size but the word is that action is hot for both species. The Bluegill which rarely get to keeper size often agitate trout anglers so be warned if you are looking for trout only. We are conducting a removal effort at Mundo next week for Bluegill. The population is out of control which has affected growth rates and seems to be hampering trout growth as well. Catfish are also biting well at Mundo right now.

            Enbom Lake has been slow for trout this week. The shallow lake is prone to warm conditions this time of year which has probably eliminated midday opportunities and made for less than awesome mornings and evenings. Rest assured, these fish are eating but the window is small allowing a shot first and last of the day.

            Stone Lake is fishing fair to good, especially for July. When I say  good at Stone I mean that you have a good chance of hooking several fish in an outing (far cry from the good at Mundo where you can catch 50 fish). Several anglers did well over the weekend trolling and casting lures of the usual Stone Lake variety (BIG). The average fish is a fat 17 inch Rainbow but fish up to 20 inches were landed as well.

            Dulce Lake is still good as long as you still have a boat or float tube. Even bait fishermen will need some sort of floating apparatus to get passed the ring of death weed mat that is currently choking the shorelines. A few nice rainbows and one Channel Catfish were reported this week. Orange powerbait was also recommended in that report.

            That’s about it for this week’s report. The forecast is calling for more of the same with steady monsoons which will really cool things off and make for a great summer camping trip in Northern New Mexico. Have a great week on the water.

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Apache Game and Fish Department

  NO CAMPFIRES!!!!!!!!!

Fishing Report 7/6/2011

            Fishing is good at the Jicarilla Lakes this week. The Holiday weekend went off without a hitch and the talk around town is that fishing is good at all of the lakes. We did not receive any direct reports this week which is not a surprise considering the Monday holiday.

            Mundo Lake is fishing fair to good for 12 inch average trout. The best bite is deep but not on the bottom with bait or flies. Access via a boat or float tube in the deeper areas of the lake will improve success. Catfish are biting well on liver and other stink baits. They are reported as skinny. This is not a surprise considering that many of these Channel Catfish were stocked last week. Bluegill and Bass are active near the shorelines and emergent vegetation.

            Enbom Lake is fair to good for trout averaging 13-14 inches. Fish are biting bait and flies with better action in the early morning and late evening. There has been some surface action during those times. Float tube access is great and there are several recently cleared shoreline areas too. 

            Dulce Lake is fishing good for fat 14-16 inch Rainbows. The bite is greatly improved for anglers using a boat or float tube to access the deeper areas with less weeds. Bait, lures, and Flies are all working well. The Catfish in Dulce are substantially larger than those in Mundo, and Dulce Lake has 24 hour fishing access.

            Stone Lake is fishing well for the few anglers who have tried it. Three locals trolled the lake last week with spoons in various colors. They had ten hook ups and landed 5 fish. They were all estimated at 18 inches. Another local, Lance Lucero caught and released two fish estimated at 24 inches from the north shore using a crank bait. The weeds are getting up there at Stone, but conditions are better than average for July at Stone Lake.

            The Navajo River is in fishing condition with relatively clear water. We didn’t receive any reports this week but the condition is worth mentioning for those of you who prefer river fishing.

The Campgrounds at the Jicarilla Lakes and the Navajo River are open but we do have fire restrictions in place. Open campfires or charcoal grills are currently prohibited, but Gas grills and stoves are ok for use. Good Luck.

 

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist
Jicarilla Apache Game and Fish Department

Fishing Report 6-29-11

            Fishing has been fair to good at the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes this week. The major obstacle to success is near shore weed growth that has made for difficult fishing from the shoreline at Enbom Lake, Mundo Lake, and especially Dulce Lake. We are currently working on manual removal of this growth at the lakes and we will continue to do so for the remainder of the season. This is a common issue for us this time of year and many of you have refined your strategy to accommodate. The best option is a small boat or float tube which really opens up possibilities at all of our lakes. We are still dry and windy here and the open fire ban continues this week.

            Mundo Lake has been fishing fair to good for trout up to 17 inches. One very good report suggests that fishing bait in the middle to lower sections (not bottom) of the water column can be deadly. The report also suggested that anchoring in the deeper water and fishing jigs and flies deep will get a good bite. Bluegill and Bass are very active near the shorelines and they can be caught on flies and lures. The best bait reported is green power bait, and beyond that there wasn’t a real standout this week. We stocked approximately 3,500 Channel Catfish into Mundo Lake yesterday (6/28/11). They were quite the mixed batch with fish ranging from 6 inches to 18 inches.  The Bluegill have already had a successful hatch this year and I expect the cats to quickly find this prey source. We will begin mechanical aquatic weed harvesting efforts at Mundo Lake by the end of the week with hopes of progress for weekend anglers. Also, please take note that there is a summer group of students who are running a small boat rental business at Mundo Lake. They operate in the afternoons from Wednesday through Sunday and have very reasonable rates.

            Enbom Lake has been fishing fair to good for fat 12-15 inch trout. The best times are in the morning or evenings and fish are biting on bait and flies. We have completed weed harvesting for now, and there are several new shoreline access areas that were recently cut out. Enbom is very warm due to its shallow nature and the recent hot weather. If you plan to release fish please do your best to reduce fight time and find a good weed free area to release fish. They may also need a little help to resuscitate. You can do this by holding the fish upright and gently moving the fish in a repetitive back and forth motion to move water and oxygen across their gills. There are still some hogs out there so be ready.

            Dulce Lake is the worst in terms of emergent weed and algae growth near the shoreline. A hand carried boat or float tube is a must for a relaxing fishing experience right now. We didn’t get any new reports from Dulce this week but I am certain that the fat feisty rainbows are getting bigger and bigger by the week. Dulce Lake also has catfish and fishing is allowed 24 hours a day.

            Stone Lake has come through the algae bloom and the water is clear and looking quite fishy. I say “looking” because that’s about all of the info I have this week. I have seen a few fish cruising the shoreline off of Manghani Point which is very intriguing. The damsel fly hatch continues to amaze me, with huge numbers emerging on a daily basis. There have also been mayflies and midges coming off and at times the entire surface of the lake seems to be covered in shucks. The spring stockers have reached catchable size and they are waiting for you.

            The Navajo River is in excellent condition in terms of clarity and flow. I haven’t had any reports but the fish meter goes off in my head every day as I cross the river on my way home. I will be out there this morning for an electrofishing demonstration to a summer youth group. I am also going to set up a few drift nets to catch aquatic insects. I should have some good info for next week’s report. Until then, keep the line tight.

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Apache Game and Fish Department

Fishing Report 6/22/11

            Summer is here and the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes are getting pretty warm. As a result, the trout fishing is slowing down with better fishing in the early morning and late evenings. However, there is still a fair bite for trout throughout the day at Enbom, Mundo and Dulce Lakes. Stone Lake remains slow and is in the middle of a Blue Green algae bloom. Weed harvesting at Enbom Lake is near completion and the lake will be in good shape for the weekend.  The Navajo River is still turbid but conditions have improved and river anglers should consider taking a shot out there.

            Mundo Lake is good for the warm water species including Bass, Bluegill, and Channel Catfish. There haven’t really been any standout baits or methods to mention this week for these species so I assume the usual stuff is working well. The Trout bite is fair in general with better action during the cooler parts of the day. Despite a lack in reports Mundo has had good pressure lately which usually translates into angler success. The water is still nice and clear but the weeds are getting fairly thick. We will begin weed harvesting next week at Mundo Lake.

            Enbom Lake is fishing very similar to Mundo for Rainbow Trout. Damsel flies continue to hatch in big numbers and there has been good surface action for fly fishermen. Powerbait is working well too at times. We will complete weed harvesting at Enbom in the next day or two and the lake will be in good shape for the weekend.

            Stone Lake has a significant blue green algae bloom right now but clarity is still ok and so far we haven’t seen any negative impacts on fish survival. Blue green blooms are nerve racking as they can sometimes lead to summer fish kills. We will be monitoring this bloom and will report any significant changes. There was one report from Stone Lake this week and it was OK. Three float tubers were there on Saturday and two of them caught one fish and one of them caught two. All four fish were caught near Manghani point on damsel flies and they were all estimated to be around 18 inches.

            Dulce Lake is fishing fair to good for trout for anglers using a small boat or float tube to access weed free areas in the middle of the lake. These fish are fat and feisty with a few true footballs reported. Flies and lures are working, as is powerbait and worms. There was also a report that Catfish made it through the winter in Dulce Lake. These fish are 16 to 20 inches and according to the one report, they are hitting well after dark. Fishing from a bobber is recommended due to the weeds.

            The Navajo River is looking better and better with reduced flows and turbidity. Fishing the slow deep holes with bait or dark flies might entice a few good Browns and Rainbows. There is still a local ban on any open fires at the Jicarilla Lakes, so please plan accordingly if you are camping here this weekend. Gas stoves and grills are ok to use. Have a great first week of Summer.

There is a Fire Ban Right Now

No Campfires or Fireworks whatsoever!

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Apache Game and Fish Department

Hey FOLKS

Just a quick update on fishing this week.
 
We had two interesting reports come in after the weekly report was published, so those of you loyal website fans get the goods over the folks who only use the journal!!!

Dulce Lake has Catfish! We have been wondering if any made it through the winter especially after that big trout was caught two weeks ago. Well, it has been confirmed by Wilburn Montoya who caught 3 catfish in the 18 inch 2-3 lb. range on yellow powerbait fished from a bobber. The weeds are an issue so step up the line and get them in fast. Dulce Lake is open for fishing 24 hours per day.

Stone Lake was also fishing good for a couple of locals on Monday evening. This info is quite contrary to the other reports this week and it appears that the evening fishing may be a big difference. These guys were trolling and casting hardware in chartreuse and red and they caught 8 fish between them. The biggest were 18 and fat.


Hope this tid bit helps. Have a great week.

Kevin Terry, Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 6-14-11

            Summer is just a week away and things are already getting hot at the Jicarilla Lakes. The Fire Danger level has just been increased to very high and therefore we are not allowing any open fires at the campgrounds right now. Gas grills and stoves are still OK. The fishing has been good, and the warm water species are becoming very active. Weeds are beginning to cause problems and the harvester will be on the job by the end of the week.

            Mundo Lake is fair to good for rainbows with the prime time happening in the evenings. Bait fishing has been fair with various colors of powerbait and worms. Bass fishing is really picking up for smaller 8-10 inch fish that are very aggressive hitting all kinds of flies and lures. Now is probably a good time to try out the topwater poppers for these lively little acrobats. Bluegill are also hitting well on flies, and several filet sized fish were reported. Catfish are picking up too, and several folks were successful after dark this week for Channel Catfish up to 15 inches.    

            Enbom Lake is fair to good for Rainbows from 12 to 20 inches. The mornings and evenings are the best times to hit Enbom, and flies are working better than bait right now. There has been good surface activity out there and the mayflies and damselflies continue to hatch daily. We will have the weed harvester out there this week for the first trim of the year, so the weeds shouldn’t be too bad this weekend.

            Dulce Lake is getting better and better as access is getting harder and harder. Dominick Panzy did it again this week with a 17 inch rainbow that took a yellow with red dot spinner. This fish was either first in his class for spring stockers or was another holdover fish from last year. The average fish is 12 inches and chunky. A small boat or float tube is what you need to catch fish at Dulce Lake right now.

            Stone Lake is still slow this week and starting to get a fairly thick green algae bloom. This is the first bloom of the year, and I suspect it will be a week or two before things clear up again. The few reports we received this week were poor.

            Have a great week and please be careful with fire in these dry conditions. With the big fire still raging in Arizona we have a constant reminder of the potential consequences.

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Apache Game and Fish Department

 

 

No Campfires or Fireworks until further notice (6-14-11)

 

Fishing Report 6/7/2011

            Fishing at the Jicarilla Lakes remains excellent this week. The only holdout to great fishing has been Stone Lake, which has been very slow this week. Mundo Lake and Enbom Lake are both still producing very nice Rainbows up to 20 + inches mixed in with the average 11-12 inch fish. Dulce Lake gave us the surprise of the week and has been good despite thick weeds and limited access. The River is high and muddy but a well placed worm may do the trick for browns.

            Mundo Lake has been fishing very good for Rainbows, Bass, and Bluegill. There was a little effort for catfish but we didn’t get any reports. The Rainbows are hitting flies and small lures, as well as powerbait and worms. Bass are taking plastics and lures and they are averaging 10 inches with a few bigger fish here and there. The water is clear and weeds are beginning to make bottom fishing tough.

            Enbom has been good to great this week. The best action is on flies fished slow in the deeper water. The best strategy is definitely a small boat or float tube but there is still good shoreline access on the south end of the lake near the dam. Powerbait has been good and worms are also fishing very well. They have been hitting very soft on bait at Enbom with lots of missed hits, so you may want to size down a little on hooks. Also, fishing bait from the top down with a bobber will be better for the large fish that head straight for the weeds when hooked.

            Stone Lake has been very tough this week. The problem seems to be related to the incredible hatch of damsel flies that have taken off this week. There are literally millions of insects crawling out to hatch and the few fish caught this week were completely stuffed to the gills with damsels. There have been two giant Bass hanging around the net pens but I can’t get them to hit anything including freshly released 3 inch trout from the pens. I watched one of these little trout basically bump heads with the Bass and still no go. That should shed light on the over-abundance of feed.

            Dulce Lake surprised us all this week with a 21 and ½ inch 5 lb. Rainbow that somehow made it through the winter. This fish was caught by our summer youth worker, Dominick Panzy, with a bead head nymph the day before he reported for duty (Sunday 6/5). It goes without saying that Dominick knows how to make the boss happy. This fish is the first we have seen all year and I don’t suspect that there are many more like it out there. There is however a bunch of nice fat 12 inchers read to hit if you can get to them. The weeds are closing in fast at Dulce and shoreline fishing is extremely limited. A float tube is the key right now.

            Take a minute to check out the photo of Dominick’s Fish posted below and then consider where you want to fish this weekend!

Kevin Terry

Fisheries Biologist

Jicarilla Apache Game and Fish Department