New Mexico provides strong freshwater fishing opportunities for catfish. Lakes, rivers, and reservoirs across the state offer reliable action for anglers.
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Regulations for Catfish in New Mexico
Disclaimer: Always check local fishing regulations, water access rights and land ownership before fishing, regardless of any catches logged in that area by the Fishbrain community. Fishbrain has mapped millions of acres of government-owned land across the USA to help you identify potential fishing access, but you are responsible for ensuring compliance with all legal requirements.
Fishing regulations in New Mexico can change throughout the year. Make sure to check this page before fishing for the most up to date rules and regulations for the current season. Local regulations govern when you can fish, the max size of the fish you can keep, how many fish you can keep, and more.
Below you will see fishing regulations for catching Channel catfish as of May 17th, 2026. To view regulations for a different fish species, please click on your preferred species in the drop-down.
Animas River and San Juan River, in San Juan County, there are no bag or possession limits.
Special Summer Catfish Waters - 2 per day
Special catfish limit applies to: Alto Lake, Alumni Pond, Bataan, Blue Hole Park Pond, Bosque Redondo, Carrizozo, Chaparral, Conoco Lake (Loco Lagoon), Corona, Dennis Chavez Pond, Escondida, Estancia Park Lake, Eunice, Grants Riverwalk Pond, Greene Acres, Green Meadow, Harris Pond, Jal Lake, Lake Van, Liam Knight Pond, McGaffey Lake, Ned Houk, Oasis State Park, Pecos River within Villanueva State Park, Perch Lake, Rancho Grande Ponds, Roswell Kid's Pond (Spring River Park), Timberon Ponds, Tingley Beach, Trees Lake and Young Pond.
These species can be found in many lakes, rivers and streams throughout the area. If you are targeting a specific species, you can use the to filter catches by species and see where anglers are catching them and which baits they are using.
The allows anglers to see exact catch locations shared by other members, helping you discover productive fishing spots where Catfish have recently been caught.