Lake Havasu continues to fish like winter, with water temperatures holding steady in the mid-50s and days slowly starting to get longer. While conditions haven’t changed drastically temperature-wise, the biggest shift over the last few weeks has been in how we’re targeting stripers. We’ve started throwing the cast net for shad and incorporating live bait into the program, which has made a big difference on certain days. My live shad setup has been simple and effective: 30 lb braid to a 24-inch 15 lb fluorocarbon leader, rigged with a small circle hook and as little weight as possible depending on the depth the fish are holding. Boils are still popping up periodically, and when they do, it’s been game on. During those moments, I’m still throwing Rapala CrushCity swimbaits on a 1 oz jig head. In several of the same coves where stripers have pushed shad shallow, we’ve also caught a surprising number of both smallmouth and largemouth bass mixed in with the stripers, all feeding aggressively on the same baitfish. Fishing over this stretch has been a true mix of highs and lows. The good days have been unforgettable, with fast action and aggressive fish that make winter fishing worth every cold morning. On the flip side, the tough days have been grind-it-out kind of days. Even when you’re marking shad and stripers stacked together, it doesn’t always mean the bite is on, which is just part of winter fishing on Havasu. I only have a few open dates left for February

Lake Havasu has officially shifted into winter fishing mode, with sunrise now around 7:45 AM and the sun setting close to 5:45 PM. The weather has been all over the place, with wind, more wind, and even a little rain mixed in, but that’s been great news for the lake. All of that weather has pushed water temperatures down into the mid-50s, which is exactly where striped bass thrive this time of year. This temperature range is a sweet spot for stripers because it allows them to feed aggressively without burning too much energy, while shad also group up tightly in the cooler, oxygen-rich water, making them easier to hunt. The biggest change over the last couple of weeks has been the consistency of striper boils on the north end of the lake. I honestly haven’t had much reason to run south because the action up north has been that good. Find the birds and you’ll find the stripers. The boils have been lasting most of the day instead of just short windows, and some of our best fishing has happened on windy days. We’ve also been seeing better quality fish, with stripers regularly ranging from 2 to 6 pounds, and most of them are fat and full of shad. To stay on these roaming schools, I’ve adjusted my trolling program to match the conditions. When the birds are working, I’m typically running one of three lures: a ¾-ounce Cotton Cordell silver jig with a feathered treble hook, a white Fluke on a ¼-ounce Pulse jig head, or a Rapala CrushCity Mayor swimbait in shad color on a ¾-ounce Dobyns extra-long shank jig head. I’m pulling these baits on leadcore line, usually letting out three to four colors, and trolling between 2.5 and 3 miles per hour to keep the lures right in the strike zone. We even wrapped up one charter recently by throwing those Rapala CrushCity swimbaits up shallow after the stripers pushed shad into tight water and pinned them for an all-out feeding frenzy. It was a bad day to be a shad. If you want to experience this winter striper bite while it’s peaking shoot me a message

Water temperatures are now hovering around 59–60° in the early mornings, warming to roughly 62° by the afternoon thanks to light winds and above-average air temps. The lake is still in the process of turning over, especially in the backs of coves and bays, but overall water clarity has noticeably improved compared to earlier in the fall. Each week it’s getting a little cleaner, and that’s helping the bite. Bird activity has been hit or miss, so I’ve been starting every charter with a clean slate and letting conditions dictate the game plan. I spend a lot of time glassing the water and watching bird behavior. You don’t always need birds actively diving or circling to know shad are present. Pay attention to birds sitting on the water or stacked along the shoreline—especially when multiple species of waterfowl are grouped together. They aren’t there by accident; they’re feeding, and where there’s shad, stripers are usually close behind. So what’s been working? Trolling has been a strong starting point. I’ve been running 4" River2Sea D-Walker 100 paddle tails in pearl on 1 oz jig heads, along with white Zoom Super Flukes rigged on ¼ oz albino Pulse jig heads. Nearly every trip starts with trolling proven water from the previous few days. This allows us to cover ground and locate active schools. Stripers are a pelagic species—they don’t live tight to structure. They roam open water, and right now food is the main driver. Water temps are fair, spawning isn’t a factor, so locating bait is everything. When I troll through a school—especially one holding close to shad—I mark it on the graph. If we hook up, we’ll either circle back and work that mark with flutter jigs or continue trolling through the school, depending on conditions. What I’ve noticed is that a school is usually either fully active and feeding or completely shut down while digesting. If trolling and jigging don’t produce, I’ll drop anchovies straight down. If that still doesn’t trigger bites, we move on and find a more active group of fish. Overall, fishing has been steady, and with improving clarity and cooling temps, things should continue to trend in the right direction. If you’re looking to get on the water, December is filling up fast, so give me a call or text to book your trip.

Water temps have now settled into the low 60s, fluctuating slightly depending on wind and daytime highs. Sunrise is around 7:30 AM, and with early December forecasted to bring highs in the upper 60s and lows in the upper 40s, I expect surface temps to continue dropping. Winter patterns are setting in, and the fishing is shifting right along with them. With a lake as large as Havasu (19,300 surface acres), this report reflects what I and my clients have personally experienced based on the areas we’ve focused on. There are several fantastic guides on this lake, and many fish different zones or use different techniques. The best advice I ever received—and what I still live by—is to always stay humble, stay curious, and keep learning from others. None of us will ever “know it all,” and every angler brings something valuable to the table. The past two weeks have been packed with charters, and I’ve spent fifteen straight days on the water. We’ve had some incredible action mixed with some tougher days that required grinding it out, but overall the bite has been solid. Most of my time has been spent from Twin Palms down to Cattail State Park, and that’s where this report will focus. In this stretch, water temps have consistently run about 1–2 degrees warmer than the north end. This zone has been holding plenty of shad and striper, and the bird activity has been steady every morning. The timing of the boils has been inconsistent, so it’s very much a matter of being in the right place at the right moment but the signs are there. Even when they’re not blowing up on the surface, birds circling low or making short dives tell you you’re in the right neighborhood. During boils, our best producers continue to be white/pearl paddle tails on ½–¾ oz jig heads and ¾–1 oz jigging or flutter spoons. With paddle tails, I have clients cast past the boil and work the bait through it with a mix of steady retrieve, pauses, and rod pops. For spoons, we’re doing two things: • Vertical jigging when we’ve got schools stacked directly under the boat — drop straight down, pop the jig a couple of times, then let it fall on a slack-ish line so it can flutter. Most hits come on the fall. If your line stops sinking unexpectedly, reel down and set the hook immediately. • Casting spoons by bombing them past the action, counting down 7–12 seconds, popping the jig upward, then letting it flutter back down before repeating. This is a deadly technique when the fish are spread out or the boil is small. We’ve made a few attempts to net shad in the Bill Williams River, but the schools aren’t dense yet. They’re there—just not in big numbers. You might have better luck, so take that info for what it’s worth, and feel free to share if you crack the code! Overall, clients have been extremely happy with the steady action and high catch rates. The bigger fish are starting to show, the water is cooling fast, and we’re just now entering my favorite stretch of the entire striper season. It’s only going to get better from here.

Striper fishing on Lake Havasu has been steady as we move deeper into fall. Sunrise is now around 7:15 AM, and water temps are finally holding under 70°, sitting near 67° all day on the 16th. With the storm system that rolled in on the 15th and expected to linger until the 21st, plus daytime highs only in the mid-60s, we should see temps continue dropping and the lake gradually clearing. I’ve spent most of my time from Standard Wash to Havasu Springs, where I’ve consistently marked heavy bait schools. Yesterday my clients slid onto a quick morning boil at Standard Wash and landed 5–6 stripers in about 20 minutes. Before the storm, I was getting reliable 2–4 lb fish between Black Meadow Landing and Bluegill Cove by watching the birds and relying on the graph—several mornings the screen was stacked top to bottom with striper. Reports up north have been mixed, with some anglers catching on jigs and others only on bait. During a recent three-hour trip with a family of six, the Sod Farm was loaded with fish, producing steady action even though size was smaller. Birds are becoming more aggressive each day, and with cooler water settling in, we should see the pattern tighten up soon. Most of our recent fish have come on jigging spoons and anchovies, though I’ll be adding paddle tails back into the rotation as clarity improves. Overall, conditions are shaping up for a strong late-fall bite.

Water temps have cooled off, sitting around 68° in the early mornings and warming to about 71° by the afternoon. Sunrise is just after 7 AM, and mornings have been calm with light wind—building out of the south later in the day. The lake is still turning over, leaving the north end pretty green and murky, while the south end is starting to clear up thanks to more wind and current flow. Trolling has been on the slower side overall, but the fish we’re catching have been solid quality. On Nov 5, I landed a fat, healthy striper just shy of 5 lbs on a 6" paddle tail. I’ve been running 4"–6" pearl and white paddle tails on 1 oz jig heads, as well as dark-colored lipless crankbaits early and white once the sun hits the water. With visibility still low, I’ve been adding a touch of Pro-Cure gel scent, which has made a noticeable difference in converting short strikes into hookups. Productive trolling and casting zones include Pilot Rock down to Standard Wash, The Sod Farm, and Copper Canyon up to Grass Island, all holding good bait and striper activity. Boils have been inconsistent—no solid pattern yet—but when they go off, it’s fast and furious. The Three Dunes area continues to produce the best morning action, with boils starting 20 minutes before sunrise and lasting about an hour. Fish there have been 2–4 lbs and hitting jigging spoons, paddle tails, and blade baits. Up north, Thompson Bay has seen smaller, 1–1.5 lb fish, but the boils there sometimes linger into the late morning, giving anglers more time to work them. When the bite slows, bait fishing with anchovies remains reliable and brings plenty of mixed catches—stripers and channel cats. Some of the best bait spots have been Grass Island, Thompson Bay, and out in front of the Casino. Clients have been catching non-stop schoolie striper mixed with a few quality fish throughout the day. Overall, fishing has been steady to strong, and with water temps continuing to fall, the bite should only get better!