Kelly Lake Fishing Guide, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico

• Overview

  Set in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, this is Kelly Lake. The water sits 9,672 feet up. Surface area runs to about 3 acres — small enough to read in one session. Compared with other New Mexico water on our list, it sits high. For supplies, Chama is 6.8 miles out. For a city, Albuquerque is 132 miles off. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Kelly Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Public occurrence data for Rio Arriba County names white sucker, cutthroat trout, brown trout, yellow perch and Rio Grande sucker. The county list is broader than any single water. Kelly Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 55°F and January at 18°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid May. Ice usually gives way near mid May, and forms again about late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It holds true on Kelly Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Kays Lake is 2.1 miles distant. Nothing here settles the position at Kelly Lake for certain.