Lake Mead Fishing Report: Stripers, Bass, and More on a Crisp October Morning

Artificial Lure coming to you with your Lake Mead fishing and angling report for Sunday, October 5th, 2025. The air out here this morning is cool and crisp, with temperatures in the low 60s at dawn and rising into the upper 70s as we approach midday—typical early October in the high desert. Winds have been light out of the northeast, but pay attention around midday as breezes can pick up to 10-15 mph. It’s a clear-sky day, and water clarity on the main lake is very good. Official sunrise hit at 5:38 am, and we’re looking at sunset around 8:36 pm. The moon phase is waxing gibbous, so you’ve still got solid illumination for those early evening and pre-dawn bites. According to FishingReminder’s chart for Lake Mead, today’s major bite windows fall between 8:36 am to 10:36 am and then again tonight 9:07 pm to 11:07 pm, with minor bite windows very early and just before sundown. That mid-morning period is likely your best shot for quality action, so plan your tactics accordingly. In terms of recent fish activity, anglers have been catching plenty of striped bass—schoolies mostly in the 1 to 3-pound range, with the odd 5 to 7-pounder showing up, and a handful of double digit surprises reported earlier in the week, especially east of Callville Bay. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are biting well now that water temps have cooled, and the fall transition has the bass chasing shad up into the coves and around drop-offs. From the latest Lake Mead, Nevada Fishing Report podcast, live shad remains a go-to for stripers, and cut anchovy chunks will still get you bit, especially when fished deeper in Boulder Basin or near the Hemenway fishing pier. If it’s black bass you’re after, topwater action around first light has been fire—try a Zara Spook or a popping frog near flooded brush and rocky points for explosive hits. Once that sun’s up, transition to shad-patterned crankbaits or medium-diving jerkbaits like a Lucky Craft Pointer or Rapala Shadow Rap along bluff walls and submerged points. Smallmouth, in particular, are holding tight to rock transitions—work a Ned rig or dropshot with a watermelon or goby-colored soft plastic for steady bites. The bite slows a touch mid-afternoon but picks up again as shade pushes out across the coves. Swimbaits and spinnerbaits in silver/white have been effective at imitating the abundant juvenile shad; the strong winds this afternoon could make a white double willow spinnerbait a real winner. Channel catfish are still biting on chicken liver and stinkbaits in the backs of coves, especially at night, and the occasional bluegill and sunfish are still being picked up on worms and small jigs just off submerged brush. For the best action today, two hot spots to hit are the Kingman Wash area—where both bass and stripers are pushing up shad—and the area just outside Las Vegas Bay, right along the edge of the deeper channels. If you want a little variety, the old railroad tunnels near Boulder Beach have produced a nice mix of stri This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.