New Mexico is an excellent state for all types of fishing with its numerous lakes and streams. Fishing opportunities include trout, bass, walleye, sunfish, salmon, and catfish.

ifished.com has information for more than 40 lakes in New Mexico.

Best Fishing Waters for:

Black Bass:
Ute, Conchas, Navajo and Elephant Butte are best for bass fishing. Other New Mexico bass fishing reservoirs include Caballo, Cochiti, Bill Evans, Santa Rosa, Abiquiu, and Sumner.

Bluegill:
Elephant Butte Lake, Sumner Lake, Santa Rosa Lake, Ute Lake, Conchas Lake, and small warm-water ponds.

Catfish:
Ute (best for both species) and Bluewater (good mid-day summer fishing for channel cats; use lead sinkers on the bottom). Also Elephant Butte, Cochiti, Caballo, Navajo, Brantley, Conchas, Abiquiu, Sumner, and Santa Rosa. Smaller lakes, such as Bear Canyon, Eunice, and Jal, are stocked with channel catfish. Gila (Gila Hot Springs downstream to the Arizona Line); portions of the San Francisco; portions of the Rio Grande; Rio Chama (between Abiquiu and El Vado dam); Percha Dam; and stretches of the Pecos River below Sumner and Brantley reservoirs. In rivers, both species tend to congregate around brushpiles and holes below sandbars.

Green sunfish:
Populations occur in portions of the Canadian River and Rio Grande, as well as the Pecos, Gila, and Black Rivers. Smaller populations occur in other waters and small, warm pond habitats.

Striped Bass:
Elephant Butte and Caballo Lakes.

Walleye:
Ute and Conchas (historically, our best walleye waters); Caballo (a close second); Santa Rosa, Cochiti, Clayton, Sumner, and Abiquiu.

White Bass: Elephant Butte, Caballo, and the Rio Grande between the two reservoirs; Cochiti, Brantley, Sumner, and Ute Lakes.

White crappie:
Best fishing waters Conchas and Abiquiu Lakes. Also southern portions of both the Rio Grande and Pecos Rivers, Ute Lake, Cochiti Lake, Caballo Lake, and Elephant Butte Lake.

Yellow perch:
Eagle Nest, Lower Charette Lake, Springer Lake, Stubblefield Lake.