Grindstone Reservoir is a reservoir in Lincoln County, New Mexico.
Grindstone Reservoir is a reservoir in Lincoln County, New Mexico, and covers about 38.8 acres and holds roughly 1,549.8 acre-feet.
Grindstone Reservoir can be broken down in a few passes: shallow cover, the first break, and the deepest useful water.
Grindstone Reservoir is a small, steep Ruidoso-area water where brown and rainbow trout share the lake with smallmouth bass and channel catfish. Its compact size lets an angler move from cool open water to rocky bass water in a few casts.
Use small spoons, spinners, or minnow lures for trout, tubes or Ned rigs on rock for smallmouth, and cut bait near bottom for channel catfish. Keep the trout and bass passes at different speeds rather than dragging one lure through both.
The reservoir covers about 39 acres. Its recorded depth is missing from the inventory, so the article should not invent a deepest number. The visible steep banks and quick drops are enough to build a useful plan without claiming an unsupported measurement.
Brown trout often respond to a small minnow-shaped lure, spoon, or streamer, especially in low light. Rainbow trout may take the same lure or a light jig. Keep the presentation small and use thin line when the water is clear.
Smallmouth bass need firm rock. Cast a tube shallow and let it fall down the slope, pausing when the bottom changes. If the bite comes on one rock size or one part of the drop, look for that exact feature on the next point.
Channel catfish call for a slower trip after the moving-lure work. Place fresh cut bait along the lower edge of a point or a warm flat and let it sit. A quiet evening is more useful than dragging the rig through every part of the lake.
A compact route begins on one shaded trout bank, crosses a rocky point for smallmouth, and ends on the deeper edge with a catfish rig. That short loop gives each listed target its own bait and water.
Fish listed for Grindstone Reservoir include Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Smallmouth Bass, and Rainbow Trout.
One direct smallmouth bass tactic is to drag a tube or Ned rig across rock and the hard edge of a point.
Begin the channel catfish search by trying to fish cut bait or a nightcrawler on the bottom along a channel edge or warm flat.
Targeting rainbow trout calls for a plan to cast a small spoon, inline spinner, light jig, or fly through cool water.
A good brown trout start is to fish a light minnow bait, spoon, or streamer along cool breaks and moving water.
The plan for Grindstone Reservoir starts here: make one shallow pass and one lower pass on the same shoreline; that shows whether fish are tight to cover or using the first break.
For a first pass on Grindstone Reservoir, early in the year, protected water and the first warm afternoon can be the strongest clues; as the water heats up, check lower edges without assuming every fish is on the bottom; cooling fall water often makes points and firm banks useful again.
The early check on Grindstone Reservoir should stay simple: a light spinning rod, thin line, a few small spoons, inline spinners, and jigs cover the listed trout; carry one slightly heavier setup when other fish or windy water call for more control.
After a bite, write down cover, productive depth, wind, and water color; that short note is more useful next time than a pile of spots that did not produce.
A focused trip to Grindstone Reservoir begins this way: keep the first hour simple: use one moving bait to find active fish, slow down with a jig or natural bait on the strongest edge, and repeat the same setup when two bites come from matching depth and bottom during that part of the trip.
Brown and rainbow trout use its cooler water, while smallmouth bass and channel catfish add rock and bottom patterns.
Work a tube, Ned rig, or small crankbait down broken rock beside a point or steep bank.
Cast a small spoon or spinner through cool water, then slow down with a light jig after the holding depth becomes clear.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.
Source dates describe the evidence, not a live catch forecast. Check the managing authority before planning access or keeping fish.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.