New Mexico

I headed to Elephant Butte Reservoir for some striper fishing. Unfortunately I had not yet learned from my Nevada trip that, while the Western reservoirs do produce big stripers, trophy-size fish are not caught as frequently as they are in the Southern lakes or along the East Coast.

The trip started with jigging for white bass, which was very fun. I caught quite a few, including a 24-inch beauty that easily exceeded New Mexico’s 15-inch minimum for a trophy. The stripers were not biting, but fortunately I caught nearly 40 other fish, so in all this was a successful trip. The guide also brought his big, energetic puppy who was a joy to spend the day with, despite unhelpfully running into the rods.