Friends Group
New Mexico B.A.S.S. Nation, Albuquerque Hawg Hunters
Elephant Butte is impaired by “old reservoir syndrome”, extreme spring sediment loading in prime spawning areas, and extreme water fluctuations during spawning. The project will address these issues through a combination of vegetation efforts both in the inlets and in selected coves as well as suspended spawning beds and floating wetland (plant colony) deployment.
The project is based on many past projects and publications using Best Management Practices (BMP’s) as published in the literature. The project proposes to improve the shoreline and near-shore fishing opportunities at four sites on Elephant Butte Reservoir in south central New Mexico. The project will include a number of proven habitat restoration practices based on past projects at Lake Havasu, Table Rock, Bartlett, and many other locations. Elephant Butte has been hit hard by drought and increased water demands by Texas, Mexico and endangered species critical habitat needs. The project will establish permanent suspended spawning platforms at the three marinas; deploy movable spawning structures in the spring, and “chase the shoreline” with re-vegetation and shoreline seeding efforts. A special emphasis will be placed upon establishing seed and plant colonies using suspended wetland techniques that have been demonstrated throughout the world. Brush attractors, comprised of Christmas trees, rock/pallet structures and concrete reef balls will be deployed to serve as added structure to enhance fish habitat.
Neal Brown dismantled, relocated and reassembled one of his marinas at Elephant Butte Lake State Park last week. Dropping reservoir levels prompted the rare, labor-intensive move to deeper water. On a sweltering afternoon, Brown maneuvers...
The Elephant Butte Reservoir Habitat Restoration Project funded by Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership has been awarded another grant from Beyond the Pond and Bass Pro Shops. Congratulations to our partners at Elephant Butte! The grant...
He caught a fish “this” big. No, really. A 9-year-old New Mexico boy landed a 42-pound (19-kilogram) blue catfish Sunday evening while fishing in the Elephant Butte Reservoir. Kris Flores said his son, Alex, made...