BarzArz
Well-Known Member
We made a very short, whirlwind, trip to the Lake over the Labor day weekend. Only 2 days fishing, but my wife said we had to go...what's a guy to do???
We met our favorite fishing partners, our son and granddaughter from SLC at Hite. Launched and camped at Hite, I'll post a Hite specific report tomorrow.
Only had two days to fish and had read all the recent reports on slower than anticipated fishing, and found that to be true for us.
Temperature each day about 103 for a high, 68 for a low. We had great wind weather, or lack of it, 2-5 MPH in the mornings, up to maybe 10MPH Gusts in the afternoon. Water temperatures pretty consistent, 80 to 82 degrees from Farley to restroom at Good Hope. Visibility only about 6 inches up near Hite and up to about 2-4 feet in side canyons and main channel lower down. Light Brown at Hite to about Two Mile, then light green downstream from there. Was some debris just down lake from the Horn, had to slow down and dodge some logs, but not too bad, isolated logs here and there, a few that were pretty big.
Drove all night FRiday, on the water Saturday about 9AM till 6PM. Fished Trachyte, walls in the main channel from Horn to Two Mile and a lot in Red Canyon for small mouth. This was after having cruised from Hite to the Floating Bathrooms at the lower end of Good Hope, looking for Striper boils, none to be found. We had smooth water much of the day and little boat traffic, not a boil or even a slurp seen. Lots of Big Gizzard? Shad singles swimming in circles on their sides on the surface. Lots of shad balls seen on the Humminbird. Lots of Stripers seen from 30-50 feet on the Humminbird, lots of Spoons deployed, not a strike. We did make contact with a couple of SM drop-shoting and throwing plasics, into shadow areas, skipping under ledges was best, but none in the boat that day. Disappointing fishing, but beautiful day on the water and some nice places to go for a swim and escape the heat!...see our Son and granddaughter!!
Sunday, on the water at first light, smooth ride from Hite to wall below the Floating Bathrooms at Good Hope. Not a single boil or slurp. LOTS of bait balls and stripers visible on the Humminbird. We dropped various spoons and swim baits and jigs, but no takers. It was smooth water and good visibility, and five sets of eyes looking, but no surface activity, except the occasional big distressed Shad, referenced above.
But finally, we did get into a few fish. On the wall below the restrooms, fishing in the wall shadow in 8-16 feet of water. Throwing plastics, jigs, top water, NEDS, no luck. Until our granddaughter and Son put a black NED type bait on, then things warmed up. We all changed to black plastics and started getting bites and managed to catch a few nice small mouth and even a sun fish before we lost our shadow area.
We fished the rest of the day along the main channel walls trying to find shade and spent some time back in in Farley and White... went swimming at the Battleship!
Then back to camp, break camp and overnight drive back to NM.
We will be back in October to see if the cooler water and weather helps. Great short, but beautiful trip!
Even had a Lake Powell newbie, one of my young engineers from work, that was in Southern Utah hiking and camping solo, join us Saturday evening and go out with us Sunday morning. When we saw him off Sunday afternoon, he was talking about getting a boat...lol
Thanks to you all for the reports and information.
We met our favorite fishing partners, our son and granddaughter from SLC at Hite. Launched and camped at Hite, I'll post a Hite specific report tomorrow.
Only had two days to fish and had read all the recent reports on slower than anticipated fishing, and found that to be true for us.
Temperature each day about 103 for a high, 68 for a low. We had great wind weather, or lack of it, 2-5 MPH in the mornings, up to maybe 10MPH Gusts in the afternoon. Water temperatures pretty consistent, 80 to 82 degrees from Farley to restroom at Good Hope. Visibility only about 6 inches up near Hite and up to about 2-4 feet in side canyons and main channel lower down. Light Brown at Hite to about Two Mile, then light green downstream from there. Was some debris just down lake from the Horn, had to slow down and dodge some logs, but not too bad, isolated logs here and there, a few that were pretty big.
Drove all night FRiday, on the water Saturday about 9AM till 6PM. Fished Trachyte, walls in the main channel from Horn to Two Mile and a lot in Red Canyon for small mouth. This was after having cruised from Hite to the Floating Bathrooms at the lower end of Good Hope, looking for Striper boils, none to be found. We had smooth water much of the day and little boat traffic, not a boil or even a slurp seen. Lots of Big Gizzard? Shad singles swimming in circles on their sides on the surface. Lots of shad balls seen on the Humminbird. Lots of Stripers seen from 30-50 feet on the Humminbird, lots of Spoons deployed, not a strike. We did make contact with a couple of SM drop-shoting and throwing plasics, into shadow areas, skipping under ledges was best, but none in the boat that day. Disappointing fishing, but beautiful day on the water and some nice places to go for a swim and escape the heat!...see our Son and granddaughter!!
Sunday, on the water at first light, smooth ride from Hite to wall below the Floating Bathrooms at Good Hope. Not a single boil or slurp. LOTS of bait balls and stripers visible on the Humminbird. We dropped various spoons and swim baits and jigs, but no takers. It was smooth water and good visibility, and five sets of eyes looking, but no surface activity, except the occasional big distressed Shad, referenced above.
But finally, we did get into a few fish. On the wall below the restrooms, fishing in the wall shadow in 8-16 feet of water. Throwing plastics, jigs, top water, NEDS, no luck. Until our granddaughter and Son put a black NED type bait on, then things warmed up. We all changed to black plastics and started getting bites and managed to catch a few nice small mouth and even a sun fish before we lost our shadow area.
We fished the rest of the day along the main channel walls trying to find shade and spent some time back in in Farley and White... went swimming at the Battleship!
Then back to camp, break camp and overnight drive back to NM.
We will be back in October to see if the cooler water and weather helps. Great short, but beautiful trip!
Even had a Lake Powell newbie, one of my young engineers from work, that was in Southern Utah hiking and camping solo, join us Saturday evening and go out with us Sunday morning. When we saw him off Sunday afternoon, he was talking about getting a boat...lol
Thanks to you all for the reports and information.
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