As I climbed aboard the pontoon, I was greeted by two\nfamiliar faces\u2014Kevin Tucker and his dog, Wally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe desert has been good to you, Tucker!\u201d I smiled.\n\u201cLook at that tan!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no shortage of Vitamin D on this boat. Because\nfor Kevin and his longtime partner Nick Young, fishing the turquoise waters of Lake Havasu<\/a> is just another day at the\noffice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I first met Kevin and Nick five years ago when their\nguide service, Nick Young\nOutdoors<\/a>, was headquartered at eastern Oregon\u2019s Owyhee\nReservoir.<\/a> We hit it off and have fished together several times since, with\nevery trip producing big\nbass<\/a> (they are excellent guides) and awesome\nmemories<\/a> (they\u2019re even better guys). <\/p>\n\n\n\n When the pandemic hit, Nick and Kevin moved south to\nHavasu, an oasis on the Arizona\u2013California border. They figured out the lake with\nimpressive speed and sent me an open invitation to check out this world-class desert\nfishery<\/a>. Over spring break, my opportunity arrived. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kevin had clients on board in the morning, and they\nwanted to fish for striped\nbass<\/a>. I served as first mate, rigging up rods while Kevin worked to catch our\nbait\u2014live shad\u2014with a cast net. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An hour later, we pulled up to \u201cMagic Point.\u201d We rigged\nthe shad above a drop\nshot<\/a> sinker, with a treble hook through the nose. Within minutes, guest anglers\nfrom Iowa and Colorado were battling feisty stripers. Fishing with live baitfish\nwas a new experience for me, too (they are illegal in Idaho). But there was no\nmistaking the bite, and on my first hookset, a big\nfish took off<\/a> on a powerful run. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s a nice one, buddy,\u201d Kevin hollered. \u201cShow \u2018em how\nit\u2019s done!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n I worked a 24-inch striper to the net, and there were\nhigh fives all around. The bite stayed steady all morning, and Kevin\u2019s clients\nwent home happy with bags of fillets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, it was time to change tactics. One of the major\ndraws of Havasu is its world-record\nredear sunfish<\/a>, which grow huge by munching invasive mussels. Fish over six\npounds are possible, and two-pounders are relatively common. Unfortunately, a\nrecent cold front had pushed the redear into deeper water. We slowly patrolled a cove, scanning\nthe water<\/a> and putting dozens of casts into likely sunfish hideouts. For an\nhour, all we saw were occasional bass\ncruising by<\/a>. Then, I saw a slightly shorter \u201cbass\u201d turn broadside,\nrevealing its frisbee-shaped body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBig redear, 11 o\u2019clock!\u201d I whisper-yelled to Kevin while\ncasting ahead of the fish with my drop-shot worm rig. Tucker confirmed the\nsighting, and we watched as a second redear moved in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are two!\u201d Kevin said. \u201cI think that second one is\ngoing to\u2026\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n He hadn\u2019t finished his thought when the first fish\npounced on my bait. I set the hook and marveled as the biggest sunfish of my\nlife raced toward a brush pile. I kept the pressure on and guided him to the\nboat, where Kevin scooped\nhim up<\/a> with a triumphant whoop. Wally even emerged from his shaded hideout\nto check out the action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYES!!\u201d Tucker beamed. \u201cThat\u2019s the one!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n This redear measured 13 inches and weighed almost two\npounds. An absolute giant\u2014it\u2019s crazy to think Havasu grows fish three times as heavy!\nAfter photos and a release, we fished on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We kept our eyes peeled for sunfish, but with a redear\nand multiple stripers on the board, we turned our attention to knocking out a\nHavasu Grand Slam\u2014catching a redear, striper, largemouth and smallmouth in the\nsame day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cI bet we can still find a couple up shallow,\u201d Kevin said. \u201cWe\u2019ll put a sneak\non them\u2014be ready!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n