When is the last time you went fishing on Elephant Butte and caught more largemouth than smallmouth? If you’re like me, you probably have to think about your answer for while. Well guess what… last weekend that happened to me, and not because I was flipping brush in the backs of coves all day. I split time between Long Point Island (can you believe that thing is actually an island again?) , a couple of main lake rock piles in about 10 feet of water, and main lake points; places where I expected to find walleye and smallmouth on the Butte.
I’m not complaining. In fact, I’d love to see this trend continue. Not because of any bias toward largemouth bass on my part, but just because more fish equals more fun for all of us.
So what gives? Is it just me, or is there some reason that the largemouth are fairing better on the Butte these days? I called Frank Vilorio to find out.
With over 15 years of experience helping clients catch Stripers, White Bass, Walleye, and Black Bass, Frank Vilorio knows the Butte. Frank spends over 280 days a year on the water, so I knew he would have a few answers for us.
“All the water covering the salt cedars is helping the habitat tremendously,” says Vilorio. And with water levels on Elephant Butte recovering from 25 year lows, there are a lot more submerged salt cedars to be found. “Salt cedars are what forms the majority of the structure besides rock and cliffs on the Butte,” says Vilorio, who feels that all that new vegetation in the water is providing smaller territorial fish, like largemouth, with some much needed cover.
A recent study, “Aquatic vegetation and largemouth bass population responses to water-level variations in Lake Okeechobee, Florida,” agrees with Frank. This study observed how 5 years of drought and low lake conditions resulted in smaller populations of young bass. However, during the low lake levels, vegetation on exposed shoreline flourished, and when lake levels returned to normal, bass populations increased as well.
Bass aren’t the only things that benefit from all this new vegetation; young shad and crawfish need shallow cover to survive as well. “We have a great population of gizzard and threadfin shad,” says Frank, adding that the shad provide the main forage for the sport fish on Elephant Butte. “The fish don’t start feeding on crawfish till the summertime when there is a crawfish hatch, and that’s a good time to start throwing an orange colored crankbait.”
So where should you be looking for bass now? According to Frank, the blacks are pre-spawn at the moment, and even if there are a few on the beds, the water has been a little too murky for him to try any sight fishing. “Look for points and drop offs in 10 to 15 feet of water right now. The bass are waiting to ambush shad in these areas.”
Frank recommends a chartreuse colored bait now due to the water clarity, and when asked how the wind affected the fishing he added, “It’s an often overlooked pattern in the springtime, but, when it’s windy, the best bank to fish is where the waves are breaking.” Vilorio likes crankbaits with a firetiger pattern, as well as shad colored Lucky Craft InShore Game Pointer 78 or 100 Lures for tricking these pre-spawn fish.
Hopefully, we all have great luck finding largemouth on the Butte this year and, with a little luck, water levels will continue to rise and things will only get better. In the mean time, if you’d like a guided trip to the Butte with a knowledgeable fisherman and a real nice guy, give Frank Vilorio a call.
Frank can be reached by phone at (575) 744-4346 or (800) 580-8992, or by email at frankvilorio@sbcglobal.net. Frank’s sponsor’s include; Ugly Stick, American Rod & Gun, Driftmaster, and Super Spreader Cast Nets.
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tell them to spawn the instant the water hits 45 degrees.
