A Lake Havasu fishing charter says something about the angler before the first cast hits the water. At Nick Young Outdoors, the morning starts with the boat already pointed at open water — a tournament-trained captain reading sonar, making short moves when the bite slows, keeping your line wet and your rod bent toward striped bass, largemouth, smallmouth, whatever's running. The pace matches the man's competitive background: full throttle, adjust fast, put you on fish. Then there's the other path — the one where the morning starts quieter, the water is deeper, and the guide has been fishing this lake long enough to know what most anglers never learn. That second captain operates from the Lower Basin near Parker Dam, where recreational boat traffic drops to nearly nothing and the Bill Williams River delta feeds a fishery most visitors drive past without knowing it exists. His name is D.A. Allen, and his outfit — Havasu Net Em — has logged the kind of hours on this lake that turn guesswork into something closer to certainty.

Nick Young fishes the main lake. That means Site Six, the Colorado River channel, the points and grass and rock structure where Lake Havasu's four marquee species — striped bass, largemouth, smallmouth, and redear sunfish — all hold at different depths depending on the season. He calls the pursuit of all four in a single day a Havasu Grand Slam, and his background on the competitive fishing circuit shows in how the trip runs. He watches conditions in real time, repositions when the bite pattern shifts, and treats a slow hour as a problem to solve rather than a pace to accept. The 25-foot aluminum boat seats up to six, comes wheelchair accessible, and carries every rod, reel, and lure you'll need. You show up. He puts you on fish.

The approach works for families who want action and for experienced anglers who want to watch a pro read the water. Kids are welcome aboard, first-timers get instruction alongside the chase, and a six-hour trip for two runs $500 with each additional person at $200. What separates Nick from a generic charter captain is tournament-level instinct — the willingness to abandon a spot that produced yesterday because the water temperature shifted two degrees overnight.

D.A. Allen fishes the other end of the lake. The Lower Basin near Parker Dam sits where the deepest water on Lake Havasu meets the fertile delta of the Bill Williams River — where the river itself is a no-wake zone that keeps jet ski traffic and recreational boaters out of the fishing lanes. The result is a fishery that holds every game species on the lake but rarely sees the pressure that the main lake absorbs on a busy weekend.

Allen has guided over 10,000 hours on this lake since 2018. He holds both an Arizona Game & Fish license and a U.S. Coast Guard captain's license, and his boat fishes four guests comfortably — built for the deeper water and longer drifts the Lower Basin demands.

But the credential that sets Havasu Net Em apart is specialization. Allen is the only guide on Lake Havasu who builds trips specifically around the redear sunfish — the species that put this lake on the world record map. The IGFA all-tackle world record redear, a 6-pound, 4-ounce fish, was caught in Lake Havasu in 2021. The two records before that? Also Lake Havasu. The redear grow to trophy size here because the lake's quagga mussel population gives them an almost limitless protein source — and Allen knows where they feed, when they spawn, and how to get a client's bait in front of them.

Red Ear season runs primarily from March through May, and during April and May, Allen books full-day trips only — catch-and-release, trophy-focused, no half measures. His striper season runs November through early March, with largemouth and smallmouth available throughout. He also welcomes fly anglers — a rarity among Havasu guides — and runs tender service for float tubers on the Bill Williams River delta, keeping them positioned in the prime shallow-water striper feeding lanes.

The decision isn't about skill level. Both guides serve beginners and veterans. Both provide all gear. Both put you on fish.

The fork is in what kind of day you want to live inside.

Nick Young's trip is propulsive. The boat moves. The sonar's always reading. The next spot is already in his head before the current one slows down. You come home tired in the way that a day of constant engagement makes you tired — the kind where you can replay fifteen different moments from the same six hours.

D.A. Allen's trip is accumulative. The water is quieter. The guide is teaching as much as he's guiding. You might spend forty-five minutes in a single drift, watching your electronics, understanding why the fish are holding where they're holding. You come home knowing more about this lake than you did when you launched — and the fish in the cooler (or the photo on your phone, if you're chasing redear) feel like evidence of something you earned through patience rather than speed.

One angler wants the scoreboard. The other wants the textbook. Lake Havasu built a fishery that rewards them equally.

3530 Wayward Wind Dr, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86404 Trips: Six-hour guided charters; all gear, lures, and instruction provided Booking: Reserve through nickyoungoutdoors.com or call (541) 709-4628. Weekend and peak-season trips fill in advance — book at least two weeks ahead. Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible vessel. Kid-friendly.

Operates from Havasu Springs Resort, near Parker Dam — approximately 30 minutes south of Lake Havasu City

November through mid-May. Stripers run November through early March; Red Ear trips (April–May) are full-day only, catch-and-release.

Call (888) 290-2284 or book through HavasuNetEm.com. April Red Ear trips fill early — book well in advance.

Welcome on all trips. Float tube tender service available on the Bill Williams River delta.

An Arizona or California fishing license is required for anglers 10 and older — either is valid on Lake Havasu. Licenses are available at Bass Tackle Master (260 London Bridge Rd), at Walmart in Lake Havasu City, or online through the Arizona Game & Fish Department.

Bring sun protection, water, and snacks. Lake Havasu mornings start cool in winter months but heat builds fast by midday — especially April through October.

Anglers booking early-morning charters benefit from staying close enough to reach the launch point without turning the alarm clock into the hardest part of the trip. Guests in surrounding communities should plan for the drive and arrive with time to spare.

The fish don't know which guide you chose. But you will — in the pace of the morning, in what you notice between casts, in the story you tell when someone back home asks how the fishing was. One answer starts with how many. The other starts with what you learned. Lake Havasu gives you the water for either version.