We looked for kayak fishing spots outside of Yuma, AZ and came across Martinez Lake. It is a large lake connected to the Colorado River. We checked out Senator Wash and Squaw Lake before heading out a little further to Martinez Lake to start our Arizona kayak fishing adventures. We stopped in at Fisher’s Landing to buy a fishing license and ask about possible fishing spots. The folks at Fisher’s Landing were real friendly, set me up with a fishing license and got us headed in the right direction for fishing. They have a nice launch ramp and parking, camping and bar and grill. The launch is close to the access point of the Colorado River itself and Fisher’s Landing has lots of fishing tournaments if you’re interested in fishing competition.
We’ll try launching at Fisher’s Landing later because we wanted to look around more. We headed out on a lovely washboard road towards the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge.
We explored a few side roads hoping they would lead to the Colorado River, but usually they led to seasonal dry washes that had nothing more than deep sand. Without four wheel drive and not even having a shovel, we did not go far off the road for fear of getting stuck in the sand.
We arrived at our destination, Meers Point launch ramp, before sunrise and got the kayak rigged for our first shot at Arizona/Colorado River fishing. It was a beautiful morning, probably about 50°F, when we headed out onto the lake with fish jumping all around.
This place is a kayak fisherman’s dream. There are hundreds of inlets and coves around the Colorado River and adjacent lakes just like this one, full of fish. Mostly largemouth bass, I reckon, because it looks like prime bass fishing waters.
We were on an exploratory trip here to try and figure out what kind of fishing tackle we were going to need because all we had was our trusty smallmouth bass lures that work so well on the Columbia River. It was pretty clear we were going to need some topwater lures for fishing in the morning, when the fish are feeding on the surface before it gets too hot and some shallower running crankbaits to go along with our lead head grubs, plastic worms and spinners. Even though we felt we did not have the suitable largemouth bass lures, I managed to catch my first Colorado River largemouth bass on the lead head grub that works so well on the smallmouth bass in the Pacific Northwest.
It’s windy today so no fishing. We came back into Yuma to stock up on supplies, get some largemouth bass lures and post to the blog because there are very few places with internet access, or even cell phone coverage while out in the desert. We are headed back out anxious for new fishing adventures so keep checking in!