Fishing Report For Lake Pleasant, AZ

By Rick Seaman

June 10, 2025

Popular Fish Species Reports
Lake Pleasant Fishing Video
Largemouth Bass
Striped Bass
White Bass
Available Fish Species
Today's Weather & Forecast
Fishing Boat Rentals
Boat Launch Ramps
Marinas
Fishing License
Map
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Fishing Report Lake Pleasant, AZ

Fishing Reports

Popular Fish Species Lake Pleasant, AZ

Largemouth Bass

Current Report:Good To Very Good
Outlook: Good

With water temperatures now into the 70's, most of the bass here have finished their spawning ritual, and moved outside the spawning coves and bays. They are being caught on points, ledges and humps in these areas, generally around 10 to 15 feet deep. They also move up shallow at times during the day to feed. Lake Pleasant is notorious for turning out largemouth well over 10 pounds, and though these trophy fish are not caught every day, there are lots of bass in the 4 to 7 pound class caught with with some regularity. Castle Creek, Coles Bay and Humbug Creek continue to deliver both quality and quantity, as these creeks offer the bass everything they want year-round. A multitude of lures are catching nice largemouth bass here, including vibrating jigs, worms spinnerbaits, flukes, stick worms, crankbaits and topwater. As Summer sets in, the water warms and bass move deep into 35 to 50 feet of water, or deeper. During this time, spoons, drop shots, jigs and big worms are good options, and a slow presentation is often the best approach.

Striped Bass

Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook: Good

Due to their impressive size, striped bass are a favorite of locals, and many fishing guides offer striper trips here. The lake record is nearly 30 pounds, and many anglers believe there are bigger ones to be caught. The lake is loaded with stripers averaging 3 to 5 pounds, with plenty of 10 pound plus fish being caught. In Spring and Fall work the upper end of the lake where water is flowing in. Look for deeper water in the river channels, as a holding place for stripers. In Summer and Winter, stripers hang out in deeper water during the day and feed close to the bottom, 60 feet deep or deeper. Morning often draws the stripers to much shallower water, so look for them around the 10 to 20-foot range as they feed on shallow-running schools of bait. The lake is filled with plenty of threadfin shad, gizzard shad and sunfish that keep this fishery thriving. Being successful at fishing for stripers is a matter of locating schools of bait, and the wolf packs of stripers are likely to be nearby. Fish finders, and forward facing sonar, are a big help in locating these roaming schools. Live bait and cut bait are also effective here, and stripers can be caught year round.

White Bass

Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook: Good

The Spring fishing for white bass here was quite good, especially toward the backs of Castle Creek, Coles Bay and Humbug Creek. White bass started their spawn run once the water temperature reached the mid 50's, where they migrate to the backs of coves, or into the river, for several weeks. This is a prime time to fill the livewells with some fat white bass. Swimbaits, curly-tail jigs, underspins, small crankbaits, small jerkbaits, and most any lure that looks like baitfish are catching plenty of fish. Now that the water temperatures are warming, they have moved out toward the mouths of these creeks, in deeper water. Look for them to follow schools baitfish in 15 to 25 feet deep. Watch for feeding frenzies if they chase schools of bait to the surface. Virtually any lure in your tackle box that resembles shad, will catch white bass.

Fishing Video

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, channel catfish, black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, white bass and striped bass at Lake Pleasant in Arizona.

Lake Pleasant is a 10,000-acre lake with 116 miles of shoreline. Fish species include largemouth bass, channel catfish, black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, tilapia, white bass and striped bass. There is plenty of areas accessible for fishing from the bank..

Primary fish species to catch

Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.

Today's Weather & Forecast

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Marinas

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Boat Launch Ramps & Landings

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Fishing License

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Map - Fishing & Access

Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".