Share your catch

Lake Mohave Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Colorado River blue: Mohave runs cold and clear below Hoover, holding striped bass and rainbow trout in the same canyon.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Water temp
~84 F est.
Air / High
99 / 101 F
Wind
S 23 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 09423000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

1/5Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Lake Mohave stays in its summer rhythm: early magic, midday siesta, evening reprieve. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 23 mph, steady pressure near 1008 hPa and a high of 101. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassFair

Deep and early: live bait on downlines over the river channel at first light, or downriggers along thermocline depth.

Catfish (blue, channel)Fair

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassSlow

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 100 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Colorado River below Davis Dam.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp99 F
High / Low101 / 81 F
WindS 23-28 mph
Pressure1007.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:13 / 19:00
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Clear, 101/81 F, wind 23 mph, rain 1%

Slow. 101 F: be on the water at dawn and off by mid-morning, or fish after dark.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Mohave: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Deep and early: live bait on downlines over the river channel at first light, or downriggers along thermocline depth.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

When to come: the Lake Mohave calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Lake Mohave today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 101 F, wind to 19 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 102 F, wind to 19 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 103 F, wind to 22 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Nevada requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Nevada or Arizona license valid on most of the lake under the reciprocal agreement: verify current terms. Trout stamp requirements and striper limits vary: check NDOW and AZGFD.

Access

Katherine Landing, Cottonwood Cove and Willow Beach launches (Lake Mead National Recreation Area).

About this water

A 26,500-acre Colorado River reservoir between Hoover and Davis dams, Clark County, Nevada and Mohave County, Arizona.

Fishing Lake Mohave: the full guide

A river lake in the desert

Lake Mohave stretches 67 miles from below Hoover Dam to Davis Dam, a narrow Colorado River reservoir within Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The upper end near Willow Beach runs cold and clear from the dam releases, supporting rainbow trout; the lower end near Cottonwood Cove and Katherine Landing warms and holds striped bass, largemouth and smallmouth. Few lakes hold trout and stripers in the same water.

Stripers and the shad

Striped bass are the main sport fishery: they chase threadfin shad through the open water, boiling on the surface in summer and fall when anglers throw topwater and swimbaits into the melee. When fish sound, vertical jigging spoons and trolling deep produce. The lower basin and the coves near Katherine Landing are the reliable water. Fish average small with genuine trophies present.

Trout at Willow Beach

The cold releases from Hoover support a stocked rainbow trout fishery in the upper canyon around Willow Beach, fished from boats and the shoreline with bait, spinners and flies. The canyon setting: black rock walls dropping into blue water: is spectacular. Largemouth and smallmouth hold on the rock throughout the lake, offering steady action for anglers who prefer structure fishing.

Recreation area logistics

Launches at Katherine Landing, Cottonwood Cove and Willow Beach serve the lake, all within the national recreation area with entrance fees. Summer heat is extreme: fish dawn and dusk, carry more water than you think you need, and watch for afternoon wind funneling through the canyon. Laughlin and Bullhead City provide services at the south end.

Common questions

Trout and stripers in the same lake?

Yes: cold releases at the upper end support stocked rainbows, while the warmer lower basin holds striped bass.

When do stripers boil?

Summer and fall, chasing shad on the surface, most reliably at dawn and dusk in the lower basin.

Which license do I need?

Nevada or Arizona covers most of the lake under a reciprocal agreement: confirm current terms and any stamp requirements.

Is fishing good at Lake Mohave right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Tough. Pick your battles. Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Nearby waters

Lake Mead54 miLake Havasu69 miAlamo Lake98 miBig Bear Lake154 miOak Creek165 miLake Pleasant168 mi
Share your catch