Guide To Excellent Striped Bass Fishing In New Mexico

Striped Bass Lakes

Elephant Butte Lake, Caballo Lakes and Red Bluff Reservoir are the lakes in the state offering striper or hybrid striped bass fishing fishing. Elephant Butte offers some of the premiere striper fishing, not only in NM, but in in the entire southwest. And, this is the place to catch a monster striper on topwater baits.

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New Mexico State Record Striped Bass

The state record striped bass was caught from Elephant Butte Lake.

Fishing Elephant Butte Lake, Carlos Mercado landed this 25 pound stripper fishing a ten inch fresh caught gizzard shad.

Fishing for Stripers in New Mexico

When fishing for stripers concentrate on the deeper waters in the lake. If you can locate schools of shad, stripers are often close by. When the baitfish are shallow over the deep water, you can catch stripers on crankbaits or by swimming spoons at appropriate depths. Check New Mexico fishing reports for current striper information. And for the ultimate thrill try large topwater baits if you see any surface feeding action. When the stripers are deep, jigs and jigging spoons work well. Live and cut bait will also take striped bass when they are in medium to deeper water. Fish nearby or in the river channel if it is a defined depth change. Trolling is also an excellent way to fish for stripers. Use flashy lures in bigger sizes.

While stripers are native to salt water, they naturally migrate into fresh water streams to spawn. Their eggs must remain in motion in order to hatch so the fresh water rivers and streams become the ideal spawning grounds for stripers. Landlocked stripers then populate the lakes.

Striper Fishing Video

Learn the basics for catching striped bass.

Striped bass fishing information, by state.