FISHING
REPORT EDITOR:
Rory
Aikens, (602) 789-3214
January
12, 2010
HAVASU -- There
is some decent action for striped bass and smallmouth bass.
Topock Gorge Fishing Report from Capt. Doyle’s Guide Service. Crappie
are on the bite at both the South and the North Dyke and are being
caught on minnows. Water temperature in the Topock Gorge is holding
at 68º, the fish are fattening up for the winter, and anglers are
hoping the bite will last for a couple more months! The smallmouth
bass are free swimming while the largemouth bass are holding tight
against the tulles. Although anglers area averaging a limit, they
are returning them to the water to be caught another day. Both
species prefer the darker colored plastic. Sizes for the largemouth
bass have been running between 1- and 4-pounds, and the smallmouth
bass are averaging between a pound and 3-pounds. The catfish bite
has been steady. Needless to say they are favoring anchovy. Bluegill
are also on the bite. Cruising at the edge of the tulles, the panfish
can be picked up on both plastics and night crawlers.
Thanks,
Georgia
Sandpoint
Fish Report for Jan. 14, 2010
1/12
Bill McKinney got a 5 pound 10 ounce striper using shad down
at Havasu Springs
Sandpoint Striper Derby 1/13
Robert P. got 2 stripers big one was 3.13 with total weight of
6.9
Leonard and Tenni P. got 3 stripers big one was 3.1 with total
weight of 8.5
Dave W. got 1 striper at 3 pounds
Bill M. got 1 striper at 1 pound
ALAMO
LAKE – Report courtesy Mark Knapp, Alamo Lake State
Park. Well folks, the good news is that were staying open till
June 2. The bad news is that were scheduled to close June 3.
The state parks board will meet Friday to make the final decisions.
No one will be able to tell me if "closed" means seasonally,
or permanently until after the board meeting. I can not stress
this enough. If you want to see parks stay open then you better
let your voices be heard.
I
was real happy to make one anglers day this last Saturday morning
at Cholla boat ramp. He asked me if were staying open and I
said at least till the end of May. He smiled and said, "As long
our club gets to fish our tournament here in a few weeks thats
all I care about"! Gotta love those short term solutions.
Anyway
crappie fishing is good. I'm getting mixed reports about the
depth of the crappies. I have seen the whole flotilla right
up on the second bouy line in about 40 feet of water. I have
also had anglers say there doing good in 25 feet of water. All
agree on one thing. Road runners with a minnow trailer is the
hot ticket. Any way the bite's on.
Bass
fishing is decent. Parker Bass club had a 10 to 15 boat tournament
here this last weekend and although I did not get any details
I did hear 10 pounds and words crank baits and chatter baits. No
reports on cat fishing this week. I would guess that if the
crappie and bass are biting then the catfish would be too! Well,
I'm keeping this short so I can get this out to you. If nothing
else, get out and see the parks while there still there. Remember
to put your stuff away. Mark
OUTLOOK:
Alamo
Lake: The lake level is still good; we’ll be heading
into the fall with an elevation of about 1,118 feet, which
equates to 3,500 surface acres. Both the main and Cholla ramps
will be usable. While largemouth bass are present in all sizes,
fisheries surveys in the spring indicated that there seem to
be an unusually high proportion of bass within the protected
slot limit (you are allowed to take one bass in the protected
13-16 inch slot). Hopefully fisheries surveys in the fall will
reveal that these fish have grown beyond 16 inches. Regardless,
bass fishing should begin to pick up when the weather cools
a bit, and is expected to be good to excellent throughout the
fall. All types of bait, plastics, spinner baits and top-water
lures should work. As the weather cools off, try slowly working
plastics in deeper water.
Crappie fishing has been a little spotty throughout the summer,
but expect it to be fair to good this fall.
There is a very robust population of channel catfish in Alamo Lake
that are probably under-fished. AGFD conducted hoop-netting surveys
in June, and netted and released over 400 catfish, up to about
7 pounds, with plenty in the 2 to 4 pound size. The best concentrations
of channel catfish seem to be found along the upper two thirds
of the shoreline, on the western side of the lake. For channel
catfish any of the prepared catfish baits will work, as well as
chicken livers or your own secret concoctions.
There are other fish present such as bluegill, redear sunfish,
tilapia and carp that are a lot of fun to catch. More decent-sized
bluegills and redear sunfish, up to about a pound, have been showing
up in recent surveys, a trend we hope continues. When Alamo Lake
was first impounded, it was widely known as the place to go for
sunfish. Sunfish can be caught on a variety of baits and lures.
They are particularly susceptible to fly-fishing, and are very
enjoyable when caught on light fly-fishing tackle.
The
store at the lake is now open, although fuel is not available.
The certified scale that was previously located at the Park office
is now located in the store. At the store you can get ice, snacks,
fishing tackle and bait, as well as information on current fishing.
The gas station (Grower’s Oil) in Wenden is now an AZGFD license
dealer. Their normal hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.,
7 days a week. They carry a small assortment of basic fishing
gear. They may carry worms and catfish bait in the future, but
currently do not.
Lake
Havasu & Topock Gorge: Fishing
for largemouth bass, as well as smallmouth bass, is expected
to be good to excellent. Sizes will range from 13 inches and
up, with an occasional fish in the 4-6 pound range. Every year,
smallmouth bass are becoming more and more numerous in Lake
Havasu and upriver. Bass tournaments now often experience nearly
a 50/50 ratio of smallmouth to largemouth bass. Striped bass
fishing has been pretty slow over the past year, but this summer
we’ve gotten reports of a rebounding shad population, and striper
“boils” on schools of shad are becoming much more common. Hopefully
this signals a turnaround in the striped bass fishery, and
it may be good to excellent by the fall. Most of the striped
bass in Lake Havasu tend toward the small side (12-18 inches)
but occasional fish over 8 pounds are not uncommon. During
the annual striper derby held last May, the number of stripers
caught was down significantly, but more large fish were weighed
in than usual, including 31, 28, 24 and 15-lb fish. Channel
catfish as well as bluegill and redear sunfish fishing should
be fair to good. Flathead catfish fishing should be fair at
the lower end of the lake throughout the fall. Flathead catfish
can reach 40 pounds or better in the lower portion of the lake.
To find them, select the interior points in the coves and the
areas where artificial structure has been placed.
The
cooler weather causes the bite to slow down, so it is important
to work your lures more slowly, and in deeper water. Put away
your topwater lures and switch to plastics, crank baits, spinner
baits, jigs, etc.
Colorado
River (Parker Strip Area): Smallmouth
bass, with fish over two pounds in size are expected to be
good this fall. In addition, redear sunfish should also be
fair in the pound-plus sizes. The Parker Strip is well known
for its smallmouth bass fishing, especially in the area from
the dam to several miles downstream. The Parker Strip is also
home to some really impressive, dinner-plate sized redear sunfish
of two pounds or better. Channel and flathead catfish fishing
is always fair in this section of the Colorado River. Below
the dam, striper fishing may pick up this fall, using live
shad or anchovies.
Colorado
River (between Palo Verde Diversion Dam and Walter's Camp): This
area should be fair for both smallmouth bass (in the channel)
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 in the 2 to 5 pound size range, with an occasional
fish over 30 pounds. The time for fishing for both species
of catfish is in the evening to midnight. As the weather cools,
so will the cat-fishing action.
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 fair to good for flathead catfish with sizes over 40
pounds. The best time for fishing for both species of catfish
will be in the evening to midnight. Largemouth bass and bluegill
are also present in the various backwaters and slack water
areas. Other species available in the main river are smallmouth
bass and striped bass.
Colorado
River (between Picacho State Park and Imperial Dam): This
area is expected to be fair to good for largemouth bass, channel
catfish, and flathead catfish. Bass and channel catfish in
excess of 5 pounds are present along with flathead catfish
as large as 40 pounds, or larger. Bluegill are also present
in the various backwaters and an occasional striped bass will
be caught in the main river channel.
Colorado
River (between Laguna and Morelos dams): This
area will be fair for largemouth bass and flathead catfish.
Bass in excess of 5 pounds are common and flathead catfish
over 20 pounds are a good bet. In this area accessibility to
the river is dependent on the amount of water being released.
Usually shallow draft boats work the best. The lower end has
had some dredging work done and larger boats may be able to
get on the river in that area.
With
the increase in border issues and illegal activity on the lower
end of this stretch, we recommend exercising extreme caution,
avoiding nighttime use, or even staying away from the area between
Pilot Knob to Moreles Dam, altogether.
Regional
Hot Spots: Alamo
Lake will be the hot spot for largemouth bass and channel catfish.
There are many fish in the lake at the present time (especially
channel catfish), and keeping some to eat will not impact the
population in the slightest, and will perhaps even enhance
it. Next choice would be Lake Havasu for striped bass, Lake
Havasu and the Parker Strip for smallmouth bass and sunfish,
and Martinez Lake and Imperial Division backwaters for largemouth
bass. For the die-hard flathead catfish angler, large catfish
can still be caught from Walter’s Camp down to Imperial Dam,
although fishing likely won’t be as effective as in the warmer
months.
If
you need any additional information or assistance don't hesitate
to contact the Yuma Regional office at (928) 342-0091 and we
will be happy to give you whatever information we have.
OTHER
WAYS TO GET THE FISHING REPORT:
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