Colorado River Fishing Report: Stripers, Bass, and More in the Desert (Jan 3, 2026)

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to guy for all things fishin' on the Colorado River 'round Las Vegas. It's early mornin' here on January 3, 2026, and the desert air's crisp at about 45°F, with partly cloudy skies and light winds from the southwest at 5-10 mph. AccuWeather's callin' for a chance of scattered showers later as that atmospheric river pattern eases in from the west, but temps'll climb to the low 60s by afternoon. Sunrise hit at 7:18 AM, sunset's 5:07 PM—plenty of daylight to wet a line. No tides on this river stretch, but Lake Mead's sittin' steady at 1,062.33 feet MSL per US Lakes info, down 166 feet from full pool but stable with a slight uptick yesterday.

Fish activity's pickin' up post-holidays—striped bass are schoolin' heavy in the deeper slots off Hoover Dam, chasin' shad. Recent reports from Lake Mead marinas like Callville Bay and Echo Bay show limits of stripers 20-40 pounds on the troll, plus decent largemouth and smallmouth bass hittin' 3-6 pounds from rocky points. Catfish are stackin' up too, channels and flatheads to 15 pounds bottom-bouncin' nights. Trout are slower up in the Virgin River arm, but rainbows are grabbin' from shore.

Best lures right now? Umbrella rigs with white grubs or swimbaits for stripers—troll 'em 20-40 feet down at 2.5 mph. Drop-shot rigs with 4-inch plastics in shad patterns for bass. Nighttime, glow spoons or cut anchovies on circle hooks for cats. Live bait? Threadfin shad or crawdad chunks can't be beat if you can net 'em.

Hit these hot spots: Boulder Basin near the dam for stripers—launch from Lake Mead Marina. Or drift the Narrows for bass, access from Valley of Fire side. Water's clear, levels good, but watch for boat traffic.

Bundle up, check your regs, and stay safe out there.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI