Fishing Report: Department debuts new tool to help anglers

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 April 2. At that time, fishing for largemouth bass was very good when using HendrixFishing 6-inch VooDoo Finesse Worms and fair to good when using square bills.
• Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing for striped bass was slow to fair when using small umbrella rigs. Fishing for largemouth bass was very good when using worms. Fishing for white bass was fair to good when using crankbaits. The South Monticello boat ramp is currently closed due to low water levels. The closure will be lifted when water levels rise and conditions allow.
• Escondida Lake: Fishing for rainbow trout was slow when using corn and salmon eggs.
• Gila River: Streamflow near Gila Wednesday morning was 48.9 cfs.
• Gila Waters: Streamflow near Gila Hot Springs Wednesday morning was 58.7 cfs.
• Lake Roberts: The most recent report was received March 26. At that time, fishing for trout was slow to fair when using PowerBait and good when using rooster tail spinners from a kayak.
• Quemado Lake: The most recent report was received April 2. At that time, fishing for trout was slow to fair when using Garlic PowerBait.
• Rancho Grande Ponds: The most recent report was received April 2. At that time, fishing for catfish was very good when using PowerBait.
• Rio Grande: Streamflow below Elephant Butte Dam on Wednesday morning was 0.31 cfs.
• Snow Lake: Fishing for trout was slow when using spinners and flies.

NMDOW received no reports for the following waterbodies over the past three weeks: Caballo Lake, Glenwood Pond, Percha Dam, Rancho Grande Ponds, Trees Lake and Young Pond. 

Subscribe to the Daily Las Cruces Digest

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name *How would you like to be addressed in personalized emails?

/* real people should not fill this in and expect good things – do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

Department debuts new tool to help anglers

The Department is excited to announce the launch of its new Fisheries Data Dashboard — an interactive tool that lets anglers explore fisheries monitoring data collected by our Fisheries Management Division since 2020. View summarized fish survey results, compare species lengths across waterbodies and explore catch-per-unit-effort for species statewide — all in one place.

The dashboard can be viewed on the Department’s Fisheries Management web page, directly below our Statewide Fisheries Management Plan.

We hope this new dashboard helps you learn more about New Mexico’s fisheries and supports even better angling experiences across the state. We’re happy to share these insights and look forward to seeing how you use them.

We welcome your feedback as we continue to improve and expand this tool! Feedback can be emailed to DGF-FishingGraphs@dgf.nm.gov.

Check it out and dive into New Mexico’s fisheries data.

Check the Fishing Conditions and Trip Planner

The Department’s Fishing Conditions and Trip Planner was created using data from past Weekly Fishing Reports to develop graphs depicting fishing conditions for several species and waterbodies throughout the year. Each graph represents the average fishing conditions for each week of the year over the four years. 

The Department has also developed an interactive Fishing Waters Map with a wealth of information on fishing locations in New Mexico. It displays hundreds of fishing access points with information on available fish species, facilities, accessibility, boat ramps and general regulations.

Check out the webpage to plan your trip now!