help with fishing decisions

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birdsnest

birdsnest

Keeper of San Juan Secrets
I am considering a big change in our 1 week houseboat fishing trip. We typically go to San Juan or Rock Creek area and this last fall we fished the area from the mouth of the SJ to about 5 miles into the Escalante and up to Cha. Due to the 2 days traveling I wonder about just pulling through the Castle Rock Cut and turning left into Warm Creek or maybe Crosby Canyon. We would be fishing by 9 or 10 a.m.. This would give us access to all of Warm Creek, Wahweap, the dam and even Padre. We have never done this as a group but I have fished all of that area and it has always been good fishing. Obviously, the solitude would not be there but maybe somewhere in the back of Warm Creek would be private enough to still get that feeling. Our fishing time would be dramatically increased by picking up almost two full days. We would be leaving Wahweap the last part of April and 1st part of May to avoid the full moon which is on the 7th of May. Also that way we just miss Memorial Day freak show. One cannot miss the fact that the vast majority of boats make the right after the cut, heading up lake. Is it possible that tendency to follow the crowds has limited our fishing experience? Of course I will run this by the group but only after I get some input from all the well seasoned fishermen (and women) in the WW circle. It almost seems that the fishing would be more hard core due to the extra days being able to fish instead of travel. Any input would be appreciated.
 
Your plan makes it possible to fish an extra day or two instead of traveling. YES - that works in May before the anglers leave and the wake board boats arrive in the lower lake. Memorial Day is when conditions change and it is necessary to go uplake to have a more peaceful fishing trip. All of the lower lake canyons provide good fishing in late April and early May.

Maybe - after winter is over - the shad supply will be smaller and fish will be fatter for sure - but also more willing to chase our lures and bass baits. It is going to be interesting to see how our fish react in the springtime. Time will tell...
 
hard to beat the San Juan at the end of April----
how about taking turns at driving houseboat, and fishing along the way?
one person drives the house boat, remainder go up lake approx. 1 1/2 houseboat travel hrs ahead in fishing boat -- fish until houseboat catches you, and switch drivers --- no wasted fishing time
 
I find that in the spring the fishing always gets better as the day goes on afternoon is always better for me than in the morning. I would push to Padre bay, still be close to warm creek, face, west, and even last chance.
 
Another thought. Send out the fishing boat(s) as soon as the houseboat clears the cut and let them fish their way uplake while the houseboat travels. The houseboat will be faster without the fish boats in tow. Have a given time that the fishermen come back to the houseboat to switch drivers/fisherme, eat, etc. Have a preset time/place to get back together for the evening and tie up the houseboat. Our houseboat, when launched from Wahweap at 6am can make Piute Canyon in the SJ by 4 pm at 2500 rpm per engine not towing. It cruises at 7 kts.
Chuck
 
All great suggestions. We have considered some of these but not implemented them. I quess that the rotation of drivers would certainly be a viable way to utilize the travel time for fishing. With all 4 boats fishing on the way uplake, a stop at DR would have to be made. Typically with the fishing boats in tow we don't stop because of our fuel reserves on the top deck... Obviously can't have it both ways. Chuck, your timeframe fits in perfectly with ours while towing the boats but at an RPM of @3100. We get about 7 as well. It i so hard to make a decision about this stuff because it is impossible to know how it would have would been if you did it a different way. The fishing reports as the days get closer will certainly have an impact on final decisions. It' a good thing to be flexible and have different plans for different fishing reports. I really learned alot on the fall trip concerning the accuracy of the fish reports. We fished hard but the shad population trumped us. If I was to do it again I would not have gone so far uplake. I knew the reports but just knew we could do better. It was a wake up call for me to listen and learn from the WWs cause it was exactly as broadcast from this knowledgeable group and we had the same results as about everyone. Two capable fishermen in a boat only catching 5 fish all day helped put the exclamation point on the reports.
 
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Friendship cove is a really good place as well, at the current water level there are a few beaches.

Close enough to do all of last chance or the rock creeks, dungeon, face, wetherill and west canyons, and I have done a day trip to the san jaun from there as well. You are also close to dangling rope marina if you need anything. And cell phones work if you can beach it and see navajo mountain.
 
birdsnest said:
All great suggestions. We have considered some of these but not implemented them. I quess that the rotation of drivers would certainly be a viable way to utilize the travel time for fishing. With all 4 boats fishing on the way uplake, a stop at DR would have to be made. Typically with the fishing boats in tow we don't stop because of our fuel reserves on the top deck... Obviously can't have it both ways. Chuck, your timeframe fits in perfectly with ours while towing the boats but at an RPM of @3100. We get about 7 as well. It i so hard to make a decision about this stuff because it is impossible to know how it would have would been if you did it a different way. The fishing reports as the days get closer will certainly have an impact on final decisions. It' a good thing to be flexible and have different plans for different fishing reports. I really learned alot on the fall trip concerning the accuracy of the fish reports. We fished hard but the shad population trumped us. If I was to do it again I would not have gone so far uplake. I knew the reports but just knew we could do better. It was a wake up call for me to listen and learn from the WWs cause it was exactly as broadcast from this knowledgeable group and we had the same results as about everyone. Two capable fishermen in a boat only catching 5 fish all day helped put the exclamation point on the reports.
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Just to throw an additional view to this, I find that when I am towing boats and jet skis at 3,000 rpm in my houseboat, the speed of the houseboat is slower. When we uncouple the boats at the entrance to the San Juan, you can feel a noticable speed increase in the houseboat with less drag. I am sure the houseboat fuel economy increases also. I do like your idea of checking the fish reports before making your final decision.
 
Guido said:
Friendship cove is a really good place as well, at the current water level there are a few beaches.

Close enough to do all of last chance or the rock creeks, dungeon, face, wetherill and west canyons, and I have done a day trip to the san jaun from there as well. You are also close to dangling rope marina if you need anything. And cell phones work if you can beach it and see navajo mountain.
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Yes friendship is a great place for anchorage and the access to fishing in so many places makes it high on the list and in fact we have based there more than once. I love the islands across from Rock Creek and the rocky shore heading towards Last Chance.
 
I have always thought that although the houseboat uses more fuel while towing it still is less than running all the fishing boats. But when everyone would be fishing along the way, that extra fuel is being used for what we all love, Fishing. Easily justified.
 
birdsnest said:
All great suggestions. We have considered some of these but not implemented them. I quess that the rotation of drivers would certainly be a viable way to utilize the travel time for fishing. With all 4 boats fishing on the way uplake, a stop at DR would have to be made. Typically with the fishing boats in tow we don't stop because of our fuel reserves on the top deck... Obviously can't have it both ways. Chuck, your timeframe fits in perfectly with ours while towing the boats but at an RPM of @3100. We get about 7 as well. It i so hard to make a decision about this stuff because it is impossible to know how it would have would been if you did it a different way. The fishing reports as the days get closer will certainly have an impact on final decisions. It' a good thing to be flexible and have different plans for different fishing reports. I really learned alot on the fall trip concerning the accuracy of the fish reports. We fished hard but the shad population trumped us. If I was to do it again I would not have gone so far uplake. I knew the reports but just knew we could do better. It was a wake up call for me to listen and learn from the WWs cause it was exactly as broadcast from this knowledgeable group and we had the same results as about everyone. Two capable fishermen in a boat only catching 5 fish all day helped put the exclamation point on the reports.
Click to expand...

So you are insinuating that people on this site are posting bogus fishing reports.
 
SeaLegs said:
So you are insinuating that people on this site are posting bogus fishing reports.
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I don't insinuate. If that was how I felt you would know it. Almost all of the reports during the period I was talking about included comments on the tough fishing and I only commented that I thought I could do better but that was not the case. Sorry if you misunderstood me.
 
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