Spring Bite Bonanza at Lake Mead - Largemouth, Smallmouth, Stripers and Crappie Heating Up

Artificial Lure reporting from Lake Mead on this fine April 23, 2025. We’re having another classic spring day for fishing out here with perfect conditions greeting anglers since sunrise at 6:14 AM. Look for sunset at 7:23 PM giving you a generous window for casting lines. Skies are clear again with temperatures hitting the low 70s, rising toward the 80s as the day goes on. Winds should stay calm, with just enough breeze in the afternoon to liven up the bite a bit. The water is steady and Lake Mead may be landlocked, but the fish have been anything but stuck in a rut. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are pushing in shallow, especially mornings and late evenings as they start thinking about the spawn. There have been lots of 2-to-4 pounders landed lately and some pushing up to 5 pounds. Best action for bass is happening along the weedy shorelines near Calville Bay and Hemenway Harbor. If you’re fishing for bass, try Texas-rigged plastics, green pumpkin jigs, or shallow-diving crankbaits. Don’t be afraid to skip a senko under the shady spots if the sun gets high. It’s a striper show for much of the lake right now, with 5-to-10 pounders coming steady, especially from Boulder Basin and Hemenway Harbor. Anchovy chunks and live shad are still king for stripers, but if you want to cover more water, tie on a three-inch silver swimbait or try trolling a deep-diving crankbait in a shad pattern. Kastmasters and Jumpin Minnows are also catching subsurface stripers for the folks working points and ledges. Crappie have started popping off nicely up in the Overton Arm. Anglers are filling stringers with fish in the 10-to-12 inch range. Small jigs and minnows near submerged brush or docks are the ticket—look for quiet pockets off the main channel. With water temps warming by the hour, best fishing is still early and late. Catfish have also shown up for folks soaking cut bait or nightcrawlers at cove entrances, especially around the Vegas Wash area. No tidal swings to worry about, just keep a close eye on water levels and launch ramps. Hot spots this week: Hemenway Harbor for stripers and bass, Overton Arm for crappie, and Calville Bay shorelines for early-morning bass. Get out here early, enjoy the spring bite, and as always, if the fish aren’t biting, change up your depth and keep moving. Tight lines from your local expert, Artificial Lure. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.