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Elephant Butte Cast
Elephant Butte Lake · Mon Sep 21 – Thu Sep 24, 2026 · bank / kayak / boat · times MT
Beat late-September heat on Elephant Butte with first light on main-lake points, then slide deeper as the sun climbs.
Midweek outlook
NWS EPZ (pulled Sun Sep 20 evening CT; clock times in MT). Late-September pattern from NWS. Monday: 87°F Sunny (wind ENE 1 to 6 mph) · Tuesday: 80°F Chance Rain Showers then Showers And Thunderstorms (wind SE 3 to 12 mph) · Wednesday: 73°F Showers And Thunderstorms (wind NNE 3 to 7 mph) · Thursday: 73°F Rain Showers Likely (wind E 1 to 5 mph)
Mon–Thuthrough Thu evening MT
Largemouth bass (primary); white bass / hybrids secondary
No named trail event pulled for Mon–Thu. Soft weekday recreational pressure.
Monday
- High near 87°FSunny · 3% precip
- Wind ENE 1 to 6 mph
- Local MT
Tuesday
- High near 80°FChance Rain Showers then Showers And Thunderstorms · 85% precip
- Wind SE 3 to 12 mph
- Local MT
Wednesday
- High near 73°FShowers And Thunderstorms · 93% precip
- Wind NNE 3 to 7 mph
- Local MT
Thursday
- High near 73°FRain Showers Likely · 68% precip
- Wind E 1 to 5 mph
- Local MT
Dam & current cheat sheet
USBR Rio Grande Project / Elephant Butte — pool/release thin at gather. Re-check USBR RISE before launch.
STATUS: pool/release THIN.
Generator schedule / pool boards change — re-check before launch.
How to fish it — Bank / Kayak / Boat
Bank
State park / marina banks and rocky points early/late.
Kayak
Protected coves and secondary points; avoid afternoon rollers.
Boat
Main-lake points, channel swings, dam-area structure when release adds current.
Ethanol-free fuel near this water
Pure-Gas.org E0 near this hub — station/price list thin at gather. Price not listed — verify at pump.
Pure-Gas.org for E0 identity. Prices change — verify at the pump.
Lure box — Top / Mid / Bottom
Top
Walker/buzz at dawn.
Mid
Spinnerbait/crank shad colors.
Bottom
Texas-rig / football jig green pumpkin.
Life stage + What's on the menu
Early fall transition on desert storage water.
What's on the menu: Most likely: shad-class bait and sunfish. No invented hatch.
Also hot / also in season
White bass/hybrids when schooling; catfish secondary.