ELEPHANT BUTTE, N.M. — Elephant Butte Lake, site of the 2010 New Mexico B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Junior State Championship last September, is one of the premier bass fisheries in New Mexico. It's also the home lake of Jordan McMorris, the 2008 Bassmaster Junior World champion (11-14 age group) who won his state qualifying tournament again this year.
"I feel very fortunate," said the now-17-year-old champion. "This has been a dream come true. It's beyond my wildest imagination."
McMorris boated five bass on the first day that weighed 10.34 pounds. On the second — and much tougher — day, he only caught two fish that weighed 3.21 pounds. Nevertheless, it was enough to secure his win in the 15-18 age group.
Julian Sosa-Carver, 13, won in the 11-14 age group. On the first day, he brought three bass to the scales that weighed 3.24 pounds. On the second day, his catch of 0.92 pound was enough to put him over the top.
"New Mexico is a tough state," said David Herrera, state youth director. "Thanks to a lot of help from our adults, we have several good anglers in our group and they just keep getting better. All of us in New Mexico want to congratulate Jordan and Julian on their wins. We also want to thank all the sponsors who make our youth program possible."
