Updated February 22, 2021

COLORADO RIVER

COLORADO RIVER (BELOW DAVIS DAM) – According to Rusty Braun at Riviera Marina, larger striped bass are starting to show up highlighted by a 17.74 pounder that ate anchovies near Community Park. Glidebaits are also claiming some nicer stripers in the river below Davis Dam. Trout are being stocked in the region, and the bite around Community Park and Davis Camp.

LAKE HAVASU – The bass bite’s remains fairly challenging and it’s been a little bit of everything accounting for bites bait wise: chatterbaits and squarebills in the grass, flipping jigs shallow and deep, drop-shots worked on deeper structure and some reaction fish showing in isolated areas on a mix of underspins, swimbaits and jerkbaits. That said, look for a significant wave of fish to move up with the upcoming full moon. Striper fishing has been okay for guys fishing cut baits and some linesides are also taking swimbaits and A-rigs along with some coming on the troll with deep-divers and white Rat-L-Traps. Look for the bigger redear to be moving up in the next couple weeks as lake temps drift upward.

LAKE MEAD – Still a bit of a tougher bite for stripers but it’s improved some from a week ago with more fish moving around in the Government Wash area, said John Wood at Angler’s Edge Guide Service. It’s been some being caught casting swimbaits and a few on the troll and on cut baits. Getting live shad remains fairly difficult. There have been some spots of active largemouth and smallmouth in the lower basin and chatterbaits and spinnerbaits have been producing well, along with your standard winter plastics arsenal.

LAKE MOHAVE – The weather is improving, and anglers getting there on one of those days or powering through the windy days are doing well on smallmouth. It’s quality over quantity, with decent football-sized smallies coming up on a variety of baits including lipless cranks, Ned rigs, small jigs, Keitechs, grubs and umbrella rigs. Largemouth has been slow, but it’s expected to improve as warmer weather takes hold and spring grows nearer. Striped bass fishing has been slow, but there has been boils spotted between Telephone Cove and the dam as fish tee off on shad near the surface.

WILLOW BEACH – Striped bass fishing continue to trend in the right direction with multiple double-digit fish recently nabbed. One went a tad under 32 pounds and ate a trout swimbait right out of Willow Beach (see story in this issue), and another was an 11 pounder that ate a Rago swimbait near Mile Marker 43. Those familiar with the fishery, and more to the point, the anglers out of Willow Beach know if a couple were reported, a fair amount more were likely caught. Trout fishing remains productive right around the Marina thanks to weekly stocking.