Colorado River Las Vegas: Clear Water Stripers and Trout Below Hoover Dam

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Colorado River Las Vegas fishing report. Out here below Hoover Dam, the river’s running clear and cold like usual, with steady releases keeping a decent current. Being an inland river, there’s no real tide swing, but water levels will bump up and down with dam operations. Mornings usually see a softer flow; by afternoon the push gets stronger, so plan your wading and boat positioning around that. Weather today along the river corridor is classic desert: cool early, warming fast. Expect morning temps in the 70s climbing into the 90s and low 100s by mid‑day, with dry air and plenty of sun. Winds tend to be light at first, building to a gusty breeze in the afternoon, especially in the open stretches near Willow Beach and Cottonwood Cove. Skies are mostly clear, so sun protection is as critical as your tackle box. Sunrise on this stretch comes early, with first light spilling over the canyon walls not long after. True sun doesn’t hit some of those steep banks for a bit, so you get a nice shadow line to work. Sunset drops behind the ridge in the evening, giving you a short but productive low‑light window; that last hour before dark is prime for stripers pushing bait. Fish activity has been solid. Anglers have been reporting good numbers of **striped bass**, plus some **rainbow trout** from the regular stocking downstream of Hoover Dam. The closer you are to the dam and Willow Beach, the more trout you’ll see; move farther down and the stripers and the odd largemouth show up more. Striper catches have been a mix of schoolies in the 1–3 pound range, with a few 5–8 pound fish showing up for folks working deeper ledges and current seams. Trout limits haven’t been unusual for those drifting bait or small spoons in the cooler runs. Best bite windows are just before and after first light and again toward dusk, especially when the wind lays down a bit. Mid‑day can still produce if you go deeper and hug structure, but the clear water makes stealth important. On the lure side, this is where I earn my name. For stripers, pack **white or pearl flukes**, small **paddletail swimbaits** in shad colors, and **1/2‑ to 3/4‑ounce jigging spoons** in chrome or silver. Casting them along current breaks, eddies, and drop‑offs has been the ticket. Small **jerkbaits** and **crankbaits** that mimic threadfin shad will also get crushed when schools push bait to the surface. For trout, think finesse: **Rooster Tails**, small **Panther Martin‑style spinners**, **1/8‑ounce Kastmasters**, and **little marabou jigs** under a float. Light line, natural drift, and working those shaded runs will stack the odds your way. Best baits: for stripers, **cut anchovy**, **sardines**, or **chicken liver** fished on a sliding sinker rig, especially if you’re soaking them from shore near deeper holes. For trout, **nightcrawlers**, **PowerBait**, and **salmon eggs** drifted just off bottom keep putting fish in the net. A couple of hot spots to circle: - **Below Hoover Dam to Willow Beach**: Cold, clear water with strong trout stocks and a steady striper presence. Work the seams, rock walls, and any soft pockets out of the main push. - **Arizona side pull‑offs and coves downstream of Willow Beach**: Great for shore anglers tossing anchovies for stripers, especially in the evening when baitfish move shallow. If you’re launching a boat, keep an eye on the changing flows and watch those canyon winds; they can turn a calm drift into a rodeo in a hurry. That’s your Colorado River Las Vegas report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next run of river intel. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn