Jicarilla Fish Weblog

Fishing Report 8-25-09

Not much news this week at the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes. The low angler pressure trend has continued to result in very few reports. The water quality is in good shape for this time of year and the cool nights are helping drop the water temps. We did receive a good amount of rain yesterday (8/24) but the roads are in good shape. The rumor of catfish in Dulce Lake has been confirmed with photos of some hefty Channel Cats. A late report from last week has good news from Stone and the harvesting efforts continue out there.
Mundo Lake is fishing fair to good for Rainbows averaging 10-12”. One fairly recent report suggests that the Catfishing has slowed down lately and that the average size of cats in Mundo is around 12”. Access from the shoreline is still good at Mundo and this should be the case from here on out.
Enbom is going to be closed for camping through September 7th. The annual Jicarilla Coyote trapping contest is going to be stationed at Enbom and the camp sites will be occupied for this event. Fishing is still open to Jicarilla Fishing Permit holders. I have not received any new reports from Enbom, but my suspicion is that things have not changed much in the past couple of weeks. Fishing bait, lures, and flies high in the water column is the ticket right now. The Rainbows in Enbom are chunky 13-14” fish with a few up to 17”.
Stone Lake is looking better and better every week, and the aquatic weed harvesting efforts are underway opening up more and more water. Fishing from the shore is still not recommended but a boat or tube can find plenty of fishable water. I received one report last week about 3 hours after publishing last weeks report. The report came from an avid local angler and he had been hitting the water almost every evening for a week. He told me that the best night was 8 fish between 2 anglers over 3 hours with the smallest fish at 20” and the largest at 24” and 8lbs. They were trolling a little but having better success stopping and casting large (1oz.) silver and red spoons. He also told me that he landed at least one fish on every trip and had a bunch of missed hits and lost fish. This news bodes well for all of you head hunters that have been waiting for fall time conditions at Stone Lake. I think that we are still a month or so away from the prime time but the fishing is decent right now.
The rumor is now a fact and I have seen the proof. There are indeed some survivors of last years stocking experiment at Dulce Lake. After years of waiting for ample water in Dulce Lake, we gave a load of Channel Catfish the chance to make it. We suffered a significant loss to winterkill but apparently some hardy specimens made it through. The fish are still young, but the size for their age (14-18”) is impressive and the fillets are fat. At this point it is hard to tell exactly what the population numbers look like but if you are inclined, give it a shot.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 8-18-09
The Jicarilla Fishing Lakes are in good shape with surface water temperatures threatening to get back down into the 60’s. The night time temps have been in the high 30’s and the days are very comfortable (70’s). Mundo Lake and Enbom Lake are still fishing well and Stone Lake is beginning to produce despite low pressure and less than favorable fishing conditions. A few locals have already had success in the recently enhanced ½ mile Stretch of the Navajo River. All in all, fishing pressure has been low lately.
Mundo Lake is fishing well for trout in the 11-13” range. The best report this week was from a group of anglers using hellgrammites as bait. They also had success with powerbait and beadheads. The water has an aqua blue hue to it but visibility is still good. A handful of Rainbows in the 14-16” range have been caught lately with lures including castmasters and daredevils. There have not been any reports on Bass or Catfish this week.
Enbom is producing Rainbows in the 13-14” range with a few up to 17”. The best reports are from anglers using flies and lures. The weeds are an issue, but anglers can still catch fish at or near the top of the water column. Weedless lures are also a good idea right now. The best way to avoid weeds at Enbom is by using a small boat or float tube to access the open water areas in the middle of the lake.
Stone Lake has been producing fish for the very few anglers out there. Catch rates are still down to 1-2 fish per day, but the average angler has the opportunity for 2-3 fish in a good day of fishing. The majority of the anglers are trolling in the few open water areas available right now. Fishing from the shore is not recommended at this time. Weed harvesting efforts are underway at Stone and will continue through the month of September. At this point there has been approximately 10% of the lake harvested.
The Recently enhanced ½ mile of the Navajo River has been fishing well for rainbows in the 10-16” range. Catch rates have been variable, but both flies and lures have tricked the trout that have already established new homes in this reach.
The newest and most intriguing rumor is that there are large Channel Catfish alive and well in Dulce Lake. I have heard this rumor from a couple of folks now and I will be investigating shortly. Maybe I will see you out there.
Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 8-11-09

The nights have been cooling off, the days are getting noticeably shorter, and try as I might I cannot get fall time fishing out of my mind. We are not quite there yet, but the trend has certainly begun. The water temperatures have topped out and the lakes are beginning to cool off with the recent nighttime temps getting down to the mid 30’s. Fishing at the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes remains good for both Enbom and Mundo Lake and things are looking up at Stone Lake. Weed Harvesting operations are complete at Mundo Lake and the Harvester will begin operation at Stone Lake this week. At least one big trout was caught at Stone this week and Enbom proved that it too has some lunkers here and there. The Bass and Catfish continue to bite at Mundo and the Navajo River habitat project is almost complete.
Mundo Lake is producing Rainbow Trout that average 12” and they are biting bait, spinners, and flies. The weeds have been cleared out and there are some good Bass spots open on the southern half of the Lake. I have heard that some healthy fish up to 17” have been caught recently, but hearsay is the extent of the Bass report this week. Likewise, there has been some talk of productive cat fishing lately but the numbers and hours of effort have been left out. One detail that has been reported is that the Channel Catfish in Mundo Lake are on the skinny side.
Enbom Lake is fishing well for Rainbow Trout that average a fat 13”. The best reports are from anglers using pistol petes and other fly patterns behind a casting bubble. Catch rates reported have been as high as 5-6 fish per hour but the average is 2-3 fish per hour. One Rainbow at 18” was reported from Enbom this week and he took a worm that was fished under a bobber.
We received 2 reports from Stone Lake this week. The first report was from 2 anglers that fished for 3 hours on Thursday (8/6) evening and 3 hours on Friday (8/7) morning. Thursday evening, Ruben Garza from San Antonio Texas hooked and landed a 22” Rainbow trout estimated at 5.5lbs. He caught the fish trolling a ¼ oz. neon orange daredevil. On Friday morning his counterpart Paul Sandoval from Albuquerque hooked and landed a 19 ½” Rainbow with the same lure. They had a lot of trouble trolling due to weeds, and said that their productivity was probably affected by them. The second report was from 2 anglers who fished Stone Lake for 4 hours on Sunday morning. They were also trolling and casting lures and had a total of 3 bites with no fish landed. Again, weeds were a significant problem for trolling. On the down side, anglers are fishing long hours for a few opportunities and having trouble with weeds. On the up side, the fish that are biting are large and the weed harvester will be cranking for the next several weeks. Water temps are still high out there, but the time is near for what promises to be good fall fishing.
The Navajo River Habitat project is wrapping up this week. We used 500 large rocks and 50 root wads to enhance fish habitat on a ½ mile stretch of the river. The new habitat should begin to recruit fish and there are several new pools that are bound to hold large trout this fall. Anyone interested in fishing this stretch can contact me at (575) 759-3255 or via email at terrykev@gmail.com to get directions. Good Luck out there.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 8-3-09

This week the fishing report will be brief for the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes. The recent pattern continues with the best action for trout in the early mornings and late evenings. Both Enbom Lake and Mundo Lake are fishing well for trout with flies during these times and to a lesser extent throughout the day. Weed harvesting efforts are all but complete at Mundo, and there is plenty of fishable shoreline available. Bait fishing on the bottom is now possible with powerbait and worms, and this should be productive in the deeper holes. Catfish are biting on stinkbait and liver. The Bass are still active and the bite is decent.
Mundo Lake is all cleaned up and ready to fish. The best bite for trout is in the early morning or late evening. The trout are hanging in the deep cool water through the hotter periods of the day. Catfishing or bait fishing for trout on the bottom is now a possibility in some areas, but the weeds are still an issue in others. The Bass and bluegill are still actively foraging near shore around heavy cover.
Enbom is fishing well for trout with flies. The weeds are coming back in most areas and bottom fishing is not recommended right now. The population in Enbom is still in good shape, and there are some large trophy fish showing up here and there. Conditions favor a float tube or small boat right now, but there is some shoreline access also.
Stone Lake is in typical summer shape. The water is warm and the fish are slow and groggy. The bite is very slow, but the patient angler can get a bite here and there. There is very low pressure out there this time of year and the only reports that I have been receiving are from folks trolling. Catch and release will be very difficult in the warm water, so please try your best to reduce fight and handling time if you want to release fish. Have a good week.
Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist