Jicarilla Fish Weblog

The holiday weekend met with some happy anglers and good weather on the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes. Stone Lake continues to be very tough fishing and has had light pressure. One or two fish a day is good on Stone Lake right now. A number of anglers with fish finders on their boats or float tubes have reported seeing a lot of fish, but very few seem to be biting. There have been very productive Damselfly and Chironomidae midge hatches over the past week, but very few rising fish. Mundo Lake has been excellent for Rainbows with flies, lures, and bait. Catching the limit of six trout should be easily achievable in a half days fishing. Most of the Rainbows are in the 8-12” range, with a fair number up to 15” and some over 20”. One angler reported a catching a 24” rainbow at Mundo over the weekend. Catfishing at Mundo was also good over the weekend with reports of several fish over 20”. Anglers targeting catfish were primarily on the South side of the lake using chicken liver and stink baits. Enbom Lake has been fair (1-2 fish/hour) with powerbait, worms, and flies. The weeds and algae are beginning to make there presence known at Enbom and fishing from a boat or float tube is advisable. Weed harvesting at Enbom will begin in the next week or two and updates will follow.

The fishing has been variable between the lakes on the Jicarilla Reservation. Stone Lake has been very slow over the past week. Numerous anglers both fly and spin fishermen have put in time with little to no success. This morning Rosenburg (fisheries Technician) and I went to check things out to get an idea of whats going on out there.When we got there there was a gentleman who had landed two and lost two from a float tube in the southwest cove near the boat ramp. He was using a bead head moles hair nymph and an olive wollybugger.
We checked the water quality all over the lake and found nothing to concerning. The water was around 64 degrees and the PH was hovering just below 9. Dissolved oxygen levels were at 90% saturation with no discernible gradient between the surface and the bottom. Windy weather has kept it really well mixed and as a result has left the water turbid. Visibility is around three feet in the turbid areas (primarily N, NE, E). The SW cove had visibility to around ten feet and that's where the best action should be over memorial. Rosie got into one beauty of a Bow after about 2 hours of medium intensity fishing. The fish was 18 1/4" and 3.5 lbs. and you can see the photo (not Rosie in picture) in the gallery.
Both Mundo and Enbom Lakes have been fishing well however. At Mundo fish are hitting on powerbait of various colors as well as lures and flies. Morning midge hatches have been creating top water action for fly anglers that persists into the afternoon. The water has warmed up a little, and the Largemouth Bass are becoming more active. There aren’t any reports of anglers specifically targeting these fish, but some lunkers have been spotted cruising around the docks and the spillway.
At Enbom the fishing has been good for Rainbows 10-20+” with worms, green powerbait and flies. One local angler reported a 24” Rainbow on worms Saturday (5/19/07). Wollybuggers and damselfly nymphs are hot fly patterns. Weed and algal growth have started to make their presence known on the shorelines, and boats or float tubes are recommended but not necessary for success. Good luck, be safe and have a great holiday weekend.

Kevin Terry- Fisheries Biologist

The Fishing has been good on the Jicarilla Lakes this past week. Mundo Lake has been the most consistent and bait, lures, and flies have all been working well. Anglers can expect to catch 2-3 Rainbows per hour in the 8-12” range, and should be prepared for the occasional 16-20” Rainbow mixed in. The largemouth Bass are also becoming more active as the water warms up and anglers targeting Bass should do well for Largemouth up to 17”, fishing around the spillway and near inundated vegetation along the shorelines. Pistol petes, wollybuggers, and a variety of beadhead nymphs including flashback pheasant tails and hare’s ears are popular flies at Mundo right now. Spoons and spinners are also working at Mundo for both Rainbows and Largemouth. Powerbait on the bottom has been the hot bait lately, and seems to be enticing the larger Rainbows (16-20”) more frequently than lures and flies. The south and east sides of Mundo have been producing the biggest Rainbows. Fishing at Enbom Lake has picked up lately, and a few reports of big Rainbows (18-20”) and ferocious line breaking battles are coming in. Bait fishermen are reporting good action with green powerbait on the bottom for Rainbows 8-20”. Fly fishermen are doing well from float tubes stripping wollybuggers and beadhead nymphs around aquatic weeds along the shorelines. Stone Lake continues to be the toughest fishing on the Jicarilla, and light pressure has resulted in few reports. However, Eudane Vicenti, a game and fish employee and Dulce native did well for big Rainbows at Stone on Sunday (5/13/07). He caught two 20” 4 lb. fish and a 22” 5 lb fish. He was using a variety of lures, primarily spoons, and was casting as far out from the shore as possible. He believes that the long casts and frequently moving from spot to spot were key in his success. For more information, call Kevin Terry at (505) 759-3255.

Fishing has been slow at Stone Lake over the past week. The best action has been reported by anglers using spinners and lures. These anglers are working hard for 1 or 2 bites per hour of fishing. Fly fishing has been very slow at Stone. Fishing has been fair at Enbom with wollybuggers and damselfly nymphs for rainbows up to 20”. Float tubes are a good idea at Enbom right now to cover more water. Mundo Lake continues to fish well with both bait and lures and flies. Most trout are in the 8-12” range but some up to 20” have been landed, especially on the east and south sides of the lake.Catfishing has also been hot at Mundo Lake lately. The water levels have come up from recent storms and boat access is at its best for both Stone and Mundo Lakes. For more info call Kevin at (505)759-3255.

Sorry this is a day late. I was out of the office yesterday.

Fishing has been tough at Stone Lake. The fish are less concentrated on the shorelines, and seem to have spread out over the lake. Wollybuggers of various colors are still getting a descent bite as are small beadhead nymphs. Small (#14-18) red beadheads are a good option right now. On Friday April 27th Elliot Vicenti a Dulce local, caught a 27” Rainbow with a silver spoon, from the shore at the south side boat ramp at Stone. Orange and bright green lures are still working as well. Using a boat or float tube is a good strategy right now, allowing anglers to cover more water. Mundo Lake has been fishing very well over the past week. Approximately 20,000 Rainbows averaging 8” were stocked into Mundo on the 24th and 25th. These fish are catchable and have been biting well on pistol petes and wollybuggers of various colors. A few anglers have also been catching some fish up to 20” at Mundo. Enbom Lake was also stocked with these 8” fish, but reports indicate that fishing has been slow. Check out the photo gallery for recent photos

Call Kevin Terry (fisheries Biologist) at 505-759-3255 with any fishing questions. THANKS