How's the bite at Ute Lake today? Picky — get there by six.

Questions people ask about Ute Lake

Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Ute Lake.

Is it worth fishing Ute Lake today?

5 out of 10 — picky. Work for it. The strongest stretch is 2:57 AM–4:57 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend.

What time should you fish Ute Lake?

Today's major windows run 2:57 AM–4:57 AM and 3:21 PM–5:21 PM, with minor windows at 10:49 AM–11:49 AM and 8:48 PM–9:48 PM. Sunrise is 6:36 AM and sunset 7:00 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.

What is the water temperature at Ute Lake?

No gauge on Ute Lake measures it, so this is an estimate: roughly 79.9°F, worked out from the 7-day mean of air temperature at NOAA weather station KTCC (Tucumcari Municipal Airport). Checked against the lakes that do have a thermometer, that method lands within about 4.5°F of the real reading and was off by 8.3°F at worst. Treat it as a ballpark, not a measurement — and note the bite index above ignores it entirely, because an error that size would move the verdict as often as it would fix it.

Can you eat the fish you catch in Ute Lake?

That is a health question, and it is answered officially rather than by us. New Mexico Environment Department publishes the fish consumption advisory covering these waters, where mercury, PCB and DDT advisories are listed per water in a chart linked from that page. Read it before you keep a meal — we give no eating advice.

NMED fish consumption advisory

Do you need a licence to fish Ute Lake?

Yes. A New Mexico fishing license covers this water, required from age 12. NMDOW sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What a New Mexico license costs, and who is exempt

What size fish can you keep in New Mexico?

It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass, catfish (all species except bullheads), crappie, striped bass. Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.

Largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass limits · Catfish (all species except bullheads) limits · Crappie limits · Striped bass limits · Check a length against the rules