For a desert state, New Mexico has a remarkable number of cold, clear trout lakes – most of them high in the mountains, stocked with rainbows and holding browns, cutthroat and even kokanee salmon. This guide rounds up the best trout lakes in New Mexico and how to fish them. Every lake links to a full guide in our New Mexico Lakes Database.
High-mountain trout lakes
Eagle Nest Lake near Taos, at over 8,000 feet, holds rainbows, kokanee and pike, and Heron Lake is famous for kokanee salmon and lake trout. Smaller gems include Fenton Lake (Jemez), Lake Maloya (Sugarite Canyon), Quemado and Lake Roberts (Gila), and the reopened Bonito Lake near Ruidoso.
Kokanee salmon lakes
Several deep reservoirs hold landlocked kokanee salmon: Heron, El Vado, Navajo and Eagle Nest – trolled in summer and snagged in the fall run.
The San Juan tailwater
The greatest trout water of all isn’t a lake but the river below one: the San Juan River below Navajo Dam, a world-class trophy-trout tailwater. Tailwaters below other dams, like Abiquiu, also offer trout.
Urban & easy-access trout
For close-to-town trout, Tingley Beach in Albuquerque and Grindstone Reservoir at Ruidoso are stocked and family-friendly, and Storrie Lake near Las Vegas gets regular plants.
How and when to fish
Most New Mexico trout lakes are stocked on a seasonal schedule – spring and fall are prime, when the water is cool. The high lakes fish well into summer and freeze for ice fishing in winter. A New Mexico fishing license (and trout validation where required) is needed; check stocking reports and any special regulations before you go.
See our broader fishing in New Mexico guide, browse all the lakes, or head back to the New Mexico Lakes Database.
