Fishing report: Trout are biting on brown San Juan worms in the quality waters

San Juan River: Counselor resident Michelle Haines caught a 20-inch rainbow trout on Oct. 18 using a brown San Juan worm. In addition to the brown San Juan worms, fishing for trout in the quality waters was good using black, crème and red midge pupa pattern flies, small Baetis nymph flies and RS2’s.

Clayton Lake: A variety of species are biting at Clayton Lake. Trout fishing was fair to good with PowerBait and nightcrawlers and anglers reported fishing for walleye was fair using diving lures. Meanwhile, fishing for catfish was fair to good using chicken liver and homemade baits.

Eagle Nest Lake: Anglers reported fair to good fishing for trout using Woolly Bugger flies and chartreuse garlic glitter PowerBait.

Eagle Rock Lake: While trout fishing was slow using PowerBait and salmon eggs, it was fair to good using spinners.

Red River: Anglers at the hatchery reported good fishing using Woolly Bugger flies. In other parts of the river, trout fishing was good using stimulator dry flies with small nymph dropper flies and worms.

Rio Grande: Anglers used double nymph fly rigs in slow-moving pools and mayfly dry dropper setups in the riffles to catch trout. They reported that fishing was good.

Ute Lake: Fishing for white bass was fair in water between 25 and 30 feet deep on the main lake flats using slabs and vibrating blade baits. In deeper water ranging from 30 to 35 feet deep, anglers reported fair to good fishing for walleye using blade baits and slab jigs. Meanwhile, catfish were biting on punch bait and cut bait.

Bluewater Lake: Anglers reported good fishing using 8-inch streamer flies, jointed Rapala lures and swimbaits. Meanwhile, trout fishing was slow to fair using PowerBait and catfish fishing was good using chicken liver and hot dogs.

Chama River: While the rive was low and murky, fishing for trout downstream of El Vado Lake was good using nightcrawlers and orange PowerBait and, below Abiquiu Lake, the fishing was good using mop flies and small egg pattern flies.

Fenton Lake: Fishing for trout was fair using worms, but anglers using black leech flies and Panther Martin spinners reporting fishing for trout was good.

Glenwood Pond: Anglers hoping to bag trout reported fair to good fishing using dry flies and PowerBait.

Lake Roberts: Catfish were biting on beef liver and worms. Anglers say fishing was good for both catfish and trout, which were biting on pink and orange PowerBait, flavored salmon eggs and black dry flies.

Brantley Lake: Fishing for bass was good using watermelon and pumpkin-colored plastic worms.

Carlsbad Municipal Lake: Fishing for catfish was good using nightcrawlers and homemade dough bait.

Grindstone Reservoir: Anglers reported good fishing for trout using spinners and orange PowerBait.

Lake Van: Despite low water levels, fishing for catfish remained fair to good using chicken liver and worms.

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, in collaboration with Dustin Berg and Go Unlimited, releases a weekly fishing report. The full report can be viewed at wildlife.state.nm.us/fishing/weekly-report/