Lake Havasu Fishing Report – June 19, 20

Summer has officially settled into Lake Havasu. Temperatures have been hot, the wind has been a regular challenge, and water temperatures are now well into the 80's and still climbing. I've been extremely busy with both party charters and fishing charters, but I finally found a moment to sit down and put together a fishing report. With the spawn now behind us for all of our major species, it's time to start focusing on post-spawn patterns. Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass Soft Plastic Pattern Post-spawn bass are beginning to slide off the banks and set up around secondary points, rock transitions, submerged brush, and offshore structure. One of my favorite techniques right now is a dropshot or Texas-rigged soft plastic. Four to six-inch Roboworms, Senkos, and small creature baits have been producing well. Target the areas around Copper Canyon, Thompson Bay, the points around California Bay, and rocky structure near Steamboat Cove. Focus on depths from 15-30 feet and pay close attention to isolated brush piles and rock piles. Early mornings and late evenings have been especially productive. Crankbait Pattern For anglers looking to cover water, medium-diving crankbaits have been excellent. Shad and crawfish patterns fished along chunk rock banks, tapering points, and ledges have been producing both largemouth and smallmouth. Some of my favorite areas include the points around the north basin, the mouth of Castle Rock Bay, and rocky banks between Site Six and Copper Canyon. Deflecting a crankbait off rock and keeping it in the 10-20 foot range has been triggering reaction bites from bass that are feeding up after the spawn. Sunfish I am still catching quality sunfish, but the bigger ones have moved deeper and are holding tight to structure that provides shade and cover. I am finding plenty of medium and smaller fish tucked up in the reeds. If you're fishing the reeds on bright bluebird days, expect the fish to be buried tight against the cover. When we get a little cloud cover, they seem much more willing to venture out and feed. A dropshot rig with a fairly heavy weight to maintain bottom contact, paired with a small Aberdeen hook tipped with a chunk of nightcrawler, has been getting the job done consistently. Striped Bass This post-spawn striped bass bite has been a little funky in my opinion. Some days have been fantastic and other days we've had to work hard for just a few fish. I've still been catching quality stripers in the 2-5 pound range by trolling before sunrise with the newer 6.5" Live Target swimbaits at around 2.5 mph using leadcore line. I've been seeing massive schools of 1-2 pound fish boiling all over the lake, especially in the north basin just north of Windsor State Park. Topwater poppers have had some success, but 3.5" white swimbaits have definitely been the ticket for getting those schooling fish to commit. Of course, I've continued to rely on the tried-and-true white fluke on a Pulse Jig head while trolling, and it continues to produce fish. However, lately I've been dealing with a lot of short strikes, which tells me the fish are feeding but aren't fully committed. Catfish Both flathead and channel catfish are definitely in their post-spawn phase, and I expect this bite to only continue improving. We've had some incredible nights chasing these fish with both live and cut bait. Some nights have been absolutely nonstop with runs, while others have been a little slower, but overall the bite has been trending upward. With the next full moon arriving on June 29th, I fully expect the night bite to continue ramping up.