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Colorado River Fishing Report: Stripers, Bass, and Catfish Biting in Las Vegas Hot Spots
Published 7 months ago
Description
This is Artificial Lure with your Sunday morning Colorado River report for Las Vegas and surrounding hot spots.
Starting the day, expect a classic desert sunrise—officially peeking over the eastern ridgeline at 6:32 AM, and sunset scheduled for 6:29 PM. Skies are mostly clear with a hint of morning chill, warming to the upper 80s by mid-afternoon. Winds are light early, picking up to about 8-12 mph later. Humidity has been low, so evaporation is noticeable on the river and lakes. The barometer’s steady, promising consistent action throughout the morning. Since the river below Hoover Dam and Lake Mead are both dam-controlled waters, tidal influences aren’t a factor here—river levels will fluctuate based on scheduled dam releases, which today are moderate.
Fish activity is high at first light and is expected to spike again this evening just before dusk. According to the Lake Mead Fishing Report from Spreaker, both largemouth and smallmouth bass are biting strong, with schools of striped bass moving actively along drop-offs and deep points. Anglers have reported several nice stripers in the 3-8 pound range caught this week, with a few double-digit fish landed near Boulder Basin and Las Vegas Bay. Catfish action is picking up at night along rocky banks, and channel cats up to 10 lbs have been recorded.
For baits and lures, shad imitations are outperforming everything else for stripers—it’s a jerkbait and topwater kind of morning, especially where you see bait balls pushing near the surface. White and chrome Rat-L-Traps, Zara Spooks, and swimbaits are your ticket to those aggressive strikes. For bass, Senkos and Ned rigs in green pumpkin or watermelon red have been doing damage around submerged brush and points. Drop-shotting Robo Worms in Morning Dawn or Aaron’s Magic remains a consistent producer, especially on the edges of deeper rock piles. Those chasing catfish should anchor up before dusk and run cut mackerel, chicken liver, or shrimp—don’t be surprised if you pick up a few bonus stripers on the stinkier offerings, especially near Current and Fire Cove.
Hot spots you’ll want to target today include the coves around Hemenway Harbor—where the bait is stacked and stripers are pushing deep in the mornings—and Government Wash, which is producing a solid mix of both bass species. Don’t overlook Willow Beach further down river; cooler water temps down there keep the trout active (stockings continue every other Friday), and big stripers will shadow the stock truck routes.
Boat traffic will pick up mid-morning, so get on the water early for your best shot at a trophy. Shore anglers have found best luck at dusk with crawlers and anchovies under slip bobbers off the marina piers. Remember, with the river levels being a touch lower in late September, shallow flats near the main river drop-offs are extra productive first thing as the fish move up to feed.
Thanks for tuning in to your morning river report. Be sure to subscribe for daily updates and keep those lines tight. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
Starting the day, expect a classic desert sunrise—officially peeking over the eastern ridgeline at 6:32 AM, and sunset scheduled for 6:29 PM. Skies are mostly clear with a hint of morning chill, warming to the upper 80s by mid-afternoon. Winds are light early, picking up to about 8-12 mph later. Humidity has been low, so evaporation is noticeable on the river and lakes. The barometer’s steady, promising consistent action throughout the morning. Since the river below Hoover Dam and Lake Mead are both dam-controlled waters, tidal influences aren’t a factor here—river levels will fluctuate based on scheduled dam releases, which today are moderate.
Fish activity is high at first light and is expected to spike again this evening just before dusk. According to the Lake Mead Fishing Report from Spreaker, both largemouth and smallmouth bass are biting strong, with schools of striped bass moving actively along drop-offs and deep points. Anglers have reported several nice stripers in the 3-8 pound range caught this week, with a few double-digit fish landed near Boulder Basin and Las Vegas Bay. Catfish action is picking up at night along rocky banks, and channel cats up to 10 lbs have been recorded.
For baits and lures, shad imitations are outperforming everything else for stripers—it’s a jerkbait and topwater kind of morning, especially where you see bait balls pushing near the surface. White and chrome Rat-L-Traps, Zara Spooks, and swimbaits are your ticket to those aggressive strikes. For bass, Senkos and Ned rigs in green pumpkin or watermelon red have been doing damage around submerged brush and points. Drop-shotting Robo Worms in Morning Dawn or Aaron’s Magic remains a consistent producer, especially on the edges of deeper rock piles. Those chasing catfish should anchor up before dusk and run cut mackerel, chicken liver, or shrimp—don’t be surprised if you pick up a few bonus stripers on the stinkier offerings, especially near Current and Fire Cove.
Hot spots you’ll want to target today include the coves around Hemenway Harbor—where the bait is stacked and stripers are pushing deep in the mornings—and Government Wash, which is producing a solid mix of both bass species. Don’t overlook Willow Beach further down river; cooler water temps down there keep the trout active (stockings continue every other Friday), and big stripers will shadow the stock truck routes.
Boat traffic will pick up mid-morning, so get on the water early for your best shot at a trophy. Shore anglers have found best luck at dusk with crawlers and anchovies under slip bobbers off the marina piers. Remember, with the river levels being a touch lower in late September, shallow flats near the main river drop-offs are extra productive first thing as the fish move up to feed.
Thanks for tuning in to your morning river report. Be sure to subscribe for daily updates and keep those lines tight. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.