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Elephant Butte Lake

Lake fishing  New Mexico · 06:52 - 19:15

Elephant Butte Lake is one of the lakes in New Mexico. Anglers here fish mainly for Largemouth Bass, Bluegill and White Bass.

Good 62% The bite right now
Top bet: Largemouth Bass Water near its preferred 24 degrees, peak season, overcast lifts the bite.

Best day to fish

Tomorrow
79%
87°
Thu
79%
82°
Fri
74%
78°
Sat
77%
77°
Sun
78%
79°
Mon
84%
80°
Best day

The bite over the next days, scored at dusk. Based on the weather forecast, so it is guidance, not guarantees.

Conditions right now

Weather
Overcast
Water temp (est.)
76°F
Air temp
80°F
Wind
4 mph
Pressure
30.02 inHg ↓ falling
Clouds
91.0%

Water temperature is an estimate based on weather and season.

Best times today

Dawn 06:07–08:07 Day 08:07–18:00 Dusk 18:00–20:00

Local time at the spot, from the most likely species' daily rhythm.

Feeding times today

Waxing crescent 14% lit
Major period 15:19–17:19 Major period 03:19–05:19 Minor period 10:28–11:58 Minor period 20:39–22:09

Solunar times are a traditional guide based on the moon's position, separate from the live ranking above. Local time at the spot.

Next hours

11:00
80°
12:00
83°
13:00
85°
14:00
88°
15:00
89°
16:00
90°
17:00
90°
18:00
89°
19:00
84°
20:00
78°
21:00
77°
22:00
77°

Likely catch now (10 species)

Largemouth Bass
Micropterus salmoides
62%
Water near its preferred 24 degrees, peak season, overcast lifts the bite.
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Bluegill
Lepomis macrochirus
62%
Active through the day, water near its preferred 24 degrees.
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White Bass
Morone chrysops
62%
Active through the day, water near its preferred 24 degrees, overcast lifts the bite.
Tap for details
Smallmouth Bass
Micropterus dolomieu
61%
Water near its preferred 24 degrees, peak season, overcast lifts the bite.
Tap for details
Striped Bass
Morone saxatilis
42%
Water near its preferred 24 degrees, overcast lifts the bite.
Tap for details
Black Crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
23%
Water near its preferred 24 degrees, overcast lifts the bite.
Tap for details

About the fishing here

Elephant Butte Lake is New Mexico's largest lake, a long reservoir held back by a dam on the Rio Grande in the state's high desert. It's a solid warmwater fishery, with bass and catfish holding in its many rocky coves and flooded river arms. The lake also doubles as the state's busiest boating destination, so weekends bring heavy powerboat traffic. Water levels track the Rio Grande's flow closely and can swing a long way between wet and dry years.

The usual catches here are Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, White Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Striped Bass and Black Crappie.

Largemouth Bass is generally most active around Apr-Jun, Sep. The best windows are usually dawn, day and dusk.

A state fishing license is required to fish here. Napp ranks the species above from the live weather, water temperature, season and time of day, so the order changes through the day.

Guides for this water

Tips right now

Technique Start with a soft-plastic jig for largemouth bass, the most likely catch right now.
Colour Low light: try black and blue, chartreuse or junebug for largemouth bass.
Lure Soft-plastic jig for largemouth bass: Jig around cover.
Depth The water temperature suits the fish. Fish actively at normal depths and edges.

Fishing permit

A state fishing license is required to fish here. Licenses are issued by each state:

About this water

Elephant Butte Reservoir or Elephant Butte Lake is the largest reservoir in the U.S. state of New Mexico, 130 miles (289 km) from El Paso, Texas, and 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Truth or Consequences.

Read more on Wikipedia →

Map

More waters nearby

Common questions

What fish can you catch at Elephant Butte Lake?

Anglers here regularly land Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, White Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Striped Bass, Black Crappie, Channel Catfish and Common Carp.

Do you need a fishing license at Elephant Butte Lake?

Yes. A state fishing license is required; see the link on this page for the state's rules.

When is the best time to fish Elephant Butte Lake?

For Largemouth Bass, the fishing tends to peak around Apr-Jun, Sep. The best windows are usually dawn, day and dusk.

What is biting at Elephant Butte Lake right now?

Right now Largemouth Bass is the most likely catch, at about 22%.