Eagle Nest Lake is now open to boating! There are still some ice patches floating around out there so if you do come out be sure to be careful.

As of today ice fishing on Eagle Nest lake has been closed for the season.

Eagle Nest Lake is currently scheduled to reopen to boating on 6/8/2022. Book your rooms and guide trips early as we have been getting a ton of bookings in anticipation! Shoreline fishing has been great during the boating closure and our guides and trips saw great success over that time. Good fishing conditions should carry over to fishing from boats as well. We look forward to seeing everyone out here soon! Our shop is stocked and guides are ready to make your fishing trip unforgettable.

We are excited to welcome back Eagle Fest! Fun events planned all weekend! Come out and join us for some balloons, music and fishing!

Come enjoy the celebration of the birth of our nation in Eagle Nest. Each year the celebration includes family activities in the park, July 4th parade, the Fireman’s BBQ, EMS 911 deserts, and the fireworks display over the Eagle Nest Lake for a beautiful conclusion of the evening. You will have family memories that will last a lifetime.

Pike Tournament Registration is live! We have a special announcement about the tournament this year! In order to welcome our Catch & Release Anglers we are having a Roadrunner event! That means we will be taking catch submissions from Springer Lake - Rio Grande - Eagle Nest Lake. It will require anglers to catch photo and submit their catch. Click the link below to find rules and registration info. You can only sign up using TourneyX. use the link below from your computer or download the TourneyX app on your iPhone or android. Sign Up ASAP Deadline is Thursday before the tournament! Register https://tourneyx.com/app/login/?redir=https://tourneyx.com/leaderboard/standings/eagle-nest-fly-shack-pike-tournament Rules https://tourneyx.com/app/lib/rules/1620590407_The_2021_Eagle_Nest_Fly_Shack__pt.pdf

Ice is currently melting and allowing limited fishing access to Eagle Nest Lake. fishing reports have been slow

The day we have been waiting for is here! New Mexico is no longer restricting out of state visitors from the State Parks. Once again everyone is welcome to enjoy the fishing and other great activities the state parks have to offer! Eagle Nest Lake is currently closed until the lake melts and Cimarron Canyon is still pretty frozen at the moment but we are counting down the days till we can enjoy the state parks with our out of state anglers.

Ice Fishing is in full swing on Eagle Nest Lake this January 2021. If you have recently been to Eagle Nest Lake or you plan to come anytime soon you'll notice an "AREA CLOSED" sign on the South access parking lot and orange cones across the lake that are closing off the South half of the lake due to a recent 4 wheeler going through the ice. The 4 wheeler was traveling near a pressure ridge(video of ridge below). No injuries were reported and 4 wheeler is reported to remain under the ice for the time being. Pressure ridges can be found anywhere on the lake and are known for broken and loose ice where it is growing into itself. On some of the coldest nights in Eagle Nest I've seen the ridges grow as tall as 4-6 feet with broken pieces getting as big as 1-5 feet. Getting close to these ridges is dangerous and a chance you should avoid at all cost. I've seen some unfortunate accidents on Eagle Nest Lake that can become life threatening in moments especially being so far from hospitals and medical care. This is a harsh reminder that we need to be extra careful with every move we make on the ice, because we are enjoying public land at our own risk. In past years I've been lucky enough to get over 60 days fished in a single ice fishing season. During that time I've witnessed fun days of fishing come to a quick stop due to a simple mistake that sometimes can be avoided. Accidents are going to happen from time to time but taking an extra step to ensure our safe return home is our job to hold. The ice is currently very safe and capable of holding foot traffic, but with a large ridge reaching across the lake, we can't help appreciate some cones for warning. So with ridges being common every year during ice fishing we can only spread the word to friends and family to avoid these areas and hope that the current 4 wheeler ban is only temporary. I'll leave you all with a short safety list at the bottom that I follow myself no matter where I'm ice fishing. Be safe out there and good luck on your fishing adventures. Thank you for reading. Tim Urtiaga BE SAFE ON THE ICE! Keep auger blade covered! I've seen some terrible accidents involving that sharp blade! Stay away from pressure ridges! Dangers, open water hazards to fall through! Use ice cleats if needed! Don't chance slippery ice, very hard falls can happen! Be safe on 4 wheelers and snowmobiles. Speed = Big injuries

I’ve recently found myself facing a huge obstacle in life with a injury that left me very near death multiple times. On August 11th, while mountain biking I made a fatal error resulting in need of med evac by helicopter. I watched the world spin upside down while flipping end over end with my bike, coming to a stop while sliding on my knees and butt a second impact from another biker running me over came less than seconds later. I jumped up, more worried about the rider that hit me than myself, making sure he and his bike were ok. Feeling ok myself, I loaded my bike and started to drive home with pain slowly increasing behind my abdominal area. I pulled up at home still trying to “walk it off” the pain had become severe and only got worse. Making the decision to head towards Taos ER with a loved one, my pain grew to a point that is unexplainable. I knew something was seriously wrong I decided to call Angel Fire EMT to meet me off the highway. It wasn’t long before the helicopter was on the ground. They identified a lot of blood in my abdominal area using a ultrasound. The plan was to go to UNMH but bleeding and pain was so bad I began to go in and out of consciousness they had to cut the ride short in Santa Fe. I remember landing on the roof and then blacking out. My next memory doesn’t come until after 4 surgeries and many hours spent inside my body looking for and cauterizing bleeding areas of my mesenteric arteries. With the internal damage caused they were forced to remove a section of my large intestine, gallbladder, and appendix. A life time of surgeries packed into 48hrs. I woke up not seeing straight or thinking clearly, assuming I had only been out for maybe a day I was told that I’m on the evening of my 6th day and was extremely close to death during 2 of my surgeries. As I started to wake up out of a coma, tubes and hoses coming out of my body, the extreme pain started to set in. For the following 8 weeks I experienced limited mobility and couldn’t perform a basic task like sitting up without assistance. Losing over 35 pounds and finding myself to weak to even lift a cup of water at times, I was struggling with keeping my mind positive with the constant pain. The feeling and memory I’ll never forget is sitting up as I shifted my body from side to side I could literally feel my guts move around and make noise as it did. They were loose from being taken in and out of my body and the pain was extreme from damage done. It really felt like a dream for a while, a bad one, but the constant sweating and pain reminded me it was real. Fast forwarding another 2 weeks I’m currently making small strides towards progress. My endurance runs out after just a few minutes of walking but I push myself a few more steps with every day. The pain has turned into a strange uncomfortable feeling that tends to hurt at the end of everyday. I assume it’s the feeling and price of progress. I’ve wanted nothing more than to tie flies and go fishing. I’m sure I could’ve been tying flies weeks ago but not without help so considering that, I pushed that goal until I can do it 100% on my own, same goes for getting out and catching a fish. My loved ones would have been more than happy to help my accomplish my fishing related goals but in my heart I knew this is one task I want to be able to complete from beginning to end on my own. My Doctors have told me there is no expected time to recover and no type of physical therapy designed for this surgery/injury I have gone through, it’s not a common situation. I’m supposed to listed to my body and do as I feel myself become more capable. My plan is to video and document my journey of using fly fishing and outdoor activities to help “rehab” my body back to the life style I live for. Progress has been slow and I’m not sure when I will begin but I am listening to my body and my mind is ready whenever the time comes. I look forward to sharing the journey on video. As I find myself wrapping this up, “wishin’ I was fishin”, I want to take the last sentences to thank everyone again for all the support. There were extreme low times that it all meant more than words can explain and kept me pushing when I didn’t know if I could. Thanks ~Tim Urtiaga~

As of 7/10/2020 Cimarron Canyon State Park and Eagle Nest Lake State Park are only open to New Mexico residents and only open to day use Thursday-Sunaday 8:00AM-5:00PM.

Eagle Nest Lake and the Cimarron River are officially open to day use 7 days a week! I e have been seeing some nice sized trout, a few salmon and the occasional pike being caught. We have had a few reports of perch as well! Our shop, lodge and guide service are open following state restriction. Stop in for an updated fishing report or for any supplies you may need!