Eagle Nest Lake

Overview

Eagle Nest Lake sits at 8,200 feet in the Moreno Valley of northern New Mexico, on the Enchanted Circle between Angel Fire and Red River, with Wheeler Peak, the state's highest point, on the skyline. The lake is a reservoir on the Cimarron River; the river leaves through Eagle Nest Dam and drops into Cimarron Canyon, where it becomes one of New Mexico's better wild brown trout streams. Eagle Nest Lake State Park manages the shoreline, ramp and campground. The fishery is built on stocking: rainbow trout and kokanee salmon from state hatcheries, with kokanee eggs collected each fall to supply Heron, Navajo and Eagle Nest. Yellow perch are abundant, and northern pike, never intended to be here, have become established; the state wants them gone, so there is no limit on pike and none may be returned to the water. Ice-off comes in April or May, and the weeks that follow are the best fly fishing of the year, with rainbows cruising the shallows for scuds, midges and leeches. Callibaetis carry the summer from May into September, and afternoon thunderstorms make mornings the working hours. Kokanee are a trolling fish through summer; from October 1 through December 31 the lake opens to snagging, and in winter both kokanee and perch come through the ice. Wind is the constant: the valley is wide and open, and a float tube can be a long way from shore in a hurry.