El Vado Reservoir

El Vado Reservoir is a reservoir in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, and covers about 3,380 acres, reaches about 167.1 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 196,250 acre-feet.

The size of El Vado Reservoir rewards a simple area-by-area plan instead of long random moves. Deep water at El Vado Reservoir gives fish room to move away from shore as summer heat and bright light build.

What Makes El Vado Reservoir Different

El Vado Reservoir stores Rio Chama water for irrigation and also carries San Juan-Chama Project water through the system. Compact deliveries, releases, and changing storage can move its shoreline and current, while the old river path remains the main deep line.

Brown and rainbow trout use cool river influence and rocky edges. Smallmouth bass fit warmer broken rock, yellow perch gather on shelves, and kokanee need an open-water search. Check water level and current before relying on an old shoreline pattern.

How El Vado Reservoir Fishes

The reservoir can store close to 200,000 acre-feet and reaches a recorded depth near 167 feet. Its water level is part of a working river system, not a fixed lake stage. When the pool falls, the old Rio Chama channel and lower point edges become stronger clues.

Cool inflow can pull brown and rainbow trout toward the upper end, especially when food is moving. If the river water is too muddy, fish the first clean seam below it. A small spoon or minnow bait can cover that transition without sitting in the worst color.

Smallmouth bass use warmer rock and sharp shelves. Fish a tube from shallow stone toward the first drop, and pause where the rock changes size. Perch can gather on the flatter bottom beside the same break and respond to a much smaller jig.

Kokanee may suspend far from shore. Use electronics or a controlled trolling pattern to find the school, then repeat the level. A lure pulled below the fish may look busy on the rod but still spend the whole pass outside their feeding zone.

Releases can add current near the dam end and change the feel of river-influenced water upstream. Pay attention to floating debris, water color, and lure angle. Those clues show moving water even when the current is not obvious at the surface.

El Vado Reservoir FAQs

Why can El Vado Reservoir levels change sharply?

It stores irrigation water and San Juan-Chama water while meeting downstream delivery needs, so the pool responds to more than local weather.

Where should anglers start for El Vado trout?

Try cool Rio Chama influence, rocky points, and the first break with a spoon, spinner, or minnow-shaped lure.

What is a useful El Vado kokanee plan?

Find a suspended school first, then troll a small spoon through that depth rather than tracing the bottom.