Fishing Report For Eagle Nest Lake, NM

By Rick Seaman

April 8, 2025

Popular Fish Species Reports
Eagle Nest Lake Fishing Video
Available Fish Species
Today's Weather & Forecast
Fishing Boat Rentals
Boat Launch Ramps
Marinas
Fishing License
Map
Contact Info

Fishing Report Eagle Nest Lake, NM

Fishing Reports

Popular Fish Species Eagle Nest Lake, NM

Cutthroat Trout

Current Report: Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good

Now that the lake is closed for ice fishing this season, anglers are anxious to wet a line to catch some trout. Fishing for cutthroat has been good for several years, and is expected to be quite good this year. The diet of these cutthroat trout consists of insects, small fishes and crustaceans. Locals report the need to match the hatch when fly fishing. Using small spinners, which imitate minnows, is another popular choice for weekend anglers. Year round, including while ice fishing, small jigging spoons, salmon eggs and PowerBait are also delivering decent catches.

Kokanee Salmon

Current Report: Good
Outlook: Very Good

Eagle Nest Lake was home to the state record kokanee. It weighed in at 5 pounds and was caught in 2021. PowerBait, Z-Man Scented ShrimpZ and scented shoepeg corn, spoons and kokanee spinner rigs are all working well for slow drifting, or trolling. Ideal trolling speed tends to be between 1.2 mph and 1.6 mph. These kokanee are being caught up shallow early in Spring, then move out deeper once Summer approaches.

Northern Pike

Current Report: Fair
Outlook: Good To Very Good

Plenty of northern pike have been caught here in recent years, including some monsters over 40" long. Anglers pursuing northerns while ice fishing had good success this year. Warming water will now drive these predators into the shallows, where they feed on small fish, and most anything else that moves. They favor perch, so lures imitating these fat sunfish, do well for pike. Jerkbaits are ideal as northerns often attack from below the prey.

Fishing Video

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, yellow perch, kokanee salmon and northern pike at Eagle Nest Lake in New Mexico.

Eagle Nest Lake is a 2,400-acre lake with 16 miles of shoreline, at an elevation of 8,200 feet. Fishing for rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and kokanee salmon is the big draw, plus there is good fishing for northern pike and perch. Virtually all the shoreline is accessible for fishing from the bank.

Primary fish species to catch

Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.

Today's Weather & Forecast

Fishing Boat Rentals

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Public Boat Launch Ramps & Landings

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Marinas

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Fishing License

Click here for a New Mexico Fishing License.

Map - Fishing & Access

Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".