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Bite's on for Stripers, Bass, and Cats on the Vegas Stretch of the Colorado
Published 6 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
Artificial Lure here with your October 12th Colorado River fishing report for the Las Vegas stretch, hooking you up with the details only a local knows.
Let’s start with today’s **weather**: it’s a classic fall morning—cool and mild with calm winds, mid-50s at dawn and pushing to the low 70s by mid-afternoon. Skies are mostly clear. Sunrise comes in right at 6:42 AM, with sunset around 6:13 PM. That gives you a prime window for early and late bites.
**Water Conditions:** The river level is steady, but keep in mind that Lake Mead—a vital part of this system—still deals with lower pool levels, so launching is smooth at most spots but watch for shallow shelves closer to shore. Water clarity’s good, with surface temperatures running in the upper 60s.
On the **fish front**, local anglers have been striking gold with stripers, largemouth bass, and catfish this past week. Lake Mead Marina reported stripers pushing 3 to 5 pounds, perfect for light-tackle action before breakfast. Bass are riding that fall transition, stacking up around rocks and deeper ledges. Fish activity peaks right around sunrise and again at dusk, especially as cooling temps concentrate baitfish into tighter schools.
Recent catch logs point to a mixed bag:
- **Striped bass**: Most common. Steady numbers on cut anchovy and shad. Early birds landed limits near Willow Beach and Echo Bay, using Carolina rigs and castable swimbaits.
- **Largemouth bass**: Smaller numbers, but several quality fish landed on jigs and crankbaits along drop-offs and rocky points.
- **Channel catfish**: Nighttime action held strong on stink baits and chicken liver near tailwater stretches.
**Baits and lures:** If you’re chasing stripers, anchovy chunks or shad are top picks, especially in the deeper channels. For artificials, white or chartreuse soft swimbaits and small lipless crankbaits have put in work, particularly during low-light periods. Bass anglers are swinging football jigs in green pumpkin and craw patterns, with squarebill crankbaits getting slammed around riprap banks. If you’re working soft plastics, go natural for these clear waters—think watermelon or smoke. Catfish are hammering chicken liver and commercial stink baits along the slackwater eddies.
**Best techniques:**
- Drift fishing with cut bait for stripers in deep runs.
- Tight-line jigging near submerged brush for bass.
- Set-and-wait for cats after sundown under the bridges.
**Hot spots** for today:
- **Willow Beach**: Stripers are cruising the marina near the cold water discharge. Toss a swimbait at first light for a shot at a keeper.
- **Eldorado Canyon**: Rock piles and submerged wood are stacked with both bass and a few cruising stripers. Work your way up from the mouth with slow retrieves.
- **Las Vegas Bay**: A popular spot for night-time catfish and bonus bass—dead-stick a chicken liver from shore or anchor up close and cast toward drop-offs.
No real tidal swing like you’d see on the coast, but water releases from the dam do create moving current throughout the day, which means fish will be more active when the water’s running. Keep an eye on those flow schedules if you’re planning to anchor up for stripers.
Remember, fall on the Colorado River means fish are feeding up for winter, so don’t be afraid to bump up the size on your bait and lures. The big ones are getting greedy.
Thanks for tuning in—subscribe so you don’t miss the next drop of local action. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please 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.
Let’s start with today’s **weather**: it’s a classic fall morning—cool and mild with calm winds, mid-50s at dawn and pushing to the low 70s by mid-afternoon. Skies are mostly clear. Sunrise comes in right at 6:42 AM, with sunset around 6:13 PM. That gives you a prime window for early and late bites.
**Water Conditions:** The river level is steady, but keep in mind that Lake Mead—a vital part of this system—still deals with lower pool levels, so launching is smooth at most spots but watch for shallow shelves closer to shore. Water clarity’s good, with surface temperatures running in the upper 60s.
On the **fish front**, local anglers have been striking gold with stripers, largemouth bass, and catfish this past week. Lake Mead Marina reported stripers pushing 3 to 5 pounds, perfect for light-tackle action before breakfast. Bass are riding that fall transition, stacking up around rocks and deeper ledges. Fish activity peaks right around sunrise and again at dusk, especially as cooling temps concentrate baitfish into tighter schools.
Recent catch logs point to a mixed bag:
- **Striped bass**: Most common. Steady numbers on cut anchovy and shad. Early birds landed limits near Willow Beach and Echo Bay, using Carolina rigs and castable swimbaits.
- **Largemouth bass**: Smaller numbers, but several quality fish landed on jigs and crankbaits along drop-offs and rocky points.
- **Channel catfish**: Nighttime action held strong on stink baits and chicken liver near tailwater stretches.
**Baits and lures:** If you’re chasing stripers, anchovy chunks or shad are top picks, especially in the deeper channels. For artificials, white or chartreuse soft swimbaits and small lipless crankbaits have put in work, particularly during low-light periods. Bass anglers are swinging football jigs in green pumpkin and craw patterns, with squarebill crankbaits getting slammed around riprap banks. If you’re working soft plastics, go natural for these clear waters—think watermelon or smoke. Catfish are hammering chicken liver and commercial stink baits along the slackwater eddies.
**Best techniques:**
- Drift fishing with cut bait for stripers in deep runs.
- Tight-line jigging near submerged brush for bass.
- Set-and-wait for cats after sundown under the bridges.
**Hot spots** for today:
- **Willow Beach**: Stripers are cruising the marina near the cold water discharge. Toss a swimbait at first light for a shot at a keeper.
- **Eldorado Canyon**: Rock piles and submerged wood are stacked with both bass and a few cruising stripers. Work your way up from the mouth with slow retrieves.
- **Las Vegas Bay**: A popular spot for night-time catfish and bonus bass—dead-stick a chicken liver from shore or anchor up close and cast toward drop-offs.
No real tidal swing like you’d see on the coast, but water releases from the dam do create moving current throughout the day, which means fish will be more active when the water’s running. Keep an eye on those flow schedules if you’re planning to anchor up for stripers.
Remember, fall on the Colorado River means fish are feeding up for winter, so don’t be afraid to bump up the size on your bait and lures. The big ones are getting greedy.
Thanks for tuning in—subscribe so you don’t miss the next drop of local action. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please 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.