Bass Fishing in Northern Arizona

Lake Havasu is in the Colorado River basin. It is located in the border between the States of Arizona and California. The lake has an average depth of about 30 feet. It is one of the active fishing spots in Arizona. Bass fishing is a very lively recreational sport in USA. Though its beginnings were rather humble, today it sustains a million dollar industry. Stripped bass, Channel Catfish and Carp are the most abundant fish species in Lake Havasu, closely followed by other species such as largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, sunfish and catfish. Black crappie and rainbow trout are also found in this lake, but limited in number. The number of each fish variety varies after each year, as fish species are introduced into the lake at regular intervals.For bass fishing, the most sought after fish is the stripped bass, which is known in the bass-fishing community as stripper. As stripped bass is very abundant in Lake Havasu, it can be caught at any time of the year and from most of the locations in the lake. But ideal locations, where a high density of fish population exists, change according to the changes in seasons and weather conditions. The size of the stripped bass generally ranges from 2.5 to 5 lbs. But a stripper of about 10 lbs is considered a newsworthy catch. Summer months are ideal for bass fishing in Lake Havasu. Both morning hours and late evening are recommended as the heat will be bearable during these times.Lake Havasu is a venue of a number of bass fishing tournaments. Bass gaming tournaments are held here practically every weekend from September to May. The lake contains sufficient number of largemouth bass to sustain the avalanche of games during this period. Largemouth bass is much smaller than stripped bass, with an average weight of about 2 lbs. But bass gaming tournaments are often won by anglers who catch largemouth bass of 8 lbs or more. Here the practice of catch-and-release angling, where the captured bass are released after finding out the weight, is strongly followed. There was a special live release boat that is used to release the captured fish back to the lake. This boat was owned and operated by the Havasu Bass Club. As the use of live release boat stopped, the number of largemouth bass started to decrease while the number of small mouth bass started to increase. Smallmouth bass has also been increasingly used for bass gaming tournaments, as there are concerns in some quarters over the slowly shrinking number of largemouth bass.  Smallmouth bass with a weight of 6 lbs usually ensures the prize for its capture.

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