Bull Frog

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scubatim

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Just got back from 4 days staying in the slips and winterizing. FYI - the fishing stinks!!! Tons of shad at a thermocline 60 - 75 feet; no big fish. Managed to snag a football striper bout 20 inches - trolling by the hay stacks.
The rest rooms at the slips/office are OPEN and water is available from a hose spigot by the heads. The ferry is running, and the Hall's camp ground is open - with water at the rest rooms and showers. Everything else is closed. Alex and Titus are at the Halls office, And Whitey, Mike and Mark are at BF. Did not see Tony - but heard he is in charge. Weather was PERFECT!! 60's in the day, low forties in the morning and 4 days without a whisper of wind!!! Perfect!!
 
scubatim said:
Just got back from 4 days staying in the slips and winterizing. FYI - the fishing stinks!!! Tons of shad at a thermocline 60 - 75 feet; no big fish. Managed to snag a football striper bout 20 inches - trolling by the hay stacks.
The rest rooms at the slips/office are OPEN and water is available from a hose spigot by the heads. The ferry is running, and the Hall's camp ground is open - with water at the rest rooms and showers. Everything else is closed. Alex and Titus are at the Halls office, And Whitey, Mike and Mark are at BF. Did not see Tony - but heard he is in charge. Weather was PERFECT!! 60's in the day, low forties in the morning and 4 days without a whisper of wind!!! Perfect!!
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My hope is that when the thermocline finally gives in and mixes with the warmer surface water that fishing success will improve. I was excited to go take the water temperature this morning at the Wahweap Main Ramp expecting that the cold rainy weather would be indicated by a small decline in surface temperature. Surface temperature remains at 58 degrees. The long hot summer has kept a large warm water layer covering the surface of Lake Powell. Eventually, the cooler air temperature mixed with a bit of wind will prevail and reduce the lake surface temperature. Sometime in December the thermocline will give in and mix with the deeper cold water. Then surface temp will drop to 46-52 F. At this cooler temperature, threadfin shad will leave the warm surface water and head to deep water where the temperature is more consistent through the winter. A rapid change in temperature in the winter can kill Threadfin Shad. They protect themselves by staying at a depth where temperature stays consistent.

Normally, shad movement causes stripers to follow the shad and makes spooning the best fishing technique throughout the winter. Cooling will happen. The next question is about the amount of shad available to all sport fish. We have been blessed with an overabundance of shad. Now, will the movement of threadfin shad from shallow water to deep water make a difference? Time will tell.

My gill netting studies show a remarkable growth of stripers this year compared to other years at this same time. More to follow.
 
I was down at Bullfrog sat , sunday and monday . Fished Halls on on saturday and got skunked , spooning and trolling . Sunday we started to get into the stripers trolling flicker shads in the back of Bull Frog , caught about 24 for the day between 3 people . Fished monday with about the same results . 58 degree water , 13 feet to 25 feet in depth. Tried spooning , seen them on the fish finder no takers.
 
dallas massie said:
I was down at Bullfrog sat , sunday and monday . Fished Halls on saturday and got skunked , spooning and trolling . Sunday we started to get into the stripers trolling flicker shads in the back of Bull Frog , caught about 24 for the day between 3 people . Fished monday with about the same results . 58 degree water , 13 feet to 25 feet in depth. Tried spooning , seen them on the fish finder no takers.
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Your report is much like all the reports that come in. Tough fishing followed by finally finding a feeding school and catching 20+ stripers. Then the feeding school eventually moves or just quits feeding. It is very rewarding to find that school of fat fish and enjoy the experience while catching those remarkable fish.
Water temperature was 57.8 F at Wahweap Marina this morning.
 
Wayne,

How is the shad population compared to other years? Does an abundance of shad create tough fishing because the stripers bellies are full?


wayne gustaveson said:
My hope is that when the thermocline finally gives in and mixes with the warmer surface water that fishing success will improve. I was excited to go take the water temperature this morning at the Wahweap Main Ramp expecting that the cold rainy weather would be indicated by a small decline in surface temperature. Surface temperature remains at 58 degrees. The long hot summer has kept a large warm water layer covering the surface of Lake Powell. Eventually, the cooler air temperature mixed with a bit of wind will prevail and reduce the lake surface temperature. Sometime in December the thermocline will give in and mix with the deeper cold water. Then surface temp will drop to 46-52 F. At this cooler temperature, threadfin shad will leave the warm surface water and head to deep water where the temperature is more consistent through the winter. A rapid change in temperature in the winter can kill Threadfin Shad. They protect themselves by staying at a depth where temperature stays consistent.

Normally, shad movement causes stripers to follow the shad and makes spooning the best fishing technique throughout the winter. Cooling will happen. The next question is about the amount of shad available to all sport fish. We have been blessed with an overabundance of shad. Now, will the movement of threadfin shad from shallow water to deep water make a difference? Time will tell.

My gill netting studies show a remarkable growth of stripers this year compared to other years at this same time. More to follow.
Click to expand...
 
David Fordham said:
Wayne,

How is the shad population compared to other years? Does an abundance of shad create tough fishing because the stripers bellies are full?
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Yes that is what we are experiencing. Fish feed on their schedule instead of chasing our baits each time we get over a school and drop lures. It has been a very unusual this year. Smallmouth bass left the rocky shoreline and were swimming with the stripers chasing shad. Stripers boiled a few times but those events were not repeated. They could eat as much as they wanted at depth and did not have to trap shad against the surface. All sport fish are fat and healthy. Catfish had a big growth year and a good spawn. Walleye are really fat. Young sport fish are now as long as fish born a year ago.
Here is a picture from our net sampling from the San Juan.

unnamed.jpg

I am doing age and growth studies now and often find young stripers that are twice as long as normal for this time of year. Many put on extra length this year that is uncharacteristic.

Apparently shad abundance has overpowered quagga mussel impact for this year. I am sure quagga's will regroup and return to the big menace that they are. For right now just enjoy a few big fat fish instead of a lot of small, medium, or skinny ones. This year will go down in history for the impact on the fishery. I will be surprised if it ever happens again. Look for normal years to come in the future, but enjoy this one while we can.
 
David Fordham said:
Hmmm, any clue why shad did so well this year? Maybe they are eating quagga veligers??
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It could happen? We will try to look at shad stomachs next year to see if they are eating veligers.

What I really think happened is the late, big runoff combined with extended cooler weather lasting longer than usual (June-July) resulted in extra spawns of both threadfin and gizzard shad. Tons of fish survived and are still with us. Maybe they are eating veligers? That would serve those mussels right! Lake Powell never quits amazing me.
 
Incredibly muddy water over a third of the lake allowed them to "hide" in plain sight is my theory. Using the green lights off the back of the cruiser, I've never seen so many shad(though my experience is limited). We saw way more shad under the lights in Ticaboo than in Escalante. In Ticaboo the shad were going crazy and some would jump out of the water(no stripers in sight). Much more reserved and the school came and went in Escalante.
 
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