Stinking Lake, New Mexico: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Stinking Lake sits within Rio Arriba County in New Mexico. It lies 7,090 feet above sea level. At some 752 acres it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. The outline measures near 5.9 miles, so local knowledge counts. On our Rio Arriba County list it sits near the top for size. For supplies, Dulce is 23 miles out. The big place round here is Albuquerque, 107 miles distant. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Stinking Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Records held for Rio Arriba County cover white sucker, cutthroat trout, brown trout, yellow perch and Rio Grande sucker. The county list is broader than any single water. At Stinking Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 65°F and January near 22°F on the long-run figures. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late March. The open-water window runs from around late March to about mid December in an average year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Stinking Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapped as intermittent, it fills after rain and shrinks between. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Hayden Lake sits 0.8 miles off and takes the overflow. Signs at Stinking Lake carry more weight than any list.