Elephant Butte Fishing Conditions

The Walleye all but disappeared last month from Elephant Butte.  But they are officially back.

Good strong Walleye bite is been found all over the lake over gravel and rock beds.  Bouncing Yellow, Chartreuse or Orange Walley Divers off the bottom.   Also Jig heads with grubbs or night crawlers.

Roy Worley of El Paso caught a really nice Walley on  a Fat Albert grub.  Watermelon green / chartreuse tail on the North East side over rock beds in 12′ of water.

Whites are boiling in the early to mid mornings on the East side up around the Black Bluffs and the Chalk Bluffs.  Jigging is still very good for the whites when you get into the middle of em’.

Top water for whites in the backs of East side coves is still producing good results.

Had two reports of 10 lb. Stripers caught deep under the boiling White Bass schools up around the Black Bluffs.

Night Fishing is still the best for large stringers of Whites.  Damsite, Ash Canyon and just about any rocky structure under the lights at night with live Shiners.

The lake is still droppin’.  It’s supposed to drop another 6 -8 feet and stop.  that’ll make a very good start for next year.  We have been very fortunate this year with the weather patterns.  So, not to be greedy. But “PRAY FOR RAIN”  this winter..

I have been working on the Damsite Marina a few days this week, I have seen LOTS of small bass fingerlings in the shallow water hiding in the brush.. So when you see any of the Game & Fish Officers, thank em’..  they are instrumental in getting the stocking of fish that we need…

It’s been a really rough week for all,,,  get back to what matters,  mend a bridge that you should have mended long ago..

Hug yur family…

come see us..

bob

“Don’t teach your kid to be rich, teach em’ to be happy…. so when they grow up they know the value of things, not the price”

Havn’t seen Roy Worley in a coon’s age… he still ain’t very pretty… ..

Catsy Smolak catches fish while Bill drives the boat..

Yea… that’s right.. the water is dropping.. the inflow is now less than the discharge.. but don’t fret.. we are supposed to end the season 10 or so feet down from were we are now.. that will result in a great water level to start next year..  If we get the same weather pattern next winter that we had last winter… how cool would that be ??

The fishin’ has really picked up this last weed,, Frank Vilorio has been putting some serious catches of White Bass and Crappie in the boat ..

Top water fishin for White Bass is back .  the action is very good using Pop R top water lures in the back of McRae and around Rock Canyon is good.  Also got a good report from the back of Ash Canyon this morning.

Slabs are also working good on points  in 15 to 20 feet.

Trolling 6 to 8 ft with crank baits also productive for White bass.

Small mouth bass good also on slabs off ledges 10 to 20 feet, some also being caught on top water plugs.

Crappie have been hittin’  on small grubs and live Fatheads in the shallows of the coves with plenty of submerged brush..

The best bite is still in the early mornings and evenings.. Mornings being the best..

Water temperature this morning was 78 degrees.  Clarity 5 to 6 feet at mid lake.

Walleyes slowed down due to the heat.

Night fishin’ still very good.  Any structure with submerged or floating lights.. The Damsite reservation spots have been producing a lot of nice Whites..

Week before last the Game & Fish officers brought a truck load of Black Bass fingerlings to help stock the lake.. when you see the Game & Fish guys… thank em’ cause this program really works..

Tell Mama that you just gotta get to your fishin hole …

come see us..

bob

“a man with an edgy smile is like a dog with a waggin’ tail… he ain’t happy… he’s nervous”..

16″ Crappie from Frank Vilorio’s boat ..

For a while there the only dependable action was down at Caballo … Now the tide has turned again and the action has moved back up here in the Butte…

White bass good around Rattle Snake island and McRae using kastmasters,  white / chrome Bombers..  Some were caught on White and Chrome Slab Spoons..

Walleyes are still biting around 9 to 12 feet using Chartreuse or Blue/Chrome crank baits and Walley Divers also soft plastics with jig head.  The Walleye action has been along gravel beds and were the sandy beach transitions into the rocky structure…

Fernie Valles from Cabela’s in El Paso has been catching Crappie with his fly rod.. yea.. you read that right, “Fly Rod”..   using a Chartreuse/White Bucktail Clouser minnow and orange, green, purple, chartreuse, white wooly buggers.  He did’nt tell me where he was fishin’, but it had to be over some weed beds or around submerged structure… If your in the El Paso Cabela’s, check him out, he will tell ya…   Crappie on a fly rod, Now that’s too cool!!..Back in the day, Frankie Urzeta guided Fly Fishing trips for the big Stripers… Imagine that!!

Water clarity 5 feet mid lake.

Night fishin’ with live Shiners has been consistently good..

No good news on Black Bass or Smallmouth, catfish have been quiet also..

The best bite has again been the very early mornings and evenings.. get back in before it gets too hot..

Today was “Hotter’n woopie in woolens” !!

Tell mama that it’s just too darn hot for the Honey-do list…

Come see us..

bob

“always try to be a bit nicer than is called for, but don’t take too much guff”!

Paxton Lowenfield of El Paso Texas with his first White bass

Another good day on Frank Vilorio’s boat..

The last few weeks have been challenging.. to say the least….  The lake level and water conditions have been changing so rapidly, and the water temps have been staying down due to the extreme amount of run off coming in that the fish are just confused… fish like things to stay steady.. they don’t react well to change.. (sorta like most of us)..  so when the lake is changing so fast they don’t eat.. they hide.. Kevin Gardner, lead Fish Biologist with NM Game & Fish told me that in addition to the rapidly changing water conditions.. there is a hell-of-a-lot more water!!  Think about it.. for several years we have had a certain concentration of fish per gallon of water… now we have a LOT more water and the same amount of fish.. So they are scattered from “Hell to Breakfast”.. that’s a quote…

So that brings up a point that I usually make about this time each year.. The fish are there.. if you are not catchin’ em… CHANGE SOMETHING!!  change baits, change techniques, or just MOVE…  keep changing until you catch fish.. then perfect it!!

That’s how ya learn.. and it’s more fun too…

White bass fishing is picking up around Rock Canyon and the flats of McRae using white and chrome crank baits and live bait.  Ash Canyon and the Damsite area have been very good for White Bass from the shore with live Shiners..

Crappies seem to be on there beds spawning,  best to let them spawn on their beds so we had another good crop for the coming year.  So do your best to let em’ alone and go fish for somethin’ else for a week or so..  Remember when we did not have any Crappie??

Walleyes continue to be best catch using crawl harness on the bottom,  curly tail jigs and crank baits also good,  look for gravel point’s.  A lot of folks are doin’ well walking the shore line of South Long Point and casting Yellow or Chrome Walley divers from the bank..  Also bouncing jigs w/ night crawlers back to the bank..

Night fishing has been very strong in the last few nights.. any structure with lights and live bait..

No reports on Black Bass or Smallmouth this week…..

The annual Jr. Open is this weekend..I think that this is the  40th annual..  So if you have never taken the kids to this event you need to.. the folks that put in on put a lot of effort and resources into it and it’s a really neat deal.. Call Justin @ 575-644-6189…  For you guys that are fishin with live baits or last minute supplies we will be open around 5 am… on Saturday and Sunday… 5 am..that’s perty damn early for this Texas boy..

Tell mama that the fishin’ is getting good… you gotta go…

come see us

Bob

don’t know what’s bigger.. the fish or the grin… Justin caught this one yesterday..