Lake Pleasant, AZ Fishing Report

Lake level is at 1,678 feet, 74 percent full, with approximately 8,160 surface acres. With the water level up from the rain and snow melts, folks at one of the marinas gave this advise. " fish the shallows, 3-6 feet using yellow or orange crank bait" Eric E. caught a monster stripper at Lake Pleasant a couple weeks ago.

Lake level is at 1,677 feet, 72 percent full, with approximately 8,160 surface acres. Good fishing in the shallows, use topwater lures, crankbait or spinners.

Lake level is at 1,666 feet, 62 percent full, with approximately 7,494 surface acres. Good fishing in the shallows, use topwater lures, crankbait or spinners.

Lake level is at 1,666 feet, 62 percent full, with approximately 7,494 surface acres. Good fishing in the shallows, use topwater lures, crankbait or spinners

Lake level is at 1,666 feet, 62 percent full, with approximately 7,494 surface acres.

Lake Pleasant fishing is really starting to mold into  its classic winter pattern. The recent winter storms have snapped the lake temps down by a few degrees(58 to 60 degrees) and the fish have really started schooling up and chasing the bait fish.

For the conventional anglers Alabama rigs, crank baits and jerk baits in the creek arms are working well, half ounce to one ounce spoons (like the cripple herring) fished vertical in tree tops in the center of the creeks is also a great way to really sack em. Although the fish are deep fly guys can definately catch them on heavy sinking lines and large streamers.

Lake level is at 1,655 feet, 52 percent full, with approximately 6,864 surface acres.  Stripers are still going crazy during the early mornings and late evening now that the outside temperatures are slowly decreasing. Shad boils are being seen in the hallows and coves causing great fishing Try using topwater lures, swim baits, Alabama rigs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits or jerkbaits. Fishing from shore has been decent for smallmouth and largemouth bass. Word is that the water temperature is slowly declining, causing the shad to move in towards shore. Small coves and deep holes are the best area. Try using anything that looks like shad, or live baits. Nighttime fishing for catfish, especially from shore, should be good using stink bait. Try stink baits or blood baits, such as chicken liver. Corn can also work for both catfish and carp. Frozen anchovies fished on the bottom are another good choice -- you might even catch a striped bass.

Lake level is at 1,658 feet, 55 percent full, with approximately 7,041 surface acres. No new reports. Stripers are still going crazy during the early mornings and late evening now that the outside temperatures are slowly decreasing. Shad boils are being seen in the hallows and coves causing great fishing Try using topwater lures, swim baits, Alabama rigs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits or jerkbaits. Fishing from shore has been decent for smallmouth and largemouth bass. Word is that the water temperature is slowly declining, causing the shad to move in towards shore. Small coves and deep holes are the best area. Try using anything that looks like shad, or live baits. Nighttime fishing for catfish, especially from shore, should be good using stink bait. Try stink baits or blood baits, such as chicken liver. Corn can also work for both catfish and carp. Frozen anchovies fished on the bottom are another good choice -- you might even catch a striped bass.

Lake level is at 1,655 feet, 52 percent full, with approximately 6,864 surface acres. Stripers are still going crazy during the early mornings and late evening now that the outside temperatures are slowly decreasing. Shad boils are being seen in the hallows and coves causing great fishing Try using topwater lures, swim baits, Alabama rigs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits or jerkbaits. Fishing from shore has been decent for smallmouth and largemouth bass. Word is that the water temperature is slowly declining, causing the shad to move in towards shore. Small coves and deep holes are the best area. Try using anything that looks like shad, or live baits. Nighttime fishing for catfish, especially from shore, should be good using stink bait. Try stink baits or blood baits, such as chicken liver. Corn can also work for both catfish and carp. Frozen anchovies fished on the bottom are another good choice -- you might even catch a striped bass.

Lake Pleasant has seen a ton of shad activity in the shallows.  The fall migration is in full swing and the bass and stripers are really starting to stack up on them in the shallows.  The next few weeks should be excellent for both fly anglers and conventional anglers fishing the bait balls in the backs of the creek arms.  Fly anglers will want to keep with the streamers in shad patterns (clousers, deceivers, diamond hairs, etc) and gear guys will want a mix of topwater walking baits, squarebills and swimbaits.  As with most of the year, the morning bite can be peak, but the afternoons are so nice that they just cant be ignored.  If youre looking at scheduling a trip I would give the afternoon/sunset time a solid look; good fishing and great temperatures!

See the information on the detection of largemouth bass virus under "Fishing News" at the beginning of this report. Lake level is at 1,645 feet, 45 percent full, with approximately 6,285 surface acres.  Stripers are still going crazy during the early mornings and late evening now that the outside temperatures are slowly decreasing. Shad boils are being seen in the hallows and coves causing great fishing Try using topwater lures, swim baits, Alabama rigs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits or jerkbaits. Fishing from shore has been decent for smallmouth and largemouth bass. Word is that the water temperature is slowly declining, causing the shad to move in towards shore. Small coves and deep holes are the best area. Try using anything that looks like shad, or live baits. Nighttime fishing for catfish, especially from shore, should be good using stink bait. Try stink baits or blood baits, such as chicken liver. Corn can also work for both catfish and carp. Frozen anchovies fished on the bottom are another good choice -- you might even catch a striped bass.

Lake level 1,640, 40 percent full, with approximately 6,028 surface acres. Stripers are still going crazy during the early mornings and late evening now that the outside temperatures are slowly decreasing. Shad boils are being seen in the hallows and coves causing great fishing Try using topwater lures, swim baits, Alabama rigs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits or jerkbaits. Fishing from shore has been decent for smallmouth and largemouth bass. Word is that the water temperature is slowly declining, causing the shad to move in towards shore. Small coves and deep holes are the best area. Try using anything that looks like shad, or live baits. Nighttime fishing for catfish, especially from shore, should be good using stink bait. Try stink baits or blood baits, such as chicken liver. Corn can also work for both catfish and carp. Frozen anchovies fished on the bottom are another good choice -- you might even catch a striped bass.

Lake elevation is 1,638 feet, 39 percent full with approximately 5,957 surface acres. No new reports. See the Oct. 11 edition of the Fishing Report for preliminary Lake Pleasant survey data.

The lake survey is not yet finished, but preliminary data suggests excellent largemouth bass numbers in the Aqua Fria and Humbug arms of Lake Pleasant. Sunfish numbers were also high. All size classes were caught from young-of-year to lunkers of these species. Electrofishing is not typically efficient for catching channel catfish (and that proved to be the case), but a good number of flathead catfish ranging from 6-7 inches to one in excess of 3 feet were caught mainly in Aqua Fria and Humbug coves. The points on the southwest portion of the lake were productive as well for largemouth bass. Surveys of the lake are not yet complete. Young stripers were also caught during electrofishing and larger ones were caught in nets. Some cursory stomach analysis indicated the largemouth bass were eating crayfish and shad. The stripers were eating shad. Full-fledged stomach analysis will be done at a later date.

Fishing success is based on many factors, one of which is the moon and sun phase. Fish tend to be most active during the 90-minute windows surrounding the sun and moon rise and fall. When the moon is at full or new moon stage, the effect is stronger. There are many apps you can use that display this information for you. As anglers know, severe weather changes have an impact on the way fish feed. If a cold front is approaching, the fish tend to move deeper into the water and lay low. Barometric pressure is a good indicator. If it changes quickly, the fish tend to be less likely to show interest in your bait. If the change is gradual, the fish will respond favorably.

One of the best things you can do is keep a fishing log noting air and water temperature, weather conditions, moon and sun phase if you are fishing in the 90-minute time period surrounding the rise or fall, location of catch, and lure types used and which ones were successful. This may seem tedious to many of you, but I haven’t come across anyone who said it was a waste of time if they put in the effort.

Lake level 1,651, 50 percent full with approximately 6,663 surface acres. Word is that the stripers are going crazy during the early mornings and late evenings now that the outside temperatures are slowly decreasing. Shad boils are being seen in the shallows and coves causing great fishing. Try using topwater lures, swim baits, Alabama rigs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits or jerkbaits. Nighttime fishing for catfish, especially from shore, should be good using stink bait. This is prime catfish time. Try stink baits or blood baits, such as chicken liver. Corn can also work for both catfish and carp. Frozen anchovies fished on the bottom are another good choice -- you might even catch a striped bass.

Lake level 1,647, 50 percent full with approximately 6,747 surface acres.

Mike McFarland, a fishing guide with Hook Up Outfitters, said the topwater action has now spread lake wide and you might find bass chasing shad just about anywhere in the lake, especially at first and last light, then periodically throughout the day.

Try using topwater lures, swim baits, Alabama rigs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits or jerkbaits.

Nighttime fishing for catfish, especially from shore, should be good using stink abit. This is prime catfish time. Try stink baits such as chicken liver. Corn can also work for both catfish and carp. Frozen anchovies fished on the bottom are another good choice -- you might even catch a striped bass.

Lake level 1,653, 50 percent full with approximately 6,755 surface acres.

Striped bass and largemouth bass have both been more active lately. Mike McFarland, who guides for Hook Up Outfitters, said to fish the northern end of the lake (above Cottonwood Cove) and focus on the edge of islands in reefs in 30 to 30 feet of water for lots of small stripers -- mostly on topwater. Try Zara Spook Juniors and buzzbaits. Cover lots of water and look for bird and surface activity.

Interesting enough, Mike say a flow of around 250 geese come into the lake the other day -- this is way early for geese coming in this far south.

Nighttime fishing for catfish, especially from shore, should be good using stink abit. This is prime catfish time. Try stink baits such as chicken liver. Corn can also work for both catfish and carp. Frozen anchovies fished on the bottom are another good choice -- you might even catch a striped bass.

Angler report:

Hi Rory,

Read your last fishing report for Pleasant and the elevation is 1653’ and 50% full according to CAP (lake level is way below the 1675’ you listed)

I have been diving up there a lot and with the run off, visibility is poor wherever you go and the deeper the worse it gets.  At 30’ it is down to 3-4 feet, 2 weeks ago at 80 it was 1-2 feet tops. 

With the warm temp I have only seen baby bass in the coves and some carp in 30-40 feet, the bigger fish are staying deep and only coming up for boils.  Two weeks ago I saw a lot of big fish on the fish finder down 70-80 feet but they could have been beside me and I would not have known it, nor would they have.  You would need to use bait at that depth just to get their attention (north by the islands)
Yesterday when taking the boat out at Pleasant Harbor north ramp at sunset I saw a guy catch a little 5 or 6 inch bass (looked like a largemouth from where I was) on his boat not far from the dock.  The rest of the day I saw a lot of fishing and not much catching.  With CAP starting to fill, if they continue visibility will improve and temp should drop by the dam and the fishing should bet better.

Jim W
Your unofficial fisheries biologist (or the striper spear-fishing guy)

Lake level 1,675, 70 percent full with 8,073 surface acres. Full moon this weekend, so fishing under lights won't be as viable.

Mike McFarland, a guide with HookUp Outfitters, said that since the major storms brought water and nutrients to the lake two weeks ago, the bite has been slow -- but that may change by this weekend.

The best bet is to be versatile -- go prepared for topwater, but be ready with drop shots and other deeper water techniques. For striped bass, anchovies are typically a good choice. The depth may vary for active fish though, so experiment.

Nighttime fishing for catfish, especially from shore, should be good using stink abit. This is prime catfish time. Try stink baits such as chicken liver. Corn can also work for both catfish and carp. Frozen anchovies fished on the bottom are another good choice -- you might even catch a striped bass.