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6-acre lake near Pecos. The lake tops out around 20 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 5 to 20 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Inlet, a inflow / creek mouth in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 4 to 20 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
In spring, brown trout run shallow here, mostly 2 to 20 ft. Summer fish stay in 6 to 20 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Inlet, a inflow / creek mouth in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for brown trout in spring. Best bite is after dark and early morning. A spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | night & dawn | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dusk & dawn | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Spring largemouth bass on Monastery Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 20 ft. Shoreline weed flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 6 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Inlet, a inflow / creek mouth in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday |
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 6 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Shoreline weed flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Monastery Lake is about 20 ft (6 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.
Anglers target largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, rainbow trout, brown trout on Monastery Lake.
Inlet is the top-rated area: a inflow / creek mouth in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For rainbow trout, 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.
Pecos River (Upper) · Stewart Lake · Lake Katherine · Santa Cruz Lake · Morphy Lake · Storrie Lake
See how Monastery Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in New Mexico · best bluegill lakes in New Mexico · best channel catfish lakes in New Mexico · best rainbow trout lakes in New Mexico
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