Elephant Butte, New Mexico

Fishing Time: 12:00 to 2:30 PM

Weather: Warm, windy, T-80s

Moon Phase: 7% Moon

Location: Elephant Butte Reservoir, New Mexico

Best Bait: Spinnerbait - fire tiger, willow blade.

Who Went: Dunc

I’ve been working on and off in southern New Mexico near Las Cruces for the last few months and it’s been tough.  I have no problems with New Mexico, but seriously where is the water!?  Lakes and rivers are nonexistent in the southern half of this state.  I drove two hours to the only water near me, Elephant Butte Reservoir, located near the town of Truth or Consequences.  Love that name. 

When I first saw the reservoir, I was a bit shocked.  The current capacity of the lake is 3% full.  It basically looks like a large muddy river.  I thought Lake Powell was low, but Elephant Butte is empty! The wind was howling when I arrived, and the water was extremely turbid.  I found a semi protected cove near the dam and hid in there for a couple hours.

I started casting a senko, but that didn’t produce so I switched to a fire tiger spinnerbait.  On the second cast the spinnerbait got smashed and I thought I had a state record largemouth on the end of my line.  Nope.  It was a nice smallmouth bass.

I hooked up with a couple more smallmouth before the bite shut off and I also tried casting some crankbaits, and jigs, but the only producer was the spinnerbait.  It was fun to fish new water and nice to know a place like this exists in southern New Mexico, even if it is empty.  I also saw a little buck near the reservoir.  Seemed so out of place in the middle of this desert landscape.  Can you find him...