Bullhead City AZ Late June

[Mike H]

Good Morning, I have some questions for you, let me fill you in.

In late June we are having a family reunion and its going to be in Bullhead City AZ, yep its gonna be hot, HA! I plan on being there for almost a week and really want to do some fishing but dont have a clue where to fish.

I will be taking the Champion along because chances are very good that I'll be taking some relatives out fishing who dont ever fish so it will be quite the experience. Yes I will be getting my Non-Resident AZ fishing license and River Stamp as will anyone else wanting to fish.

While I kind of know Havasu I would prefer to fish north of it to avoid the big crowds. While the "Scenery" can be nice there, IMO there are too many pleasure boaters there and just too much boat traffic during the summer. I heard that Topoc or Mohave would be good choices.

Anyhow my questions are:

1. Do I need to get any permits for my boat?

2. Will my CO river stamp on my CA license cover me fishing at Topoc Marsh and Lake Mohave or will I need a AZ fishing license and a CO river stamp from NV?

3. I think it would be great to get into some big Stripers, where would you suggest I fish for them at during late June. If possible please provide as much info as possible because I've never been there.

4. If no stripers, I would love to catch some nice Smallmouth bass, of course ALL Largemouth and Smallmouth bass WILL be released unharmed.

5. How about the Crappie fishing? Wouldnt mind getting a nice mess of them to feed the family.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate any and all information.

[B Becker]

I can answer some of your questions....yes, your license is good for the river, but not Mohave. Mohave doesn't touch California, so you need the AZ stamp - I think it's $3. I'm not 100% sure, but I wouldn't try to run from Bullhead to Topoc, there is some seriously shallow water, or used to be. Very rocky! unless you know the path. Maybe someone else can pipe in on that. There is definitely "no" crappie on Mohave, and none in the river either. There maybe some in Topoc, but I never fished for them there, only down by Bill Williams. You can't get into the big bowl of Topoc from the river either, and unless you know the path (water level permitting), it's extremely tricky to navigate. Again, it has been years since I have ran that part of the river, so maybe it has changed. From Havasu to Needles is a piece of cake, but after Needles, it was always dicey. The big stripers should be in the current just below the dam and continue all the way down the river. If you want the big ones, throw a Hud or LA slider. May get some on top with a BBZ or something similiar. Should be smallies down the river in the current breaks and eddies....should be good fishing in June, but like you said, way hot!!! Hope some of the river rats pipe in for you. Have fun

[Mike H]

Thank you very much for the information, very appreciated! I'll get a non-resident AZ license and a NV river stamp and I should be good to go.

Anyone else have more info on where and what to fish?

[Mike H]

Anyone else?