2 Mile Nov 22-24🔥

PFD

PFD

Well-Known Member
Best trip of the year! 2 mile was on fire. Doubles and Triples were more common than not. Mix in multiple Quads and that sums up the weekend. Everything was working this weekend. Normal crankbaits, Spro bucktail jigs, walleye assassins, and rattle traps. On Saturday the whole bay blew up in a huge boil at around 9:30. We didn’t move for 35 minutes and caught fish on almost every cast. We didn’t have time to do anything with the fish other than unhook then, throw them in the back corner of the boat and recast. We ended up with 48 large stripers in the 35 minute madness. We then ran to Good Hope Bay and shoreline fished for Smallies, and largemouth bass. We were amazed to find that we caught 10 largemouth to every smallmouth. That’s almost the exact opposite of what we normally find along that same shoreline.
 
I have a theory about striped bass that I'd like someone more knowledgeable than me to verify. I've noticed for around 20 years, depending on shad availability there seems to be a migration of stripers uplake to find the shad that are hiding in the murkier water that is common where the lake meets the Colorado River. I remember fishing the North Wash, the area around Farley and White Canyon and, Striper City and Trachyte canyon. We've caught hundreds of stripers in all these areas.Now it seems like the stripers have "migrated" again. I've read about the East Coast ocean-going stripers doing the same thing in the fall running up river drainages chasing baitfish. Anyone want to take a bite? (Pun intended)
Larry
 
bigfish1 said:
I have a theory about striped bass that I'd like someone more knowledgeable than me to verify. I've noticed for around 20 years, depending on shad availability there seems to be a migration of stripers uplake to find the shad that are hiding in the murkier water that is common where the lake meets the Colorado River. I remember fishing the North Wash, the area around Farley and White Canyon and, Striper City and Trachyte canyon. We've caught hundreds of stripers in all these areas.Now it seems like the stripers have "migrated" again. I've read about the East Coast ocean-going stripers doing the same thing in the fall running up river drainages chasing baitfish. Anyone want to take a bite? (Pun intended)
Larry
Click to expand...

I’m not saying your theory is wrong… but if I’m not mistaken there is typically more Stripers up north (based on forage and just numbers gill netted). I think it’s just getting reported on a bit more right now than usual. The north end of Powell has become an extremely hard place to even get to, and that before you even try locating Stripers (which can be hard at times). I would consider our group to be pretty avid Powell anglers and it wasn’t until about 7 years ago we started winter fishing Powell. It was a huge mistake to wait that long. But, it was the great reports from others here that lead us to start going ourselves. I think the winter aspect is starting to get the respect it deserves. The lake is baron, the Stripers are fat, and even though the days are short there is usually enough firewood up north to keep satellite warming bonfires going to your hearts content.

Sorry, that’s a long way of saying I think there are other factors other than the migration theory. But, would love to hear more on it and if that is a potential factor.

Preston
 
Wow PFD! You guys killed it! That’s great, I spent the day up there Wednesday and just couldn’t find them??? Go figure. I guess they just weren’t interested that day or I was just in the wrong spot at the right time. Never saw a boil, I should have gone back up instead of hanging around bullfrog, we still had a good trip. Just nothing like you guys way to go!
 
greyhackle said:
Wow PFD! You guys killed it! That’s great, I spent the day up there Wednesday and just couldn’t find them??? Go figure. I guess they just weren’t interested that day or I was just in the wrong spot at the right time. Never saw a boil, I should have gone back up instead of hanging around bullfrog, we still had a good trip. Just nothing like you guys way to go!
Click to expand...
I was thinking about you, wishing you would have come North.
 
bigfish1 said:
I have a theory about striped bass that I'd like someone more knowledgeable than me to verify. I've noticed for around 20 years, depending on shad availability there seems to be a migration of stripers uplake to find the shad that are hiding in the murkier water that is common where the lake meets the Colorado River. I remember fishing the North Wash, the area around Farley and White Canyon and, Striper City and Trachyte canyon. We've caught hundreds of stripers in all these areas.Now it seems like the stripers have "migrated" again. I've read about the East Coast ocean-going stripers doing the same thing in the fall running up river drainages chasing baitfish. Anyone want to take a bite? (Pun intended)
Larry
Click to expand...
I've always assumed it is a little of what both you and Dungee said. I don't believe that fish migrate from the dam to 2 Mile canyon, but I do think that the spring mudline pushes them down canyon a ways and gives cover for the shad to grow and get a headstart before they get destroyed by the stripers. Then in the fall as the mud has settled out of the water the stripers head back while chasing the shad all the way to the mud line. As the water temperature cools they can tolerate the shallower water where in the summer they have to have access to deeper water to reset their metabolism. When the lake was full there was deep water at Striper City (Trachyte Canyon) so they could retreat to the deep pockets, but now they are relegated to wait until the temperature drops in late fall/winter. I've seen the same thing in San Juan and Escalante just not to same scale as up north because the Colorado river is massive in comparison. Just my observations/hypothesis.
 
Last edited:
PFD said:
Best trip of the year! 2 mile was on fire. Doubles and Triples were more common than not. Mix in multiple Quads and that sums up the weekend. Everything was working this weekend. Normal crankbaits, Spro bucktail jigs, walleye assassins, and rattle traps. On Saturday the whole bay blew up in a huge boil at around 9:30. We didn’t move for 35 minutes and caught fish on almost every cast. We didn’t have time to do anything with the fish other than unhook then, throw them in the back corner of the boat and recast. We ended up with 48 large stripers in the 35 minute madness. We then ran to Good Hope Bay and shoreline fished for Smallies, and largemouth bass. We were amazed to find that we caught 10 largemouth to every smallmouth. That’s almost the exact opposite of what we normally find along that same shoreline.
Click to expand...
I also caught more LM than SM these last couple of trips. Were there walleyes mixed in with the stripers there above 2 mile?
 
PFD said:
Best trip of the year! 2 mile was on fire. Doubles and Triples were more common than not. Mix in multiple Quads and that sums up the weekend. Everything was working this weekend. Normal crankbaits, Spro bucktail jigs, walleye assassins, and rattle traps. On Saturday the whole bay blew up in a huge boil at around 9:30. We didn’t move for 35 minutes and caught fish on almost every cast. We didn’t have time to do anything with the fish other than unhook then, throw them in the back corner of the boat and recast. We ended up with 48 large stripers in the 35 minute madness. We then ran to Good Hope Bay and shoreline fished for Smallies, and largemouth bass. We were amazed to find that we caught 10 largemouth to every smallmouth. That’s almost the exact opposite of what we normally find along that same shoreline.
Click to expand...
Wondering what you thought of Spro jigs.
 
Dr. Love said:
Probably need to try that. How much leader off the swivel? Does this create a mess when you net a fish?
Click to expand...

No, in fact we’ve caught countless doubles on that set up. Hardly ever any tangles. I’d do like 12” leader on a 1 or 1-5oz jig with a 16”-20” leader to a long A bomber. Use a heavier mono for the leader like 15 or 20lb.

IMG_0463.jpeg
 
I've never tried that, but I frequently use an umbrella rig with 3 walleye assassins. I started casting my umbrella rig at the boil but broke one of the assassins off after the 3rd fish and switched to a single. I like the Spro/bomber combo idea. Learn and try something new every trip.
 
That area was on fire, out of control, catch a fish on every single cast, smokin over the weekend! That whole two mile/striper city area was lit up both Saturday and Sunday!

On the migration thing. I think the predator fish are up there because the shad are up there and I think the shad are up there because of water temp., oxygen and current. The predator fish probably don't mind those factors either. :cool: Lots of shad about everywhere else you look but they are 60 to 100 feet deep.
 
We came up on PFD filleting fish like mad! We were in the crest pontoon. Many thanks for the trolling speed advice. Anything above 4mph seemed to really do the trick! It was our first time up north and we had a blast. Thank you for chatting with us. We had a similar experience I’ll post about it later. Thanks again for the advice and chat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top