Raging winds greeted Bink Desaro and photographer RC Cone (EYEinI) upon their arrival at Lake Mead for a few days of fishing and shooting photos. The wind was blowing so hard, getting out of the bay was a drenching task. Despite the striking desert surrounding the lake the water temperature was actually rather cold, making for lethargic fish and adding another challenge on top of the wind.
Undeterred, the guys put in long, patient days targeting bass. The cool water resulted in fish that were not nearly as active as they usually are during spawning season. Gauging the conditions, Bink decided his best luck would be found in wind-protected pockets, looking to snag some free-spawning largemouth hanging in the shallows. The creeks and coves around Lake Mead are deep, Bink says, so you can get back in there out of the wind — and right under the stunning landscape.
Success was found near secondary rock points with grassy stick-ups in the water. Bink found the right sort of cover to make fan casts with a spinner bait. A bit of a breeze actually lends itself advantageous to this technique as the ripples help break up the profile of the bait so the fish aren’t quite so shy. At times, they were a little too protected as a couple fish came up to the bait and simply tapped it — not buying it at all. Bink’s expertise, however, found the right wind direction on the bank where he pulled a couple largemouth from shallow water.
Would have been nice to fish deep water, but at least there were fish on!
Some smallmouth were trying to come up on Mead, but a few hours trek to the south led to Lake Havasu and a chance to chase some more. With a tournament the next day that Bink wasn’t competing in, he knew to let the guys practice undisturbed and took a more mellow approach to the day. While keeping things casual and enjoying the landscape, Bink worked a pretty heavy tube bait. The water was absolutely crystal clear for 25-30 feet which made for spectacular sight fishing.
Overcoming adverse conditions is just part of what fishing is. ‘It builds character’, as they say, and could hardly spoil an outing on water as special as Lake Mead and Lake Havasu.
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