Tanner Lake Fishing Guide, McKinley County, New Mexico

• Overview

  Tanner Lake is listed under McKinley County, New Mexico. The bank is 6,562 feet above sea level. At about 69 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The edge runs 1.1 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Crownpoint is the closest place, 38 miles off. Albuquerque sits 80 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Within a short run: Juans Lake some 35 miles off. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Tanner Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. McKinley County records list bluehead sucker, green sunfish, muskellunge, Rio Grande sucker and rainbow trout among the fish reported. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Take Tanner Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 71°F for July and 26°F for January. Spring and autumn are the strongest, but nothing is truly closed. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. The season on Tanner Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Juans Lake is 35 miles distant. Confirm before you fish Tanner Lake.