Winter Fishing Forecast: Colorado River-Northwest
Temple Bar at Lake Mead
Colorado River (Davis Dam to I-40 Bridge)
Fishing rating: good
Flows fluctuate quickly in the stretch of the river. Many anglers prefer not to navigate the river when less than three units are being released from Davis Dam. Check the projected releases before your trip.
Trout are stocked weekly by the USFWS Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery from October through March. Additional trout will be stocked in April and May with funding from Bullhead Pest Abatement. With an abundance of blackfly and caddisfly larvae available for the trout to feed off of, not only can you catch the recently stocked fish, but older holdover trout should be growing quickly here. Trout are stocked at Davis Camp and Community Park during the winter. Many anglers prefer to fish for the holdover trout away from the stocking locations.
Striped bass can also be caught in the vicinity of the trout stockings. Anglers will have a great opportunity to catch stripers throwing big baits.
Lake Mead
Fishing rating: fair
As of the end of November, the lake level was at 1,078 feet. This is around the same elevation that it has been this time of year since 2015. During winter, stripers group up and go deep. The threadfin shad will be doing the same, so look for “balls” of shad on your graph and fish below them. Annual fish population surveys were done in October. Gill-netting and electro-fishing surveys showed many striped bass in the 1- to 3-pound range remain skinny. The lake level continues to be fairly stable at or near 1,137 feet. Try slow trolling to locate the schools of striped bass. Once you find them you can drop anchor and fish them.
Lake Mohave
Fishing rating: Fair
Striper fishing can be really good from Davis Dam to Katherine’s Landing. It’s not uncommon for the bigger stripers to be down by the dam during the winter months. With the water level down, the shoreline fishing areas are up. Davis Dam has plenty of shoreline for numerous anglers to enjoy. Cabinsite and Telephone Cove also provide plenty of shoreline for fishing. As the water has cooled down both stripers and catfish can bite really well. Anchovies continue to be the most popular bait for stripers, but if you want to try something different, use shrimp or squid.
Lake Powell
Fishing rating:
See the latest reports from www.wayneswords.com.
Lees Ferry
Fishing rating
See the latest report from Lees Ferry Anglers.
