Bear Lake, New Mexico: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Bear Lake is a Mora County water, in New Mexico. The water sits 9,190 feet up. The far bank is a conversation away, so keep low and quiet. On size it sits at the modest end of our Mora County list. Supplies mean a trip to Angel Fire, 11 miles off. The big place round here is Albuquerque, 120 miles distant. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Bear Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Mora County records list cutthroat trout, white sucker and brown trout among the fish reported. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. The near bank of Bear Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 58°F and January near 23°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Open water usually runs from mid April until about late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Plan any trip to Bear Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records show it does not hold water year-round. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Hidden Lake is 3.9 miles off. Check the position at Bear Lake before loading the car.