Well, they do reply folks, and nicely to. Jimi ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2003 11:34 AM Subject: Good Weekend, Sort of...
Jimi, my name is Ben Hanson and I am the Wildlife Information Specialist for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish in the Roswell office. I received the message you wrote about your weekend at Bonito Lake and Grindstone Reservoir and would like to respond. You may not be aware that we are in the middle of a serious drought. Also, the water in Bonito Lake is owned by the city of Alamogordo and we have no control over the amount that is kept in the lake. We do have a lease agreement with them that allows us to plant fish and for people to fish at the lake. However, it is part of their water supply and they have been draining the water out of the lake for their use. The lake level is going to go even lower unless we start getting some good rains to supply it with runoff. That is a problem faced by almost all of the reservoirs in the state including Grindstone Reservoir. Even though there isn't a lot of water in the lake, is does attract a lot of people, especially on long holiday weekends. This is the closest mountain retreat for a lot of people in New Mexico and also for several large metropolitan areas in our neighboring state. That means that it is going to be crowded over the Fourth of July with a lot of people fishing. We in the Department of Game and Fish know this and so we beef up our patrol efforts during these occasions. Contrary to what the Sheriff's deputy told you, the more people who show up the harder we work. This past weekend we had a saturation patrol operation at Bonito Lake, Grindstone Reservoir and the Ruidoso River. There were at least six officers working this operation in both uniform and plainclothes to curb game law violations. The operation was very successful with our officers issuing 37 citations, 31 of which were for fishing without a license. It appears that you and they weren't at the same place at the same time, but I guarantee that officers were checking licenses. I also have a suggestion, Bonito Lake and Grindstone Reservoir are not designated as "quality" fishing waters. They are what we call "put and take" waters. We put in catchable-sized fish and want the anglers to take them out. That is not exactly conducive to a good fly fishing experience especially on a crowded holiday weekend. If you'll look in the fishing rules booklet, we have 23 waters around the state which are designated as "special" trout waters. These waters have reduced bag limits and require anglers to fish with artificial flies and lures with a single barbless hook. You might want to try fishing waters like the San Juan, Cimarron, upper Rio Grande or upper Pecos River where they are managed to provide a more quality type fishing experience. It appears from your message that you camping experience wasn't much better than your fishing. The Department of Game and Fish doesn't have control over camping, but if you have issues that you would like to discuss, please contact the U.S. Forest Service. They have a web site at www.fs.fed.us/ or you can call the Smokey Bear Ranger District at 505-257-4095. If you have any question or would like to contact me please call at 505-624-6135 or e-mail me at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
