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Fishing Elephant Butte Lake: what the data says
10,692-acre reservoir near Elephant Butte. The lake tops out around 174 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Striped Bass fishing at Elephant Butte Lake
Spring striped bass on Elephant Butte Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 25 to 60 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 50 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 44 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A flutter spoon (deep) or a umbrella rig (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
White Bass fishing at Elephant Butte Lake
In spring, white bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 44 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | see map |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Elephant Butte Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Elephant Butte Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. Offshore hump is the standout, a offshore hump at roughly 38 ft, rated good for winter largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Elephant Butte Lake
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. Offshore hump is the standout, a offshore hump at roughly 38 ft, rated prime for winter smallmouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Walleye fishing at Elephant Butte Lake
Spring walleye on Elephant Butte Lake hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. They move out to 15 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Offshore hump, a offshore hump in about 38 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in winter. 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 | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Channel Catfish fishing at Elephant Butte Lake
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 44 ft, rated prime for winter channel catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Elephant Butte Lake also holds blue catfish (10 to 40 ft in summer), crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 162 ft
- Deepest basin: deep basin, around 161 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 124 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 94 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 92 ft
- Rio Grande inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 73 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 67 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 66 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 60 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 55 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 44 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 39 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 39 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 39 ft
Common questions
How deep is Elephant Butte Lake?
Elephant Butte Lake is about 174 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Elephant Butte Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, striped bass, blue catfish, common carp on Elephant Butte Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Elephant Butte Lake?
Old creek channel is the top-rated area: a creek channel in about 44 ft of water that rates prime for striped bass in winter. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Elephant Butte Lake?
For striped 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.