Cinnamon Lake in Rio Arriba County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Cinnamon Lake lies in Rio Arriba County, in New Mexico. The bank gives way to rolling bush. The water measures roughly 5 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. The closest town, Dulce, is 13 miles away. Further out sit Navajo (16 miles) and Chama (18 miles). Nearby alternatives: Enbom Lake (1.6 miles), Turkey Pond out at 2 miles, Paiz Pond (2.1 miles), Horse Lake out at 2.9 miles and Stone Lake (4.3 miles). There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Cinnamon Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Rio Arriba County list white sucker, cutthroat trout, brown trout, yellow perch and Rio Grande sucker. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Fish Cinnamon Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 22°F in January up to 63°F in July. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The lid usually goes in early April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Ice clears near early April and comes back about early December in a typical year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Cinnamon Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. If the gate is shut, Enbom Lake at 1.6 miles is the nearest alternative. Check the position on Cinnamon Lake before loading the car.