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Best cutthroat trout lakes in New Mexico

12 New Mexico waters hold cutthroat trout. 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. The native trout of the West, named for the orange slash under its jaw. A shoreline cruiser that hunts drop-offs, inlets and rocky points for baitfish and insects.

1. Bluewater Lake — 90 ft max · Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Cutthroat Trout
2. Rio Hondo — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
3. Cabresto Lake — 30 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout
4. Fenton Lake — 20 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
5. Hopewell Lake — 20 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout
6. Lake Katherine — 35 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout
7. Lake Alice — 15 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
8. Stewart Lake — 20 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout
9. Rio Costilla (Valle Vidal) — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout
10. Pecos River (Upper) — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
11. Red River (Questa) — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
12. Coyote Creek — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout

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When to fish cutthroat trout in New Mexico

• Spring 3–15 ft — Pre- and post-spawn cutthroat gang up at tributary mouths and cruise gravel shorelines — swing a spinner or fly through the inlet current.
• Summer 10–35 ft — Summer cutthroat hold along the first shoreline drop and off rocky points, sliding deeper as the surface warms — troll or cast the 15-30 ft edge.
• Fall 5–25 ft — Cooling water brings cutthroat back onto rocky points and gravel shoals to feed hard before winter.
• Winter 10–40 ft — Cold-tolerant like all trout — cutthroat hang on the deep shoreline drops and basin edges through the cold months.

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 brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best kokanee lakes

Cutthroat Trout elsewhere: Québec · Montana · Wyoming · Washington · Alberta · British Columbia · Utah · Colorado · Idaho · Nevada