Lake Mead Fishing Report: Stripers, Bass Slamming at Dawn, Cooler Nights Boost Bite

Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your Lake Mead fishing report for Saturday, September 13, 2025. Let’s dive right into conditions. Weather-wise, it’s a classic late-summer morning: expect clear skies, already warming up fast with highs headed towards 102°F by midday. Winds are mild out of the southeast at 8–12 mph, and cooling off slightly this evening. Sunrise was at 6:24 AM, with sunset set for 6:57 PM. It’s dry as a bone, so pack extra water, sunscreen, and a hat—especially if you plan to hang on the lake into the afternoon. There’s no true tide on freshwater Lake Mead, but falling water levels and those morning winds mean you’ll want to hit the water early for best surface action. Water temps are tapering off from their August highs, sitting now in the low to mid-80s, and the cooler nights are putting predatory fish in a feeding mood, especially at dawn and dusk, according to Nevada Fish Reports. This week, the action has been hot and heavy for striped bass—no surprise there. Striper boils are all over points and coves; splashy surface feeding erupts right after sunrise, especially on the Boulder Basin side and near Government Wash. Recent catches have included plentiful schoolies in the 1–3 pound range, with a few bruisers topping 10 pounds hitting the scales. The Willow Beach area continues to yield the big boys for those trolling hardbaits. Largemouth and smallmouth bass activity is strong, piggybacking off the striped bass commotion. Anglers fishing near rocky drop-offs and submerged brush piles are scoring with plastics and jigs. A week ago, pro angler Todd Tobiasson from Las Vegas weighed in a 27.9-pound 10-fish bag at the WON Bass Lake Mead Open, with many quality largemouth taken by flipping Yamamoto Senkos and running chartreuse crankbaits around submerged cover, as detailed by BassResource. Catfish and channel cats are increasingly active at night—chicken liver and stink bait laid near deeper flats will do the trick. Sunfish and bluegill are still shallow and biting on small pieces of worm and mealworm. When it comes to lures, shad-imitating topwaters are king during the boils—think Zara Spooks, Lucky Craft Sammy, or a Strike King Sexy Dawg, which performed great in recent Bassmaster competitions. Swimbaits and bucktail jigs will get bit if the bass are shying away from the noise. During midday, drop shot rigs with Robo Worms in natural hues and football jigs in green pumpkin are the ticket for bass tight to structure. For bait, cut anchovy is unbeatable for stripers—drift them or toss a chunk into a boil and hold tight. Live shiners can double for both stripers and largemouth if you can get your hands on ‘em. If you’re looking for hot spots, don’t miss: - Government Wash: Stripers busting shad at dawn, with bass right behind them. - Echo Bay and the points outside Hemingway Harbor: Crankbaits and plastics working deep for smallies and largemouth. - South Cove: Consistent mixed bag action, especially on liv This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.