Largemouth Bass fishing at Cochiti Lake

Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.

Smallmouth Bass fishing at Cochiti Lake

In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 23 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.

Walleye fishing at Cochiti Lake

In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. They move out to 15 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Rio Grande inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.

Channel Catfish fishing at Cochiti Lake

Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Rio Grande inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.

White Bass fishing at Cochiti Lake

Start shallow in spring: white bass sit in 2 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Rio Grande inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for white bass in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) and you're in the game.

Northern Pike fishing at Cochiti Lake

In spring, northern pike run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.

How deep is Cochiti Lake?

Cochiti Lake is about 90 ft (27 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.

What fish are in Cochiti Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white bass, northern pike, channel catfish on Cochiti Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Cochiti Lake?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Cochiti Lake?

For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.