I had some time so you get a big post:
Get yourself a couple of these for a Striped Bass bite on the surface
[url "http://www.lurenet.com/productdetail.aspx?id=t1000"]http://www.lurenet.com/...detail.aspx?id=t1000[/url]
Buy online some of these in 3" size for dragging through the water. Get a shad color - nothing bright or fancy.
I'd start with about 4 baits.... check out this whole Optimum Site....
[url "http://optimumbaits.com/OB2/?p=164#more-164:"]http://optimumbaits.com/OB2/?p=164#more-164:[/url]
Bass will tear them up and so will Stripers
Then there is real bait - anchovies, squid, netting live shad. Most people use a barrel shaped sliding sinker, a bead and swivel with a leader to a baitholder hook. The guys on shore can help you as this is better learned hands on.
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Welcome to Bass Fishing:
The good news is in this seasonal time the fishing is pretty good. The bad news is Lake Mead is one of the toughest lakes in the US to catch bass...So be patient...
I see you already got an outfit....If you're happy with it fine.... Otherwise.....Basic Rod might be a 7 ft.to 7'-6" Medium Action Rod with a 30 or 40 size Open Faced Spinning Reel. This will work great for stripers also
here is a reel example:
Pflueger® President®model 6730X
Not to endose the product, just note the 30 number in the model number. I like to match the weight of the rod to the reel so the rod's "balance point" is on one finger just in front of the reel seat mount.
Fill most of your reel with some braided line - Power Pro. SpiderWire etc in about 15lb.ltest weight. Splice up a long casting length's amount of 10lb. test Flourocarbon or hybrid line. P Line is available at Bass Pro, handles well on spinning gear and not too expensive. I'd buy the big spool as you will change that front line frequently. the braid lasts long time. If you are not used to fishing in the heat note that these temperatures will cause your Flourocarbon or monofilament to take a "set" on your spinning reel spool. I'll pull the line through my hand after the first gentle cast, when reeling for the first time to straighten it out. Always close the bail by hand, never with the reel handle.
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Terminal Tackle
Get some 6" Roboworms at Bass Pro Shop
a package each of brown/ purple, Arrons Magic color and clear shad color - straight tail or with segments (Zipper Worms)
[url "http://www.roboworm.com/zsframe.htm"]http://www.roboworm.com/zsframe.htm[/url]
Get 2 packs each 2/0 and 3/0 Gamakatsu straight shank worm hooks. Get an equivalent number of 3/16, 1/4 oz lead bullet worm weights. Get 2 feet of 50 lb. test monofilament. Use the darker colored worms in low light and lighter colors in brighter light.
Look up on "You Tube" how to Texas Rig a plastic worm and how to fish it, including how to hold your rod and detect a bite.. Those Roboworms are soft and will pull down the hook shank. The way to stop that is, after the worm is threaded on the hook, insert the 50lb. mono through the head of the plastic worm, going through the hook eye and out the opposite side if the worm. Trim the mono short so it just sticks out on both sides of the plastic. The stiff monofilament acts like a small "crossbar" keeping the plastic from sliding down and balling up on the hook point, which is when you loose the fish.
You are fishing from shore so plan on loosing a lot of this worm tackle cause you are fishing "uphill". Almost every hang-up will loose the hook, worm and sinker. That's why you want equivalent amounts of terminal tackle. Don't beat yourself up over loosing gear. There is a learning curve to this. Up side is you can catch a lot of bass on this simple rig by just dragging or hopping it gently through cover.
Get 5 - 1/2 oz. weight "Eakins Style" Football Head jigs, the line eye is 90 degrees to the hook shank....Brown, Blue/Black, Green Pumpkin. Buy some plastic trailers in matching or complimentary colors - 5" Kalins Grubs, Rage Craws, Flappin Hogs...whatever is your fancy that undulates in the water. Buy some fisherman's glue to stick them on the jigs. You can also use these trailer plastics on you basic Texas Rig.
Drag and hop these jigs on any 45 degree rocky bank where the rocks are sized from gravel to melon size. Also work on that conglomerate rock and mud or in weeds. Texas Rigged worms are weedless and work in weed beds or other nasty places. You might need to use a heavier worm weight in thick weeds.
Go here:
[url "http://www.baits.com/"]http://www.baits.com/[/url]
and buy 2 packages of 6" Senkos. Green Pumkin Laminate is a good start. You choose the other color... there are a lot of other plastics Gary wants to sell you, and they are all good but just start with a senko. Rig these with an offset Gamakatsu 3/0 or 4/0 hook. Read the information.
[url "http://www.insideline.net/index.html"]http://www.insideline.net/index.html[/url]
Buy a Lake Mead Fishing Map. I'd fish the shores from Boulder Harbor to 33 Hole anywhere you can park and hike to the water. Fishing at night can be excellent and with a headlight, blacklight setup and fluorescent line or just the ambient light from Las Vegas is very doable. The Boulder harbor entrance and first cove to the east has some good fishing holding structure. Any striper coming in to the harbor for a shad snack has to pass right by you. There are a couple deeper holes with a few patches of weedbeds in them off the first 2 coves at the east side of the harbor's mouth, worth the hike? Maybe...
Then I'd also fish around the Hemenway Wall, Las Vegas Wash, Crawdad Cove, and Callville Bay.
Kingman Wash and the rocky cove and wall going towards Hoover Dam (AZ side over Hoover Dam) is car accessible and a good spot when the stripers are there - You can free camp there also.
Around Here Very Frequently check your line for nicks. all the Quagga mussels will fray the first couple feet very quickly when dragging over rocks.
Think Rocks. The Rock around here is the structure. But without grass and wood,
rock is also the cover. Any Sun/rock created shady spot or change in depth can be an ambush point and hold fish. Isolated ones are better.
For gossip and basic knowledge...Check this link:
[url "http://www.flwoutdoors.com/"]http://www.flwoutdoors.com/[/url]
or this link:
[url "http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/index"]http://sports.espn.go.com/...ors/bassmaster/index[/url]
this site also has a wealth of info:
[url "http://www.acplugs.com/"]http://www.acplugs.com/[/url]
The Bass Resource Site might put some of this information into perspective for you, just remember most of the input relates to fishing east of the Mississippi River where they have creek and river bends, shallow lakes, lots of old timber and many varieties of vegetation. Mead has arroyos, cuts, humps, reefs, flats and basically one channel. Shallow here is 12 feet or where you can no longer see your lure or bait in the water column.....unless they are feeding shallow!
http://www.bassresource.com/
The Bassdozer Site is more specific to the West.
http://www.bassdozer.com/
Remember, you may go several weeks before catching a bass, Stripers are usually easier to catch, but often un-reachable from shore. The fish here are notorious for turning on when it is windy - I mean 20mph+ and white caps. You just have to go to a location where the wind is quartering or at your back. Prevailing winds come from the SW. That is a prime time to throw a surface plug! Think about 2 styles - those that tail sink like a "Sammy" or "Jumping Minnow" and those that rest level like a "Vixen". The hardest times are when it is slicked off water. Be patient, takes some time to learn the spots that are good or better for you.... And the topography will be changing as the water drops another 14 or 15 ft. Since this drop is below water and wave current influences, you won't be able to consistently judge what is underwater by looking at the shoreline geography, I think.
Right now "nautical twilight" is about 4:00 AM - not a bad time to be throwing a line cause then the threadfin shad are still shallow in coves and pocket edges.
Save up for a used boat. If you can afford one, everyone says this is the year to buy a boat at rock bottom prices. Next year they will be more. Sounds like a Real Estate broker huh? Who knows....Might be true...There are some bass clubs locally and a Striped Bass club. They might shorten your learning curve.
Good Fishing and good luck
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