Striped Bass

Spinnerbaits, jigs, soft plastic swimbaits, cut bait, shallow crankbaits, plastic worms, salt craws, jig combinations, small plastics, buzzbaits, prop baits, jigging spoons.

Spring (March through June): target pre-spawn fish at 5-20 feet deep, post-spawn fish in less than 10 feet. Summer: target deeper, cooler waters as bass avoid temperatures above 65°F. Fall: mirrors spring conditions with faster retrieves in early fall, slower in late fall.

Using spinnerbaits on the bottom for pre-spawn fish, slow-rolled spinnerbaits for post-spawn fish, jigging spoons and small plastics for winter fishing very deep and extremely slow, buzzbaits and prop baits when fish surface feed at dawn and dusk.

These predatory fish are opportunistic feeders with a diverse diet including menhaden (their primary food source), bay anchovies, silversides, yellow perch, alewives, smelt, flounders, juvenile fish, and invertebrates like crabs, shrimp, and marine worms.

They inhabit open water bodies with minimal floor debris and slow-moving water flow, thriving in deeper, clearer waters. Landlocked in New Mexico's reservoirs and lakes.