Fenton Lake State Park. Great mountain views and sunshine make this Jemez Springs fishing hole a local winter favorite. “It’s special because of its proximity to Albuquerque,” says Mike Ruhl, assistant chief of research and management at the New Mexico Game & Fish Fisheries Management Division, allowing anglers to get on the frozen surface in less than two hours.
Cabresto Lake. Nestled at 9,500 feet in the Carson National Forest, near Questa, this 15-acre lake provides an idyllic setting for winter jaunts and holds brook, rainbow, and Río Grande cutthroat trout.
Lake Maloya. The 120-acre reservoir at Sugarite Canyon State Park, near Ratón, is a hot spot for ice fishing beginners. “It has a pretty abundant population of yellow perch,” Ruhl says. “It is an opportunity for people to maybe see a fish that they don’t often see.”
Retired teacher Mark Montaño landed a trophy rainbow trout to win the 2024 Eagle Nest Lake State Park ice fishing tournament.