Lake Mead Recreational Area

This is a scenic overlook for the Lake Mead Marina. I would like to create a separate section for Lake Mead and rather focus on individual spots, as opposed to the lake as a whole. The reason behind this is quite simple, it is way too big and diverse to fit into one post. This photo shows a small part of the lake, and it is very hard to gauge its enormity as you can never see the entire lake. And of course, you lose scale on aerial photos.

I recently went on a boat on a portion of the lake with a friend. You start to get a sense of the scale of things when you are on the water. And yet, Lake Mead today is only a small glimmer of what it used to be. The infamous white bathtub ring visible on the mountains and gorges all around the lake serves as a stark reminder of what the lake once was. It is absolutely impossible to understand or grasp the vast amounts of water needed to fill Lake Mead.

Over the last decade, Lake Mead has been fluctuating between 30 and 40 % water level. Hard work and planning to reduce and reuse water by the city of Las Vegas has made major strides in reducing the amount of water draining from the lake. Despite these efforts, the dry weather conditions and concerns regarding climate change means that something major has to happen to help the lake survive.

I never thought about Lake Mead as a bucket list fishery. Sure, the lake does get featured in some bass fishing games I played. But in some weird way, it feels like there is a lack of hype for the lake. Nearly 50 million people visit Las Vegas each year (maybe not in 2020), yet few of those people make it to the lake. Even fewer ever plan on fishing the lake. One would think a massive lake in the dessert would have more allure than that.

The fishing can be hard or tricky at Lake Mead, made even worse by extreme weather. The rise and fall in water levels can change a good fishing spot in a matter of weeks. That only makes the rewards that much sweeter. The beautiful landscapes set against the super clear waters that scream blue in the desert settings. This really is a sight to behold. So, maybe think of fishing Lake Mead if you are in the area, it might not last forever…