Escondida Lake: Dylan Wolf caught his first fish, a rainbow trout, on Jan. 31 using the Spider-Man fishing pole he got as a Christmas gift. “He was super pumped and is ready to go fishing again,” Vance Wolf said.
Source: New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
Photo: Courtesy
Southwest New Mexico Fishing Report
- Bear Canyon Lake: Fishing conditions have been adversely affected in the aftermath of the Trout Fire.
- Bill Evans Lake: The most recent report was received Jan. 29. At that time, fishing for trout was good when trolling trout lures from a kayak and when using PowerBait from the bank.
- Elephant Butte Lake: The most recent report was received Jan. 29. At that time, fishing for white bass was very good when using Rat-L-Traps. The South Monticello boat ramp is currently closed and access to Rattlesnake Island is currently restricted due to low water levels. The closures will be lifted when water levels rise and conditions allow.
- Escondida Lake: Fishing for rainbow trout was very good when using worms. Fishing for largemouth bass was fair to good when using spinners.
- Gila River: Streamflow near Gila Wednesday morning was 83.1 cfs.
- Gila Waters: Streamflow near Gila Hot Springs Wednesday morning was 59.8 cfs.
- Rio Grande: The most recent report was received Jan. 29. At that time, fishing for trout was fair to good when using worms. Fishing for walleye was good when using minnows. Streamflow below Elephant Butte Dam on Wednesday morning was 0.17 cfs.
NMDGF received no reports for the following waterbodies over the past three weeks: Caballo Lake, Glenwood Pond, Lake Roberts, Percha Dam, Quemado Lake, Rancho Grande Ponds, Snow Lake, Trees Lake and Young Pond.
Making family memories
By Darren Vaughan
It seems like only yesterday that I was the same age as the kids in some of the photos submitted to the Department for this report each week — alas, the increasing amount of grey hair near my temples tells me otherwise.
Despite the 30-plus years that have passed, reading about young Dylan Wolf’s first catch with his Spider-Man fishing rod brings back a wave of memories for me and some of my earliest fishing excursions with my grandfather.
The earliest one I can remember came when I was seven or eight years old. My grandparents had recently retired and purchased a motorhome. They loaded my sister and I up — no doubt giving my parents, who both worked full-time, a much-needed reprieve — and off we went into the La Sal Mountains of southeast Utah. Our campsite among the towering aspens just below Oowah Lake was probably 45 miles tops from home, but it seemed a world away from the familiar red-rock desert of my hometown.
Now, I’m pretty sure my grandfather wasn’t being serious, given the feast of pancakes and eggs that awaited us the next morning — in fact, at his current age of 92, he hasn’t lost his sense of humor or his sense of sarcasm. However, he broke the news to us that we needed to catch our dinner if we planned on eating that evening. Fortunately, there was a creek immediately behind our campsite that I viewed as my only path to a full belly.
So, my sister and I decided to take matters into our own hands. Donning our Snoopy and Woodstock life jackets and wielding our kid-sized fishing rods, we made our way down to the stream bank, with our grandparents not far behind. Sure, there was the minor issue that neither of us had mastered tying our own shoes yet, let alone the art of tying on a fishhook, but Grandma and Granddad took care of that for us.
Very quickly, our fears of going to bed hungry dissipated. Brook trout after brook trout started biting, ending up on the stringer. Granddad fired up the camp stove and Grandma had the aluminum foil and lemon slices ready for a campsite cookout.
That was only the beginning of my fishing adventures with my grandfather. Later, my grandparents had a house a block from the beach and the Sea of Cortez in northwestern Mexico, as well as several friends with fishing boats all too happy to take us out to reel in yellowtail, dorado, sea goldie and rock bass. On one trip, both of us caught our limit of dorado in less than two hours. Even the trips that weren’t as successful were filled with memories.
And that’s the point of this whole story. If you’re a parent or a grandparent, take your kids or grandkids fishing with you. It’s a chance to make memories that last a lifetime. Now in my early 40s, I think back on those days and I’m instantly taken back to more innocent times in my life.
Someday, perhaps Dylan will look back on the day he reeled in his first fish with his Spider-Man fishing rod the same way I remember the day I caught all those brook trout while wearing a Snoopy life jacket.
Let NMDGF know how your fishing trip goes! Share your tips and tricks with your fellow anglers by filling out the iFish form and let’s help the next generation of anglers find success.