Rainbow Lodge and Resolution Guide Service

I am happy to say that as a licensed US Coast Guard Captain, I am able to guide guests on Navajo Lake. We are the only lodge in the area that is able to offer this service to its guests or to people staying at other locations in the area.

Join Capt. Chris Guikema on his 21' Ranger bass boat that is fully equipped for a great day of fly rod action or spin fishing on the Lake. The boat has a 225hp Mercury outboard so getting from one hot spot to the next is always a short ride. This is a much overlooked fishery and I can't wait to show you the great fishing it has to offer. I tournament fish Navajo Lake every weekend that I don't have trips, so I can stay sharp and on top of the fishing.

Smallmouth bass fishing Navajo Lake New Mexico: May 1st - October
Nice Smallmouth on a fly!!!

I work the lake hard in the spring with streamers and have days of fishing I'll never forget! May-June offers some of the best fishing of the spring for bigger fish (my best was a 22" smallmouth on a #4 olive cone-head bunny) but most the fish are 1-3 pounds with a good mix of larger fish as well. The smaller fish fight great on a 7wt and are almost always more than willing to jump on the hook in the spring. Later in May and off and on all of June I have great top water action as well for the smallmouth, poppers and diving deerhair bugs work very well. On the best days, well lets just say a lot of fish crushed my topwater flies or plugs. July-August in the hot summer I found fish very willing to take top water in the early morning until the water got to hot then hunting fish with sinking lines or cone head streamers worked better. When the bass fishing slows down about mid day I go looking for the carp! Flipping and crankbaits all work very well as well as swimming jigs or drop-shot fishing plastic baits also did very well in the summer once things got hot. Most days I would be on the water by 6-7am that way I had a chance to fish the topwater bite early in the day. September-October Some top water action once things warm up but streamer fishing was again good. Fish moved back up on the banks so much of the day was spent working fallen trees and rocks along the lakes edge. Fall can also be one of the best time of the year for really big smallmouth, in 2003 we took this 23" beauty that was just under 5#.

Dry fly carp fishing on Navajo Lake New Mexico: Carp on a dry fly!!!

Rocky mountain red fish, the golden ghost, poor mans bonefish and on and on. There is nothing that can prepare you for that first run on a big carp that just slurped your dry fly. With the right weather you will have shots at 100's of fish each day from 3-10 pounds, there are tons of carp in Navajo Lake and most of them have never seen a fly! One of the great things about Navajo Lake is that the Carp fishing is almost 99% dry fly fishing. When the cottonwoods are in bloom you'll see the carp from small schools to 100's swimming along happily eating cottonwood puffs all day. At this time of year (June-July) there are the easiest to find and catch. But they were easy to find all summer as well from about mid June-Oct. the carp fishing is great here. Nothing like a fish up to and beyond 20# on a dry fly.

Fly fishing for pike on Navajo Lake New Mexico: April 15 - October
I think of the fish on the lake this toothy critter in my favorite on a fly! I can't think of anything better then a fish trying to take the rod out of your hands on the strike. 6-8" bunny's are my main fly of choice for the big pike but they will take top water (mouse patterns) in the summer as well. I have developed a few techniques for them that work well most of the time. The main way to find the pike on Navajo Lake is to work the windward sides of rocky points, I also have a technique for teasing them up that you have to see to believe. I got lots of pike in the 4-10# class last summer and hooked or moved a few much bigger than that to date our best pike was 18# taken on a bunny in April '04! Best time for the pike last year was April 15th- October With April and early May prime for people looking to just pike fish. I will gladly take people out just for pike it's a great way to spend a day, it is however a long hard day of fishing (well worth it if you hit a hog though) but I'll most days hit 5-6 spots off and on as a break from the bass action. There is also a high chance that you'll loose a bug or two to pike every day as your fishing for bass w/o wire leaders.

Crappie: May 15th-June 15th
Not a fish that everyone thinks of on a fly but this lake is chuck full of them. Crappie on small buggers and 1/32oz jigs on a 3-4wt rod offer up some great fun and good eating as well. I'll be happy to clean and freeze all the fish you want for this trip. Spin fishing for the crappie is also a blast and anyone who enjoys fishing for panfish will love the number and size of this fish in Navajo Lake. This trip is a GREAT way to get your kids into fishing as easy fishing and lots of fish (when the bite is on) make for a memorable day. Most of the best crappie fishing is from mid May-late June or so. Once the crappie move out of the trees they are less fun to fish for and the bass fishing is the main draw. Most crappie are 8-12" but there are a number of them taken from 12-17" as well. On a fly or spinning gear they make for a memorable day!

Navajo Lake Trips	1 Person	2 People	3 Persons*
Half Day	$200.00	$225.00	$250.00
Full Day	$275.00	$300.00	$350.00
Trips include: All fishing rods/reels/line, tippet, they also include lunches on full days as well as drinks on both full and half days. Trips do not include: NM fishing licenses, guide gratuities, hard body lures, streamers and topwater flies or any other baits will not be included in the trip price. I will only be charging for lures lost or flies lost at wholesale price. Weather plays a big role in how the lake is fishing, so the back up to every trip will be a day on the Juan or any of the other rivers that we guide we'll always do our best to help you maybe hit the lake later that week! Reservation and cancellation policies: A deposit of 30% is required for all lodging or package stays. $100 per guide, per day for guided only trips. Your deposit is refunded only if your trip is canceled 60 days prior to arrival day, no-shows will be charged the full amount. Parties arriving with less guests than booked for will also be charged the full amount.

Call or e-mail us today to arrange a great trip on Navajo Lake!
1-888-328-1858