Epic Fall Fishing Trip

[wayne gustaveson]

That quote is exactly why the videos posted above are the only videos most of us have. When the frenzies happen, we all act just like the stripers, and lose our minds. We only stop to think after it is all said and done. Then we all say "I wish that we had taken a video...". But, instead, we're too busy ripping our lures of choice (it really makes no difference what it is) and having them creamed by a feeding striper, dropping the rod (with fish still attached) in the bottom of the boat and grabbing a second rod to do it again....only stopping to unhook fish when all rods are "spent".

Yep. Those are the memories that keep us going back year, after year, after year searching for boils. That "first" November trip you just made won't be your last!

Thanks for the description that we all understand, who have witnessed a huge boil that has has continued for an amazing amount of time. Great memories. I too seldom take a picture or video until the boil is almost over. It is just so much fun to catch One More Fish in such a short amount of time.

 

[PFD]

Don't know how I missed this thread. We've experienced fall shoreline boils many times throughout the lake. My kids always remember every cove where we've caught them boiling on the shoreline. This last trip they were reminding me as we cruised to 4 mile. It seemed like every corner we went past they said, "Dad, remember when we had that huge boil in that cove?". I wish I had a video of them as well, but I'm usually too busy casting for the young kids and then taking fish off of everyone's hooks. The important thing is that my kids seem to always remember.

 

[Dorado]

Don't know how I missed this thread. We've experienced fall shoreline boils many times throughout the lake. My kids always remember every cove where we've caught them boiling on the shoreline. This last trip they were reminding me as we cruised to 4 mile. It seemed like every corner we went past they said, "Dad, remember when we had that huge boil in that cove?". I wish I had a video of them as well, but I'm usually too busy casting for the young kids and then taking fish off of everyone's hooks. The important thing is that my kids seem to always remember.

That is how it should be! We spend too much time documenting stuff, better to be in the moment IMHO....unless you're like Dungee and the boil goes on for hours!!!

I have been fortunate enough to get to throw poppers for big Yellowfin Tuna down in Panama when they have the bait pinned in giant bait ball. There was no way I was getting out the camera!!!

 

[Dungee]

That is how it should be! We spend too much time documenting stuff, better to be in the moment IMHO....unless you're like Dungee and the boil goes on for hours!!!

I have been fortunate enough to get to throw poppers for big Yellowfin Tuna down in Panama when they have the bait pinned in giant bait ball. There was no way I was getting out the camera!!!

Funny you say that, cause for all the footage we do have we don’t have any documentation for the best boil we’ve ever been in, not even a picture of the aftermath. It was in September of 13’ in a cove in Good Hope down below. Stripers had shad trapped and pinned in that cove for over an hour straight. Obviously still a great memory even without video.

 

[David A Dexter]

You're quite right! My brothers can't stop talking about it. Every time we go to Lake Powell, it's an experience, sometimes a near death experience, and I'm not kidding either. But, this trip was perfect in every way, something that we always are hopeful for, but rarely happens. We all will remember this EPIC fishing trip for the rest of our lives. That's the essence of Lake Powell...

 

[cfulton]

Late Oct many years ago my wife's mom and dad were visiting from PA. They were in their late 70s but I asked her dad if he'd like to fish for stripers at Powell for a couple days. They had been with us on one houseboat trip and he jumped at the chance then I told him it would be camping in my backpacking tent. He said OK but told me he had never slept outside a bed--no worries I had the equipment, so we headed to Powell. Went into Gunsite and trolled up a few fish but the weather was getting very nippy, threatening rain. At dark built a fire, cooked chicken and other grub then slipped into the sleeping bags on blow up mattresses. In the middle of the night it started raining and rained all night. At daylight I went to the boat and got the one rain suit I had and gave it to him. We ate a cold breakfast and I suggested we run for the truck. He said no, let's fish....OK, it's gonna be cold and wet. Trolled 100 yards past a small cove which had a roaring boil going. He stood in the front of the boat casting surface lures, I was in the back taking fish off, bleeding them, straightening out rigs and handing him a ready pole every time he brought in another one. We cleaned over 50 fish by lunchtime. The rain quite and the sun broke out. To the day he died he talked about that trip.....lots of firsts in his senior years. And as you can tell, many great memories for me too. Chuck

 

[wayne gustaveson]

Late Oct many years ago my wife's mom and dad were visiting from PA. They were in their late 70s but I asked her dad if he'd like to fish for stripers at Powell for a couple days. They had been with us on one houseboat trip and he jumped at the chance then I told him it would be camping in my backpacking tent. He said OK but told me he had never slept outside a bed--no worries I had the equipment, so we headed to Powell. Went into Gunsite and trolled up a few fish but the weather was getting very nippy, threatening rain. At dark built a fire, cooked chicken and other grub then slipped into the sleeping bags on blow up mattresses. In the middle of the night it started raining and rained all night. At daylight I went to the boat and got the one rain suit I had and gave it to him. We ate a cold breakfast and I suggested we run for the truck. He said no, let's fish....OK, it's gonna be cold and wet. Trolled 100 yards past a small cove which had a roaring boil going. He stood in the front of the boat casting surface lures, I was in the back taking fish off, bleeding them, straightening out rigs and handing him a ready pole every time he brought in another one. We cleaned over 50 fish by lunchtime. The rain quite and the sun broke out. To the day he died he talked about that trip.....lots of firsts in his senior years. And as you can tell, many great memories for me too. Chuck

I wish I could have taken my Dad on a trip like that Chuck. But he was not here on earth when I got the job at Lake Powell. I took him fishing one time at Flaming Gorge Reservoir which was the only fishing trip the hard working father ever went on. Glad you took such good care of of your father in that special day.

 

[David A Dexter]

As I reflect back on this EPIC Fall Fishing Trip at Lake Powell, it gives me a special perspective. I once caught an 85 pound King Salmon on the Kenai River with my brother Ron; we released this giant back into the river and high fived that special moment. I've been on trips to the Situk River in Alaska where the three of us all caught dozens of Silvers in the Fall, and returned in the Spring to catch dozens of wild Steelhead in 30 degree weather. We've been fortunate to catch many Steelhead and Salmon in WA and Oregon where we grew up. We've caught Mahi Mahi and Marlin together in Cabo, and hundreds of Smallmouth on the John Day River. All special experiences with my brothers, who are 10 and 11 years older than me, and they were my mentors when I was a boy, since our father played no role in our lives. They taught me how to fish and hunt and now I take them fishing and hunting whenever I can; their sons go with us often to shoulder some of the work and share the experience with the three brothers. But we all talked over Thanksgiving how none of us will ever forget this EPIC Fall Fishing Trip on Lake Powell; it was just that special. We have all lamented that we didn't get the shore boil on video, but then we laugh and agree that it was much better to experience it than to record it; we don't need a video to relive the memory, which is forever etched in our pantheon of fishing memorable experiences.

 

[PFD]

Late Oct many years ago my wife's mom and dad were visiting from PA. They were in their late 70s but I asked her dad if he'd like to fish for stripers at Powell for a couple days. They had been with us on one houseboat trip and he jumped at the chance then I told him it would be camping in my backpacking tent. He said OK but told me he had never slept outside a bed--no worries I had the equipment, so we headed to Powell. Went into Gunsite and trolled up a few fish but the weather was getting very nippy, threatening rain. At dark built a fire, cooked chicken and other grub then slipped into the sleeping bags on blow up mattresses. In the middle of the night it started raining and rained all night. At daylight I went to the boat and got the one rain suit I had and gave it to him. We ate a cold breakfast and I suggested we run for the truck. He said no, let's fish....OK, it's gonna be cold and wet. Trolled 100 yards past a small cove which had a roaring boil going. He stood in the front of the boat casting surface lures, I was in the back taking fish off, bleeding them, straightening out rigs and handing him a ready pole every time he brought in another one. We cleaned over 50 fish by lunchtime. The rain quite and the sun broke out. To the day he died he talked about that trip.....lots of firsts in his senior years. And as you can tell, many great memories for me too. Chuck

I love the "Dad" story. My dad has gone with me a couple of times. He's not a great fisherman, but loves to try. The last time we hit a huge boil I was prepared and had several rigs ties up and ready. He got so excited he snapped 3 lures off in a row before remembering to open the bail. I began to frantically re-tie the rigs while he was catching on the last one that was ready. Fortunately the boil stayed up for nearly an hour and he was able to calm down and catch a boat full of fish.