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FISHING GUIDE · ARIZONA & CALIFORNIA
Lake Havasu Fishing Guide
Lake Havasu is a desert lake on the Colorado River known for big bass and record redear sunfish. It also has a naturally spawning striped bass population plus channel and flathead catfish. Spring is prime time for bass, and summer brings striper boils at dawn and dusk.
📍 Colorado River on the Arizona-California line. Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and Havasu Lake, California; Parker Dam is at the south end.
Map: spots, ramps and marinas
★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)
Open the full Southwest & California Lakes map →
Quick facts
- Formed by Parker Dam, built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from 1934 to 1938.
- About 19,300 acres, up to 26 miles long and about 90 feet deep at most.
- Arizona state-record smallmouth bass, 6 lb 4.48 oz, caught at Havasu by Sue Nowak in 2017.
- World-record redear sunfish came from Havasu in 2011, 2014 and 2021; the 2021 fish was caught by Tom Farchione.
- Razorback sucker and bonytail chub are protected here and must be released.
What you can catch
- Largemouth bass
Tules, docks and coves; spawn in March-April. - Smallmouth bass
Rocky points, canyon walls and rock piles. - Striped bass
Wild, self-sustaining stripers; summer surface boils. - Redear sunfish
World-record class; best before the spawn, Feb-early May. - Flathead catfish
Big fish at night on live sunfish. - Channel catfish
Shrimp, anchovies, chicken liver or stink bait.
Month by month
| January | Smallmouth on wind-blown banks near steep drops; deep crankbaits or jerkbaits suspended around 20 ft. |
|---|---|
| February | Pre-spawn starts: redear move shallow to feed before the weeds grow up; slip bobbers with nightcrawlers. |
| March | Largemouth pre-spawn into spawn by month's end; smallmouth staging; stripers start spawning around mid-March in 65-69 F water. |
| April | Bass spawn in full swing in warm, protected coves; sight fishing. Stripers on drop shots with anchovies or shad until late April. |
| May | Post-spawn bass; redear suspend over weeds, good for drop shots. |
| June | Topwater frogs in the tules for largemouth early; stripers move deeper as water warms. |
| July | Striper boils at dawn and dusk on topwater; night fishing for stripers under lights with anchovies. |
| August | Mid-to-late summer boil season; thick weeds make redear hard to reach. Night catfishing. |
| September | Summer pattern holds: early morning bass and evening/night stripers and catfish. |
| October | Stripers feed in the daytime in shallow to mid depths; jigging spoons, Kastmasters or slow-trolled live shad. |
| November | Daytime striper bite continues; bass on reaction baits in clear water. |
| December | Winter smallmouth on steep rocky drops; white or chartreuse jerkbaits on cold, cloudy days. |
Tips
- Fish early morning for bass; the water is very clear, so use light line and smaller lures.
- Some coves are closed to fishing; watch for posted signs.
- Use a good fish finder to locate moving striper schools.
- Please release bass during the spawn, even though keeping a limit is legal.
- If you catch a razorback sucker, flannelmouth sucker, roundtail chub or bonytail chub, release it alive.
Rules and license
Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD); California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for the California shore · Official rules page ↗
- Anglers 10 and older need an Arizona fishing license to fish the Arizona side.
- AZGFD 2025-26 rules: Colorado River special-use stamps are no longer required. A valid Arizona license lets you fish from a boat anywhere on the Colorado River boundary with California, or from the California shoreline.
- Fishing from the bank on the California side: California residents need a California sport fishing license.
- Arizona limits for Lake Havasu: 10 trout; 6 bass with a 13-inch minimum; 25 sunfish or crappie in any combination.
- Posted portions of Lake Havasu are closed to fishing.
- Razorback sucker, flannelmouth sucker, roundtail chub and bonytail chub are protected and may not be kept.
Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.
Boat ramps and marinas
The map above shows 15 boat ramps and 3 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.
- Havasu Cove
- Havasu Springs Marina
- Lake Havasu Marina
- Site 6
- Takeoff Point Boat Ramp
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Havasu
- https://www.azgfd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2025-26-Fishing-Regulations_260130.pdf
- https://www.azgfd.com/fishing-2/arizona-state-fish-records/
- https://www.azleg.gov/ars/17/00342.htm
- https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/641/files/PSRA_Fishing_Handout.pdf
- https://azstateparks.com/lake-havasu/on-the-water/fishing
- https://golakehavasu.com/activities/fishing/
- https://www.wired2fish.com/where-to-fish/welcome-to-lake-havasu-where-the-fishing-is-great-and-redear-break-world-records
- https://www.westernbass.com/article/how-to-fish-havasu-in-spring
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.