Bluewater Lake
Fishing, stocking, and current conditions
Rainbow trout and tiger muskellunge water; 6 stockings on the 2026 record, spread February to June. A 617-acre reservoir. The New Mexico state record tiger muskie, 31lb. 14oz., came from this water in 2012. A USGS gauge reports from this water, so the conditions card on this page is live.
New Mexico · see it on the national map
The year here
stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details
What swims here
Rainbow trout
Tiger muskellunge
State record fish caught here
Certified by New Mexico Game and Fish; weights shown exactly as the agency publishes them. Record book read October 2026.
Stocking record 2026
Agency feed checked yesterday.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 16 | Rainbow trout | catchable | 5,618 | completed |
| Feb 23 | Rainbow trout | catchable | 5,105 | completed |
| Mar 10 | Rainbow trout | catchable | 3,500 | completed |
| Mar 10 | Rainbow trout | catchable | 9,609 | completed |
| Jun 24 | Tiger muskellunge | fingerling | 296 | completed |
| Jun 24 | Tiger muskellunge | fingerling | 702 | completed |
When to fish Bluewater Lake
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 9:53-11:53 am and 10:16 pm-12:16 am | 4:12-5:12 am and 4:26-5:26 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:39 am-12:39 pm | 5:16-6:16 am and 4:54-5:54 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 93% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Mountain Time (MDT).
What the record actually says
- Last stocked Jun 24
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · New Mexico fishing forecast
Gear for this water
It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.
For the trout (rainbow trout stocked 4 times here in 2026, stillwater)
| Ultralight spinning rod | 6 to 7 ft ultralight, 4 lb line; long casts from the bank |
| Dough bait rigs | floating dough bait 18 inches above a small egg sinker; hatchery fish know the smell |
| Casting spoons | 1/8 to 1/4 oz in fluorescent or metallic; count down until you find the depth |
For the muskie and pike (tiger muskellunge stocked 2 times here in 2026, stillwater)
| Heavy casting rod | 7.5 to 9 ft heavy with 65 to 80 lb braid; these fish punish light gear |
| Large bucktails and gliders | big profile baits; finish every cast with a figure-eight |
| Steel or heavy fluoro leader | non-negotiable; pike and muskie cut everything else |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Mcgaffey Lake | 23 mi | May 21 |
| Corrales Riverside Drain | 82 mi | Feb 10 |
| Quemado Lake | 83 mi | Sep 29 |
| Liam Knight Pond | 85 mi | Jun 30 |
| Belen Riverside Drain | 88 mi | Mar 18 |
Follow New Mexico stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule