Recent Reports from Fishermen/Wildlife Managers:
Lake Havasu Fishing Report provided by John Galbraith, Anglers
Pro Shop, Lake Havasu City: Lake Level 448.43. Average day time
water temp 86-92 degrees. Striper bite good for limits of small
to medium sized fish using cut mackerel, squid or anchovies in
30 to 55 feet of water. Use plenty of chum as schools of stripers
are broken up due to the reduced numbers of shad this year. Early
morning trolling or casting lures such as chrome/blue Rat-L-Traps,
pointers and chug bugs are all good for a few quality fish over
4 pounds.
Smallmouth bass excellent using ¼- to 3/8-ounce brown jigs, hula
grubs and Zoom speed vibe craws fished around rocky points in the
main basin south to Standard Wash.
Largemouth
bass fishing is good using Senkos and Gitzits thrown along cattail
rows and weed lines. Try topwater frogs like the Bully Wa and
swamp donkey during the peak sunrise and sunset activity for
a chance at a "big bass".
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Sandpoint Fish Report for July 31, 2008 by Karen Coats (Sandpoint
Bait and Tackle Shop Supervisor)
* 7/26 Rigo Quiroz of Temecula, CA got a 8-pound 4-ounce cat using
anchovies at Sand Island
* 7/27 Rob Perkins of Yorba Linda got a 9-pound 6-ounce striper
at the pump station using anchovies
* Ryan Lamprecht of Peoria, AZ got a 5-pound cat in the marina
using a bare hook!!
SUMMER OUTLOOK:
Alamo Lake: The lake elevation continues to be good, presently
1121 feet. Alamo Lake has had a couple years of good reproduction,
and the fishing should be excellent for largemouth bass and crappie.
There are a fair number of bass over the protected slot, and a
couple of strong year classes of smaller bass that have grown into,
or are just about to enter the slot. We believe that the bass
population would benefit from a higher harvest of the smaller bass.Â
Fishing for channel catfish is expected to excellent this year.
Our netting surveys indicate there are incredible numbers of smaller
catfish in the upper portion of the lake. Given the ideal water
levels all of the boat ramps will be useable this summer.
The store at the lake has not yet opened, so you need to bring
everything with you. If you run short of supplies, you might be
able to pick it up at the Wayside Inn in Wayside, or in Wenden.
The certified scale that was located at the store is now located
at the Alamo State Park office. The Park office also carries live
bait.
Angler report:
Well folks; not a lot has changed this week. Hot and windy.Â
I got a phone call from a guy that went out bass fishing at 8 this
morning and was off the water by noon and only caught 2 bass.Â
Both were in 20 feet of water, and were caught on plastics. A
twin tailed grub and a green lizard were the baits of choice.Â
I still think the best bass fishing is in the evenings. I go out
around 5, figure out wind direction, and hide behind a point.Â
You can pull 5 to 6 bass off of every point.  I'm still averaging
about 10 a night which I think is pretty slow. I can not buy a
fish on a crankbait so I stick with what works. Red flaked lizards
and wolly hog tails. Brush hogs will work too.  I will say that
the fish I've been catching are on the upper side of the slot and
couple going 4 pounds. No boils to speak of. I have no clue as
to what's up with that. Everything is late this year. Crappie
fishing up by the dam has become a bust.  Try the coves and points
between the main ramp and Cholla. I talked to a couple of guys
that caught 80 crappies. They were fishing in the upper end of
the lake on the North side past the first buoy line. It was a
late night bite and they said they had to really work for them. Â
Although they caught fish I would still give crappie fishing a
big thumbs down until I hear of more people catching them.  I
turned a friend of mine on to a honey hole and there going to give
it a try tonight. If they do well then I'll be able to point out
better areas to fish. So for all of you in Las Vegas that have
been calling, stay put, save your money, and tune in next week
for more details. No reports on shore fishing. The lake level is
at 1121 with releases of 50 cfs(I think)Â and both ramps are working
just fine. Remember sun block and bug spray. Report courtesy Mark
Knapp with the Alamo Lake State Park.Â
Where:
Alamo lake
When: 07/28/08
Caught: bass,catfish,blue gill, crappie,carp
Technique: plastic lizards,macro,blue gill,minnows,crawlers
Comments: myself and Ernie Castro, & Danny Castro caught 4
bass,5 crappie,1 10lb carp,6 catfish including the highlight of
the night, a 14lb 35inch flathead cat at about 12:20am Sunday.
Ernie caught it on a live blue gill caught there at the lake.He
jumped up and down when he seen it. Its by far the biggest cat
weve ever caught at alamo. We found a great spot and are looking
forward to going back. Remember, always watch your kids around
water.
Name: Raul Montoya
Where: Alamo Lake
When: 07/27/08
Caught: 11 largemouths
Technique: 5" kaitlins, chartreuse, salt and pepper, and purple
color
Comments: Carolina rigged,walked the shore casting next to trees.
I was with two frineds one caught five bass the other caught seven
on pumpkinseed 6" lizards
Name: Vance Jenkins
Lake Havasu & Topock
Gorge:
Fishing for largemouth bass, as well as smallmouth bass, is expected
to be good to excellent. The size will range from 13 inches and
up, with an occasional fish greater than 4 pounds. A 12-pounder
was landed this spring. Striped bass will continue to be excellent
for small fish (12-18 inches), with occasional fish over 8 pounds.
Fishing for channel catfish, as well as bluegill and large redear
sunfish, will be fair to good. If your interest is flathead catfish,
fishing should be fair at the lower end of the lake (the Bill
Williams River arm) late in June, and on through the summer.
Flathead catfish in Lake Havasu have been caught as large as
40 pounds, although they can potentially become much larger.
Colorado River (Parker Strip Area, between Parker Dam and Headgate
Rock):
Fishing is expected to be good to excellent for smallmouth bass,
with fish over two pounds in size common. The best smallmouth bass
fishing can be found in the upper half of the Parker Strip, while
largemouth bass are more numerous in the lower half, in very respectable
numbers. In addition, redear sunfish should also be good to excellent
in the pound-plus sizes. Our surveys last fall turned up good numbers
of redear sunfish in the two-pound range. That is dinner-plate
sized, folks! Channel and flathead catfish are always fair to good
in this section of the Colorado River.
Colorado River (between Palo Verde Diversion Dam and Walter's
Camp):
This area should be fair for both smallmouth bass (in the channel)
up river from the I-10 Bridge and largemouth bass (in the backwaters)
throughout the entire area. Channel and flathead catfish are always
fair to good in this section of the Colorado River. Most of the
flathead catfish will be smaller ones, in the 2 to 5 pound size
range, with an occasional fish over 20 pounds. Our annual surveys
in the spring each year generally turn up a couple of fish in the
40 to 50 pound range, so trophy flatheads are always a possibility.
Look for large deep pools formed at eddies for the larger fish.
The best time for fishing for both species of catfish will be all
summer and on into the fall months. Generally, the hotter the weather
is, the better the cat-fishing. Nighttime is the best time to
go after both species of catfish.
Colorado River (between Walter's Camp and Picacho State Park):
This section
of the Colorado River is relatively remote, and can only be accessed
by boat from either end. Fishing is expected to be good to excellent
for flathead catfish with sizes reaching over 40 pounds. The
best time will be summer and on into the fall months. The hotter
the temperature the better the fishing is. The various backwaters
will be good for largemouth bass and other sunfish (bluegill & redear).
Other species available in the main river are smallmouth bass,
channel catfish, and striped bass.
Colorado River (between Picacho State Park and Imperial Dam):
This area is expected to be good to excellent for largemouth bass,
channel catfish, and flathead catfish. Bass and channel catfish
in excess of 5 pounds are relatively numerous, along with flathead
catfish as large as 40 pounds. Our survey this spring turned up
an 89-pound monster that should still be lurking in the waters
where it was found. Bluegill are also present in the various backwaters.
Occasional striped bass will be caught in the main river channel,
especially near Imperial Dam. Fishermen did quite well on small
stripers this spring between Martinez Lake and Imperial Dam.
Colorado River (between Laguna and Morelos dams):
This area will be good for largemouth bass and flathead catfish.
Accessing the water can be a problem, as river flows are much lower
than historically, and launching a boat can be a challenge. Accessibility
to the river is dependent on the amount of water being released
upstream. A small shallow-draft boat or float tube should get you
into some good fishing. Bass in excess of 5 pounds are common,
and larger ones definitely exist. Flathead catfish over 20 pounds
are also a good bet in the deeper pools. The lower end has had
some dredging work done, and larger boats may be able to get on
the river in that area.
Because of the increase in border issues and illegal activity on
the lower end of this stretch of the river, we recommend using
extreme caution while fishing the area from Pilot Knob to Morelos
Dam.
If I were to pick a hot fishing area for summer in the Yuma region,
IÂ would have to go with the Colorado River below the Palo Verde
Diversion Dam (near Blythe), all the way down to Imperial Dam (near
Yuma) for flathead catfish. There is an incredible amount of flathead
catfish biomass in the river. In seven days of survey this spring,
we handled (and released) a total of 2500 pounds of flathead catfish.Â
Another good bet would be Alamo Lake. It should be good to excellent
for largemouth bass, crappie, and channel catfish, with the bluegill
fishery also picking up.
If you need any additional information or additional areas covered
don't hesitate to contact the Yuma Regional office, at (928) 342-0091,
and we will be happy to accommodate you.
OTHER
WAYS TO GET THE FISHING REPORT:
Internet Home Page www.azgfd.com
Recorded Public Call-In Line (602) 789-3701
