Lake Havasu Fishing Report – September 2
Septiembre 24,
2026
Fall Fishing Is Heating Up on Lake Havasu
Fall is beginning to show itself on Lake Havasu, and the fishing is responding. Cooler mornings and falling water temperatures are pushing the lake out of its summer pattern, while huge concentrations of baitfish are creating some excellent opportunities throughout the fishery.
Over the last couple of weeks, I've seen morning water temperatures fall into the upper 70s to around 80 degrees. We're seeing more bird activity, more surface boils and some very aggressive feeding when we locate the right school of striped bass.
The recent striper numbers speak for themselves. We've had 29 stripers in roughly two hours, 34 fish during a three-hour trip, several other 30-plus-fish outings, and one incredible trip where two anglers caught 75 striped bass, with most of those fish measuring 15–20 inches.
Stripers are definitely the headline right now, but they're far from the only reason to fish Havasu this fall. The cooling water also creates opportunities for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, redear and other sunfish.
Striped Bass
The biggest key to catching Lake Havasu stripers right now is finding the bait.
Large concentrations of bait have been showing up throughout the lake, including around Havasu Landing, the casino area, Mesquite Bay and north of Windsor. However, finding bait doesn't necessarily mean you've found the size of fish you want.
We've encountered schools of smaller stripers around the 12-inch range and then moved to find much better fish in the 15–20-inch class.
On one recent three-hour trip, we initially found plenty of bait and smaller stripers around the casino. Instead of staying there, we moved toward Mesquite Bay, where we marked a much better school. Birds began working the surface as stripers pushed bait up underneath them, and we finished the trip with 34 fish.
Our biggest numbers trip recently produced 75 stripers for two anglers, with the majority measuring approximately 15–20 inches.
When you find the right school, the action can be extremely fast.
Birds & Surface Boils
Bird activity is becoming increasingly important.
Stripers are pushing bait toward the surface, and birds can reveal feeding fish long before you get close enough to see the boil yourself. If birds are diving, circling tightly or repeatedly working one small area, it's worth investigating.
Keep a casting rod rigged and ready because these opportunities can happen quickly.
When approaching a boil, avoid running directly through the school with the big motor. Come off plane before reaching the fish and work the outside edge whenever possible. Driving through the middle of actively feeding stripers can push them down and shorten the feeding window.
Trolling for Stripers
When fish aren't actively feeding on the surface, trolling has been one of our most consistent techniques.
We've been catching fish trolling Cotton Cordell jigs and crankbaits at approximately 2.5 mph, with one particularly productive pattern occurring along windblown banks in approximately 25 feet of water.
Wind can concentrate bait along these banks, and the stripers aren't usually far behind.
Electronics are extremely important. I'm looking for concentrations of bait first and then larger marks around or underneath those bait schools. Once we locate a productive area, we'll make repeated passes instead of continuing to troll through empty water.
As we move farther into fall, expect these fish to continue following the bait rather than staying locked onto one location. Yesterday's waypoint isn't nearly as valuable as what your electronics and the birds are telling you today.
Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass
Lake Havasu has an outstanding largemouth and smallmouth bass fishery, and fall is a great time to target both species.
The same cooling trend that's changing the striper bite also affects the black bass. As water temperatures move away from the summer highs, bass can begin spending more time actively feeding and taking advantage of the lake's abundant forage.
The big thing to focus on during the fall transition is where bait and structure come together.
For largemouth, pay close attention to vegetation, tules, pockets, docks, protected coves, points and shoreline cover. Areas that combine good cover with easy access to deeper water are especially worth working.
For smallmouth, rocky structure becomes particularly important. Rocky points, ledges, drop-offs, transitions and other hard-bottom areas can all hold fish.
Don't assume every bass is sitting against the bank, either. If bait is holding farther offshore, both largemouth and smallmouth can move with it.
Fall Bass Presentations
Fall gives bass anglers a lot of options because fish may be feeding at several different depths throughout the day.
Crankbaits, jerkbaits, swimbaits and other moving presentations are excellent for covering water and locating active fish.
When the moving-bait bite slows
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