The weather has settled down now that December is over. What a December it was. After warmer than normal temperatures in November, December saw lots of snow and cold temperatures, but now the winter may mellow out with a weak La Niña in effect. It’s good we got the substantial precipitation that we did, because the rest of the winter could be pretty dry.
Ice fishing this winter, despite the cold temperatures of December, has been hindered by a lack of solid ice. Normally, Eagle Nest Lake would be a hotspot for ice fishing action, as would Fenton Lake, but so far the ice at these lakes has been deemed unsafe and they have been almost completely closed to fishing (see “Fishing Report” on page B4).
It’s quite a change from last year, when Eagle Nest was the scene of an ice fishing derby Jan. 19 and the ice was 15 inches thick. The temperature that day was a balmy minus 9.
Despite the lack of ice fishing, there are still some angling opportunities to be had. One dependable spot that offers angling throughout the winter is the Rio Chama below El Vado Dam. Even in the winter, this stretch of stream pumps out 20-inch brown trout and stocked rainbows.
The heavy snowfall the Chama area has received has made accessing this area a little difficult, but if we don’t get any new snowfall that could improve.
In the same area, Heron Lake still has open water for bank fishing near its dam and La Laja boat ramp. This is a good time to fish for rainbow trout from the bank and one of the best times of the year to catch lake trout from the bank. Lakers are a cold water fish and are normally found in deep water that requires a boat to reach, but the winter and early spring are when lakers can be caught from the bank. Roe sacs are an especially good bait this time of year.
Last year, Heron froze over, which is unusual. Most winters Heron has open water for bank fishing because of its size and depth.
The Rio Chama below the Abiquiú Dam can be good this time of year, too. There are still some big browns in this stretch of water, but this is not normally a spot to catch a lot of fish.
Abiquiu Lake is usually not a good bet this time of year. The walleye, bass and catfish that inhabit this lake normally school up in deeper water this time of year.
Since I don’t own a boat, I can’t say for sure, but I have a hunch that vertical jigging could catch fish here during the winter.
The Rio Grande looks to be in good shape for this time of year.
Local angler Peter Romero has been fishing near Pilar for northern pike. He said he recently caught and released a 22-inch brown trout while fishing for pike with large streamer flies. He reports he’s caught some small pike, but is hoping to score one of the 40-inch monsters that are sometimes caught during the winter.