The Lake Havasu Fisheries Improvement Program (LHFIP) was revitalized this year and has been making habitat improvements that can help congregate fish and improve angler catch rates. 

The program began in 1993 with the original goal of installing 875 acres of artificial habitat, building six shore access fishing facilities, and augmenting the 30,000 razorback suckers and 30,000 bonytail chub into Lake Havasu. These goals were all accomplished in the early 2000s and new goals of adding 800 brush bundles and maintaining the current 875 acres of artificial habitat and six shore fishing facilities every year were set in 2005. 

This program was very successful for many years until COVID-19 halted operations in 2020. This January, the program was revitalized.  Starting with 342 donated Christmas trees, the LHFIP began adding brush bundles to the lake again. So far this year, the partnership has added over 600 brush bundles of Christmas trees, donated landscaping trimmings, and large woody debris to the lake. This organic matter adds valuable nutrients and habitat to the bottom of the lake that is otherwise a flat substrate. Providing this structure can congregate fish, providing areas for anglers to target and enhancing catch rates. 

Getting this habitat program back up and running would not be possible without all the hard work from the Bureau of Land Management and the other partners in the LHFIP (Arizona State Parks and Trails, Arizona Game and Fish, Anglers United, Bureau of Reclamation, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Go Lake Havasu, Havasu Riviera Marina, Lake Havasu Dive Association, Lake Havasu Marine Association, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and US Geological Survey).