Stripers, Smallmouth, and More: Your Lake Mead Fishing Report

Lake Mead’s November chill has rolled in, and so has some of the best fishing action of the fall. Sunrise hit the shoreline at 6:04 a.m. with temps cool and crisp, starting in the low 50s and climbing to a high near 69 by the late afternoon. We’ve got calm, bluebird skies—perfect for a full day on the water. Winds are projected to stay gentle, under 10 mph, and sunset will be right around 4:43 p.m. No tides to mind out here, but dropping fall water levels have exposed some fresh structure, and that’s pushing schools of baitfish—and predators—into the deeper coves. The water clarity is fair to slightly stained after some recent wind, but nothing that should throw you off your game. Main lake temps are hovering in the upper 60s. Fishing reports this week have been impressive. According to the Arizona Game and Fish fishing update, anglers are seeing the best numbers of striped bass in the last few weeks, with several boats tallying limits by noon. Most of the linesiders are running in the 1 to 3-pound class, but a few double-digit brutes have been landed, especially near the Boulder Basin and around Hemenway Harbor. Trolling white swimbaits or drifting with cut anchovies has been the ticket—both styles caught bass hand over fist, especially during the first light and just before dusk. If you’re going after topwater action, early morning boils at Callville Bay have provided non-stop hits, as detailed in recent kayak fishing videos from local anglers. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are active, too, holding along rocky points and submerged ledges. Best luck has come with medium-diving crankbaits in shad patterns and soft plastic craws pitched into the shadows. You’ll want to target coves like Gypsum Wash or Echo Bay—the smallmouth are especially snappy on chartreuse or green pumpkin tubes worked slow on the bottom. For largemouth, hit the brushy pockets with a Texas-rigged worm or a slow-rolled spinnerbait that mimics shad. Crappie anglers are seeing occasional nice slabs under submerged brush, especially off the Overton Arm using small marabou jigs in white or natural. Catfishers tossing nightcrawlers into the deep channels after dark have been rewarded with steady action as well. Trout have not been recently stocked directly in Mead, but keep an eye out for any scheduled plants at Willow Beach or in upper coves. As for the top baits today: - For striped bass, white or pearl swimbaits, jerkbaits, and fresh cut anchovies remain unbeatable. - For bass, try shad-pattern crankbaits, green pumpkin tubes, and soft plastic creatures. - Crappie are hitting on small jigs, and catfishers can’t go wrong with nightcrawlers or cut bait. Best bets for a limit right now: - Hemenway Harbor early, trolling or casting for stripers - Callville Bay for morning topwater action - Echo Bay for hard-hitting smallmouth Don’t forget the regulation on stripers: keepers are minimum 20 inches, but there’s no limit on those under 20 inches—perfect time to help the lake an This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.