BarzArz
Well-Known Member
We made a quick trip to the lake last Tuesday through Friday, met our sons family down from SLC for what we hoped to be Striper chasing.
Thunderstorm, wind and lightning Tuesday afternoon/evening, did not get out on the water, but had an always entertaining and enjoyable visit with Squirrel in the Bullfrog campground!
Wednesday ---Up at 4AM (full moon) and launch on an empty ramp with the Navigation lights on.
The only morning with some smooth water, start seeing slurps in the main channel across from Halls Marina just up-lake from Halls Bay. Had some good fun chasing, only caught a couple (surface lure) before the winds came up, not very fat. Water too rough to see slurps, so down-lake to Annie's canyon to try and get out of the wind. Started seeing slurps in the first still water and had a fun time chasing them, not real productive, but fun. We caught a couple more, and saw these slurps were more the small young "economy size" stripers, so we moved on to a nice morning catching Smallmouth along the canyon walls. No real pattern figured out. Water was pretty clear in Annie's, see the picture swimming in the back. 75 degrees, very little debris, 95 degrees and sunny. Ned rigs, Wacky Sinkos, swim jigs, orange/chartreuse and more natural watermelon colors, grubs and hulas and spinners. 5 people fishing out of the boat so threw lots of stuff, no clear preference, maybe Ned rigs for the win!
A swim, then lunch and out to sightsee down to the Rincon and a quick tour in Iceberg before a miserable and rough trip back to Bullfrog in high winds. Clean fish and hide from the winds for the afternoon, Frogburger time!
Thursday---up early again, already windy, troll the Halls wall, enjoy a nice sunrise, but not much fish action, so down lake, toward Lake Canyon, stop at the rock pile on the right side (headed down-lake) to give it a try. Bouncing in rough water and wind, boat position was challenging, but it was worth it, I think everyone picked up a few smallies here including two nice bonus Walleye and some Bluegill! When the first Walleye got in the boat, it was met with a cheer, "this one is for Squirrel and Goldie" lol, inside joke, sorry... the Ned Rig was king here, including brighter colors, Wally's were on a two tone sort of pinkish flesh colored Z-man TRD's. in 5-10' of water...there was some stained and muddy water in the main channel area, maybe 2 foot visibility. Once we got blown off the main channel we headed into Lake Canyon, chased slurps when the wind allowed, and fished the walls for smallmouth with some success...again, jigs, plastics, even swimbaits spinners and cranks... off and on smallmouth success, mostly small and a few decent eating size.
Again no pattern, seemed better on slick rock at 5-15' rather than on structure. Them my son caught the one Largemouth we caught this trip, a nice fish, on a jig with chartreuse skirt over darker body, falling down a slick rock wall at a shadow line...that was the highlight, then we fought wind to get back to the ramp and off the lake before noon...the wake boaters were still launching as we were trying to get off the water...they must really like waves, lol
Friday--- knowing it was going to be short because of the wind, we were again out before sunrise, to Moki. Beautiful sunrise on the canyon walls with the moon still in the sky. We caught a few smallmouth, but hit and miss, no pattern...maybe on points to the main channel just as well as rockpiles. we fished all the way back the right forks, but between the wind and the wake boats it was pretty bouncy. There were houseboats back in the canyon so lots of boats and PWC
traffic. Most of the wake boaters were extremely considerate, I will say. Back to the Ramp, clean fish, pack up, get inspected and drive home.
Water was 73-75 each day, you can see the mudline in the main channel from the most vantage points, not much debris in the main channel, at least from Moki to Rincon, while we were there. 2-3 foot visibility to pretty clear in the back of Annie's and Lake, not so much Moki. Hot, windy, generally clear skies in the morning and following a full moon. We maybe filleted a dozen fish to being home, returned a couple times that back to the water...an made it home to plan another trip.
I will say I was really impressed with the people staying in the Bullfrog campground, they were considerate and respectful of their neighbors. It was really sparse early in the week and all three loops were maybe 1/3 to 1/2 full when we left Friday. The campground restroom facilities were also very clean and serviced regularly while we were there! Its a really decent campground, $26 a day, only $13 with a Geezer Card!
Thunderstorm, wind and lightning Tuesday afternoon/evening, did not get out on the water, but had an always entertaining and enjoyable visit with Squirrel in the Bullfrog campground!
Wednesday ---Up at 4AM (full moon) and launch on an empty ramp with the Navigation lights on.
The only morning with some smooth water, start seeing slurps in the main channel across from Halls Marina just up-lake from Halls Bay. Had some good fun chasing, only caught a couple (surface lure) before the winds came up, not very fat. Water too rough to see slurps, so down-lake to Annie's canyon to try and get out of the wind. Started seeing slurps in the first still water and had a fun time chasing them, not real productive, but fun. We caught a couple more, and saw these slurps were more the small young "economy size" stripers, so we moved on to a nice morning catching Smallmouth along the canyon walls. No real pattern figured out. Water was pretty clear in Annie's, see the picture swimming in the back. 75 degrees, very little debris, 95 degrees and sunny. Ned rigs, Wacky Sinkos, swim jigs, orange/chartreuse and more natural watermelon colors, grubs and hulas and spinners. 5 people fishing out of the boat so threw lots of stuff, no clear preference, maybe Ned rigs for the win!A swim, then lunch and out to sightsee down to the Rincon and a quick tour in Iceberg before a miserable and rough trip back to Bullfrog in high winds. Clean fish and hide from the winds for the afternoon, Frogburger time!
Thursday---up early again, already windy, troll the Halls wall, enjoy a nice sunrise, but not much fish action, so down lake, toward Lake Canyon, stop at the rock pile on the right side (headed down-lake) to give it a try. Bouncing in rough water and wind, boat position was challenging, but it was worth it, I think everyone picked up a few smallies here including two nice bonus Walleye and some Bluegill! When the first Walleye got in the boat, it was met with a cheer, "this one is for Squirrel and Goldie" lol, inside joke, sorry... the Ned Rig was king here, including brighter colors, Wally's were on a two tone sort of pinkish flesh colored Z-man TRD's. in 5-10' of water...there was some stained and muddy water in the main channel area, maybe 2 foot visibility. Once we got blown off the main channel we headed into Lake Canyon, chased slurps when the wind allowed, and fished the walls for smallmouth with some success...again, jigs, plastics, even swimbaits spinners and cranks... off and on smallmouth success, mostly small and a few decent eating size.
Again no pattern, seemed better on slick rock at 5-15' rather than on structure. Them my son caught the one Largemouth we caught this trip, a nice fish, on a jig with chartreuse skirt over darker body, falling down a slick rock wall at a shadow line...that was the highlight, then we fought wind to get back to the ramp and off the lake before noon...the wake boaters were still launching as we were trying to get off the water...they must really like waves, lol
Friday--- knowing it was going to be short because of the wind, we were again out before sunrise, to Moki. Beautiful sunrise on the canyon walls with the moon still in the sky. We caught a few smallmouth, but hit and miss, no pattern...maybe on points to the main channel just as well as rockpiles. we fished all the way back the right forks, but between the wind and the wake boats it was pretty bouncy. There were houseboats back in the canyon so lots of boats and PWC
traffic. Most of the wake boaters were extremely considerate, I will say. Back to the Ramp, clean fish, pack up, get inspected and drive home.
Water was 73-75 each day, you can see the mudline in the main channel from the most vantage points, not much debris in the main channel, at least from Moki to Rincon, while we were there. 2-3 foot visibility to pretty clear in the back of Annie's and Lake, not so much Moki. Hot, windy, generally clear skies in the morning and following a full moon. We maybe filleted a dozen fish to being home, returned a couple times that back to the water...an made it home to plan another trip.
I will say I was really impressed with the people staying in the Bullfrog campground, they were considerate and respectful of their neighbors. It was really sparse early in the week and all three loops were maybe 1/3 to 1/2 full when we left Friday. The campground restroom facilities were also very clean and serviced regularly while we were there! Its a really decent campground, $26 a day, only $13 with a Geezer Card!
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