Flat Lake in Eddy County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Out in Eddy County, New Mexico, sits Flat Lake. It lies 3,524 feet above sea level. The water covers some 128 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The outline is close to a simple bowl, without much in the way of bays. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our New Mexico listings. For a base, Hagerman sits 17 miles out. Odessa is the closest city, 128 miles away. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Flat Lake

  This is salt or soda water, not a conventional fishery: do not expect the usual freshwater species here. Expect a pan of salt and mud most years; water arrives rarely and leaves fast. Anglers passing through do better on the neighbouring fresh waters listed on this page. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Flat Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 40°F in January and 80°F in July. Fishing runs all year, with summer the awkward season. March through May is the strongest run, with autumn a second stretch. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. It sets the rhythm of the year at Flat Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapped as intermittent, it fills after rain and shrinks between. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Jahie Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Flat Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.