Red River (Below Questa)

Fishing, stocking, and current conditions

Rainbow trout water, stocked 20 times in 2026, spread January to October, heaviest in June; 24,400 fish reported. A USGS gauge reports from this water, so the conditions card on this page is live, water temperature included.

New Mexico · see it on the national map

last stocked Oct 13 10 days ago

water temp 53 °F

flow 150% of seasonal normal

best window 10:06 pm-12:06 am solunar major today

Water right now 4.70 ft gage height flow 73.3 cfs, 150% of the Oct 23 median water temp 53 °F USGS gauge 08266820 (RED RIVER BELOW FISH HATCHERY, NEAR QUESTA, NM) · read 6:45 pm this evening

20 stockings 2026

24,400 fish reported

The year here

stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details

What swims here

Rainbow trout 20 stockings

Stocking record 2026

Agency feed checked yesterday.

Date	Species	Size	Fish	Status
Jan 8	Rainbow trout	catchable	700	completed
Jan 22	Rainbow trout	catchable	700	completed
Feb 3	Rainbow trout	catchable	700	completed
Feb 17	Rainbow trout	catchable	701	completed
Mar 12	Rainbow trout	catchable	701	completed
Apr 29	Rainbow trout	catchable	700	completed
May 22	Rainbow trout	catchable	700	completed
May 27	Rainbow trout	catchable	2,901	completed
Jun 1	Rainbow trout	catchable	699	completed
Jun 3	Rainbow trout	catchable	1,999	completed
Jun 8	Rainbow trout	catchable	699	completed
Jun 16	Rainbow trout	catchable	702	completed
Jun 17	Rainbow trout	catchable	900	completed
Jun 24	Rainbow trout	catchable	1,800	completed
Jul 6	Rainbow trout	catchable	1,800	completed
Jul 13	Rainbow trout	catchable	700	completed
Jul 14	Rainbow trout	catchable	2,700	completed
Jul 21	Rainbow trout	catchable	2,900	completed
Sep 14	Rainbow trout	catchable	981	completed
Oct 13	Rainbow trout	catchable	717	completed

When to fish Red River (Below Questa)

	Major periods (~2 h)	Minor periods (~1 h)
Today	9:43-11:43 am and 10:06 pm-12:06 am	4:01-5:01 am and 4:15-5:15 pm
Tomorrow	10:29 am-12:29 pm and 10:54 pm-12:54 am	5:07-6:07 am and 4:42-5:42 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

Stocked 10 days ago (Oct 13)
Water 53 °F, prime coldwater range
Flow 150% of the seasonal median

Computed this evening, Oct 23 · New Mexico fishing forecast

Gear for this water

Stocked within the last three weeks: fish are still bunched near the release points and keyed on familiar smells. The gauge reads 53 degrees, prime coldwater temperature; fish confidently through the day.

For the trout (rainbow trout stocked 20 times here in 2026, moving water)

Light spinning rod	5 to 6.5 ft light or ultralight; short rods cast under branches
Inline spinners	1/16 to 1/8 oz silver or gold; swing them across the current seams
Drifted bait	single salmon egg or half a crawler under light split shot, rolled along the bottom

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
Red River Hatchery Pond	3.3 mi	Oct 15
Eagle Rock Lake	7.6 mi	Oct 16
Goose Lake	14 mi	Jun 29
Red River City Ponds	16 mi	Jul 14
Lost Lake	17 mi	Oct 5

Follow New Mexico stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule

Records from New Mexico Game and Fish (official page). Placement from USGS GNIS. Schedules change without notice. Seasons, limits, and licenses: New Mexico fishing regulations.