Beta

GuidedFloats is in beta. The full site launches March 1, 2027. The mobile app follows.

Guides: claim before March 1, 2027 and your first full season of Premium is free. Claim your founding spot →

Log in List your guide serviceFor guides
Home › Waters › Arizona › Lake Mohave
Reservoir · Lower Colorado River · Arizona

Lake Mohave Fishing Guides

A 67-mile Colorado River reservoir between Hoover and Davis dams, with cold clear water in the upper canyon, a large striped bass population, and trout fishing in the Willow Beach tailwater reach.

Desert country running down to open water in the Southwest
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Guides on the Lake Mohave

Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.

No guides listed yet

Guide or outfit this water? Create your profile. Listing is free, the commission is 10% or 7% with a premium profile, and premium profiles list first on this water.

About the Lake Mohave

Lake Mohave is the Colorado River impounded behind Davis Dam, stretching roughly 67 miles upstream through Black Canyon to the base of Hoover Dam. It is a reservoir of two very different halves. The upper portion is a narrow, cold, exceptionally clear canyon reach that behaves much like a river, fed by deep releases from Hoover; the lower portion below Cottonwood Cove opens into a broad, warm, desert basin above Davis Dam. The USGS gauge at Davis Dam reads reservoir stage at the lower end.

Striped bass are the dominant sport fish across the lake, running from abundant small schooling fish in the lower basin to occasional very large individuals. They are taken trolling and casting to surface activity in open water, and anchored bait fishing accounts for a large share of the effort. Largemouth and smallmouth bass hold on the rock and gravel shorelines throughout, with smallmouth favoring the cooler, clearer upper canyon and largemouth the warmer coves below.

The cold upper reach supports a rainbow trout fishery centered on Willow Beach, sustained by stocking into water that stays cold year-round because it comes off the bottom of Lake Mead. That combination of desert canyon scenery and cold-water trout is unusual and draws anglers who would not otherwise fish a lower Colorado reservoir. Channel catfish, crappie and bluegill fill out the warmer water.

The lake sits within Lake Mead National Recreation Area, so access, camping and boating are managed under federal rules, and an entrance fee applies. Boaters should note the abrupt transition in water temperature and clarity moving upstream, and that the canyon reach has limited places to get off the water in bad weather. Summer heat is extreme and afternoon wind through the canyon can be strong.

This water needs a real photo

The photo at the top of this page is not Lake Mohave.

It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.

Add a photo of this water See the badges

Pioneer badgeUnclaimed

Add a photo of this water

Landscape, not fish — the water itself. Reviewed by hand before it appears. The first one published here earns the Pioneer badge.

Never published. It is how the badge is held for you until member accounts open.

Posting to Lake Mohave.

JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 12 MB. Landscape orientation looks best at the top of the page. We resize it and strip the location data out of the file.

The name printed under the photo and on your badge. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Pool right now

  • Storage1,569,000 acre-ft

Reading taken 1h ago at USGS 09422500, LAKE MOHAVE AT DAVIS DAM, AZ-NV. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.

Fished this water? Add a photo

Reviewed by hand before it appears. Pick the water, not the spot — we never publish exact locations.

Never published. We use it only if we need to ask about the photo.

Posting to Lake Mohave.

JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 12 MB. We resize it and strip the location data out of the file.

The name shown under the photo. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Access

Katherine Landing, Bullhead City — main Arizona access near Davis Dam and the USGS gauge.
Willow Beach — upper canyon ramp and marina, the center of the trout fishery.
Cottonwood Cove, Nevada — mid-lake ramp and marina with camping.
Princess Cove access — Arizona shoreline access south of Willow Beach.
Davis Camp, Bullhead City — county park with ramp and shore access below the dam.
Six Mile Cove and Nine Mile Cove — boat-in shoreline access in the mid-lake reach.
Black Canyon put-in below Hoover Dam — permitted paddle access to the uppermost reach.

Seasons

Spring: the best all-around season. Striped bass feed heavily as water warms through March and April, largemouth and smallmouth spawn on the rocky shorelines, and canyon temperatures are comfortable.
Summer: fish at first light and after dark. Striped bass school in open water, trout fishing holds up in the cold upper canyon at Willow Beach, and daytime heat is severe.
Fall: excellent. Cooling water brings striped bass and black bass back to the shorelines through October and November, with far less recreational traffic.
Winter: the trout fishery in the upper canyon is at its best, striped bass concentrate deep in the lower basin, and mild days make this a comfortable season to fish.

From the water

No logged trips yet. Be the first to put this water on your map.

Log this water

Fished it or cleaned it? Log in or create a free account to log a trip with photos and earn the waterway badge.

Questions

What species can you catch on the Lake Mohave?

Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Razorback Sucker, Smallmouth Bass, Striped Bass on the Lake Mohave in Arizona.

Where can you access the Lake Mohave?

Katherine Landing, Bullhead City — main Arizona access near Davis Dam and the USGS gauge. Willow Beach — upper canyon ramp and marina, the center of the trout fishery. Cottonwood Cove, Nevada — mid-lake ramp and marina with camping. Princess Cove access — Arizona shoreline access south of Willow Beach. Davis Camp, Bullhead City — county park with ramp and shore access below the dam. Six Mile Cove and Nine Mile Cove — boat-in shoreline access in the mid-lake reach. Black Canyon put-in below Hoover Dam — permitted paddle access to the uppermost reach.

When is the best time to fish the Lake Mohave?

Spring: the best all-around season. Striped bass feed heavily as water warms through March and April, largemouth and smallmouth spawn on the rocky shorelines, and canyon temperatures are comfortable. Summer: fish at first light and after dark. Striped bass school in open water, trout fishing holds up in the cold upper canyon at Willow Beach, and daytime heat is severe. Fall: excellent. Cooling water brings striped bass and black bass back to the shorelines through October and November, with far less recreational traffic. Winter: the trout fishery in the upper canyon is at its best, striped bas...

Where are the fishing regulations for the Lake Mohave?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Arizona agency site: https://www.azgfd.com/fishing-2/licenses-and-regulations/