Lake Havasu Fishing Report — August 25,

Sunrise: 6:05 AM Sunset: 7:12 PM Water Temperature: High 80s at sunrise, climbing into the low 90s by late afternoon We are officially getting into that late-summer Lake Havasu pattern. Water temperatures are already in the high 80s at sunrise and have been pushing into the low 90s by the end of the day. Both the watermilfoil and coontail grass that we typically see late in the summer are really starting to take over the backs of the coves. In a lot of areas, that grass has grown all the way to the surface and is beginning to form some pretty substantial mats. That can make fishing frustrating, but don't overlook it! Within the last week, we've caught tons of largemouth bass, sunfish, and channel catfish from underneath and along the edges of these grass mats. Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass The grass is definitely one of the biggest things I'm paying attention to right now. The trick has been patience. Instead of constantly fighting the vegetation, find openings, holes, points, and outside edges in the grass where you can get your bait into a clean strike zone. Once you find one, don't be in a hurry to move your bait. Let that soft plastic stay in the opening as long as possible. A lot of these fish are sitting underneath the grass in the shade, and sometimes they need a little time to find your bait. A few soft-plastic presentations I really like right now: Texas-Rigged Creature Bait: A 4"-5" craw or creature-style bait rigged weedless with a 3/8- to 1/2-ounce tungsten weight is perfect for pitching into openings in the grass. Peg the weight if you're trying to punch through thicker vegetation. Let it fall to the bottom, shake it a couple of times, and then let it sit. Don't immediately reel it back in. Weightless Texas-Rigged Senko: Around thinner grass and larger openings, a 5" Senko rigged weightless and weedless can be deadly. Cast it into the opening and let it slowly fall on slack line. Most of your bites are going to happen on that initial fall. Dropshot: On the outside edge of the grass, try a 4"-6" straight-tail worm on a dropshot. Use enough weight to maintain bottom contact. Instead of working it aggressively, keep the weight planted and lightly shake the worm in place. Pay particular attention to any isolated holes or irregularities in the grass. Those little openings can concentrate several fish into a surprisingly small area. Sunfish The grass has also been holding a ton of sunfish. A live nightcrawler continues to be hard to beat. Find an opening in the vegetation and get that crawler down into the clear water underneath the mat. I've been having the best luck keeping the bait in that strike zone instead of constantly moving it around. Give those fish time to come out from underneath the vegetation and find it. A dropshot with a small Aberdeen hook and a piece of nightcrawler is still one of my favorite ways to target these fish. Use a heavier dropshot weight than you normally might so you can maintain good contact with the bottom and get through some of that vegetation. Striped Bass Schools of smaller-class stripers can currently be found all over Lake Havasu, especially immediately before and just after daybreak. Watch the surface! These fish are chasing schools of shad, and when you see birds working or shad exploding out of the water, there's a good chance stripers are underneath them. One of my first choices is still a 3"-4" white or pearl swimbait on a 1/4- to 3/8-ounce jig head. Cast past the boiling fish, let it sink for a second, and retrieve it quickly through the school. Small topwater walking baits and poppers are another great option when they're actively pushing shad to the surface. If the fish stop boiling, don't automatically leave. Often those stripers simply dropped underneath the bait. Try letting a white swimbait or jigging spoon sink below where the boil was and work the water column. Match the hatch! These fish are keyed in on relatively small shad right now, so downsizing your presentation can make a huge difference. And keep a rod ready. These boils can appear out of nowhere and disappear just as quickly. Catfish The catfish are officially off their beds and feeding aggressively! We've had some very successful nights targeting both channel cats and flatheads with live and cut bait. I'm concentrating on deeper holes with steep transitions, ledges, and structure, especially anywhere I'm finding concentrations of sunfish. Find the food and there's a good chance you'll find catfish nearby. I've been fishing a 10/0 circle hook with either a sliding rig or a bottom-bouncing rig depending on the area we're fishing. And don't sleep on the cut bait! We've had plenty of flatheads eating cut bait, sometimes just as readily as the live bait. If I'm fishing several rods, I like having both options in the water and letting the fish tell me what they want that night. The late-summer night bite is really starting to get fun!