Gunsight Canyon, Feb 2, 8, 11, and 25, 2021

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bkenwor said:
Fursniper, my son and I were the ones who were fishing there at gunsight. It was an awesome day! Thanks so much for your hospitality and help. It was great talking with you guys. We could only get them with small chunks of anchovies, and they were biting super light. We missed tons more bites than we hooked. Nothing else worked, we tried spooning and trolling at first and nothing, but once we dialed in the bite on the chovies it was good! Thanks again!
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Thanks for joining the fishing forum. Sharing your information really helps all of us catch more fish. Great advice on small chunks of anchovies.
 
bkenwor said:
Fursniper, my son and I were the ones who were fishing there at gunsight. It was an awesome day! Thanks so much for your hospitality and help. It was great talking with you guys. We could only get them with small chunks of anchovies, and they were biting super light. We missed tons more bites than we hooked. Nothing else worked, we tried spooning and trolling at first and nothing, but once we dialed in the bite on the chovies it was good! Thanks again!
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Glad to see you and your son having a blast catching fish out there. We enjoyed crossing paths with you too. Wishing you great success in the future.
 
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MrJerryG said:
This is my first year fishing Powell. So where is this from Page. I don't find it on a map.
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Gunsight Canyon is shown as a push pin labeled stripers on the map. Stripers are found in the backs of all the major canyons in the lower lake. Don't get tunnel vision on Gunsight. It is just that very few people have been fishing the lower lake this winter to report them. Nearly every time I went fishing this winter, I have had the whole lake to myself.


Lake Powell.jpg

Stripers.jpg

I visited Gunsight Canyon again on Feb. 11, 2021 and took this photo of the sonar screen. The "striper" marker is the waypoint I saved in November (37* 03.179'N and 111* 20.393'W). Red indicates shallow areas less than 30 feet deep, purple is highlighting areas 30-70 feet deep, and white is where the deeper water is found. Right half of the screen is downscan imaging showing a school of stripers attracted to that submerged point. The stripers have hung out on that point for months and just moved to deeper water as the lake level dropped. I fished there for 2 hours on Feb 11 and only got 4 stripers. The fish were just not biting that day and this was the first time it has been that slow since November which is when I began going there regularly.

20210211_141923.jpg
 
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Fursniper said:
Please, please, please, bring a bunch of friends and try to put a dent in the stripers. There are plenty of fish, just a shortage of fishermen. Every time I go out, I got the whole lake to myself, the water looks like a sheet a glass, and the fish are biting. I'm sure the backs of all the major canyons have a bunch of stripers too, but nobody is on the lake fishing to report them. It does not take long to find a school of stripers resting on the bottom. About 300 pounds of stripers have been landed in my boat since November from this one area. Many are donated to the meal ministry at Faith Bible Chapel in Page.
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Thanks for the great report and tips, Fursniper! I’m really learning a lot from reading reports and Wayne’s tips on the other forum.
If you wouldn’t mind sharing, since we’re on the topic of anchovies, what is your rig for fishing them? What type of jig head do you prefer? And how do you keep the chunks in the hook? I’ve seen that sometimes anchovies turn to mush and fall off. Thanks again!
 
Bigbassman said:
Thanks for the great report and tips, Fursniper! I’m really learning a lot from reading reports and Wayne’s tips on the other forum.
If you wouldn’t mind sharing, since we’re on the topic of anchovies, what is your rig for fishing them? What type of jig head do you prefer? And how do you keep the chunks in the hook? I’ve seen that sometimes anchovies turn to mush and fall off. Thanks again!
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When using anchovies, I insert the hook thru both gill plates on the head. That is strongest area to keep the anchovies on the hook. The anchovies must be frozen to stay on the hook. The alternative is to use a piece of striper filet with the skin attached as bait instead of using an anchovie. That will stay on the hook better and be equally effective. The hook to use is a "2/0 Mustad wide gap hook." Click on the bolded text for a picture of it. Very few bites are missed using this hook even for people new to fishing. You can buy 100 at a time for about $12.00. Attaching the 2/0 wide gapped hook to a swivel will help prevent line twist.

The clarity of the water on Lake Powell requires using the most invisible fishing line known to mankind. If the fish can see your line, your are screwed no matter what is on the end of it. This time of year it is possible to see the lake bottom at 40 feet deep. Need to use a small diameter clear florocarbon fishing line. Do not use monofilament. I use 8 pound test clear florocarbon line for all species.

If the stripers are shallow (30 feet), I do not put any sinkers on the line and let the bait fall slowly. If they are deep (50+ feet), I'll add an 1/8 ounce split shot to the line so it sinks faster to the bottom.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!
 
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Fursniper said:
When using anchovies, I insert the hook thru both gill plates on the head. That is strongest area to keep the anchovies on the hook. The anchovies must be frozen to stay on the hook. The alternative is to use a piece of striper filet with the skin attached as bait instead of using an anchovie. That will stay on the hook better and be equally effective. The hook to use is a 2/0 Mustad wide gapped hook. Very few bites are missed using this hook even for people new to fishing. You can buy 100 at a time for about $12.00. Attaching the 2/0 wide gapped hook to a swivel will help prevent line twist.

The clarity of the water on Lake Powell requires using the most invisible fishing line known to mankind. If the fish can see your line, your are screwed no matter what is on the end of it. This time of year it is possible to see the lake bottom at 40 feet deep. Need to use a small diameter clear florocarbon fishing line. Do not use monofilament. I use 8 pound test clear florocarbon line for all species.

If the stripers are shallow (30 feet), I do not put any sinkers on the line and let the bait fall slowly. If they are deep (50+ feet), I'll add an 1/8 ounce split shot to the line so it sinks faster to the bottom.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!
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Thank you! Great info! I was trying to find info on the exact hooks/jigs, and this is a great start. I’ll get a pack of 2/O mustads. I like the idea of free-falling, or small weights. Would this hold true for spring fish? I’ll be out there at the end of May, and I’m curious if stripers react differently as the water warms up.

I’ve also read up on Wayne’s tips for Carolina rigging anchovies. I might try that too, with an 18” leader. Just curious what size weights people use for Carolina rigs?
 
Unfortunately (For Me) it is going to be a stellar bait fishing season from March - May. I may have to switch to bait in April. I am going to try my favorite winter spot again tomorrow to see if they are still holding on the bottom and happy to eat spoons. If I come back with stinky hands that smell like anchovies, I will let you know.


Carolina rigs work fine with 1/4 ounce weights when fishing in 30 feet of water and half-ounce if going as deep as 60-80 feet.
 
wayne gustaveson said:
Unfortunately (For Me) it is going to be a stellar bait fishing season from March - May. I may have to switch to bait in April. I am going to try my favorite winter spot again tomorrow to see if they are still holding on the bottom and happy to eat spoons. If I come back with stinky hands that smell like anchovies, I will let you know.


Carolina rigs work fine with 1/4 ounce weights when fishing in 30 feet of water and half-ounce if going as deep as 60-80 feet.
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Great! Looking forward to hearing how you do. Thanks for the info on the Carolina rigs. I’m hoping to try them out in May.
 
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