BEAR CANYON: Trout fishing was slow with just a few taken on power bait and spinners.

Bill Evans Lake sits 300 feet above the Gile River that fills it. The lake is suited to both trout and warmwater fish species, and is a great year-round place to watch birds and wildlife.

Bill Evans provides a great view of surrounding mountain ranges. The lake is surrounded by a gravel road, providing access to much of the shoreline. The gravel road can be uneven and may require a high ground clearance vehicle in some areas — but the lake is relatively small and all of the shoreline can be reached easily by foot.

The lake consists of crappie, channel catfish, bluegill and largemouth bass. Trout, although present throughout the year, are more active from October through May. Compared to other southwestern lakes, Bill Evans has relatively cool waters and largemouth bass grow slower than in warmer lakes. But big largemouth are still found in Bill Evans, including the state record 15-pound, 13-ounce largemouth caught in 1995. The lake is typically maintained at a level of 62 surface acres.

Camping is permitted at the lake, although there are no developed campsites. Boating is permitted on the lake, but only electric motors and self-propelled boats are allowed. All of the lake is a no-wake zone.

Saturday, Sept 5th: Capture a black bear in Los Ranchos; watch a young girl harvest her first deer; cook up some teriyaki venison on the camp stove with Dan Brooks, the Cast Iron Ranger; and explore the Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque.

Saturday, Sept 12th: Watch the Duke City Bass Bums hook bass at Santa Rosa Lake; perform a winter wilderness rescue with the UNM mountain rescue as the Albuquerque Rescue Council holds it’s final exam on the top of the Sandia Crest; cook up some delicious elk tacos; and stock native Rio Grande cutthroat trout in the Wild Rivers BLM area near Questa.

Saturday, Sept. 19: Enjoy a spring trout fishing trip on the Pecos River during a snowstorm; watch river otters return home to land owned by Taos Pueblo; learn how to use a farm disc to cook up red chile venison; and go birding on the Southwestern New Mexico Birding Trail.

Saturday, Sept. 26th: The National Archery in the Schools Program offers positive values to the youth of New Mexico; catch anglers competing in the inaugural Southwest Regional Qualifying Competition on Santa Cruz Lake and on the Rio Grande in an effort to earn a spot on the Fly-Fishing Team USA; find out how to make a tasty dessert in the Dutch Oven; view a collaborative effort to restore parts of the Gila River, as participants create cover habitat for the Gila Trout in the wilderness.