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Colorado River Las Vegas Fishing Report
Published 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
This is Artificial Lure with your Colorado River Las Vegas fishing report.
Down here below Hoover, we don’t worry about tides – the Colorado’s a controlled river – but we *do* watch flows and weather. USGS gauges on the lower Colorado show stable releases the past few days, keeping levels pretty steady and the current manageable for small boats and shore anglers.
Weather around the river corridor today is classic desert winter: cool mornings in the low 40s, afternoons climbing into the upper 50s to low 60s, light north breeze early, picking up a bit mid‑day, then laying down toward evening. Skies are mostly clear, so expect high sun and spooky fish in that gin‑clear water.
Sunrise is right around 6:45 AM local, with sunset near 4:30 PM. That gives you prime low‑light windows: first hour after sunup and the last hour before dark have been the best bite.
Nevada Fish Reports notes the lower Colorado and Willow Beach stretch are picking up again now that trout plants have resumed. Recent catches include solid rainbows in the 1–3 pound class, a few bigger fish riding the stock trucks, along with schoolie stripers running 1–4 pounds and the occasional 8–10 pounder for folks trolling deep.
Trout have been active where the colder water hits – think just below stocking points and any shaded bends. Light‑line guys drifting nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, or small pieces of shrimp under a clear bubble have been putting decent numbers in the net. Fly anglers stripping small olive or black woolly buggers and leech patterns on intermediate lines are doing well in the afternoons when the water warms a touch.
Striper action has been best for the folks covering water. Nevada Fish Reports mentions trolling has been the ticket, and that’s holding true here: deep‑diving crankbaits in shad patterns, white swimbaits on 1/2‑ to 3/4‑ounce jig heads, and umbrella rigs pulled along channel edges are all producing. Shore anglers are tagging a few nice linesides tossing 1–2 ounce spoons, white bucktail jigs, and 5–7 inch soft‑plastic jerkbaits at first and last light.
Best lures right now:
- For trout: small silver or gold Kastmasters, Panther Martins, and 1/8‑ounce marabou jigs in black or brown. Keep retrieves slow and steady.
- For stripers: white or pearl paddle‑tail swimbaits, bone or chrome topwaters if the water slicks off at dawn, and heavy spoons you can bomb long casts with.
Best natural baits:
- Trout: nightcrawlers, PowerBait in garlic or rainbow, and small live minnows where legal.
- Stripers: cut anchovy or sardine on a Carolina rig, and live shad where you can net them.
Couple of hot spots to circle on your map:
First, the **Willow Beach area** downriver. Cool, clear water, regular trout stocks, and a steady pick of rainbows all week. Those planted trout also draw in bigger stripers – work those deeper holes just downstream of the marina and along the cliff faces with big swimbaits if you’re trophy hunting.
Second, the **Colorado River corridor below Laughlin**, especially the casino stretch and downstream runs. That section’s been giving up mixed bags: rainbows in the seams and eddies, plus schoolie stripers roaming the deeper slots. Drifting bait from shore or a small boat and slow‑trolling cranks along current breaks has been very consistent.
Water’s cold, so slow everything down, downsize your line – 4 to 6 pound for trout, 10 to 15 pound for stripers – and be patient. Mid‑day lulls are real; plan snacks and scouting then, and fish hard early and late.
That’s the word from your buddy Artificial Lure on the Colorado River near Las Vegas. Thanks for tuning in and make sure to subscribe.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/
Down here below Hoover, we don’t worry about tides – the Colorado’s a controlled river – but we *do* watch flows and weather. USGS gauges on the lower Colorado show stable releases the past few days, keeping levels pretty steady and the current manageable for small boats and shore anglers.
Weather around the river corridor today is classic desert winter: cool mornings in the low 40s, afternoons climbing into the upper 50s to low 60s, light north breeze early, picking up a bit mid‑day, then laying down toward evening. Skies are mostly clear, so expect high sun and spooky fish in that gin‑clear water.
Sunrise is right around 6:45 AM local, with sunset near 4:30 PM. That gives you prime low‑light windows: first hour after sunup and the last hour before dark have been the best bite.
Nevada Fish Reports notes the lower Colorado and Willow Beach stretch are picking up again now that trout plants have resumed. Recent catches include solid rainbows in the 1–3 pound class, a few bigger fish riding the stock trucks, along with schoolie stripers running 1–4 pounds and the occasional 8–10 pounder for folks trolling deep.
Trout have been active where the colder water hits – think just below stocking points and any shaded bends. Light‑line guys drifting nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, or small pieces of shrimp under a clear bubble have been putting decent numbers in the net. Fly anglers stripping small olive or black woolly buggers and leech patterns on intermediate lines are doing well in the afternoons when the water warms a touch.
Striper action has been best for the folks covering water. Nevada Fish Reports mentions trolling has been the ticket, and that’s holding true here: deep‑diving crankbaits in shad patterns, white swimbaits on 1/2‑ to 3/4‑ounce jig heads, and umbrella rigs pulled along channel edges are all producing. Shore anglers are tagging a few nice linesides tossing 1–2 ounce spoons, white bucktail jigs, and 5–7 inch soft‑plastic jerkbaits at first and last light.
Best lures right now:
- For trout: small silver or gold Kastmasters, Panther Martins, and 1/8‑ounce marabou jigs in black or brown. Keep retrieves slow and steady.
- For stripers: white or pearl paddle‑tail swimbaits, bone or chrome topwaters if the water slicks off at dawn, and heavy spoons you can bomb long casts with.
Best natural baits:
- Trout: nightcrawlers, PowerBait in garlic or rainbow, and small live minnows where legal.
- Stripers: cut anchovy or sardine on a Carolina rig, and live shad where you can net them.
Couple of hot spots to circle on your map:
First, the **Willow Beach area** downriver. Cool, clear water, regular trout stocks, and a steady pick of rainbows all week. Those planted trout also draw in bigger stripers – work those deeper holes just downstream of the marina and along the cliff faces with big swimbaits if you’re trophy hunting.
Second, the **Colorado River corridor below Laughlin**, especially the casino stretch and downstream runs. That section’s been giving up mixed bags: rainbows in the seams and eddies, plus schoolie stripers roaming the deeper slots. Drifting bait from shore or a small boat and slow‑trolling cranks along current breaks has been very consistent.
Water’s cold, so slow everything down, downsize your line – 4 to 6 pound for trout, 10 to 15 pound for stripers – and be patient. Mid‑day lulls are real; plan snacks and scouting then, and fish hard early and late.
That’s the word from your buddy Artificial Lure on the Colorado River near Las Vegas. Thanks for tuning in and make sure to subscribe.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/