by Mike Carey, March 01, 2006

"Hit me!" is a phrase heard on a regular basis in Vegas, but not "Fish On!". Except to those few in the know. What do they know? They know that a half hours drive from the bright lights and non-stop buffet lines is a fishing haven offering trophy fishing and non-stop action. This Mecca in the desert is lake Mead, a reservoir formed by the Hoover dam, completed in 1935. Behind the dam formed lake Mead, a massive reservoir of 181,000 surface acres and 1000 miles of shoreline. Into this body of water was planted striped bass. Originally not expected to reproduce - sound familiar? - the striped bass population exploded. Because of a healthy population of shad and (thanks Dept of Fisheries) planted rainbow trout, the stripper population on lake Mead is huge, and the catch totals are reported to be over one million caught per year. The daily limit is twenty fish.

My sons and I hooked up with guide Mark Edison of Adventures in Angling (www.adventureinangling.com) for a half day of winter striper fishing. When you go striper fishing, there are two approaches. You can target the massive schools of 1-5 pound fish, or you can go big game trophy hunting for the monster stripers that reach a state record 63 pounds! Rather than pound the water for that one record fish, we elected to fish for quantity. Mark has us up in running in no time at all. We started out casting toward the shoreline using a variety of crank baits and soft lures. The fishing was slow the first hour. We managed to catch one 3 pound striper. "Not to worry", Mark told us, "the main technique for winter fishing is anchoring and fishing with bait. We’ll do that next".

James lands the first fish of the day.

Mark moved us to a cove that he had been having success on. He noted that with such a large lake, good electronics is essential in finding and staying on top of the fish. In his case, his 20 foot boat was well outfitted with a lorrance fishfinder so sensitive you could watch the fish moving up and down in the water column. He set us up with our light spinning rods and began chumming with corn and chunks of anchovy. Our rigs were simple weight and hook baited with a chunk of anchovy. Mark explained the different fishing techniques based on the seasons: "In the winter bait fishing is the most reliable way to catch good numbers of fish. As spring comes and the shad move in to spawn, we switch to surface lures. It’s an incredible sight - thousands of stripers thrashing the surface as the shad frantically try to escape. You can catch and release dozens of fish non-stop. This continues through the summer." I asked Mark about summer fishing and the heat of the desert? "It’s hot for sure - 115 in the sun. We usually just do half day trips. Past noon you really want to be off the water as it just gets too uncomfortable." How about those trophy stripers we hear about? "The trophy fish require more work to catch, but it can be done. Generally this is a casting or jigging fishery - the big fish are solitary predators and as such you won’t find them schooled up. You have to search for them." Mark related that he and a guide friend had been working on perfecting a method for catching these brutes out of the Colorado river below Hoover dam. "I don’t know of anyone else that has been able to zero in on this fishery - there are some huge fish in that river but it takes a lot of experience to know where and how to catch them."



Matt had a good time on the water.

While we talked we began to start catching stripers. My boys were having a good time, being entertained by Mark’s dog and by the steady number of fish we began to catch. The fish ranged from 1-4 pounds. Mark told me they taste great - a flaky, moist white flesh that fries up nicely. It continued this way throughout the morning. Some times faster, some times slower, but very consistent - and very entertaining for the kids. We ended up catching around 30 fish, I lost count.

If you are looking for something to do in Vegas with your kids, put this on your list! Mark tells me considering the number of fish in lake Mead it is very underutilized. In addition to the stripers the lake is stocked monthly with rainbow trout. There are also largemouth bass, small mouth bass, catfish, tilapia, crappie, bluegill, and red ear sunfish. For the visitor, a guide trip is just the ticket, and a great way to get away from the hectic Las Vegas night life and have a chance to reflect on the beauty of the desert. And it really is beautiful. It’s easy to lose track with the glitter and glamour of Vegas lights, but this country is as attractive as any I’ve fished in. So if you are looking for a day of easy fishing, or, a chance at a trophy striper, give Mark a try. He’ll put you on a "winning hand"!



Guide Mark Edison shows off a trophy striper from lake Mead.