More on White and Striped Bass

Both white bass and striped bass have so-called 'false gills' on the inside of their gill covers and three anal fin spines. Both of these bass species feed almost exclusively, and with relentless  voracity, upon shad and other forage fish.

WHITE BASS
Also known as sand bass, sandies, and silvers, white bass were first stocked in New Mexico in 1959. Smaller and chunkier than their striper cousins, white bass typically weigh about 1 to 1.5 pounds; a white bass weighing more than 2.5  pounds is highly unusual. Other white bass characteristics include silvery-white sides, marked by a series of horizontal stripes, only one of which extends to the tail.  Except during spawning, white bass stay on the move in a continual search for food, along shorelines in open water.

STRIPED BASS
Striped bass were first introduced into New Mexico in 1972. Depending on available food, these bass may exceed 55 pounds, although most stripers caught in New Mexico range from 5 to 20 pounds.  Striped bass are known by their elongated bodies, pale olive to blue backs, silvery sides, and seven-to-eight horizontal stripes, most extending to the tail. Locating striped bass is harder than catching them, because they're wanderers of open waters. Stripers are hearty eaters, most actively feeding in water temperatures between 70 and 72 degrees.

FISHING WATERS
1-Elephant Butte, 2-Caballo, 3-Cochiti, 4-Brantley 5-Sumner, 6-Ute, 7-Rio Grande between Elephant Butte and Caballo.

• Visit the Elephant Butte Lake New Mexico Web site to find out more information

• Weekly Fishing Reports

• Striped Bass

• Stripers On-line

• Lakeside RV Park - Elephant Butte, NM

• New Mexico Wild Life

• US Charter Boats

• New Mexico Outdoor Sports Guide

• Elephant Butte New Mexico Reservoir & Lake Fishing Information