Colorado River Las Vegas: Stripers and Smallmouth Heat Up Below Hoover Dam

This is Artificial Lure with your Colorado River Las Vegas fishing report. We’re working the river stretch below Hoover Dam and down toward Laughlin. No true tides here, just releases from Hoover controlling flow. Expect low, clear water early, with generation picking up mid‑ to late morning and again late afternoon. Rising flows will push fish tight to current breaks and flooded edges. Weather along the river corridor is clear and dry with light morning winds, building to a steady southwest breeze by afternoon. Highs push into the upper 80s to low 90s, so plan for bright sun and clear skies. Sunrise is right around 5:30 a.m., with sunset close to 7:45 p.m., giving a long low‑light window on both ends of the day. Nevada Department of Wildlife reports that striped bass and catfish have been the main players lately, with a mix of smallmouth and a few largemouth coming out of the rocky pockets and marina coves. Most stripers have been schoolies in the 1–3 pound range, with an occasional 5–8 pound fish, especially near deeper current seams in the early morning. Anglers soaking cut anchovies from shore have been putting up numbers after dark and at first light. For stripers, bring frozen anchovies and sardines on a simple sliding sinker rig, 10–15 lb mono or fluoro leader. Cast into the current edge and let it sit. If you’re throwing artificials, jerkbaits in ghost shad or silver/blue, 3–5 inch soft swimbaits on 3/8–1/2 oz heads, and white or chartreuse bucktail jigs have been steady producers. Work them just off bottom on the slower side when the water’s cold coming out of the dam, then speed up slightly as the sun warms things. Smallmouth bass are active around chunk rock, riprap, and points. The recent reports from local shops in Boulder City and Laughlin say tube jigs in green pumpkin, 3–4 inch finesse worms on drop‑shots, and small craw‑pattern crankbaits are putting fish in the net. Best bite is from first light until the sun gets high, then again in the evening shade. Largemouth are more scattered but hanging around marinas, back eddies, and any brush or man‑made structure you can find. Channel catfish action picks up right after dark. Chicken liver, nightcrawlers, and cut bait on the bottom around slower runs and inside bends is your play. Bring heavier gear if you’re soaking bait near deep holes; the current can make a 2‑pounder feel much bigger. For bank anglers, one solid hotspot is the Willow Beach area below the dam. The cold, clear tailwater there holds trout, stripers, and smallmouth. Toss small spoons and in‑line spinners for trout, then step up to swimbaits and jerkbaits for the stripers cruising behind them. Another reliable stretch is around Laughlin’s community parks and casino frontage, where deeper runs and riprap banks give you access to stripers, cats, and smallmouth right from shore. Boat anglers should focus on current seams, points, and any visible eddies. When flows bump up, slide closer to shorelines with newly flooded rock or brush; fish will push shallow to feed on disoriented bait. When the water drops, back out to the first major break or ledge. Best windows today: first light until mid‑morning for bass and stripers, last two hours before dark for a mixed bag, and into the night if you’re targeting cats and schoolie stripers on bait. That’s your Colorado River Las Vegas report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a trip. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn