Nutria Reservoir Number 3 in McKinley County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The McKinley County end of New Mexico holds Nutria Reservoir Number 3. It sits at 6,726 feet above sea level. The water covers some 144 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. It is among the larger waters listed here for McKinley County. The nearest town is Black Rock, 13 miles away. After that come Zuni Pueblo at 16 miles and Church Rock at 22 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Nutria Reservoir Number 3

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Fish documented in McKinley County include bluehead sucker, green sunfish, muskellunge, Rio Grande sucker and rainbow trout. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. On this water the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 68°F at the top of summer and 28°F at the bottom of winter. In milder years the surface never sets. Hard water here is never dependable, so check for yourself before stepping out. Late winter often fishes better here than midsummer does. That shapes the year on this water.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Mapped as intermittent, it fills after rain and shrinks between. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Nutria Reservoir Number 4 at 0.7 miles is the sensible second choice. Ask locally about this water if anything is unclear.