New Mexico · Largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass
Largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass size limit in New Mexico
You can keep one today — within these limits
statewide (includes Elephant Butte Reservoir)
Open year-round| Size limit | No size limit stated | total length |
|---|---|---|
| Daily bag | 5 | per person per day, all black bass combined; largemouth and spotted bass 14-inch minimum, smallmouth bass 12-inch minimum |
| Possession | 10 | total you may hold |
Five a day combined, but the minimum size differs by species — 14 inches for largemouth and spotted bass, only 12 for smallmouth. Elephant Butte carries no override, so this statewide rule applies there in full.
Ute Lake
Open year-round| Size limit | No size limit stated | total length |
|---|---|---|
| Daily bag | 5 | per person per day, all black bass combined; largemouth and spotted bass 14-inch minimum, smallmouth bass also 14-inch minimum here |
| Possession | 10 | total you may hold |
Same 5-fish combined bag as statewide, but smallmouth bass gets the higher 14-inch minimum here (and at Conchas Reservoir) instead of the statewide 12-inch minimum — smallmouth under 14 inches must be released.
What we left out on purpose
- New Mexico's cold-water (trout and kokanee salmon) regulations, including the three-tier Special Trout Waters system (Red/Green/Xmas Chile Water), are not modelled here. Neither Ute Lake nor Elephant Butte Reservoir is a trout fishery or appears in the Special Trout Waters list — both are warm-water reservoirs, so this silo's New Mexico entry covers the warm-water table only.
- Special Summer Catfish Waters (2/day, 4 possession) and Trophy Bass Waters (2/day, 2 possession) are real exceptions to the statewide numbers, but apply only to a named list of small lakes and ponds that includes neither Ute Lake nor Elephant Butte Reservoir.
- The Animas and San Juan Rivers (San Juan County) have no catfish, striped bass, or pike limit at all — not modelled since neither river is a water this site covers.
- Eagle Nest Lake's no-limit, must-keep northern pike rule and Bluewater/Quemado Lakes' exclusive tiger muskie fishery are named-water specifics not relevant to Ute Lake or Elephant Butte Reservoir.
Other species limits in New Mexico
Where to try today
- El Vado Lake 7/10 · Biting
- Elephant Butte Reservoir 4/10 · Picky
- Heron Reservoir 7/10 · Biting
- Navajo Reservoir 7/10 · Biting
- Ute Lake 7/10 · Biting