New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
Media contact: Karl Moffatt, (505) 476-8007
Public contact: (888) 248-6866
karl.moffatt@state.nm.us
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, SEPT. 30, 2015:
EAGLE ROCK LAKE IN QUESTA RESTOCKED WITH TROUT AND READY FOR FISHING
QUESTA – Eagle Rock Lake in Questa will reopen to fishing Saturday, Oct. 3, following a reopening ceremony and celebration of angling improvements to the lake and adjoining river.
“We’ve created an incredible aquatic park that anglers will really enjoy,” said Eric Frey, sport fish program manager for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. “This should really put Questa on the map as one of the top fishing destinations in the state.”
Before the reopening, the lake will be restocked with rainbow trout, including plenty of big ones raised at the nearby Red River Fish Hatchery.
The lake has been closed for the past year while Chevron Mining drained, dredged and relined it. Construction crews also installed new trails, bridges and fish habitat improvements to the river. Anglers will find easier lakeside access and accommodations, along with numerous new pools in the river.
“There’s really nothing like it in the state, where an angler can fish the lake and stream all in one place,” Frey said.
The department invested $800,000 in the project, including over a mile of in-stream fish habitat improvements around the hatchery.
Reopening festivities include a volunteer cleanup and tree planting in the morning, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and speeches around noon. Department hatchery workers will conduct a fish stocking demonstration and there will be live music and food available.
Project partners included Trout Unlimited, Questa Economic Development Board, Chevron Mining, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.