ALAMO LAKE – Well folks, it saddens me to say, I can feel winter in the air, and have the urge to go into hibernation. It’s been hitting 106 out here, but it’s a nippy 106.  The lows have been in the mid 70s and makes it good for the tent campers.

Parker Bass Club had a 12-boat tournament out there this last weekend.  Everyone caught a allot of fish but it was tough to get out of the slot limit.  A congratulations goes to Mike and Jennifer Wilkinson for a winning weight of 12.12 pounds.  Big fish was 3.64 pounds.

It sure has been a weird year of fishing out here. We did not have the big boils as in the years past, and the few ones you did see, all you caught was a couple of dinks and that’s it. Traditionally September and October are good months to fish out here, so hopefully things turn on. Last year at this time I had just had my neck re built and missed out on some great fishing.

Anglers are reporting catching allot of fish on training wheels. Both white and fire tiger colored crank aits seem to be the ticket there.  Johnny from Parker Bass stated that he caught allot of fish throwing plastic frogs  in about 2 feet of water.  That tells you that there is top water bite going on in the mornings. There’s a full moon going this week so I’m sure  I’m  that has every thing messed up right now.  As I’m writing this the winds are howling out of the north, which really shuts everything down.  I don’t even bother putting the boat in the water with winds out of the north because there’s no place to really hide out on the lake, and  I just don’t seem to catch but maybe 3 to 5 bass all day.

Crappie fishing is hit-and-miss. The dam area is still a bust from what I’ve been told. Anglers have been catching a few in the coves between the main ramp and Cholla ramp. A few guys have told me there catching 20 to 30 a night, but there not about to give up there spots.  The bite starts about 2 a.m. and last till around 4 a.m. Regardless, there are moving back up into the upper end of the lake so I would gear towards that.   Cat fishing is fair.  Anglers are using every thing from shrimp to hot dogs to shrimp.  Shore fishing is o.k. but nothing to write home about.  The biting flies are out in force so remember bug spray and sun block.   Remember to stay hydrated.   Were fixing to start building decks and stuff for the new store this next month so who knows, we may even have it open by January.  till then we still got bait at the ranger station.  That’s all I got.

LAKE HAVASU/TOPOCK GORGE – The following report is courtesy Georgia with Capt. Doyle’s River Excursions/Fun Fishing Guide Service: Limits of stripers are doable in the Topock Gorge, but anglers must keep on the move. Average sizes remain in the 1- to 2-pound range, but a few up to 5-pounds have also been taken. Deep holes have produced a few fatties. Two were lost at the boat. However, one, a 20 +- pounder caught by Golden Shores local Kenny Rasmussin, made it all the way in. Daytime stands for catfish are proving to be as fruitful as nighttime. Cats from 3- to 13.5-pounds have been caught on the ever-present anchovy. At

Topock Marsh, 13- to 16-inch largemouth bass are hitting night crawlers. No numbers have been reported but with the sweltering heat, anglers are only casting their lines in the cool of the morning. The catfish bite is energetic. Golden Shores resident Kaylee Woodruff and her father Terry caught several up to 3.5-pounds. Greg Blanchard, also of Golden Shores, picked up a 15-pounder at South Dyke on cut bait.

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”.

OUTLOOK:

Alamo Lake: The lake elevation continues to be good. 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.  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.

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.
Bluegills 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, I  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.  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.