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Best brown trout lakes in New Mexico

25 New Mexico waters hold brown trout, 2 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Wary, nocturnal-leaning predator. Shorelines and inflows in cold months; the thermocline in summer.

1. Navajo Reservoir — 333 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
2. El Vado Reservoir — 140 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee
3. San Juan River — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
4. Rio Grande (Taos) — 10 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
5. Jemez River — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
6. Lake Maloya — 40 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
7. Quemado Lake — 55 ft max · Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Brown Trout
8. Rio Hondo — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
9. Bonito Lake — 65 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
10. Rio Grande (Pilar / Orilla Verde) — 12 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
11. Fenton Lake — 20 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
12. Cimarron River (Cimarron Canyon) — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
13. Morphy Lake — 20 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
14. Rio Guadalupe — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
15. Rio Chama (Abiquiu Tailwater) — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
16. McGaffey Lake — 12 ft max · Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
17. Lake Alice — 15 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
18. Monastery Lake — 20 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
19. Eagle Rock Lake — 12 ft max · Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
20. Pecos River (Upper) — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
21. Mora River (Upper) — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
22. Rio Ruidoso — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
23. Red River (Questa) — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
24. Rio Chama (below El Vado) — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
25. Coyote Creek — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout

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When to fish brown trout in New Mexico

• Spring 3–25 ft — Cold-water browns hug shorelines, river mouths and mud lines — often in a few feet of water early and late.
• Summer 25–60 ft — Browns sit at the thermocline by day and slide shallow after dark — the night troll takes the giants.
• Fall 5–30 ft — Spawn-run browns stage off tributaries and gravel shorelines, aggressive and territorial.
• Winter 5–35 ft — Browns feed all winter — nearshore when bait is in, deeper breaks otherwise.

Also in New Mexico: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best brook trout lakes · best kokanee lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes

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