Survey: New Mexicans fished over 15 days on average last year

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A new survey reveals how often New Mexicans are taking advantage of lakes and rivers in the state and what anglers are trying to catch.

The latest angler satisfaction survey from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish took input from over 2,000 people who bought fishing licenses from 2023 to 2024. Of those, about 300 said they hadn’t fished within the last year. The rest fished an average of 15.6 days within the last 12 months.

That number includes both New Mexico residents and non-resident visiting anglers (some from as far as New York, Florida, or Washington). When you consider just locals, New Mexicans that fished were out on the water even more days, on average.

The survey reveals that rainbow trout was the most popular cold-water fish. Largemouth bass was the most popular warm-water fish. More than half of anglers preferred catch-and-release fishing, and about 32% preferred to keep most of the fish they caught.

What about bait? Most anglers in New Mexico do not use live bait, the survey reveals. But those who do use live bait overwhelmingly prefer earthworms to other options like minnows or crickets.

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