With much anticipation, Bonito Lake officially reopened for fishing only on Friday, August 30th.

The City of Alamogordo announced the lake’s opening through their official channels on social media and their website last week, reminding visitors that the properties along the Rio Bonito and Bonito Lake remain closed for recreational activities at this time.

Originally scheduled to reopen earlier this summer, the area was closed the day before its reopening due to the Blue 2 Fire. Since then, crews have been working to build sediment catchment basins to prevent a repeat of the flooding that originally shut the area down after the Little Bear fire in 2012.

Over a decade after its initial closure, Bonito Lake’s reopening has excited many locals and visitors. After the Little Bear fire burned the area in 2012, heavy monsoon rains resulted in a large amount of debris and gravel build up in the lake. The dam and lake had to be restored before water was once again added in 2023.

Regarding fishing, the City of Alamogordo stated the following on their website:

“Bonito Lake is scheduled to reopen for fishing at sunrise on August 30, 2024. The New Mexico Game & Fish Department stocked Bonito Lake with trout in May 2024 in anticipation of reopening then. However, due to the Blue 2 fire, the entire area was closed, and because of the construction of sediment catchment ponds designed to protect the lake from runoff and debris, the previous access points for fish re-stocking were blocked. The City of Alamogordo is working to re-establish points of access to stock fish.  

There is currently a sizable number of trout in the lake for the public to catch, and more will be stocked in the very near future. The City of Alamogordo and the New Mexico, Game & Fish Department, are in close communication as we move forward with re-opening efforts.”

Anyone fishing must have a New Mexico fishing license. Register here.