Striper Fishing in Arizona

Striper fishing has declined over the years in the state, only as it relates to size. In years past, forty and fifty pound stripers were reported often. They have populated so fast in the warm desert lakes that they are quite abundant and swim in schools. Find a school and catch them till your arms hurt. They are likely to be in the one to five pound class most often.

Striped Bass Fishing Lakes In Arizona.

Lake Powell, Lake Mead, Lake Havasu, Lake Mohave and Alamo Lake are your best bets with Lake Mead having the largest population. The state record was caught out of Alamo Lake.

While stripers are native to salt water, they naturally migrate into fresh water streams to spawn. Their eggs must remain in motion in order to hatch so the fresh water rivers and streams which drain into the ocean become the spawning grounds for stripers.

Striped Bass
Morone saxatilis
World Record: 78.8 lbs

In natural settings striped bass live the majority of their life in the ocean and migrate into freshwater rivers to spawn. Once it was determined they could survive in fresh water they were introduced into fresh water impoundments as a test. Results ranged from complete failure to resounding success. Often successful to the extent of eating the local species out of house and home. They can live up to 30 years if conditions allow.

They generally spend their time in the middle sections of the lake, in deeper water than most fish. Their primary diet is shad. They prefer the larger shad which are too big to be eaten by the vast majority of other fish in the lake. Stripers will eat just about any fish they can get in their mouth. As a schooling fish which can grow to enormous size they can deplete a school of baitfish in very short order. When you catch one you can rest assured that there are probably more close by.

Fishing for Striped Bass in Arizona

Concentrate on the deeper waters in the lake. If you can locate schools of shad, stripers are often close by. When the baitfish are shallow over the deep water, you can catch stripers on crankbaits or by swimming spoons at appropriate depths. And for the ultimate thrill try large topwater baits if you see any surface feeding action. When they are deep, jigs and jigging spoons work well. Live and cut bait will also work when they are in medium to deeper water. Fish nearby or in the river channel if it is a defined depth change. Trolling is also an excellent way to fish for them. Use flashy lures in bigger sizes.

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All About Fishing for Striped Bass in Arizona.

Landlocked 67 lbs - 8 oz

67 lbs - 1 oz

55 - 70 Degrees

Spends part of its life in the ocean and to spawn enters streams and rivers which drain into the ocean.