Lake Mead Fishing Forecast: Stripers, Bass, and Tactics for the Desert Reservoir

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Lake Mead fishing rundown. Out here we don’t worry about tides – Mead’s a desert reservoir, so your “tide” is the daily wind and boat chop. The Bureau of Reclamation is keeping the lake low but fairly stable, so launch access at Hemenway and Callville is fine. Lower water has the bait and gamefish pulled to the breaks, points, and old river channel edges. According to the National Weather Service for the Boulder City / Hoover Dam area, today is clear and cool, light north breeze in the morning, bumping up in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 50s to low 60s, overnight down near 40. Sunrise is right around 6:45 a.m., sunset just after 4:30 p.m. That first 90 minutes of light has been the money window for active fish, with another bump right before dark if the wind stacks bait on the points. Local shop chatter and Nevada Fish and Wildlife creel reports say **stripers** are still the headliner, with a mix of 1–4 pound schoolies and the occasional 8–12 pound fish. Most numbers are coming from the Boulder Basin and up toward the Vegas Wash. Folks tossing swimbaits and soft jerkbaits are also sticking a few solid **largemouth** and **smallmouth** on chunk rock and bluff transitions, mostly 1–3 pounds with an odd 4-plus if you grind. Best producers for stripers: - **Lures**: 3–5 inch white or pearl paddletail swimbaits on 3/8–1/2 oz heads, chrome or bone walking baits on calm mornings, and silver jigging spoons or Kastmasters when they’re pushed deep. - **Bait**: Cut anchovies are still king. Rig on a 1/0–2/0 hook with just enough weight to get down, either vertical under the boat or slow-drifting outside the main traffic lanes. Chum a little and let the school build. For the bass: - **Lures**: Green pumpkin finesse jigs, Ned rigs, and dropshots with shad or morning dawn worms in 20–35 feet have been steady. When the sun gets up and the breeze ripples the surface, a small underspin with a 2.8–3.3 keitech-style swimbait is putting better fish in the boat. - Work the shady side of points, broken rock, and any bit of timber or brush that still has water on it. Long casts and slow, “winter patience” retrieves are making the difference. Couple of local hot spots to circle on your map: - **Hemenway Harbor to Boulder Beach**: Classic winter striper zone. Watch your electronics for bait balls in 40–80 feet; when you see arcs stacked under them, drop spoons or slow-roll swimbaits. Early topwater blowups can happen tight to the bank if shad push shallow at first light. - **Government Wash**: A great mixed-bag area. Stripers roam the mouths and channel swings, while largemouth and smallies hold on the cuts, shelves, and chunk rock. Start on the outer points with anchovies or spoons for stripers, then slide inside with a dropshot or Ned for bass once the sun gets higher. If the wind lays down and you’ve got the boat and gas, running up-lake toward **Temple Bar** can reward you with less pressure and some quality This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.