Jicarilla Fish Weblog

Hey Folks,

The Photo Gallery is fixed, and a few new photos are in there. Please send any pictures that you would like me to post. We really like to see your jicarilla fish. Thanks for the patience.

Kevin

Fishing Report 4/29/08
Hit or miss seems to be the most recent trend out at Stone Lake. The reports from late last week and into the weekend were very promising, but Monday and the AM today have been very tough out there. The fish are still making shoreline appearances but the numbers have declined and fishing pressure has increased. Mundo Lake on the other hand is improving as the water continues to clear up. A few Bass appearances might make things interesting out there. The cats are also beginning to wake up and get hungry, but action is still on the slower side of fair. We will be stocking Enbom tomorrow April 30th with approximately 7,000 8” Rainbows.
Stone Lake has cleared up substantially, with visibility of around 6-7 feet. The surface temperature this morning at 11:30 was 55° Fahrenheit. Many of you know that the wind can be hazardous to anglers out there and recently the afternoon winds have sure shown up. Remember Mundo, and in a week or two Enbom when this happens. A few remarkable fish have been caught this past week including another confirmed 24” 7 lber and a couple of 21-22” 5-6 lbers. There have also been reports of really nice 20-24” fish being caught and released. Todd Martinez from Dixon, NM definitely had a big fish morning on Friday the 25th with two hogs. One Rainbow measured 24” and weighed in at 7.2 lbs. and the other fish was 22” and 6 lbs. He caught both fish with a #3 gold Blue Fox spinner. Pictures should be up soon in the photo gallery (hopefully). Rene Chavez and her boyfriend Nick Miera from Albuquerque also did well at Stone on Sunday (4/27). Rene caught a 21” fish that weighed 4.75 lbs. on a rainbow castmaster. She also broke off on what Nick told me was some kinda monster with the same lure. Apparently, we had a classic case of the stump snag that started swimming away. I have heard this story before out there and can’t help but visualize huge Rainbows every time. On the not so happy side of things, the lake seemed to really slow down yesterday and turn off for the most part this morning. I heard of one really nice 5-6 lb fish that was released yesterday morning and happened upon the one hook up this morning out of approximately 18 anglers. I have also heard of a number of strike outs at Stone these past couple weeks including one 6 hour fishless day for yours truly. I suppose the bottom line is that we know big fish are in there, and we know that they can be caught, but the formula for predictable success remains to be a mystery.
Mundo however is less mysterious and more and more intriguing every day. The water temperature at Mundo was 49°f this morning and the visibility was a murky 1-2 feet. The fishing has been fair to good using bait, lures, and flies alike. Various colors of powerbait and worms are the current popular baits. Spinners, spoons, and even some Bass stuff have been working on the lure side of things. Wollybuggers, and beadhead nymphs including hares ears, prince nymphs and copper johns are the reported fly patterns. 2-3 fish per hour is the average right now out there, and most of the fish are 8-13” Rainbows with a few 14-16” fish mixed in. I have heard of a few Bass caught with flies and lures, but no news from the big boys yet. They are in there, so when the temps get a little warmer give the bass a shot. A I few skinny catfish have also been caught this year up to 18”. Pressure on cats has been pretty low so far and warmer temps should help with these lazy guys too.
Enbom will be stocked tomorrow (4/30) with approximately 7,000 8” Rainbows, and should start fishing well by the weekend. We will also be stocking some larger fish into Enbom and Mundo soon! I will update on that date when it is set. Good Luck and keep the line tight.

(Sorry to those of you waiting for new pics, there have been some photo gallery issues)

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 4/22/08

The spawn is on at Stone Lake, and we have seen some real lunkers come out to play. The weather has cooperated, and the visibility continues to improve, which makes for tremendous sight fishing to large Rainbows in Stone Lake. Mundo Lake is also fishing well, and will be stocked tomorrow (4/23/08). I have a great brand new collection of spring photos that will make their debut today or tomorrow in the photo gallery. If you have been waiting for your chance to catch a 6-7 lb. trout from Stone you should gas up the car, throw ice in the cooler, and get here NOW.
Stone Lake has been fishing well particularly on the North side of the lake where spawners are known to congregate in good numbers. By well, I mean that you will have a shot to sight fish for Rainbows in cold shallow water and potentially catch 3-5 fish per day. Fly fishermen should bring 3x leaders and use no less than 4x to the second fly. There have been some tremendous fish caught since last week when we first started to see the spawners cruising the shorelines. They have been picked up on a wide variety of both flies and lures and seem to be more opportunistic than selective. The popular lures are crocodiles, daredevils, and rainbow trout patterened spoons and rapalas. On the fly side San Juan worms, egg patterns, various beadhead wollybuggers, chironomidae emergers, and other beadhead patterns have all been reported. The big boys of the week were both caught by Faustin Lavato from Albuquereque. On Monday (4/21) he caught a hen that measured 24” and weighed in at 6.8 lbs. This Morning (4/22) he caught another hen that measured 24 ¼” and weighed in at 7.7 lbs. I don’t think I have to convince any of you that these are big fish. Adam Jimenez from Rio Rancho also caught a whopper at Stone that was approximately 23” and 6 lbs. As mentioned, some great photos will be uploaded soon so check out what Stone Lake has for you.
Mundo Lake is also fishing well for Rainbows in 12-13” range with a few at 15”. The best reports were from anglers using lures and pistol petes/ beadhead wollybuggers. Daredevils and spinners are also getting decent attention. On the bait side, the fishing is good but the action is a little slower. Several anglers have reported around 1-2 fish per hour on powerbait and worms. There haven’t been any good reports on Catfish, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not hitting. They had a tough long winter out there and should be hungry. The water is still cold (mid 50s) so give the fish a little time to get to the bait. I did talk to one gung ho Bass Man who gave it a good shot for one bite last week. It may be just a little early yet for the Bass. We will be stocking Mundo tomorrow with approximately 10,000 8” Rainbows from Arizona.
Also stay tuned for info on our first trophy load headed for Enbom and Mundo sometime soon. These fish really made things interesting last year, and we will have better numbers this year.

Attached below is a leave slip that should work for any employer







Keep Dreaming, or just come out and FISH!!!!!!

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Update 4/18/08

Good news at last folks. Stone Lake seems to be turning on, with more of the typical spring fishing that folks have become accustomed to. By this I mean we are finally observing the shoreline cruisers displaying spawning behavior and aggressive strikes. As some of you know and others will learn, the Rainbows in Stone typically cycle through a pretend-a-spawn period during April and early May. As mentioned in the last report the visibility is getting better every day which makes for excellent sight fishing during this spawning period when the fish come in to the shorelines in search of good gravel substrate. The best locations to look for these cruisers are the north shoreline where there is a good viewing bluff that parallels the lake for approximately 150 yards, and on the east side (magaanii point) where there is decent substrate (especially in the high water) and adequate relief to view from. The news I have heard since the last report is positive but by no means incredible quit your job type of news. Several large fish have been caught this week that I know of , and possibly more that I haven’t heard of. On the fly fishing side, one gentleman in a float tube caught and released a 24 inch Rainbow on the west side of the lake in one of the coves. He was using a heavy cone head egg sucking leach pattern. Rosenburg Tafoya also did well today and yesterday with castmasters and the broken back rapalas with rainbow and orange/green coloration. He caught 8 fish in three hours total. One was 24” but slipped away before he could get a scale under it. Another was 21 ¾” and weighed in at 4.9 lbs. I will be updating the photo gallery early next week and will have some stats to report as well. I will see you at Stone Lake.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 4/15/08


The Jicarilla Fishing Lakes are beginning to settle into typical spring conditions. The late ice and tremendous runoff have kept us waiting too long this year. Mundo Lake and Stone Lake are clearing up fast, and visibility is improving daily. Several anglers have done well at Mundo, and Stone Lake should be picking up soon. We will be stocking Stone lake this week with approximately 45,000 6” sub-catchable Rainbow Trout. Also, we will be setting our spring Gill Nets at Stone and Mundo this week, so average sizes and year to year comparisons will be available by the next report.
Mundo Lake has been fishing well for Rainbows in the 12-13” range, with a few around 15” as well as some smaller 8-10” fish from the fall stocking. Worms have been the bait of choice according to reports, but spinners and lures including castmasters and spoons have been working also. Dark colored wollybuggers are the fly patterns that typically work this time of year, as will smaller beadhead nymphs tied 2 feet behind the bigger patterns. A few anglers have tried to get into catfish with very limited success. There has not been word of any Bass caught so far this season. Remember that Mundo is a good alternative to battling the spring winds at Stone in the afternoons.
Stone Lake is still lagging behind when it comes to typical spring conditions. We have had some folks trying their best out there, but the fish haven’t responded as of yet. The visibility has improved dramatically since the peak runoff, and is currently at 3 feet. The east side has been reported more frequently for hook ups and solid hits, but their have been very few fish landed so far this year. We will be setting the gill net at Stone tonight (4/15) so there should be an update on those results by weeks end. The winds can really make it tough at Stone as many of you know, so consider Mundo in the afternoons.
Our spring Trophy fish load will be stocked in Mundo and Enbom sometime before the month is out, and we will also have an idea of the winterkill event at Horse by the end of next week. The Navajo river is still high and off color, but every year some nice Browns and Rainbows are caught in the spring. Come on out and enjoy the beautiful weather on the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 4/7/08

The excruciating waiting period continues, as the lakes are still muddy from runoff. The few folks who have braved the adverse conditions have met with failure. Stone lake has had approximately 20 anglers, and to the best of my knowledge one fish was landed between all of them. With numbers like that, it is hard to be optimistic. However, everything seems to be about a month behind this year, so hopefully we will see some action in two weeks or so. Mundo is also very turbid and there were no reports from the weekend, so the prognosis is poor there as well. One group of three anglers spent five days at Stone without a single bite, so traveling any significant distance is not recommended right now. We will continue to monitor conditions, and will update on any changes. Stay tuned, and be ready when the lake clears up.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Hi Folks,
Just a little update for those of you ready for some Stone Lake spring action. The lake is now completely devoid of ice. The clarity is still less than 2 ft. but has improved since Monday. The winds that so graciously took care of the ice will now be turning their attention to you. Typically the winds pick up to frustrating speeds by noon in April, so fly fishermen beware. The north shore of the lake is a popular spring spot, but receives the brunt of the wind and will muddy up from wave action. Conversely, the south side clears up when the wind pushes surface water to the north. A few anglers who couldn't wait have been out there in the turbid water. So far I have received secondary reports of two hook ups with no confirmed landings. Both fights were initiated with spinning hardware, and so far the trout have had the upper hand. It is safe to say that there have been less than ten anglers on the lake since 4/1 and that I haven't had feedback from all of them. I hope to receive more info on Monday. Also, I can now report that Mundo Lake has shed it's winter coat as well, and should clear up in a week or two. Mundo is a good alternative when winds drive you away from Stone.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist