Jicarilla Fish Weblog

Fishing Report 11-25-08

The end is very near for open water fishing on the Jicarilla Lakes. Enbom and Horse have both been 50-80% ice cover in the mornings with water opening up in the afternoons. Mundo Lake had ice around the edges the past couple of mornings, but boat and shore access is still available. Stone Lake has held off ice thus far, but expect that to change sometime this week. Water temps are in the 30’s across the board and fishing has been slow.
Mundo Lake has been vacant for the most part lately. A few anglers are catching trout with bait from the shore and docks. Flies are also getting a fair bite with slow retrieves. There haven’t been any reports from catfishermen, and both the Cats and Bass should be lethargic in the cold water.
Enbom Lake has had almost 80% ice cover the past few mornings. Fishing opportunities may exist in the afternoons with good sun. If you are fishing Stone Lake this week you may want to give Enbom a look in the late afternoon. Otherwise, Enbom is not recommended for fishing right now.
Stone Lake has continued its steady drop in fishing success. Fish are still being caught, but 2-3 fish per full day is about the best report this week. I spent the better part of Saturday on Stone, and we caught 3 fish and lost 3 more between three anglers. However, one of the three was 22” and 6.5 lbs. There were several other boats and tubes out on the water, and it appeared that most folks had at least one shot at a fish. The guys in my boat both had luck with yellow crappie jigs, and fly reports are still for black woolly buggers. This week is most likely the last shot at open water for Stone Lake.
It is time for you ice anglers to prepare for what is typically good early season ice fishing. Ice season officially begins on Dec. 15th for the reduced price ice season permit. Remember that Stone Lake will be open to ice fishing this year, but will still be artificial flies and lures only with barbless hooks. The maximum hole diameter is 10” for the Jicarilla Lakes, and the max will be necessary at Stone Lake. When the lakes are completely covered we will begin monitoring ice thickness and report conditions. Good luck to you folks giving it one more shot at Stone. Happy Holidays everyone.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 11/18/08

Fishing is slowing down on the Jicarilla Lakes. The water temps have dropped into the 40’s and the inevitable ice season is on the brink. Horse Lake has been a bust this year, and the annual fall gill net resulted in just 4 fish. Enbom is low and clear with decent numbers remaining and time running short. Stone is still producing big fish, but the numbers have dropped off substantially in the past week. Mundo is still quiet, but trout are biting flies and bait.
Mundo has excellent water quality with a uniform water column. That means that the fall mixing is over, and the water should stay very clear until ice hits. I spent 2 hours at Mundo today and caught three fish at 11” and had several other bites. I was stripping buggers with sinking line, and had the best response for a flashy egg sucking leach. The water is beautiful and boaters and tubers should utilize the clarity to ID structure and depth components for next season. Garlic corn, powerballs, and fireballs are all getting a slow but sure bite. Fishing is considered slow at Mundo right now.
Enbom is fishing fair, and is another spot worth cruising with a small boat or float tube to look at the bottom structure and depth profile in this low clear water. I spent the morning today at Enbom and caught 11 fish averaging 13” and just under a lb. I lost several more and saw some really nice fish. I was standing on the bow of a small boat, which allowed for very cool visual fishing. The technique of the day was stripping buggers until I saw an interested trout. Once the fish was spotted I would let the bugger die and sink. The fish were taking the bugger very softly, and 90% of the time I was striking at what I saw, and not what I felt. Black and Green buggers had the best action. My fishing partner was throwing lures for quite some time and only landed one fish on a small panther martin before switching to flies. There haven’t been any bait reports, but 2 anglers left Enbom after an hour or so, suggesting poor bait fishing.

Stone Lake continues to produce some very nice fish with at least 2 fish over 5 lbs caught this weekend. Considering the quality of fishing for the past month or so, I would have to rate the fishing as fair to slow at Stone right now, with the average angler getting several opportunities per day. The full moon may have been a significant factor this past weekend, and reports suggest that the fish caught were packed with feed. Large hardware including big spoons and spinners (blue fox #2) and Rapalas are working well and providing shore anglers with more coverage area. Wooly Buggers in Black and Green have been reported. The water is clear and cold and the weeds are almost a non-issue at this point with floating debris here and there. Several reports of Bass at Stone have come in recently, and there is no reason why you shouldn’t double up on species by using the bigger flashier stuff in your box. Time is running short on our goal of 10 lbs. so somebody please catch that monster for us.
Horse Lake was sampled with gill nets for our annual fall survey, and 2 nets resulted in 4 fish. This is low productivity for the gill nets at Horse, but at least we know that fish did survive in what some people reported as toxic green slime that persisted through the entire summer. For those of you who have to give it a shot the fish did average a healthy 16” s. Otherwise, Horse Lake is not recommended right now. I hope to see you at Stone this weekend.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 11/11/08

Well, the first snow is falling as I am here trying to convince you to come and fish the Jicarilla Lakes. Fortunately I shouldn’t have to twist any arms since Stone Lake is still fishing very well with another batch of positive reports from the past week. Enbom Lake is fishing fair to good, and still has plenty of fish that need to be caught before the ice hits. Mundo has had very little attention lately and there haven’t been any new reports. Horse Lake is not recommended due to poor road and lake conditions. Time is running short on open water opportunities, so now is the time for a Stone Lake outing.
I typically begin the reports from Mundo Lake, which is usually our most popular fishery. However, Mundo has been neglected recently due to good fishing at Stone and Enbom Lakes. The average Rainbow Trout in Mundo is between 10-12”, but there are some smaller fall stockers that may show up. The channel catfish are averaging 10 -15” and will bite in the colder fall water temps. The catfish may take a little longer to react to smell but will eventually congregate in your area. The Bass are more of a mystery to me this time of year, but several Bass were caught at Stone Lake recently, which is the first I have heard of Bass from Stone since the heat of Summer.
Enbom Lake has fished fair to good this past week. Several nice fish in the 15-16” range were reported this week which is better than the average at around 12-14”. The Limit is still at 20 fish per day at Enbom Lake. The reports indicate that fishing with bait including powerbait and fireballs has been slow. The best action is with flies and lures of various sizes and colors. Black and olive are good woolly bugger colors, and a wide variety of common beadhead patterns are working as well. Spinners and smaller spoons are getting bites also, and anglers using casting bubbles to fish flies with spinning gear have been doing quite well. Enbom is prone to turning off and on frequently throughout the day.
Stone Lake continues to fish well with a heavy average weight per fish, which has had some folks talking a whole different game of football this fall. In fact, I have heard of several fish under 20 inches but over 5 lbs that have been caught thus far. This weeks reports suggest that the fishing may have slowed down a little, but anglers are making contact with multiple fish and with the current average size, every fish counts big. Another Nice brown estimated at 16” was caught last week, and is a good sign for survival of the first batch that was stocked last fall. The two reported Browns are within an inch of each other and have achieved better than expected growth, without assuming too much about the others in the cohort. We continued to stock Brown Trout this year at Stone Lake and are hoping for a more diverse trout fishery in the future. Four Bass were also reported from Stone this week. It has been months since any reports of Largemouth from Stone despite at least one anglers concentrated efforts in the past few weeks. All of a sudden the Bass picked up, and all 4 fish were caught as a byproduct of trout fishing. Black again was reported as the key factor in which flies were working and several different spoons and lures have been reported as well. Anglers fishing lures may want to bring some really big stuff, to increase casting distance and coverage since the fish are hitting rapalas and spoons hard, and several gut samples have had salamanders up to 6”. Other gut samples contained primarily invertebrates, especially damselflies, and this suggests that there may be several different feeding strategies of Rainbows out there. May all of you have a great week and enjoy some time fishing.

Addition: In a late day foray to sample Stone Lake I was skunked again. However, I did run into a tribal member who had better luck and landed some real monsters. I had the opportunity to weigh and measure both fish personally and the pair weighed just over 16 lbs. One fish was 25 ½” and 7.9 lbs. and the other fish was 26” and 8.1 lbs. Photos will be posted on the site tonight or early tomorrow. BIG BIG BIG spoons.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 11-4-08

The fall is flying by and we find ourselves here on a big day thinking about fishing Stone Lake a couple of more times before ice. If you are thinking about the fish running in Stone lake than I have good news for you. I have received some excellent reports from anglers this week with some similar themes.
Mundo Lake is fishing fair for rainbows and catfish. There has been low pressure at Mundo recently, and dock removal will begin shortly. The dam will continue to offer shoreline opportunities until ice up. Powerbait and fireballs are working for Rainbows in the 9-13” range. One angler reported targeting Bass with minimal success.
Enbom Lake is fishing fair to good for Rainbows up to 14”. The best success and reports are from folks using flies and lures. Shoreline access is good for Enbom which is typically not the case as many of you know. The limit is still up at 20 fish a day to maximize use before the ice hits. Now is the time for you catch and releasers to appease the friends and family who can’t understand why you refuse to ever bring them trout.
Stone Lake has finally bloomed for a good fall harvest season. Folks have been out at the lake recently to enjoy the good weather and fat trout. There have been some great reports this week, and every one of them includes the mention of at least one fish landed. The words of the week are Fat and Fighter and they are showing up at Stone. Several big fish have been reported in the 22” to 25” range and up to 7lbs. The first report of a nice brown also came in with a 16” fish in fall colors caught. Two US fly fishing team members and another fly junkie made a trip out Stone and met with success in black. They boated 20 plus fish in a long day with the average fish at 4lbs. and the biggest one at 6lbs. Their report agrees with others that the trend of excellent afternoon to evening action continues. The color of the day was black, which worked in several patterns. A wide variety of lures have been reported this week and the trend would suggest large and flashy. Red and white, gold, chartreuse and orange, and others have been mentioned. One Stone Lake veteran reported catching a large male with a chartreuse and orange spinner bait while targeting Bass. Another report came in of fish full of salamanders up to 6 inch long. 10 lb. test has been broken, so gear up for the acrobatic fatties of Stone Lake. (Please remember to know the Jicarilla fishing regulations which are available on the website)


Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 11-4-08

The fall is flying by and we find ourselves here on a big day thinking about fishing Stone Lake a couple of more times before ice. If you are thinking about the fish running in Stone lake than I have good news for you. I have received some excellent reports from anglers this week with some similar themes.
Mundo Lake is fishing fair for rainbows and catfish. There has been low pressure at Mundo recently, and dock removal will begin shortly. The dam will continue to offer shoreline opportunities until ice up. Powerbait and fireballs are working for Rainbows in the 9-13” range. One angler reported targeting Bass with minimal success.
Enbom Lake is fishing fair to good for Rainbows up to 14”. The best success and reports are from folks using flies and lures. Shoreline access is good for Enbom which is typically not the case as many of you know. The limit is still up at 20 fish a day to maximize use before the ice hits. Now is the time for you catch and releasers to appease the friends and family who can’t understand why you refuse to ever bring them trout.
Stone Lake has finally bloomed for a good fall harvest season. Folks have been out at the lake recently to enjoy the good weather and fat trout. There have been some great reports this week, and every one of them includes the mention of at least one fish landed. The words of the week are Fat and Fighter and they are showing up at Stone. Several big fish have been reported in the 22” to 25” range and up to 7lbs. The first report of a nice brown also came in with a 16” fish in fall colors caught. Two US fly fishing team members and another fly junkie made a trip out Stone and met with success in black. They boated 20 plus fish in a long day with the average fish at 4lbs. and the biggest one at 6lbs. Their report agrees with others that the trend of excellent afternoon to evening action continues. The color of the day was black, which worked in several patterns. A wide variety of lures have been reported this week and the trend would suggest large and flashy. Red and white, gold, chartreuse and orange, and others have been mentioned. One Stone Lake veteran reported catching a large male with a chartreuse and orange spinner bait while targeting Bass. Another report came in of fish full of salamanders up to 6 inch long. 10 lb. test has been broken, so gear up for the acrobatic fatties of Stone Lake. (Please remember to know the Jicarilla fishing regulations which are available on the website)


Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist