Jicarilla Fish Weblog

The Stone Lake season opener is just around the corner and things are looking good. A gill net sample was conducted on Thursday March 27, 2007 and yielded 25 nice fish. Of these 25 fish, 24 were Rainbow Trout and one was a 15” Largemouth Bass. The average size of the Rainbows from this sample came out to 19.6 inches and 3.5 lbs. The lake is now completely free of ice cover, and windy afternoons have helped to turn it over and replenish oxygen levels. The water is murky from turnover and runoff, but clarity has been improving daily and is approximately 4ft. currently. The lake opens to Non-Tribal anglers on Sunday April 1, 2007. Anglers need a valid Jicarilla Fishing Permit (a NM state fishing license is not required). A list of Jicarilla Fishing Permit vendors from around the state can be found on the 2007-2008 Non-Tribal fishing proclamation which is available on this website. There have not been any angler reports submitted over the last week which is probably attributed to the transitional period between ice and spring fishing. Mundo Lake is very high and water visibility is low at around 1ft. Approximately 25,000 subcatchable (6") rainbows were stocked at Stone Lake 3-27-07 and the rest of the lakes will be stocked soon. For more information call Kevin Terry at (505) 759-3255.

The Jicarilla Fishing Lakes are still filling up with snowmelt runoff, which appears to be slowing down and coming to an end. The water is murky as a result of sediment washing in with the runoff and visibility is approximately 1 foot currently. The ice is completely melted at Mundo Lake which is very close to full capacity. Both Stone and Horse Lakes still have some ice but the edges are open and the rest should be quick to follow. The only angler reports that we have received this week were for cat fishing at Mundo Lake. Anglers have been doing fair to good on chicken liver for Channel Catfish in 12-16inch range. These anglers are having luck on the southern part of the lake where the recent influx of water has flooded vegetation like willows and tall grasses creating good habitat for catfish. We are planning to stock approximately 55,000 6-8inch Rainbows in our fishing lakes during the week beginning March 26th and more information will be coming soon. Good Fishing. As always feel free to call Kevin Terry at the Jicarilla Game and Fish Department (505) 759-3255 for more information.

The Ice Fishing Season on the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes has finally reached its end. The ice is breaking up steadily, and the arroyos are flowing with runoff contributing substantially to lake levels. What remains of the ice has been deemed unsafe at this time. Stay tuned for information on the fishing conditions during ice out, as well as our planned stocking of approximately 55,000 rainbow trout in the last week of March. We are also looking forward to the season opener at Stone Lake on April 1st, and a scouting report will be coming soon. Thanks and good fishing to all.

The fishing on Mundo Lake has been fair to good over the past week. The ice is still thick at 10-12” and the warm spring like temperatures make for a very enjoyable ice fishing experience. The catch rates for 12” rainbows are approximately 1-2 per hour of fishing. Anglers are catching these fish primarily on bait. Corn remains the bait of choice, but fireballs and powerbait are catching fish too. Red, green and yellow jigs have also been working. Local anglers have reported a good morning bite on Mundo, between 7:00am and 10:30am, tapering off after lunch. The road to the spillway is a muddy mess in the afternoons and parking up top at the J-8 pullout is advisable to those who don’t have 4wd or want a clean vehicle. Horse Lake has been fishing really slow for the past month and is virtually inaccessible anyway due to truck swallowing mud conditions. For more information please call Kevin Terry at the Jicarilla Game and Fish Department (505) 759-3255.