FISHING REPORT- Month of January 2024

Fishing Times 12:00pm - 5:00pm

Water Temps  52.1 - 56.8

 

The month of January has been very consistent as my clients have been catching Striped Bass, White Bass and Channel Catfish on every trip. With the water temperatures as cold as they are, I’m very proud of the anglers I have had out this month for learning quickly and being very attentive to the bite which has produced some impressive catches thus far. The “winter bite” is a very subtle one as the fish are notoriously slow moving and require less food in the colder water. To be successful catching fish in the winter months, I recommend always holding the fishing rod in your hand and keeping your bait as still as possible.

 

I have been out fishing with clients at least 2 or 3 times a week this month and the honey holes we are fishing are holding big schools of fish constantly swimming beneath the boat as seen below in the pictures of my fish finder. The biggest Striper we have caught this year so far came in at 7.42lbs on 1/17/24. We have also landed a lot of 3-4lb Stripers, some good size Channel Catfish and some larger than normal White Bass this month. 

 

Clients on our trips have been averaging between 15 and 30 fish per day. Considering where our current water temps are, this is not bad at all as I have seen worse over the years and I have also seen better.

 

Water Temps were on the rise at the beginning and through mid January as we were experiencing consistent warm air temperatures here in Arizona,  but mother nature put a damper on that quickly  at the end of the month. With a few weeks of chilly nights I saw our water temperatures drop a good 3-4 degrees from 56.8 to 53.4 which in turn resulted in a tougher than normal bite on a few trips.

 

I am however witnessing the fish moving up in the water column as I am seeing the Striper schools now suspending in the water column at 30-40 feet. In December I was seeing them suspended in 50-60 feet of water. I am also witnessing our most aggressive bite windows at the warmest part of the day and near sundown.

 

As our lake water levels and temperatures continue to rise and our weather starts warming up, I’m anticipating an exciting fishing season on our way. With theLargemouth Bass spawn approaching quickly, the lake will start coming alive and the bite will become very aggressive again here at Lake Pleasant!

 

Until next time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fish On!!

 

Rick

ARIZONA SPORT FISHING

480-399-5959

www.arizonasportfishing.com