August 19, 2009

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wayne gustaveson

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August 19, 2009
Lake Elevation: 3639
Water Temp: 75 - 79 F
dorian.jpg
Stripers are performing a Lake Powell balancing act. When boils cool in the upper lake it seems boils take off in the south. At the end of July boils slowed near the dam and stripers at Hite went ballistic. Bullfrog has been the fulcrum with steady surface activity throughout most of the summer.
Dorian Gustaveson

Early this week the entire northern and middle lake went quiet. True to form stripers in the south took up the slack. But today boils were back at Bullfrog and bigger and better. Many anglers took 40 or more stripers from hour long, acre wide boils in Slick Rock Canyon, Halls buoy field and Tapestry Wall.
The general boiling pattern prevails. Stripers hit the surface just as the first ray of sunlight peaks over the eastern horizon. Most of the action is centered near the main channel as shad have returned to open water. Shad size is larger now forcing stripers to work harder to drive them to surface and keep them corralled for feeding purposes. This makes stripers more aggressive, which equates to more fish caught if the lure hits reasonably near a fresh splash ring.

Get on the water early for best success. The first hour of daylight is critical. Single stripers splash constantly during the magic hour. Hit the ring - catch the fish. Usually a big school joins up and feeds for 15 minutes before breaking down into single splashes once more. Feeding sometimes ends one hour after it begins but some days feeding is extended for two hours or more.

Always as the sun gets higher in the sky, boils become more random and unpredictable. A huge boil could erupt at anytime, anyplace and last for an extended period. But these mid day boils are unpredictable. It is best to go on with the recreation plan for the day and just keep a rod ready in case of "emergencies".

Afternoon boils are not as likely as the summer wind pattern tends to blow them away. On a rare calm afternoon it is a good bet to look for boils in the portion of the lake where boils were found in the morning.

Lure choice is wide ranging. It is more important to throw a long accurate cast than to have the right color lure. I prefer big floating stick baits that cast a mile and have stout hooks. There is less lure maintenance with this outfit. It is not necessary to change plastic lure bodies with the hard plastic bait. After a good morning of boils it is necessary to change bent hooks and replace broken split rings. If using light line it is only necessary to restock the tackle box to replace lost lures.

Striper size is increasing daily. They started the year at about 2.5 pounds and now are close to 4 pounds and 23 inches long. They are strong and thick bodied. The fillets are excellent and perhaps the best I have ever seen. This is a year to remember for striper fishing. The good news - It will only get better as water temperatures continue to cool.
 
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