Even in the Summer Heat, Your Odds are Better on the Lake
Summertime has finally come to the Mohave Desert. The weather change is subtle at first and hardly noticeable on the vast expanse of Lake Mead until you get in touch with the natural activity of the fish. When the wind is down and the lake is calm, you can observe the change. If you watch closely, you'll observe groups of small ripples spread across select areas of the lake. Ripples mean that shad fry are up and feeding on the surface algae and will likely be followed by small stripers in feeding frenzies. These frenzies signal the beginnings of the fantastic summer top water bite season.
As the shad grow larger, bigger stripers begin to come to the surface and feeding activity becomes more violent and more visible. On a great day, the angler will be able to see fish boiling on the surface in feeding areas covering several acres. Once you lock into one of these sites, you've found some of the most exciting fishing you'll ever experience.
Feeding stripers are susceptible to any number of baits, including surface baits, shallow running jerk baits, and plastics. If you position your boat alongside the boils and cast across the activity, you're likely to catch fish on almost every retrieve. The action starts early, usually at sun break, or about 5:30 a.m. in the Mohave at this time of the year, and lasts from one to four hours. On good days, the action can extend late into the morning. On rare occasions, if you can tolerate the extreme desert heat, the bite will extend into the afternoon.
The key to avoiding the extreme heat of the summer is to start fishing as soon as it is light enough to safely take your boat out on the lake and return to the dock in late morning before the heat becomes unbearable. Like anyone else, fisherman would prefer to sleep in, but a smart angler wants to be on the lake in the early morning when the fish are eating.
For more information about Lake Mead conditions and chartered fishing trips on Lake Mead, contact Captain Michael Swartz at fishvegascom@earthlink.net or you can talk with Captain Mike personally by calling 702-293-6294. You can visit the FishVegas website at http://www.fishvegas.com.
Copyright 6/10/05
As the shad grow larger, bigger stripers begin to come to the surface and feeding activity becomes more violent and more visible. On a great day, the angler will be able to see fish boiling on the surface in feeding areas covering several acres. Once you lock into one of these sites, you've found some of the most exciting fishing you'll ever experience.
Feeding stripers are susceptible to any number of baits, including surface baits, shallow running jerk baits, and plastics. If you position your boat alongside the boils and cast across the activity, you're likely to catch fish on almost every retrieve. The action starts early, usually at sun break, or about 5:30 a.m. in the Mohave at this time of the year, and lasts from one to four hours. On good days, the action can extend late into the morning. On rare occasions, if you can tolerate the extreme desert heat, the bite will extend into the afternoon.
The key to avoiding the extreme heat of the summer is to start fishing as soon as it is light enough to safely take your boat out on the lake and return to the dock in late morning before the heat becomes unbearable. Like anyone else, fisherman would prefer to sleep in, but a smart angler wants to be on the lake in the early morning when the fish are eating.
For more information about Lake Mead conditions and chartered fishing trips on Lake Mead, contact Captain Michael Swartz at fishvegascom@earthlink.net or you can talk with Captain Mike personally by calling 702-293-6294. You can visit the FishVegas website at http://www.fishvegas.com.
Copyright 6/10/05
