The fishing has been relatively slow lately out of Lake Mead, Nevada
Everybody is waiting for the catfish action to heat up, but it has surely been slow for a few weeks now. There is also much anticipation for the trout to starting coming out of the woodwork especially after the planting has taken place, but as well, this is slow to come right now. It is just going to take some more time before this stuff starts heating up.
Some of the locals are using cut anchovies for bait, or shrimp to catch the bass that have been hiding out down low lately. Some crocodile lures are also turning some decent numbers. There was one bass landed last week by a young kid which weighed in just under 8 pounds!! That was rather impressive.
Q: I remember viewing some posts a while back so I thought it would be appropriate to ask if anyone knew of any shore spots here? I’ve lived in Vegas the past 6 mos. and have yet to check it out. Man I miss fishing SD, but if I can get on some bucketmouths I’ll be happy for a bit. I’m over the cement ponds here that stock 7-10 in. trout. MGM may be filing Ch.11 soon which means I’ll lose my job, but at least I can move back home and fish my familiar “ponds”. Until then, Lake Mead is my only option. Thanks for your help.
A: John they are still planting trout at Mead. www.ndow.org will tell you where and when and give you some current info on fishing for Bass, Catfish and Stripers. In the past I have had good sucess fishing from the shore near Echo Bay & Overton Marinas for Stripers and Catfish. Also Willow Beach from shore isn’t bad for Trout but you really need a boat to go for the big Stripers the area is known for.
I’d say that between the Sugoi Splash topwater popper and the soft plastic Senko, you should be all set for some fun Sep/Oct action in the shallows there at Mead. The two topwater patterns that have served me well there are both shad-related. Early mornings I like to “milk run” the cuts in the Big Gyps and Little Gyps area, throwing either the Splash or a buzzbait, and covering a lot of water. BUT, and here’s the payday, you need to have a follow-up bait ready at ALL times, because those early morning cruisers will often swipe at, and miss, the buzzbait or Splash. If you can get that Senko in to the area immediately (rigged weightless, Tex-posed) it’s almost a guaranteed hook-up.
Through the sun and heat of the day, I often retraced the morning’s steps in cuts that have flooded grass beds – it’s a quick-paced deal, the bass will cruise into those cuts (looking for shad) at various times through the day, and you should, too! But, if you don’t get some activity in 10-20 minutes, move to the next cut. You need to move until you’re at the right place, at the right time. Keep throwing that Splash, with the follow-up at the ready.
When the sun’s up and blazing, the bass will often park in the middle of the heaviest brush in the back of those cuts – like the ones in the T-Bar area, Monkey Box, etc. That’s a great time to rig up with really heavy tackle and pitch that big shad-patterned Senko OVER the brush, onto the bank (not to spook the fish) and then twitch it into the shallow, open water behind the brushline, or right into the midst of the
heaviest cover.
One last tip – if the midday shallow water bite just won’t produce for you, try C-rigging that #177 Senko on long-running points and submerged ridges at 25-40 feet deep – same hold true for Hula Grubs also. And, whatever you do, DO NOT dip 1/2″ of the tail of that #177 Senko in chartreuse dye – you’re likely to GET YOUR ARM BROKE!”