Fishing for White & Striped Bass | Land of Enchantment

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FISHING FOR WHITE AND STRIPED BASS
White Bass White bass are the most frequently caught, warm-water sport fish in New Mexico. These lively fish have a voracious appetite, strike eagerly at lures once waters warm, are relatively easy to catch, and make good eating. As schooling fish, white bass tend to gather in high numbers, avoiding more turbid waters. Although white bass prefer deep, open water, they will surface to strike at a school of shad. To catch white bass, use ultra-light spinning tackle on a 5- to 6-foot rod. Six pound test line works best. Try jigs and flashy spinner-jig combinations: white, yellow, silver, or chartreuse, with reflective tape on the spoons and polished spinners. Any small lure that looks like a shad will catch white bass when a school is located. Also try crankbait spoons, minnow imitation plugs, jigging spoons, and propeller surface lures. Top water plugs that sputter are good to use when white bass feeding is in full force. In spring, shore fishing for white bass can be fantastic.



Striped Bass Look for stripers in Elephant Butte and Caballo Lakes at depths between 20 to 50 feet, sometimes suspended over much deeper water. They may locate over old creek beds or channels, near sunken islands, along ridges with adjacent dropoffs, or near bridges. In fall, stripers move into shallow flats and chase schools of shad near the surface. Fall can be an exciting time for striper fishing, compared with winter, when stripers tend to stay deep and roam less. For best results, use a depth finder. As waters warm, try trolling with live-bait shad or bluegill. When using bait, always use a fresh specimen; replace lethargic bait frequently. Try still-fishing with live bait from an anchored boat or slowly adrift. Use 1 ~ to 4 ounces of lead in a bead-chain weight to keep the bait at the proper depth. When you locate stripers holding in deep water, try jigging or trolling with a downrigger.
BEST WATERS Striped Bass: Elephant Butte and Caballo Lakes. White Bass: Elephant Butte, Caballo, and the Rio Grande between the two reservoirs; Cochiti, Brantley, Sumner, and Ute Lakes.


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