Elephant Butte Lake
Fishing and stocking
Stocked monthly March through May in 2026: largemouth bass and hybrid striped bass, 6 plants in all. This water holds 5 New Mexico state records, including the flathead catfish at 78lb 0oz., caught in 1979.
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The year here
stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details
What swims here
Largemouth bass
Hybrid striped bass (wiper)
State record fish caught here
Certified by New Mexico Game and Fish; weights shown exactly as the agency publishes them. Record book read October 2026.
Stocking record 2026
Agency feed checked yesterday.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11 | Largemouth bass | catchable | 3,940 | completed |
| Mar 11 | Largemouth bass | catchable | 1,717 | completed |
| Apr 9 | Hybrid striped bass (wiper) | fingerling | 1,117,260 | completed |
| Apr 30 | Largemouth bass | catchable | 3,230 | completed |
| May 21 | Largemouth bass | fingerling | 519,518 | completed |
| May 22 | Largemouth bass | fingerling | 488,110 | completed |
When to fish Elephant Butte Lake
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 9:49-11:49 am and 10:12 pm-12:12 am | 4:07-5:07 am and 4:22-5:22 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:36 am-12:36 pm | 5:11-6:11 am and 4:52-5:52 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 93% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Mountain Time (MDT).
What the record actually says
- Last stocked May 22
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · New Mexico fishing forecast
Gear for this water
It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.
For the bass (largemouth bass stocked 5 times here in 2026, stillwater)
| Finesse jigs | for the fish that have seen everything else |
| Medium spinning or casting rod | 6.5 to 7 ft medium; 10 to 12 lb line |
| Stick worms and soft plastics | weightless stick worms around cover; Texas rig in wood |
For the striped bass and hybrids (hybrid striped bass (wiper) stocked 1 time here in 2026, stillwater)
| Topwater walkers | early mornings when they push bait to the surface |
| Medium-heavy rod | 7 ft with 15 lb line minimum; hybrids hit like freight |
| Flutter spoons and swimbaits | match the shad; count down to suspended fish |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Caballo Lake | 28 mi | Jun 4 |
| Escondida Lake | 59 mi | Jun 30 |
| Lake Roberts | 60 mi | Oct 8 |
| Young Pond | 73 mi | Jun 30 |
| Snow Lake | 77 mi | Oct 14 |
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