Fishing Report 1-6-09
Fishing Report 1-6-09
The Jicarilla Fishing Lakes remain difficult to access due to another bout of winter weather. Up to 10-12” of new snow fell on the lakes over the weekend and there is potential for more weather this weekend. Stone Lake road is snow plowed and snow packed. Lake access roads to Stone Lake and Mundo Lake will be plowed by the Friday (1-9-09) barring any more snow fall. Horse Lake Road is plowed for 2.5 miles, leaving a half mile walk to the lake. Snowshoes or cross country skis would be very useful in the deep snow, should you decide to venture to Horse. Access to Horse has been restricted for several weeks, and there have not been any reports. The 3rd annual ice derby is coming up on Saturday, February 7th, so watch the weather and try to sneak in a fair weather scouting trip if you can.
Mundo Lake is fishing fair to good with bait and jigs. There were several reports of anglers taking their limits home this past weekend. Baits reported include corn, salmon eggs, fireballs, and wax worms. Jigs colors reported include chartreuse, white, and pink. Reports also indicate that the morning bite was better at Mundo. The Rainbows are averaging around 11” with a few larger 13-14” fish. The ice is layered with a good 5-6” base layer and another 2-3” s of snow packed and slushy ice on top. The access road to the spillway at Mundo will be the first to be plowed, and should open up by mid-week.
There have been a few reports from a few hardy folks fishing Stone over the weekend. Access was a mess, and even burly trucks had a go of getting anywhere near the Lake. The folks that I received reports from drove (4wd+chains) in on the north side access road to the first cattle guard and walked from there (350 yards). Fishing was slow with Jigs. However, a couple of nice fish were caught. All told I heard of four anglers and four fish. At least 2 anglers spent 5+ hours jigging a bunch of different colors to catch 1 fish each. One was 14” and one at 20”. Rosenburg Tafoya, the fisheries technician spoke with another gentleman who caught a 21” Rainbow estimated near 7 lbs. The ice is a solid 7-9”s capped with snow. Remain at least 100 yards away from the open aeration holes in the southwest cove and on the east side north of the boat ramp. Any changes to the road conditions will be updated ASAP, but at least one access point will be plowed by the weekend.
The entrance to Enbom Lake just happens to be a very bad spot for drifting snow. Therefore, the road is currently blocked and will need heavy machinery to be breached. The timeline for this task is unknown and changes will be posted as they occur. Several folks walked in and the fishing was fair for healthy 13-14” rainbows using bait. The water is beginning to get stale and stinky, which is a sign that winterkill may be on the brink.
We are in the middle of what seems to be another good Winter for northern New Mexico. This bodes well for next year’s open water fishing, but makes things tricky around the Lakes. 4 wd is highly recommended when driving around the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes. It is also a good idea to have a few winter “tools” if you have them. Shovels, chains, tow straps, and blankets are all nice to have. Also, try and check a Dulce area forecast if you are planning a trip this weekend since the outlook is shaky right now. Have a great week in the snow.
Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist
The Jicarilla Fishing Lakes remain difficult to access due to another bout of winter weather. Up to 10-12” of new snow fell on the lakes over the weekend and there is potential for more weather this weekend. Stone Lake road is snow plowed and snow packed. Lake access roads to Stone Lake and Mundo Lake will be plowed by the Friday (1-9-09) barring any more snow fall. Horse Lake Road is plowed for 2.5 miles, leaving a half mile walk to the lake. Snowshoes or cross country skis would be very useful in the deep snow, should you decide to venture to Horse. Access to Horse has been restricted for several weeks, and there have not been any reports. The 3rd annual ice derby is coming up on Saturday, February 7th, so watch the weather and try to sneak in a fair weather scouting trip if you can.
Mundo Lake is fishing fair to good with bait and jigs. There were several reports of anglers taking their limits home this past weekend. Baits reported include corn, salmon eggs, fireballs, and wax worms. Jigs colors reported include chartreuse, white, and pink. Reports also indicate that the morning bite was better at Mundo. The Rainbows are averaging around 11” with a few larger 13-14” fish. The ice is layered with a good 5-6” base layer and another 2-3” s of snow packed and slushy ice on top. The access road to the spillway at Mundo will be the first to be plowed, and should open up by mid-week.
There have been a few reports from a few hardy folks fishing Stone over the weekend. Access was a mess, and even burly trucks had a go of getting anywhere near the Lake. The folks that I received reports from drove (4wd+chains) in on the north side access road to the first cattle guard and walked from there (350 yards). Fishing was slow with Jigs. However, a couple of nice fish were caught. All told I heard of four anglers and four fish. At least 2 anglers spent 5+ hours jigging a bunch of different colors to catch 1 fish each. One was 14” and one at 20”. Rosenburg Tafoya, the fisheries technician spoke with another gentleman who caught a 21” Rainbow estimated near 7 lbs. The ice is a solid 7-9”s capped with snow. Remain at least 100 yards away from the open aeration holes in the southwest cove and on the east side north of the boat ramp. Any changes to the road conditions will be updated ASAP, but at least one access point will be plowed by the weekend.
The entrance to Enbom Lake just happens to be a very bad spot for drifting snow. Therefore, the road is currently blocked and will need heavy machinery to be breached. The timeline for this task is unknown and changes will be posted as they occur. Several folks walked in and the fishing was fair for healthy 13-14” rainbows using bait. The water is beginning to get stale and stinky, which is a sign that winterkill may be on the brink.
We are in the middle of what seems to be another good Winter for northern New Mexico. This bodes well for next year’s open water fishing, but makes things tricky around the Lakes. 4 wd is highly recommended when driving around the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes. It is also a good idea to have a few winter “tools” if you have them. Shovels, chains, tow straps, and blankets are all nice to have. Also, try and check a Dulce area forecast if you are planning a trip this weekend since the outlook is shaky right now. Have a great week in the snow.
Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist
posted by Kevin Terry at 1:33 PM
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