Lake Mead Fishing Report: Excellent Bass & Striper Bite Amid Ideal Spring Conditions

Artificial Lure here with your fresh fishing report for Lake Mead and surrounding waters on Monday, April 21, 2025. We’re enjoying a beautiful run of classic spring weather on Mead right now. Today’s forecast calls for sunny skies, highs in the low 70s, and light breezes. First light hit at 6:14 a.m. and you’ll have daylight all the way through sunset at 7:23 p.m. The lake remains steady on water levels, with no tidal influence to worry about since we’re landlocked out here. All in all, it’s prime time to get out and fish. Fish activity is turned up, with all the usual suspects biting well. The bass bite is especially strong—both largemouth and smallmouth are up shallow in the mornings and evenings as they stage for the spawn. Most folks are landing bass between 2 and 4 pounds, but we’ve seen a few fat 5-pounders caught this week, especially smallies. Striped bass are schooling up in deeper water and are hitting hard, with regular catches in the 5-10 pound range and reports of a couple over 20 pounds landed recently. The crappie bite is also hot, particularly up on the Overton Arm, with fish averaging 10 to 12 inches. As far as what’s working, green pumpkin or watermelon soft plastics have been the ticket for bass. Spinnerbaits and football jigs with craw trailers are producing in deeper or rocky spots. If you’re out early or working shaded edges, tie on a topwater like a Zara Spook—those surface strikes have been aggressive. For stripers, cut anchovies are still the gold standard, fished deep or even trolled behind the boat. Crappie are hitting well on small jigs and minnow baits. If you’re looking for hot spots, Overton Arm is hands down your best bet for crappie right now. For bass and stripers, try Government Wash and Boulder Basin, especially along points with structure. The Narrows is also holding solid numbers of stripers right now. With the weather settled, water temps ideal, and fish in full spring pattern, there isn’t a much better time to hit Lake Mead. Good luck, and I’ll see you on the water! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.