Lake Havasu is a reservoir in Arizona, near Mohave County.
Lake Havasu is a reservoir in Mohave County, Arizona and covers about 20,390 acres, reaches about 90 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 180,000 acre-feet.
The size of Lake Havasu rewards a simple area-by-area plan instead of long random moves. Deep water at Lake Havasu gives fish room to move away from shore as summer heat and bright light build.
Lake Havasu is a Colorado River reservoir behind Parker Dam with rocky points, river current, protected backwaters, and a long history of fish-habitat work. It is managed strongly for largemouth and smallmouth bass, with redear sunfish and striped bass as featured targets.
Smallmouth use rock and current edges, largemouth fit vegetation and protected pockets, and redear feed close to bottom around shells and firm flats. Striped bass follow shad, while flathead and channel catfish need a slower channel-edge pass.
The lake covers about 20,390 acres and reaches roughly 90 feet. It is long enough for river flow, wind, and water clarity to vary by section. A rocky main-river point and a quiet backwater should be treated as separate fisheries.
Arizona’s management plan places its highest warm-water emphasis on largemouth and smallmouth bass, with redear sunfish featured next and striped bass providing a broad open-water option. That mix rewards three distinct tackle plans.
Habitat projects added brush and artificial structures that give young fish and adult bass cover. Fish the outside edge first with a jig or soft plastic, then move into the thickest part only when bites show fish are buried inside.
Redear sunfish can grow unusually large in Havasu’s warm, food-rich water. Keep a small natural bait near bottom and move slowly across firm flats. A quiet bite can be more productive than chasing every visible surface school.
Fish listed for Lake Havasu include Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Flathead Catfish, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Redear Sunfish, Smallmouth Bass, Striped Bass, and Threadfin Shad.
A simple way to find black crappie is to fish a light jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops.
For bluegill, use a small jig, worm, or tiny plastic around green weeds and protected pockets.
Start the smallmouth bass day by trying to drag a tube or Ned rig across rock and the hard edge of a point.
For a quick largemouth bass check, fish a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover.
Other targets listed here include Channel Catfish, and Common Carp; give each one its own bait and depth instead of trying to catch everything with the same rig.
A useful start on this water is simple: do not let the deepest number control the whole day; nearby cover, firm bottom, and food usually matter more than the deepest hole by itself.
For a short trip to this water, shallow water is worth a careful look in spring and again during fall; bright summer days favor shade, weeds, or deeper breaks; under ice, a light depth change can be more useful than a long shift.
The first look at Lake Havasu should cover this: a medium spinning setup, 8-pound line, a small box of jigs, a few crankbaits, and a simple bottom rig cover most situations; change depth or speed before changing every piece of tackle.
After a bite, write down productive depth, water color, wind, and cover; those details help more on the next trip than a long list of empty spots.
On an first pass, keep the first hour simple: try one moving bait to find active fish, slow down with a jig or natural bait on the strongest edge, and repeat the same setup when two bites come from matching depth and bottom during that part of the trip.
Rock, backwaters, river current, and years of habitat work support both largemouth and smallmouth bass in the same reservoir.
Fish a worm or small jig close to bottom on a firm flat or shell-covered edge beside deeper water.
They follow shad through open water and may gather along current seams, points, or old river-channel turns.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.