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Fishing Lake Mead: what the data says
157,900-acre reservoir near Boulder City. The lake tops out around 526 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Striped Bass fishing at Lake Mead
Spring striped bass on Lake Mead hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 25 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 50 ft. Offshore hump is the standout, a offshore hump at roughly 43 ft, rated prime for summer striped bass. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a flutter spoon (deep) or a umbrella rig (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Mead
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 72 ft of water that rates good for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Lake Mead
Spring smallmouth bass on Lake Mead hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Offshore hump, a offshore hump in about 43 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Mead
Spring channel catfish on Lake Mead hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Las Vegas Wash inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 76 ft of water that rates good for channel catfish in spring. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Crappie fishing at Lake Mead
Spring crappie on Lake Mead hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 130 ft of water that rates good for crappie in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Lake Mead
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 72 ft, rated good for spring bluegill. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 504 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 190 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 179 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 156 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 130 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 128 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 127 ft
- Spring Canyon inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 123 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 115 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 108 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 93 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 89 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 89 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 87 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Mead?
Lake Mead is about 526 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Lake Mead?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, striped bass on Lake Mead.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Mead?
Offshore hump is the top-rated area: a offshore hump in about 43 ft of water that rates prime for striped bass in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Lake Mead?
For striped bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Lake Mohave · Echo Canyon Reservoir · Eagle Valley Reservoir · Haymeadow Reservoir · Dacey Reservoir · Comins Lake
See how Lake Mead stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Nevada · best smallmouth bass lakes in Nevada · best crappie lakes in Nevada · best channel catfish lakes in Nevada
Browse all Nevada fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.