Hey guys just decided to try fishing at lake mead today. i'm pretty new to fishing. more of a spearfishing guy over at beaches back in socal. always wanted to get into lake fishing since it seemed so peaceful and calm. i decided to get the shakespeare big water combo at walmart haha but i'm a student that doesn't have much cash and i can't really be spending too much to start this new hobby of mine. so i was just wondering if ya'll can help me get started in choosing what fish i should go for over at lake mead and i'm coming from vegas so what are good spots to fish by the shore? preferably somewhere i can park nearby and just cast out near my car. any useful tips and etc would be great! i think i'm going to read up a little more and go out and buy the gear and head out in two hours or so so any help would be awesome! power to ya
[signature]
nevermind lol nobody posted any response yet and i don't want to go through the hassle of trying to fish at night. i also read up on the fishing lights (don't know if i actually need them or not) but theyre pretty pricey and can't be spending that much so guess i'll go early tomorrow morning. gonna go buy everything i need except the bait so hopefully some of you can give me some insight on the bait i can use and whats been known to work well for the types of fish over at lake mead. and also if anyone knows any good shore fishing spots that aren't too far of a walk by car would be great. best of luck to any of the other fishers going at it tonight or tomorrow morning![fishon]
[signature]
Read some of the stickies at the top of the Nevada page.
Also do a search (upper right corner) with the subject you want. Almost all the information you need has been posted some where on this site.
[signature]
Welcome! Striped Bass are very common at Mead and can be caught by soaking anchovies on the bottom. Ther is alot of info on this site, you just might have to dig it up. There are alot of spots you can drive to near Boxcar cove. Just look it up on a map! Good luck!
[signature]
Hey guys just updating. I was at calLville bay or something all day and I see huge fish swimming right by the sore but haven't caught one. Not sure what those are. If anyones by this area and would like some company and give some tips today let me know and I'll head right over loving the vibe here though. I think I'll spend the night. Any help would be great. Don't even know what rig is for what or how I should be reeling them in. Thanks all
[signature]
just got back home. first time lake fishing was a bust for me. didn't catch a single thing. not even a nibble. i'm pretty sure i'm doing something wrong since i saw huge fish right by the shore 5 ft away from me and several trout jumping out of the water so lack of fish wasn't an issue. i probably had a better chance throwing rocks at em
anyhow I tried to look up the forum for some basic beginner stuff but i had a hard time finding anything about basic rigs and how you should reel them in and which fish go for what etc. i'm terribly new at this so if anyone has tips on the BASIC ESSENTIALS, it would be great. the scenery by callville bay was absolutely amazing. i spent the majority of the day just taking in the view since the fishing didn't go so well. i could definitely see myself doing this every weekend. i'll be going tomorrow again for sure. was trying to just spend the night in my car for free somewhere but i got told to try government wash but when i got there it was totally empty and awfully eerie so i decided to head back to vegas for the night. gonna read up some more on the fishing tips i guess.
[signature]
if you saw trout all the way at calville bay i would be suprised. you sure they wern't bass, bluegill, or my guess CARP!!!!
If you are shore fishing... I have never had a bad day putting a split shot sinker and a hook on with a piece of cut anchovie.... last time i did that i caught Catfish, Striper, Smallmouth Bass, and i sware i am not lying 2 CARP!!!!
The carp are getting aggressive lol... i still can't believe i caught 2 carp in less than 30 minutes on anchovie.
If you want to just catch something and you see carp.. just free line a hook and put a piece of bread crust on... i promise you will either get a carp or catfish.
All i can say is don't get bummed out and quit..... if you read the past posts and ask questions you will catch fish on mead..... Willow beach is a differant story...lol
[signature]
yeah definitely not quitting. already have my fishing license for tomorrow so gonna go out again in a couple hours. can't get my year round license since i didn't get my nevada license yet and that shit is expensive if you aren't a resident haha. i saw a ton of fish at the shore line so guessing those were carp. i sprinkled a few crackers out on top and they ate away at it so i put one on my line and tossed it over and not even a bite hahaha guess it was just bad luck that day. i saw several fish jump out of the water so i figured they were trout. didn't know carp would do that too, learn something new everyday. i tried the carolina rig but i'm not exactly sure how fast i should be reeling it in, guessing thats what made me not do so well today. i just found out about the rig you mentioned with the three-way swivel so i'll definitely try that tomorrow. i actaully walked out to the left of the docks by calville bay maybe 2 miles or so. was a pretty scary hike and didn't know that i should watch out for some grounds since they have mineral deposits or something? read that its bad to walk on them since it ruins the dirt so definitely gonn stay closer to the parking lots. i wouldnt mind not walking that much either haha. i usually like eating what i catch so bass isn't what i usually go for. usually end up releasing the bass since theyre so fun to reel in. mostly aiming for bluegills and crappies and such since i'm new to fishing. would your setup you mentioned earlier work for them too? and i had one of those lures where it has a built in weight and fur on the end i heard its good for panfish but i have no idea how to actually cast it and reel it in. or how i should set up the rig for those. thanks for all the help so far, you guys have been great. anyone know of a good place to camp out for free? i went to gov wash but it was completely empty so just left. i couldn't see a thing there either so i thought i was gonna drive off the dock or something haha. but yeah definitely decided this is going to be a long term hobby of mine. the view and the environment is just amazing[fishon]
*edit: can you give me more detail on how you set up the splitshot rig? like how much line i should have and how i even put the weight on lol when i say i'm a novice, i mean i am a BIG novice
[signature]
I'm feeling the itch for some Kingman Wash fishing.
Anyone want to meet up on Saturday?
I have a few "chum bombs" and lots of dino's left.
...........and yes I will show you the secret spot.
(hope the fish remember where it's at)
[signature]
Hello Fishnovice,
I was reading your posts and thought I may be able to help a bit, especially if you don't mind carp.
Fly fishing is my true love, but I don't get much of an opportunity here in Vegas, or at least within my limited experiences I don't find lake mead to be that fly fishing friendly. So in between my monthly trout trip, I spend days fly fishing for carp at Floyd Lamb. I've been known to catch sunfish and bass there too, but I love catching up their monster carp.
Also I like to bring my boy and his friends there, cuz it's easy fishing and I can help them build confidence. A few years back I used the same tactics to catch up nice carp at mead as well... so here it is.
Simple... buy a couple of large cans of whole kernel corn from the grocery store. Find a likely looking spot close to one of the marinas and throw out a couple of handfuls of corn. Not too much and make sure you know exactly where they landed so you can later place a bait in that exact spot. I usually make a rock pile to mark the spot. Try to keep your chum pattern tight and not too broad. Also for carp don't throw too far out... I usually target the line you can see where the deep water meets the shallow.. usually 'bout 8 feet from the shore but it varies. Do at least 3 spots, more if you plan on fishing a while.
Wait a while, an hour should be good but sometimes it takes longer.
Then carolina rig a pole. I have always used 1/8 oz bullet sinkers. For bait string like 3 or 4 kernels of corn on a baitkeeper hook. Then cast it out right in the middle of your chum. If you don't get it right on then recast until you do. I typically put the rod in a rodholder, let the bait hit bottom, then tighten it a bit. After that I open the bail of the reel. Keep as good an eye on your line as you can. When a carp takes the bait it will swim out in a slow steady motion. Let it take some line, then close the bail and set the hook. Then hold onto you pants as carp fight hard.
After you hook/catch a fish in one spot, move to your next chum spot, and repeat. Once you have exhausted all your chum spots, start over. The reason is carp are a really spooky fish. Letting the chum spots rest between fish helps ensure a better hookup ratio.
I think if you do this you will catch at least one fish. Probably more.
A couple of variations... you don't have to open the bail... you can leave the bail closed on a semi-taut line and the fish will more often than not hook itself(I actually recommend this for beginners). You can also loosen your drag until it's almost nothing so that your reel acts like a baitrunner reel, but then you have to tighten the drag in the middle of a fight and I don't recommend this for a noob, no offense. You can also buy a baitrunner reel that has a switch to go between really loose and normal drag... but these are usually pricey and I don't own one myself.
This is the only fish I would ever claim to know anything about when it comes to Mead. I am as much a noob to other species on Mead as you my friend.
Also, my work has finally picked up so I won't have as much fishing time as I have had recently, but next time I go out without the kids I will send you a pm and you can go with me. There are many others with more knowledge of Lake Mead here than I, but I will gladly share what little knowledge I have.
Later,
Mark
ps. Make sure you drain your cans of corn in the water... you don't want all that nicely scented corn juice to waste away on the desert floor.
[signature]