Jicarilla Fish Weblog

Fishing Report 3-31-09

The fishing continues to be very slow at the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes. The water temps are still way down in the mid to low 40’s and the recent weather trend has been windy and cool, with snow/rain spats here and there. The forecast is for more of the same this week and especially on Friday (4/3) and Saturday (4/4). Water clarity is improving at both Lakes with approximately 3-4 ft of visibility.
Stone Lake has been very tough with more than 5 folks striking out over the weekend. The best report this week at Stone has been for 1 strike each for two anglers (pretty glum). At least one report came from a pair of anglers who really ran the gamut of lures and flies. The same anglers also spent considerable time searching for the shoreline cruisers that frequent the north shore and usually kick off the year’s good fishing. These fish are typically paired up and often display aggressive spawning behavior. So far, the spawners have made only brief appearances suggesting that the time is near. As usual, the wind has been a factor lately at Stone. Afternoons have been very gusty with whitecaps here and there. Plan on fishing in the wind after 11:00 am. The year’s first chironomidaes have been wiggling to the surface in small numbers. This is the most prolific of the spring hatches and will kick off when the water gets a little warmer.
Mundo Lake is beginning to fish for Rainbows in the 10-14” range. The fishing is still considered slow, but anglers were catching a few here and there with lures and flies. Try using small panther martins, roostertails, and pistol petes with spinning gear. Black and olive wolly buggers and a variety of beadhead nymphs should take trout with fly gear. Catfish have been reported this year, but one report suggested that the cat fishing was slow over the weekend. The main dock at the spillway parking lot will be in place by the weekend (4/4).
Don’t forget to pick up your new 2009-2010 annual Jicarilla Fishing permit on Wednesday April 1st, 2009. You can get a permit at any of our vendors or at the Jicarilla Game and Fish Department office (M-F, 8-5) in Dulce (see the vendor list in the non-tribal fishing proclamation listed in the fishing menu on the www.jicarillahunt.com website or call (575) 759-3255). Stay tuned for news and updates on fishing and events, and get ready to catch the big one.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 3-24-09

The Jicarilla Fishing Lakes are finally completely open water thanks to severe winds that ripped through the area on Sunday (3/22). Mundo Lake was nearly 80% ice cover on Friday, and now it is completely open. There haven’t been any reports from Mundo yet, but I suspect that will change sometime this week. The water clarity is off a bit with a greenish brown tint and approximately 2-3 feet of visibility. The major runoff period is behind us, so you can expect to see Mundo clearing up in a week or two. The larger of the Largemouth Bass in Mundo seem to hit well in April and May, and might be worth an early shot.
Stone Lake has also opened up completely. There was one group of skilled Fly Anglers who gave it a shot on Friday with float tubes in what was then the open section on the East side of the Lake. This group of 5 anglers spent 3 hours and a bunch of different fly patterns without getting a single bite. They covered an area known to be productive with flies proven to work at Stone. I have had the same report come in from several of my co-workers who have been flinging lures from the shore around the lake. This suggests that the fishing is very slow right now. The water temperature is in the low 40’s, and visibility is at approximately 3 feet. The Rainbows are probably hunkered down feeding opportunistically and preparing themselves for the gorge fest of a chironomidae hatch that should begin in the first couple weeks in April. The open water did allow us to set our spring gill nets yesterday and the results bode well for trophy quality fishing again this spring. The average length of the 24 fish that were netted was 17 inches, and the average weight was just over 3 lbs. The largest fish sampled was a 21 inch male weighing in at over 5 lbs. The average condition factor (K) (length to weight relationship) was well above the mark set for healthy trout, which means that the fish in Stone are HEAVIER than an average trout per inch. We caught one 16” female that weighed in at 3.2 lbs. The stomachs of the fish that did not survive the gill net were examined, and the results were quite interesting. The majority of the fish had at least one but up to seven, 3-6” tiger salamanders in the stomach contents. Check out photos of the harvested fish and the salamanders in the photo gallery. Other contents included water boatmen, bloodworms in red and green, and water beetles. The first Spring Stocking occurred at Stone Lake yesterday (3/23/09) with 25,000 4-7” Rainbows. We will be stocking an additional 25,000 4-7” Rainbows today (3/24/09). As most of you know, these fish will grow fast in Stone Lake, and they should be 14-18” by the fall. As for those of you looking for cruisers on the north shore, the year’s first sighting has come about. I spent around 20 minutes this morning walking the shoreline and saw only 1 pair of fish in the shallows. It’s still a little early yet, but these fish will be moving in sometime in the next few weeks. Please DO NOT!!! snag these fish. This can be a very exciting way to sight fish for large spawners in Stone Lake and the fish can usually be coaxed to hit wolly buggers, spoons, eggs and egg-sucking leaches. I hope that all of you still have your 2008-2009 annual Jicarilla Fishing Permits, because we still have 1 week to use them before the 2009-2010 season officially kicks off. I’ll see you out there.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 3-17-09

The Jicarilla Fishing Lakes are still locked in, with thin ice and open water edges. Mundo Lake is at 95 % ice cover with a 10-15 foot ring of alternating open water and thin overnight ice. There is one open water hole approximately ½ acre in size behind the big snag in the southeast corner where the main drainage to Mundo enters the lake. There may be a few Cats and Bass hanging out in this small hole, but there haven’t been any reports thus far. The lake is slowly but steadily spilling over, which means that we will begin the open water season at max capacity for the 2nd year in a row.
Stone Lake is a bit more promising in terms of potential ice out in the next week or two. There are now two nice holes (2-3 acres) that are growing daily. One hole is on the southwest cove around the cluster of aerators, and does include the south side boat ramp. The other is on the east side of the lake near the other set of aerators. However, this morning at 8:00 there was a fresh ½” of clear ice that settled on the open areas overnight. This ice is gone by the afternoon in warm temps, but may persist on cold or cloudy days. Definitely check a local Dulce forecast before venturing to far to try out these 2 potholes. There haven’t been any reports from Stone yet, but I will be watching closely this week and will try to post changes before the weekend. See you soon.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 3-10-09

Winter has returned in brief spurts to the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes. The cold snaps have slowed up the ice off process limiting fishing to one 200 yard stretch of open water on the East side of Stone Lake. This small section can be fished from the shore and the water quality is good with clear cold water. Rosenburg Tafoya, the Fisheries Technician got one hit yesterday while he gave it a quick shot with a jig he uses for ice fishing. Mundo Lake is still locked up in ice, with a 5-10 foot ring of open water on the edges. The ice conditions are extremely dangerous and ice angling is closed at all lakes. Anglers that possess a Jicarilla Ice fishing Season Permit (12/15-3/15), may fish from the shore in the small open water section at Stone Lake until Sunday March 15th 2009. We are on the brink of open water and changes will be updated as they occur on the website-www.jicarillahunt.com.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 3-3-09

The Jicarilla Fishing Lakes are in the early stages of ice off. The edges and drainage areas are opening up on a daily basis. It is not safe to be out on the ice regardless of appearance at some areas. Therefore, the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes will be closed until further notice. We will update the report as soon as there is sufficient open water for fishing. That time period is estimated at around 2 weeks from now depending on the weather. We are looking forward to good spring fishing, so stay tuned for news on the first open water opportunities. It’s time to get the gear out, dust it off, and get ready.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist