Arizona Fishing Reports

With hot weather continuing to push through the area, water temps at Havasu have climbed fast, already sitting in the low 70s. That warmth has accelerated the bass season across all three species... largemouth, smallmouth, and stripers.

Smallmouth are probably the hottest bite right now, with small swimbaits and drop shots crushing fish along any rocky stretch. Largemouth are pushing shallow and starting to bed, with a few bigger ones hitting crawfish style soft plastics. Stripers are easing into prespawn mode, chasing bait into deeper coves and against secondary points. Jerkbaits, A-rigs, and underspins are all producing.

Folks soaking bait during low light are connecting with giant flathead and big carp as well. There's plenty of action to be had at Havasu right now.

Striper action has held up throughout the summer on soaked anchovies in 20–40 feet, but the bigger news is size... more fish in the high teen / low 20 inch class are showing lately. Shakers are still around, but the grade is clearly improving. Some morning trollers are also picking up fish on jerkbaits and swimbaits around primary and secondary points.

The largemouth has been good, but mostly on finesse baits... mainly dropshots and Senkos in 10–25 feet near structure or transition areas. There’s a brief topwater window early and shallow on walking baits and floating jerkbaits, but it shuts down quickly once the sun hits.

Spent a few days out on Havasu this week.. Mainly fished around the main basin.. The wind was rough at times but the bite was decent on a fair number of Smallmouth and Largemouth.. Mostly caught fish on drop shots and neko rigs, with a few jerk bait and senko fish thrown in.. The bed bite will for sure pick up next week with the full moon seen quite a few rolling together and a few already on beds but the main spawn hasn’t happened yet…

A new Lake Havasu largemouth bass record is in the books! Angler Brad Miller hauled in an 11.34-pound giant, breaking the previous record of 10.52 pounds that had stood since 2008. According to Western Outdoor News (WON), Miller was fishing near Blankenship Bend when the bass crushed a white swim jig in the Colorado River current.

Miller, a longtime angler who splits time between Lake Havasu City and Florence, Oregon, took the fish to Bass Tackle Master for an official weigh-in before releasing it back into the lake.

Havasu continues its excellent multi-species spring. Bass action remains solid, especially for largemouth in both numbers and size (up to 6 pounds). Senkos and drop-shots are getting the most action, but jerkbaits are getting bit as well. Plenty of striper action on cut bait, but most are only schools size. Catfishing has been excellent at night for giant channels and flatheads pushing 25+ pounds.

A ton of action currently at Havasu. The lake is known for its trophy readear sunfish, and now's the time to get'em. Plenty of 3+ pounders reported. Largemouth and smallmouth bass have both moved very shallow. Sight fishermen from shore and kayaks are catching quality fish throwing finesse presentations. The striper bite has also been hot on anchovies, but mostly for schooly-sized fish.