New Mexico Bass Team Trail anglers found a new lake when they returned to Elephant Butte for their fourth qualifier. The lake has risen nearly 40 feet since the April tournament and the bass have scattered into the newly submerged vegetation. A winter threadfin shad die-off during the winter had bass switching over to juvenile buffalo carp and bluegill. Windy conditions kept most anglers from fishing main lake structure while bluebird skies drove the fish into cover.
The top team of (William Edgman & Joe Sanchez) found a pocket of fish in Mc Rae canyon with topwater lures and had most of their limit within three hours. Others were not as fortunate and had to endure high winds and hot temperatures after midday. The rest of the field had to scratch all day but several limits were weighed in. Campbell and Barella also managed to find a topwater bite in Mc Rae for third place while several teams relied on Senkos and other stick plastics for limits. Conway and Hettinga scratched a limit from the submerged salt cedars with a bluegill tube.
