Echo Bay

 Echo Bay is located on the Overton Arm of Lake Mead. I have heard from many an angler that this is where I need to go fishing when fishing Lake Mead. Many tall tales have been told about epic days spent catching coolers full of fish here. Then again, Lake Mead is packed with these stories in many locations. The thing is, a good day of fishing can happen anywhere if you are there at the right time. It’s the good times we tend to remember and somehow over-romanticize.

By no means am I trying to say the fishing at Echo Bay isn’t great, but rather, I want to find out why people think it is the best. Let’s start by looking at the location. There are three major inlets to Lake Mead with the most prominent being the Colorado River from the Grand Canyon. As mentioned in a previous post, Las Vegas Bay has the treated water and runoff from Las Vegas. Then we have the Overton Arm, which has the Virgin and Muddy rivers flowing into it. These regions are natural feeding zones as the rivers bring in nutrients.

One can therefore assume that these waters should have some fish around. That would, however, not explain the mythical properties people claim this area has. Maybe then it is the remote location, having to drive almost an hour within the Lake Mead Recreation Area to reach the spot. Less fishing pressure can have a major impact on the frequency that you catch fish. And yet, the boat launch at Echo Bay is seemingly always busy.

Another option is in the name of this area, the Overton Arm. The arm refers to the slender shape of this offshoot. Compared to the rest of Lake Mead, this section is narrow and almost tunnel-shaped. Sidewalls quickly drop to deeper waters. This could be what fish are looking for. Or maybe, it could be a combination of all these factors together. Now, I don’t believe this area has some superpower, but I have to admit that my trip here did offer up more fish than my usual fishing spots at the same time. Only time will tell if this holds true for future expeditions.