Jicarilla Fish Weblog

Fishing Report 7-21-09

The weekend’s festivities were a distraction to my typical fishing info networks. Therefore the info I do have is very limited. The Jicarilla Fishing Lakes are hot, literally speaking, due to the long hot dry spell we have had. The surface temperature on all three lakes is right at 75°F. The deepest areas of each lake are approximately 5-8 degrees cooler and may be the best areas to locate trout in the middle of the day. The Aquatic Weed Harvester is currently in Mundo Lake and will be operating daily through 7/30. The weed harvester usually operates in the mornings or throughout the day on calmer days, and will cause murky water in localized areas. However, there will still be plenty of fishable water throughout this process. I am expecting news from several folks who fished Stone late last week but nothing yet. There is another green algae bloom at Stone right now but it is less severe than the previous one.
Mundo Lake is fishing fair for trout in the 11-12” range with higher catch rates in the early morning and evenings. The best report was from a spin fisherman using pistol petes and beadheads behind a water bobber. The Bass fishing is good with plastics, tube jigs, spinnerbaits, and there is potential for popper action. Catfishing should be good but I haven’t heard anything. The water temp is just right and the weed harvester will open up some of the areas that have been choked out by weeds.
Enbom is fishing good for trout that average 12-13”, but there are some fish up to 19”. The best opportunities are from a boat or float tube with flies. Try beadheads, black woolly buggers, and the old lure/fly hybrid (pistol pete). The weeds are still down enough for good shoreline fishing on the south side of the lake in the deeper water.
Stone Lake has been fished recently, but I am still waiting to hear a report. There is another green algae bloom and the clarity has been affected. My best recommendation at this time would be to fish Stone as a last resort or if you are only looking for that wall hanger.
The Navajo River is not suggested right now. We are currently working on a 1.5 mile in-stream habitat enhancement project and the machine work will create spikes in turbidity during working hours. The weekends are your best bet if you want to fish the river. Good luck and stay cool.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 7-14-09

The 3rd annual Pony Express 3-Species Fishing Derby (7/11) was a great success, and the Jicarilla Game and Fish Department would like to thank all of you that attended. Competition was tight and fishing was good for all three species. Enbom has also been fishing quite well with flies and small spinners and lures. Bait will catch fish in Enbom but the weeds are still a big issue for bottom fishing. Believe it or not we have a report from Stone Lake, and the news is good. This weekend (7/17-7/19) will be the 51st Annual Little Beaver Celebration. This means that you should expect large crowds in and around Dulce. The festivities usually leave the lakes relatively empty in terms of anglers, but the campground at Mundo will be busy.
Mundo Lake is fishing well for all four species. The water is clear and the weeds are certainly an obstacle in some areas. With the clear water you should be able to see the problem areas. The average trout is 12” and the catch rates are somewhere between 3-6 fish per hour with better fishing in the early morning and evenings. Powerbait is working good in rainbow, chartreuse, and sherbert colors. On the fly side, a wide variety of nymphs including wolly buggers, typical beadheads, damsel flies, and others are fishing well. Also, there have been reports of success with dry damsel fly patterns in blue. Conditions have been great for float tubers and kickboats. Small spinners and lures are also working well for folks trolling or casting from the shore. The Bass fishing has been excellent for fish averaging 10-12”. A wide variety of Bass gear has been reported, and several remarkable fish have been caught recently. Audie Reval a local tribal member caught one such fish on Friday (7-10) with a white spinnerbait. The fish measured 21” and is estimated at 7-8 lbs. A picture will be in the photo gallery on the www.jicarillahunt.com website along with another hog that Audie caught 2 weeks ago. Catfishing has been good with chicken and beef liver, and the grand prize for the 3-species derby was taken primarily on the heaviest catfish creel of 15 fish and 12 ¾ lbs. The top three anglers in the Trout division were: 1st place-Tito Ortega with 6 fish for 4.86 lbs. 2nd place was Herman Garcia with 6 fish for 4.76 lbs. 3rd place went to Steve Benavidez with 6 fish for 3.88 lbs. The Bass Division was taken by Senika Atole with 5 Bass for 3.4 lbs. Second place went to Greg vigil who had 4 fish for 3.32 lbs., and third place went to Jamil Montoya who had 5 fish for 3.25 lbs. The Catfish Division went to Steve Bowen who had 15 fish for 12.75 lbs. Steve also won the grand prize with a combined creel weight of 13.75 lbs. 2nd place in the catfish division went to Eudane Vicenti with 8 fish for 5 lbs. Ruben Garcia took 3rd place with 6 fish for 4 lbs. In 1st place for the kids division was Oryan Atole, followed by Vaneya Garcia in 2nd, and Domingo DeJesus in 3rd. Thanks again to everyone that participated.
Enbom continues to fish well with flies and lures. The best action is in the evenings and there have been rising fish daily at this time. The weeds are still an issue to anglers fishing on the bottom, but bait fishing from a bobber will produce trout in the 13-14” size class. A float tube or small boat is still recommended, but there is plenty of shoreline action right now while the weeds are still down a bit from harvesting. Some of the larger fish in the 17-19” range have also been mentioned recently. Enbom is another spot that has the potential for good dry fly action with blue damsel patterns and parachute adams.
We have news alas from the lonely Stone Lake. The news is good in several regards, and may tempt a few of you to give it a shot. First of all, the water has cleared up and the algae bloom is over. Secondly, Ron Tanner and his Mother Betty spent a successful day at Stone on Saturday trolling their secret weapon near the aerators. The weapon is classified top-secret, but the results were kindly offered by Ron and Betty. They landed 5 fish and Betty told me she lost a whopper. Two of the fish were holdovers and the largest was weighed and measured by yours truly at 22” and 5.5 lbs. The other 3 fish were spring stockers which even without heads were more than impressive specimens bearing the shoulders that we know and love. I would estimate the fish to be 14-16” and well over a pound each. Considering that those 3 fish were really the first of the stockers that I have heard of being taken from Stone, there should be around 99,997 left for you. Good Luck and Have a great week.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 7-7-09

The Jicarilla Fishing Lakes are completely in the summertime groove. Mundo Lake and now Enbom Lake have been fishing excellent, with the fish in Enbom showing substantial growth. The warm water species are extremely active and visible in the clear water of Mundo Lake. Stone Lake is clearing up nicely, but the rumors I have received second hand suggest that the fishing is slow. Access from the shoreline is now possible at Enbom Lake, and weed harvesting operations will be finished tomorrow. The Harvester will be relocated to Mundo Lake after the Little Beaver Holiday Weekend (7/17-7/20). We are gearing up for the3rd annual 3-Species Derby on Saturday (7/11) and expect another fun event. This derby will have an interesting twist this year due to the increase in the daily limit of Channel Catfish (15/day), and Largemouth Bass (5/day). Derby details will be posted on www.jicarillanut.com and rules will be printed and distributed to every participant.
Mundo Lake has been very productive for all four species. The Rainbows are averaging 12” and the best bite is early morning and evenings with flies. Bait anglers are picking up trout with powerbait, but the catch rate is down and reports of larger fish have been down as well. However, a few big Rainbows are still showing up including a fish estimated at 5 lbs. by a Mundo Lake regular. The Largemouth are biting well on a variety of lures and grubs, and they can be seen cruising and lying in wait near the shorelines. I was told of a monster Bass that was caught and released over the weekend near the big snag in the southeast corner. The story goes that the fish was 8 lbs and 20+” long. I am trying to track down a photo and will post it on the website as soon as possible. The catfishing has been hit or miss lately, but should be good this week with the full moon. The nighttime temps have been very comfortable so it might be time to get the light up bobber out. Bluegill are spawning and are easily caught with tiny beadhead flies and jigs. The larger fish are guarding nests and will aggressively do so against your fly or lure.
Enbom Lake has been cleaned up, and is ready for a variety of angler strategies. For a brief time period (2-3weeks) bait fishing on the bottom will be possible in many areas and appears to have been productive over the weekend. Small spinners and lures are also catching nice Rainbows with an average size of a chunky 13-14”. These fish are still making some aerial appearances and appear to be shooting for the elusive adult damsel fly. I have spoken with anglers in the past who have had success with the dry Damsel pattern at Enbom. A few folks have told me that the guys fly fishing in float tubes are tearing it up, but they don’t know exactly what they are using.
Stone Lake is still empty for the most part. I heard of one guy who gave it a shot with no success, but I am not sure how long he tried. The water has been slowly clearing up from that extended green algae bloom and looks pretty fishy. If you try Stone I would suggest fishing very deep (15-20 ft.) with long leaders and slow action. Given the incredible abundance and high diversity of aquatic invertebrates in Stone Lake, I think it should be more about getting your fly or lure to the fish than it is matching a color or pattern right now. Good luck.
I am not sure if anyone has fished the Navajo River lately but it has been clear for the most part this year, and has a huge crop of grasshoppers along the banks. For more specifics on this little known fishery, feel free to call me at (575) 759-3255. I hope to see you at the derby this weekend.
Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist