By the numbersLake levels · Nevada
Lake Mead by the numbers: 1,039.9 ft, +2.2 ft in 30 days
Everything that matters on Lake Mead this week, one number at a time.
A quick read of the water, by the numbers. Lake Mead reads 1,039.9 ft on the gauge. That is 2.2 ft higher than 30 days ago, with 0.8 ft of that in the past week.
That is where Lake Mead stands on the latest daily reading. The number itself is the gauge height; what matters for anglers is how fast it is moving and where it sits against the season.
Over a month a rise this size floods brush and grass along the banks: new cover that fish move into within days.
The pace has not let up this week.
Compared with the usual level for November, Lake Mead is low. A low lake fishes smaller: fish crowd onto fewer points and channel edges.
Largemouth bass and catfish are in a good temperature range; the rest will take more patience.
Of the next 6 days, Thursday rates best for the bite on sun, moon and wind.
The chart
Each point on the chart is one day's reading. The dashed line is the usual level for the season.
Where the numbers point
Named launch sites on Lake Mead include Pearce Ferry Take-Out.
There are 12 mapped ramps on Lake Mead, shown on the map. Each one ends at a different height, and we have not matched them to today's level: check before you launch.
Marked closed: Boulder Harbor Launch Ramp, Boulder Harbor Launch Ramp.
High water brings debris down the creeks. Go slow near the ramps and in the upper arms, and watch for docks that are partly underwater.
- Hemenway Harbor Launch Ramp
- Boat ramp 1
- Hemenway Harbor Launch Ramp
- Boat ramp 2
- Boat ramp 3
- Boat ramp 4
- Boat ramp 5
- Boat ramp 6
Weather and bite outlook
Thursday has the gentlest weather: barely a breeze, sunny, topping out near 74°F. The wind builds to its strongest on Friday, out of the south-southeast at 13 mph with gusts to 24.
Circle Thursday, Sunday and Monday on the calendar: 3 of the next 6 days rate good or better. On Wednesday the strongest window runs 5:30 am to 7:45 am, and on Thursday 1:15 pm to 5:15 pm. A good bite rating does not calm the water: on Friday, fish the sheltered side and skip long open crossings.
Questions
Where can I launch a boat on Lake Mead?
Named launch sites include Hemenway Harbor Launch Ramp, Pearce Ferry Take-Out. Check that your ramp is open and reaches the water at today's level before you tow.
How deep is Lake Mead?
Around 530 ft at its deepest. It covers about 158,000 acres with roughly 759 miles of shoreline at full pool.
Lake Mead every morning
Water temperature, level, wind and bite times on your phone.
Read the guide
- How to read a lake depth map: points, humps and channelsA plain guide to reading a lake depth map: contour spacing, points and drop-offs, humps, old river channels, and LakeScope's 3-D lake bed to find them fast.
- Lake Mead fishing guide: striped bass, depth and rampsA desert reservoir guide to Lake Mead near Las Vegas: where striped bass and largemouth hold, how depth and water level shape the fishing, and ramps to know.
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