Fishing at Black Lake, San Juan County, New Mexico

• Overview

  You will find Black Lake in San Juan County, New Mexico. It sits at 7,270 feet above sea level. Around 111 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Shoreline comes to about 2.8 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Navajo at 9.5 miles is the nearest place to stop. After that come Fort Defiance at 20 miles and Tsaile at 21 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Black Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Fish documented in San Juan County include flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker, channel catfish and common carp. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The near bank of Black Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 25°F to 68°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid March. Ice usually gives way near mid March, and forms again about mid December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Plan around that when you fish Black Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Failing this one, try Little White Cone Lake, 6.3 miles away. Where Black Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.