Lake Havasu fishing: Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass

Target species: Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Redear
Best months: Apr, May, Oct, Nov for Striped Bass
Second window: May, Jun, Sep, Oct for Largemouth Bass
Boat: 5 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Lake Havasu - 3, 14 lanes.

The reservoir

Lake Havasu covers 22,169 acres in Arizona, across 2 counties: Mohave and La Paz. It is a reservoir: 91.4% of it is 50 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is ≈74.3 feet (22.6 m). Our records hold 13 species for this water. 44% of the water lies in California. 3% of the water lies in Nevada.

My Public Lands Roadtrip- Lake Havasu in Arizona (20311364585).jpg
mypubliclands · Public domain

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: ≈74.3 ft (22.6 m). 91.4% of the water is 50 feet or shallower. We hold 553 depth contours for this water, drawn from 583,114 soundings.

Boating on Lake Havasu (55170693505).jpg
BLMArizona · Public domain
  • 0–5 ft: 33% of the water
  • 5–10 ft: 6.4% of the water
  • 10–15 ft: 3.6% of the water
  • 15–20 ft: 3.9% of the water
  • 20–25 ft: 5.4% of the water
  • 25–30 ft: 10.1% of the water
  • 30–35 ft: 14.5% of the water
  • 35–40 ft: 5.5% of the water
  • 40–45 ft: 5.1% of the water
  • 45–50 ft: 3.9% of the water
  • 50–55 ft: 6.5% of the water
  • 55–60 ft: 2.1% of the water

5 target fish, led by Striped Bass

  • Striped Bass — Best months: Apr, May, Oct, Nov.
  • Largemouth Bass — Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct.
  • Smallmouth Bass — Best months: Apr, May, Oct, Nov.
  • Channel Catfish — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
  • Redear — Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct.

Also recorded here: Rainbow Trout, Flathead Catfish, White Crappie, Green Sunfish, Common Carp, Goldfish, Gizzard Shad, Threadfin Shad.

Lake Havasu (27588725127).jpg
BLMArizona · Public domain

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 5.5–19 feet on our readings, averaging 12.4 feet, from 390 readings. Water temperature averages 66°F across the year. The coldest single reading we hold is 32°F and the warmest is 95°F; the warmest monthly average is 82°F. pH averages 8.2. These readings span 2016–2026.

Monthly average water temperature: Jan 53°F · Feb 54°F · Mar 59°F · Apr 64°F · May 69°F · Jun 76°F · Jul 82°F · Aug 82°F · Sep 78°F · Oct 70°F · Nov 63°F · Dec 54°F

5 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 2 trailer ramps and 3 boat ramps.

  • Havasu Springs Marina — Havasu Springs Resort. website havasuspringsrvresort.com
  • Lake Havasu - 3 — 14 lanes.
  • Boat ramp — Lake Havasu — 2 lanes.
  • Lake Havasu Marina website lakehavasumarina.com
  • Take Off Point Day Use Area Boat Launch — on Colorado River. phone 928-505-1200 · email [email protected]

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 5 places in this list: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

Season by season

  • Winter (Dec, Jan, Feb, 53–54°F) — Steady but no peak: Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Redear.
  • Spring (Mar, Apr, May, Jun, 59–76°F) — Biting: Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Redear.
  • Summer (Jul, Aug, Sep, 78–82°F) — Biting: Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Redear.
  • Fall (Oct, Nov, 63–70°F) — Biting: Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Redear.

What is hard here

Wind is the limit, not the fish: 22,169 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle. Clarity swings from 5.5 to 19 feet between our readings — the water you meet is not the water someone photographed. Winter water drops to 53°F, and the warm-water species stop feeding well before you do.

Where this data comes from

  • NOAA National Geodetic Survey / Office for Coastal Management — NOAA topobathymetric lidar DEMs: class A, a survey of the bottom, 2021.
  • U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (RISE) — USBR area-capacity tables (RISE): class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.

Part of these depths rest on an averaged water level, so they are approximate (≈).