Fishing at Kays Lake, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico

• Overview

  Kays Lake stands in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. The country here is mixed forest. Surface area runs to about 2 acres — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Rio Arriba County list. For supplies, Chama is 6.3 miles out. Beyond it, Dulce at 26 miles and Navajo at 29 miles. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Kays Lake

  A salt basin rather than a fishing lake: treat this page as orientation, not an invitation. 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. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Kays Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 58°F and January about 19°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. The open-water window runs from around late April to about late November in an average year. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. On Kays Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It is recorded as intermittent, which means the basin empties in dry spells. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Kelly Lake, 2.1 miles away. Nothing on Kays Lake should be assumed from this page alone.