Jicarilla Fish Weblog

Fishing Report 2-2-10
Apparently the fish in the Jicarilla Lakes are waiting until the derby on Saturday (2/6/10) before they bite. The trend for catch rates lately has been steadily heading downhill at both Mundo Lake and Stone Lake. The weekend news from Stone Lake was sad again this week with a lot of anglers (10-15) on the ice and very few if any fish landed. Mundo Lake, which is typically the go to water on slow days has also dropped off substantially in the past few weeks. The one upside to this trend is that there isn’t really any proven strategy out there right now, which should make for an interesting competition this weekend. The ice is in good shape but the water layer is still present and slush might be an issue on warm afternoons.
At Mundo Lake there is a 3 inch layer of slushy ice on top of 4 inches of water, which is on top of 11 inches of solid ice. In the mornings and throughout cold days the top layer of slushy ice is stable enough to support a person. Mundo has been slow, and bait seems to be fishing better than jigs lately. Rosie and I were out on the ice for 3 hours this morning. I fished a number of different jigs with only one hook up. Rosie caught one fish on a green jig and that was about it for us. The 4 gentlemen fishing next to us faired a little bit better on powerbait. They had several bites, a couple of hook ups, and 2 fish on the ice by the time we left. The only other angler on the ice did better than the rest of us. He was using a peach/salmon colored powerbait and caught 5 fish in 2 ½ hours. The reports from the weekend were similar with no better than 2-3 fish per hour reported.
At Stone Lake things have been rather dismal. I only received one direct report this week, but the hearsay was pretty bad. On Saturday there were approximately 15 anglers on the ice and only one fish between them. The report I received came from a group of 7 anglers who fished 3 ½ hours without a single bite. Sunday was similar with 3 anglers reported and another skunk for all. Stone Lake is known for off and on fishing and hopefully Saturday will be an ON day. After all, one 10 pounder can make a huge difference in the ice derby.
The 4th Annual Jicarilla Ice Derby is here at last and we are expecting another great event. We have a truck full of great prizes, t-shirts for everyone, and a one day on-site raffle for tremendous hunting and fishing opportunities. Please contact Kevin Terry at 575-759-3255 with any questions or visit the www.jicarillahunt.com website for more information. I hope to see you all out there on the ice.
Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 1/26/2010
Last week’s series of storms left nearly 2 feet of fresh snow at the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes. It is safe to say that there were very few if any anglers out there last week and therefore we have very little to report in terms of fishing conditions. Instead, we will focus on the current road and ice conditions in this week’s report. I also have to apologize to all of the folks who use our website to obtain our fishing reports. Unfortunately, I posted both the report and a late week storm update on the wrong blog and they didn’t show up on the website.
The ice thickness is approximately 10 inches at both Stone Lake and Mundo Lake, with some areas of thicker ice at each lake. The new snow was very wet and created a layer of water between the snow on top and ice below. This water layer was around 5 inches deep initially, but it is slowly turning into ice as the insulating snow layer has been reduced to a thin layer (2 inches) of icy snow that can support the weight of a person in the mornings. The ice is still safe for fishing, but you can expect to see this slushy water layer. Warm waterproof boots are essential to your comfort in these conditions which may get sloppy on warm afternoons.
The roads are snow packed and slippery, but they have been plowed all the way to Stone Lake. 4wd is still a good idea, but it is not essential right now. The J-15 road short cut from highway 537 directly to Stone Lake has been plowed. The east side boat ramp at Stone Lake known as Manghani Point is the only current access road available at Stone Lake. However, we have a work order in with the Tribal Roads Department, and the north side access road and the south side boat ramp access road should be plowed by the week’s end. At Mundo Lake the usual parking area has been plowed but the campground has not. We are expecting a small storm on Wednesday and Thursday and the forecast is for very small accumulations (2-3”).
It is crunch time for those of you hoping to scout out the lakes before the upcoming 4th annual Jicarilla Ice Derby (2/6/10). There is just one weekend left before the derby and the weather should be nice, so get out there and formulate a winning strategy. For more info on the Ice Derby please check the fishing menu on the www.jicarillahunt.com website or call Kevin Terry at 575-759-3255.

Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 1/12/2010
Favorable weather has made for nice comfortable days on the ice despite sometimes frustrating fishing. The hot streak at Stone Lake has certainly cooled off, but we have several tremendous fish to report again this week. Mundo Lake has been more consistent and catch rates are pretty stable from day to day. At this point, the various regions at Stone have been explored, several of which seem to be fishing better than others. With the 4th annual Jicarilla Ice Derby coming up fast (Saturday February 6th, 2010), a dual lake approach is a good idea for people to scout out the lakes and formulate a strategy. As usual, the ice derby will be held at Stone Lake and Mundo Lake combined. The ice thickness is just shy of 10 inches at both Stone Lake and Mundo Lake as of 1/12/10.
Stone Lake has been frustrating over the past week. Catch rates are way down somewhere around 1 fish per 5 hours, but the quality of the catch has made it hard to give up. The southwest bay around the aerators has been producing fish and so has the area near Manghani point (cement boat ramp/east side). White remains the color of choice for jigs but green, red, and spoons were also reported. The average size is right around 20” but there seems to be two distinct size classes that are making up the majority of the catch. One class is between 16-18” and these fish are primarily Rainbows with a few browns mixed in. The second class of fish is between 23-26” and these fish are all Rainbows. On Friday (1/8/10) Marty Smith of Farmington and his friend Mark Vandi of Los Lunas each landed a trophy class trout. Marty’s fish was caught on a white crappie jig and measured 24” and weighed in at 7 ½ lbs. Mark’s fish was caught on a pinkish (flesh colored) crappie jig and it measured 26” and hit 10 lbs. You can see these fish in the photo gallery on www.jicarillahunt.com. In contrast, Saturday (1/9/10) found 15 anglers on the ice with an estimated catch of 5 fish between them. A good friend, skilled angler, and supporter of our program Matt Pelletier of www.fishenchantment.com spent 8+ hours on the ice with a buddy. Matt caught one fish and lost another, and his friend lost one at the ice. The best action has been from 10-2 and again at 4-5.
Mundo Lake is fair for Rainbows that average 9-12”, with larger Trout in the 14-17” range showing up occasionally. The catch rate is hanging in there with an average of 2-3 fish per hour. Small crappie jigs and plastic jigs including curly tails and tubes are working slightly better than bait. Most bait anglers are using powerbait of various colors and they are having trouble with strike to hook up ratios. The fish seem to be hitting short, and sizing down a little on the hook is recommended. Most anglers are taking advantage of the 2 pole system at Mundo with one baited and one jigging. There hasn’t been a lot of talk about moving around at Mundo and the high traffic area is just off of the emergency spillway (parking area). If the weather trend continues, you will want to bring sunscreen and a t-shirt for the warm afternoons. Watch out TROUT!!!!
Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 1/5/10
Fishing has been good to excellent at the Jicarilla fishing lakes over the past week and weekend. I have received some of the best reports from Stone Lake that I have heard of to date for ice season. Several trophies were landed, and in some cases they were literally squeezed through a 6 inch hole. Mundo Lake has been fair to good and varies primarily by technique. The 4th annual Jicarilla Ice derby is a month away (2/6/10) and we are gearing up for another great event. Ice thickness is slowly increasing at both lakes with an 8-10 inch average.
Stone Lake has been hot by Stone Lake standards. That is to say that catch rates have been better than 1 fish an hour at times, with at least one report citing 6 fish in an hour. The consensus is that the optimal times are mid morning to midday (10:00-1:00) with another good bite for the last hour of daylight (4:00-5:00). The hot color is white, and curly tails and tube jigs seem to be the preferred lure. There were several noteworthy catches this week at Stone Lake. Doug Steiner out of Farmington , NM caught a 26” male Rainbow estimated over 9 lbs on New year’s eve (see photo in gallery). This honker fell victim to a white tube jig with a chartreuse jig head. This was one of three fish reported in this size class for the week at Stone.
Mundo has been fair with bait and good with jigs. The average rainbow is 8-12”, but several 12” browns and a few 14-16” Rainbows have shown up here and there. Most folks are utilizing the 2 pole system with one on bait and another jigging small plastic jigs with various jig head colors. Catch rates have been on par with the average angler retaining a 6 trout limit in approximately 2 hours. The weather has been cold and clear with plenty of sunshine and very little exposed flesh to tan. Whether you’re after that wall hanger or just a few pan sized beauties, the Jicarilla Lakes are a great place to play on the ice.
Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 12-30-09
The Jicarilla Ice Fishing season is off to a great start, with positive reports from both Stone Lake and Mundo Lake. The ice is currently 6-8 inches thick at both Stone and Mundo.
Stone Lake has been producing Rainbows averaging 16 inches with a few Browns of similar size mixed in. The best action has been in the morning and the evening. Catch rates have varied from one report to another, but at least one angler caught six fish on Saturday and several others were catching 2-3 fish in a few hours. The majority of anglers have been around Manghani point which is near the cement boat ramp on the east side of the lake. Red and white curly tail jigs are working with a variety of jig heads. Chartreuse is also a popular jig color at Stone, although it hasn’t been mentioned in reports. Please stay 100ft. away from open aeration holes at Stone Lake.
Mundo Lake has been excellent with jigs and good with powerbait. Catch rates have been as high as 6-7 fish per hour with jigs, and 3-4 fish per hour with powerbait. The majority of the fish are 8-12” Rainbows, but several larger fish as well a few Browns were reported this week. A wide variety of jig colors are working, and scented or bait tipped jigs are allowed at Mundo Lake. During the ice season (12/15-3/15) anglers are allowed 2 poles and Mundo is the only place to really take advantage of this regulation. Bait up one pole and jig another and you are bound to catch the 6 fish limit in an hour or two.
The roads are snow packed and plowed with limited access at Stone Lake. It is currently snowing lightly in Dulce with 2-3 inches of fresh snow expected tonight. Don’t forget that the 4th annual Jicarilla Ice derby is scheduled for Saturday February 6th, 2009. Dress warm, be safe, and have fun out there.
Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 12-22-09
Ice season is ON at the Jicarilla Fishing Lakes!! The ice is now at 6-7 inches at both Mundo Lake and Stone Lake. After a slow start, last week’s frigid nighttime temps helped promote solid ice development. Caution should be taken as always, and please stay at least 100 ft. from the open water aeration holes at Stone Lake. There were a few local anglers out at Mundo over the weekend and fishing was good. Both jigs and powerbait were catching trout but I do not have any info on catch rates or average size. I expect the average to be between 8-12” for the Rainbows. Remember that we have Ice season fishing permits available through our vendors and they are $20 for the season (12/15/2009-3/15/2010) . Also, anglers are allowed to use 2 poles during the ice season at no extra cost. The 4th annual Jicarilla Ice Derby is set for Saturday February 6th 2010. The derby will follow the usual format, and participants will be allowed to fish at Mundo Lake and Stone Lake in any combination they desire. This event has grown every year, and we are preparing to make this year the best yet. Details will be coming soon. As most folks know, the roads around the Jicarilla Lakes can be treacherous in bad weather so please check the forecast and be prepared. As of this morning the snow began to fall again, on roads that were just getting good. This is not supposed to be a big storm, and 4-8” of snow is expected tonight and tomorrow. Have a wonderful holiday season and we will see you on the ICE.
Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist

Fishing Report 12-7-09
The Jicarilla Fishing Lakes are currently closed to angling due to thin ice. Ice is now completely covering all three of the fishing lakes, but the ice is thin and considered dangerous. The recent cold weather and storms will help the ice develop, but the lakes will be unsafe for fishing for an expected 2 weeks or more. We will begin to investigate ice depth and integrity starting the week of December 14th. As soon as the ice is stable and deemed safe we will post a report on the website and in the Albuquerque Journal. The Jicarilla Game and Fish Department is looking forward to another great ice season and plans for the 4th annual Jicarilla Ice Derby are underway. Don’t forget that anglers can purchase an ice season fishing permit from any of our vendors or at the Game and Fish office in Dulce, NM. The ice season is designated from 12/15/2009 through 3/15/2010. Also, 2 rods may be used during ice season at no extra cost. Remember that Stone Lake is barbless artificial flies and lures only, but is open to ice fishing. I hope to see you out there as soon as the ice is safe.
Kevin Terry
Fisheries Biologist