Best Family Fishing Spot in Albuquerque

Just fifteen minutes North of Albuquerque, you will find Shady Lakes. What started off as a bait farm in the North Valley has become a place to bring your entire family to fish or to take in the beauty of the water lily gardens.

Privately owned since 1962, Shady Lakes is no longer a bait farm. They have water lily gardens and also do on-site pond maintenance at your home in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area. Fishing ponds are stocked with trout every two weeks during the Spring and Summer.

One of the ponds is kept heavily stocked and is an "Easy Catch" pond. This is where my five year old son proudly caught an 8 inch trout. Gone are the frustrations of taking the little ones fishing only to go home empty handed.

Another pond is moderately stocked and has smarter, bigger trout. This provides the challenge a more experienced fisherman may be looking for. If you are looking for even more of a challenge; then we recommend fishing the larger lakes that have Bass, Catfish, and Bluegill.

If you end up "fishing" like I do, with a book in your hand instead of a fishing pole; then you will enjoy the wildlife that is drawn to the area by the water and plants. Shady Lakes is home to great-horned owls, beavers, raccoons, turtles, ducks and other birds and animals. The lily ponds offer a chance to take in the beauty of the water lilies, lotus and other aquatic plants and ornamental fish.

In fact, if you want to forego the fishing altogether and just visit for the scenery; they offer a picnicking or artist fee for the day per person at the rate of $6.95 per adult and $4.95 per child.

No state fishing license is required at Shady Lakes. They offer fishing permits for trout fishing at the same price as the artist fees per person. Bass and Bluegill fishing permits are $9.95 per person regardless of age. You can catch and release the Bass and Bluegill, but must keep all trout caught. Fish are also charged out at .59 cents per inch on what you catch. You can pay for a non-fishing permit for $3.00 if you are in a car of fishermen.

Poles can be rented out for $1.95 each, so lack of equipment or prohibitive equipment costs shouldn't stop you from taking the family to Shady Lakes. They also offer bait for sale on site.

Shady Lakes is closed during the Winter. They are open weekends in February from 10am to 5pm. March and April they are open from 10am to 5pm. May through Mid-August they are open every day from 8am to 6pm.

You can contact Shady Lakes at (505)898-2586. To get to their location, you take I-25 North; exit Tramway and go left, heading West down into the valley. After a mile and a half, you turn right, heading North towards Bernalillo, on Hwy 313. A half mile down on the left side, you will see a large sign for Shady Lakes Trout Fishing and Water Lily Gardens.

Resources
Shady Lakes Website