Lake Mead Fishing Report 092625: Stripers, Smallies and Cats Bite with Shifting Conditions

Artificial Lure here with your Friday, September 26, 2025, Lake Mead fishing report. The first cool snap of fall rolled in overnight—highs today pushing the mid-80s and a north breeze will keep things crisp on the main lake. With sunrise at 6:33 AM and sunset at 6:37 PM, you’ve got a nice, even 12-hour window to chase bites before the day fades out behind the Black Mountains. Lake Mead’s not tidal, so water swings depend on dam releases more than any lunar pull, but expect slightly lowered levels from recent conservation measures up and down the Colorado—watch those back coves for exposed rock and sudden flats. Fishing’s picked up since last week. According to the Daily Lake Mead Fishing Report on Spreaker, stripers are active and chasing shad first light off points and in the coves near Boulder Basin and Government Wash. Anglers pulling in before dawn are seeing schools busting bait on top, with some solid 3- to 5-pounders in the mix. The best bite has been from dawn to about 9:30, then again just before sunset as temps drop back down. Catfish and some nice smallmouth are also in the mix when you’re prospecting around chunk rock and deeper ledges. Best lures right now: throw topwater walkers or Zara Spooks early when the water’s glassy, then swap to white swimbaits or mid-diving crankbaits as the sun gets up. Soft plastics—especially drop-shotted shad imitations—are working well for slower smallmouth action off rocky points. For the bait crowd, cut anchovy and chicken liver are the classic ticket for stripers and catfish, drifted just off the bottom in 20 to 40 feet. Reports from this week show most striper boats bringing in 8 to 20 fish on a morning run, with the usual mix of school-sized fish and a handful of bigger keepers. Catfish are steady—one group last night pulled in a 14-pound channel out of Las Vegas Bay with stink bait. Smallmouth bass numbers are solid along the points above Callville, with plenty in the 1- to 2-pound range and the occasional kicker over 3 caught midday on Ned rigs and small green pumpkin tubes. Hot spots to target: Boulder Basin is always a crowd favorite for morning striper boils—try the east side points just south of Saddle Island. Government Wash is putting out good numbers both for stripers early on and for cats and bass closer to dusk. Up near Temple Bar, anglers working the river channel edges with blade baits and spoons are reporting surprisingly active schooling stripers as water clarity improves. A quick note—lake levels are a little low, and with conservation talks heating up across the Colorado Basin, it’s smart to watch your depth and ramps—especially down around Echo Bay where things can get skinny quick. Clear mornings mean watch for migrating waterfowl as well—Lake Mead is a major flyway stop, so keep an eye on the sky and give the birds their room. Thanks for tuning in to the Lake Mead fishing report. Don’t forget to subscribe and keep those lines tight—new reports and tactics daily. This has This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.