Best Fishing Times in New Mexico This Week
Near Navajo Dam, Elephant Butte and Santa Fe: today on a 24 hour timeline and the next seven days rated Fair to Best.
Working out the moon and the sun for Navajo Dam, NM, and reading the forecast.
Fishing somewhere else? Enter any ZIP for your own spot
Photo: “Fall fishing on the Madison River at sunrise”, Jacob W. Frank, Yellowstone National Park (NPS), Public domain
New Mexico at a glance
Solunar windows plus the agency calendarWhen fish bite in New Mexico
New Mexico's fishing year runs from prime bass months in March through June and flathead catfish in summer to fall stripers and trout stocked weekly from November through March.
Each entry below is from New Mexico Department of Wildlife or its published guides, quoted word for word and linked. Line the season up with the week above: a run in its prime and a Great day with a window at first light is the morning to take off.
- March to June
Largemouth and smallmouth bass
March through June are the prime months for bass fishing in New Mexico.
“March through June are New Mexico’s prime bass fishing months.”
Warm Water Species - NMDOW, New Mexico Department of Wildlife, read October 9, 2026 - May to early June, July to September
Flathead catfish
Daytime fishing for flathead catfish is best from May through early June and again from July through September, when they are active.
“Daytime fishing is best for flathead cats, especially from May through early June, and again from July through September, when they’re active.”
Warm Water Species - NMDOW, New Mexico Department of Wildlife, read October 9, 2026 - Fall
Striped bass
Fall can be an exciting time to fish for striped bass, which tend to stay deep and roam less in winter.
“Fall can be an exciting time for striper fishing, compared with winter, when stripers tend to stay deep and roam less.”
Warm Water Species - NMDOW, New Mexico Department of Wildlife, read October 9, 2026 - November to March
Trout
Trout are stocked every week from November through March, with 2,400 going into the Tingley Beach ponds and 1,000 into the drains.
“Trout are stocked every week from November through March with 2,400 going into the ponds at Tingley Beach and another 1,000 into the drains.”
Winter Fish Stocking - NMDOW, New Mexico Department of Wildlife, read October 9, 2026
Reading the New Mexico timeline
Each day has two major solunar periods of about two hours, centered on the moon overhead and underfoot, and two minor periods of about an hour at moonrise and moonset. A window within an hour of sunrise or sunset is marked in gold. The rating adds the moon phase, the gold windows and a capped nudge from the National Weather Service forecast for each town. Every factor and its points.
Dawn and dusk are the reliable part; the moon windows are the old angler’s rule.
