Jemez Adventures Short Fishing Notes – September 15, 2024

These notes on Jemez Mountains fishing are excerpted from the Friends of Fenton Lake articles that appear in the After the Thunder newspaper published in Jemez Springs. They provide a window into Jemez fishing as a function of time and are reported twice a month. 

Fish stocking in the Jemez has resumed as the weather starts to cool. Fenton Lake was stocked with 1,360 triploid rainbows the week of September 13, and 1,040 the week of September 6 -combined with the 350 Rio Grande Cutthroat brood fish stocked the week of August 30 the lake should fish well for the next 2 – 3 weeks – enjoy! Jemez stream stocking included the Rio Cebolla with 476 and 350 trout the weeks of September 13 and 6, respectively. Our streams are still seasonably low, recently dropping the Jemez River flow rates to less than 10 cfs (cubic feet per second) again – indicating that the Jemez and Guadalupe River drainages are dangerously low for our wild fish. Wild brown trout activity will improve as fall approaches, but right now these fish are stressed and very spooky. This may be the time to take a hike or an exploring drive in the Jemez or fish the lake and let the wild stream fish rest for a week or two until conditions improve.