Fishing in the Park
Throughout the hundreds of miles in which the Colorado River spans, quality fishing spots can be found along the way. “Quality” is a relative term because each of us has different determining factors needed to reach a quality grade in our opinions. Fishing opportunities within Buckskin Mountain State Park are considered quality by many anglers and that grade rating depends heavily on fishing experience and species targeted by visitors during their stay.
Did Buckskin Mountain make the current fishing report? Find out what's biting and what they're catching 'em on!
Bass Fishing
Generally speaking, bass fishing is good throughout the year. Large and smallmouth bass are the primary bass species, with a sprinkling of stripers added into the mix. Seasoned anglers that frequent the park use lipless crankbaits and soft plastics rigged “weedless” to catch a majority of their Buckskin Mountain largemouth bass in and around aquatic vegitation. The smallmouth bass seem to like small spinnerbaits, 1/4 oz jigs, and jerk baits depending on time of year and water temperature, but they're usually found associated with rocky areas along the shoreline or submerged rockpiles. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass can be caught from beneath and around boat docks along the 18 mile stretch of river below Lake Havasu called the Parker Strip. The Parker Strip offers renowned bass fishing opportunities that are within reach of park visitors who use the park campground as their home. Camp at the park and launch your boat at our convenient launch ramp. Nearby River Island State Park also has a launch ramp.
Catfish
Large channel and flathead catfish can be caught right from the shore of this serene park. Standard catfish baits like chicken liver, shrimp, worms, and prepared dough bait seem to work just as good here as they do any other place that holds catfish. The three main ingredients to consistently catching catfish are patience, rigging, and luck. Patient anglers that have their bait rigged up correctly just need a little luck to land some great Colorado River catfish. Our suggestion is to stay vigilant and to try different baits if one isn’t currently working, or move up or downstream slightly when searching for a bite. Sometimes these catfish just want what they want and won’t bite until they get it.
Panfish
Most likely the perfect fish in which to introduce kids to the sport are sunfish and bluegills. These little panfish have voracious appetites and are typically willing to bite without making anglers wait too long before doing so. Worms, corn, and other proven panfish baits like micro jigs work great at Buckskin just as they do at other Colorado River panfish hotspots. Simply change bait depth until you find out how deep the fish are hanging out, and cast near aquatic vegetation or man made structures. Move up or downstream from your starting point to locate where the schools are hanging out if you're having difficulty getting a bite.
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Visit our Fishing in Arizona page to learn more about fishing opportunities throughout the state park system.
A valid Arizona fishing license is required for anglers 10 years and older. Arizona fishing licenses are available on the Arizona Game and Fish website, and a variety of authorized license dealers throughout the state. Before your trip, take a look at the current AZGFD fishing report to increase your chance of success.
