Black Lakes Fishing Guide, Colfax County, New Mexico

• Overview

  Black Lakes belongs to Colfax County, New Mexico. Beyond the shoreline you have lake country bush. Roughly 84 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The whole outline is near 1.3 miles, and most of it is walkable. For supplies, Angel Fire is 8.3 miles out. The nearest city of size is Albuquerque, 113 miles away. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Black Lakes

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. County-wide records name cutthroat trout, white sucker, rainbow trout, brown trout and green sunfish. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The shape of Black Lakes rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 57°F on average, January about 21°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That is the shape of the year on Black Lakes.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Hidden Lake is 4.3 miles off. Check the current arrangement for Black Lakes.