Southern Nevada Fish Reports

Rainbow trout are hitting on gold or silver spoons and rainbow-colored PowerBait. Even crankbaits brought in tiger trout this past week. The bass bite is good, and one lucky angler reeled in a 9.5-pound largemouth. Bass are catch and release through June 30. 

 Crappies are starting to hit jigs at this Lincoln County water, as are largemouth bass. Trout are hitting Kastmasters and spinners off the dam and along the south end of the reservoir using. Campsites are fully open, and hook-ups are available.

As air temperatures increase, so does striped bass activity. Anglers are catching fish between 2 and 6 pounds from shore and boat. Anchovies are the bait of choice, but some anglers are reporting success with pencil poppers as well. Black bass anglers are expecting the action to heat up for topwater and crankbait lures thrown near vegetation.

Willow Beach boaters are catching striped bass weighing between 5 and 10 pounds on plugs. Shoreline anglers are experimenting with PowerBait and spinners to land rainbow trout up to 4 pounds. The best bite for trout and striper takes place overnight and into the early morning hours

On the reservoir, black bass and striped bass are starting to come up for bone-colored topwater lures. Stripers are active just above Davis Dam, while the black bass presence is heavy in the Cottonwood Basin.

Night crawlers, mealworms, and PowerBait grubs are working well for stocked bluegill. Largemouth bass are taking plastics and spinnerbaits in most of the ponds. Catfish like hot dog slices, night crawlers, and chicken liver. The Nevada Department of Wildlife stocks catfish once a month during the warm months of the year. The one exception is July when temperatures are too hot for transporting the fish.

Striped bass anglers are having success trolling anchovies in the early morning throughout the Boulder Basin. Others are getting bites on a variety of swimbaits, spinnerbaits, and live bait thrown from shore. Black bass are hitting light-colored spinnerbaits and swimbaits near Callville Bay and in the Overton Arm. Corn and anchovies are working well for catfish throughout the day.

Trout action is good with most rainbows averaging 10-12 inches in length. Anglers have been catching the fish with orange or rainbow sparkle PowerBait. Rapala floating lures or Mepp’s originals will catch some attention. The largemouth bass bite is on, but anglers must catch and release bass through June 30. 

Anglers fishing from the dam and the south end of the reservoir are finding good action for trout. The crappie and bass bite has been sluggish, though crappie have been taking chartreuse jigs. Temperatures are still in the 40s overnight. Campsites are fully open.

Striped bass action is picking up along the Colorado River. Fish between 1-5 pounds are biting anchovies fished from both shore and boat. Anglers are reporting the most activity from the south end of Casino Row through Big Bend State Recreation Area. Black bass action is hit and miss. The bite is expected to pick up around the Laughlin Lagoon in the coming weeks.

The rainbow trout bite is hot along the shorelines of Willow Beach. Anglers are reporting fish weighing up to 4 pounds taking Kastmasters, Rooster Tails, and garlic-flavored PowerBait. On Lake Mohave, black bass anglers are finding the best action in the mornings. The fish are taking live minnows, jerkbaits, and soft plastics.

Black bass and bluegill are biting throughout Government Wash. Smallmouth bass are showing a preference for soft plastics, while largemouth are hitting a variety of hard plastics, including topwater lures. Catfish are hungry for anchovies and catches are being reported at all times of the day. Striped bass anglers are having moderate success using swimbaits and anchovies in the Boulder Basin and near Echo Bay.