Colorado River Fishing: Stripers, Trout, and Cats – Dam Releases and Desert Heat

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Colorado River, Las Vegas-area fishing report. Out here around Willow Beach, Cottonwood Cove, and down toward Laughlin, the river’s running clear and a little cool at the surface, with decent visibility. Flows on this stretch are controlled by releases from Hoover Dam, so instead of tides you get those mid‑day and late‑afternoon bumps in current when power demand picks up. When they’re pushing more water, the bite for striped bass and trout usually turns on; when the river lays down, expect slower, finesse fishing. Weather along the river corridor today is classic desert: light morning breeze, building to a moderate afternoon wind, dry air, and hot temps pushing well into the 90s. Skies are mostly clear, so plan for bright sun and strong glare. Sunrise is right around the five‑o’clock hour with first light creeping in a bit earlier, and sunset lands a little after eight in the evening. That gives you long low‑light windows—prime time for stripers and catfish. Fish activity has been best at first light and the last hour before dark. Midday, when the sun is high, fish are sliding deeper into the channels and tucking into shade pockets along the cliffs and marina structures. Bank anglers are seeing fewer bites in the bright sun, while boaters who can work deep edges are still picking up fish. Recent catches on this stretch have been a mix of **striped bass**, **rainbow trout**, and **channel catfish**, with the odd **largemouth** and **smallmouth bass** coming out of the coves. Most stripers have been schoolies in the 1–4 pound class, with an occasional larger fish in the 8–10 pound range. Trout plants out of Willow Beach have produced limits for folks drifting downstream with bait or small spoons, and night fishermen soaking cut bait on the bottom are reporting steady channel cats in the 2–5 pound range. For lures, locals are leaning on: - Medium‑size shad‑style swimbaits and soft plastics on 3/8–1/2 oz jigheads for stripers - White or chrome lipless crankbaits and spoons when the current’s moving - Small silver spinners, Panther‑Martin style, and 1/4 oz Kastmaster‑type spoons for trout in the cooler tailwater sections - Green pumpkin or watermelon finesse worms and small jigs for bass in the coves Best baits right now: - Anchovy chunks and cut sardines for stripers and cats - Nightcrawlers and PowerBait for trout near stocking areas - Chicken liver or stink bait for those heavier channel cats after dark Keep your line a bit heavier around the rocks—12–15 lb mono or fluoro for stripers and cats, lighter leader for trout. A couple of hot spots to circle on your map: - **Willow Beach area**: Early‑morning trout and schoolie stripers, especially just below the marina and along the shaded rock walls as the sun comes up. - **Cottonwood Cove and nearby coves on Lake Mohave**: Bass along the rocky points and submerged brush, with stripers cruising the deeper water off the main river channel, especially when generation picks up. If you’re out after dark, the stretch near Laughlin’s lights can kick out some solid stripers and channel cats; focus on current breaks and eddies where bait stacks up. That’s the word from the river. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn