Laguna de la Sierra Fishing Guide, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico

• Overview

  Out in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, sits Laguna de la Sierra. It sits in rolling bush. About 7 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Compared with other New Mexico water on our list, it sits high. Head to Santa Teresa, 7.8 miles away, for anything you forgot. Los Alamos lies 21 miles off, Ohkay Owingeh another 27 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Laguna de la Sierra

  This water is saline; the fishing interest, where it exists, sits in the feeder streams rather than the basin itself. For long stretches it is a dry bed rather than a lake, filling only after exceptional rain. If you are set on fishing this area, look to the rivers and fresh waters nearby instead. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Take Laguna de la Sierra a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 61°F in July and bottom out at 23°F in January. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. Open water usually runs from mid April until about early December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Laguna de la Sierra runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This one is mapped as intermittent, so a wasted trip is a real risk in a dry year. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Laguna Madrid, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Laguna de la Sierra for certain.