Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeLake depth chart
Today's read
Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
11,500-acre reservoir near Caballo. The lake tops out around 50 ft. This chart interpolates between a real shoreline and a known maximum depth. It will point you at likely water, but it is not a navigation product. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
There are 15.4 miles of drawn shoreline to work. A middling shoreline index (2.1) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. About 51% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Call it 5.2 mi long by 1.3 mi wide at the broadest reach. It sits in Sierra County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Elephant Butte Lake, is 32 mi to the north.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: white bass in 2 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 25 ft, wintering in 15 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Main-lake point, a point in the 13 ft range, prime in fall. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (5 ft) | Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (13 ft) | Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish) |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (13 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Old creek channel (25 ft) | Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait |
Spring largemouth bass on Caballo Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (13 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (13 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (23 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: walleye in 4 to 15 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 15 to 35 ft before dropping to 20 to 40 ft for winter. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 23 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (13 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (23 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (23 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (43 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Spring channel catfish on Caballo Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. Put Old creek channel first on the milk run — a creek channel near 25 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Old creek channel (25 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (25 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Old creek channel (25 ft) |
In spring, striped bass run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 15 to 50 ft before dropping to 20 to 50 ft for winter. Summer striped bass concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 43 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (13 ft) | 3-5 inch baitfish swimbait, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 15 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (43 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (13 ft) | Baitfish swimbait, Metal jig |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Old creek channel (25 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 10 to 25 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. The chart's best answer is Old creek channel — creek channel, 25 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Old creek channel (25 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Old creek channel (25 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Old creek channel (25 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Caballo Lake also holds smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Caballo Lake carries 10 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 43 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New Mexico waters are set by the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish — and special regulations can apply to Caballo Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New Mexico fishing regulations →
Caballo Lake is about 50 ft (15 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target white bass, largemouth bass, walleye, channel catfish, striped bass, crappie, smallmouth bass on Caballo Lake.
Main-lake point is the top-rated area: a point in about 13 ft of water that rates prime for white bass in fall. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For white bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Caballo Lake is regulated by the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish. Check the official New Mexico regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Elephant Butte Lake 32 mi · Lake Roberts 50 mi · Trees Lake 52 mi · Young Park Pond 54 mi · Gila River (Cliff-Gila Valley) 74 mi · Bill Evans Lake 74 mi · Snow Lake 77 mi · Escondida Lake 85 mi · San Francisco River (Glenwood) 97 mi · Grindstone Reservoir 97 mi · Bonito Lake 97 mi · Rio Ruidoso 99 mi
See how Caballo Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in New Mexico · best smallmouth bass lakes in New Mexico · best walleye lakes in New Mexico · best white bass lakes in New Mexico
Browse all New Mexico fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.