Lake Powell Fish Report – July 11, 2018
Lake Elevation: 3608
Water temperature: 80 - 84 F
By: Wayne Gustaveson http://www.wayneswords.com or Wayneswords.net
Water temperature is now in the 80s all day and night. That is great for swimming, wake-boarding and scuba diving but it makes fishing a bit more challenging. Here are some ways to beat the heat and catch some fish.
Fishing success lakewide is best for smallmouth bass. Bass are caught morning and evening on plastic baits fished near shore or around submerged islands that are now coming out of the water as the lake goes down. Target rocky structure at a depth of 10-25 feet, for best results. Use plastic single or double tails grubs, swimbaits, Yamamoto D-Shad, and topwater lures. If you hit the lake just before dawn, the top water fishing for bass is incredible. Once the sun comes up bass fishing slows down as fish go deep looking for crayfish. It lights up again near sunset as the light diminishes and fish get more aggressive.
Walleye are still being caught occasionally trolling in the morning near rocky structure but the catch rate is declining. Walleye are more active at night now and can be caught on rocky habitat at 15-30 feet right as the sun comes up and goes down and the daylight fades.
Each year in July we are challenged to catch 60 stripers for a disease certification check up. The common result is that stripers are disease free of viruses. This year the results are still undecided, not because some diseases have appeared, but for the first time we failed to collect our required numbers of fish. A slight breeze this morning, kept the slurping stripers away from view. Our fallback position was to use bait along the walls in Navajo Canyon but that was not up to par. In fact, we only caught 5 stripers with 3 boats and 9 anglers fishing from Navajo Canyon to the San Juan. No boils or slurps were seen in the main channel from Wahweap to Cha Canyon because of the slight breeze that kept the fish down. Some days fishing is not as good. We chose one of those days. That really makes me want to go out tomorrow because I know it will be better then.
The best striper fishing is in the far northern lake where full blown striper boils are wide open from North Wash to Good Hope Bay. Launching at Hite is no longer possible due to dropping lake level, but it is worth the long run uplake from Bullfrog to the Horn to chase boiling stripers.
If you go, pick a day with calm water and no wind in the forecast to make sure the fish will come to the top to feed.
Many are now camping on the shore of the lake in houseboats or tents. There are more fishing opportunities than those mentioned above. Catfish are really aggressive now and are easy to catch on the sandy beaches where boats can park. Both Bluegill and Green Sunfish are in the shallows and can be seen in shallow water where brush resides. Many of the brushy sites are drying out as the lake declines but sunfish are still near those areas. Look for blocky rocks, that fish can use as shade, near the dried brush to find sunfish. Use small hooks and small worms to catch some very impressive sized bluegill that are now just finishing up their spawning ritual. After spawning fish get hungry and are easier to catch. Fishing is always great at the lake if you pick the right species, at the right time, and the right spot.
Michael Winward (12 yrs old) caught some nice fish while camped at Wahweap Marina. His catch included a 7 pound striper, smallmouth bass and catfish.
Lake Elevation: 3608
Water temperature: 80 - 84 F
By: Wayne Gustaveson http://www.wayneswords.com or Wayneswords.net
Water temperature is now in the 80s all day and night. That is great for swimming, wake-boarding and scuba diving but it makes fishing a bit more challenging. Here are some ways to beat the heat and catch some fish.
Fishing success lakewide is best for smallmouth bass. Bass are caught morning and evening on plastic baits fished near shore or around submerged islands that are now coming out of the water as the lake goes down. Target rocky structure at a depth of 10-25 feet, for best results. Use plastic single or double tails grubs, swimbaits, Yamamoto D-Shad, and topwater lures. If you hit the lake just before dawn, the top water fishing for bass is incredible. Once the sun comes up bass fishing slows down as fish go deep looking for crayfish. It lights up again near sunset as the light diminishes and fish get more aggressive.
Walleye are still being caught occasionally trolling in the morning near rocky structure but the catch rate is declining. Walleye are more active at night now and can be caught on rocky habitat at 15-30 feet right as the sun comes up and goes down and the daylight fades.
Each year in July we are challenged to catch 60 stripers for a disease certification check up. The common result is that stripers are disease free of viruses. This year the results are still undecided, not because some diseases have appeared, but for the first time we failed to collect our required numbers of fish. A slight breeze this morning, kept the slurping stripers away from view. Our fallback position was to use bait along the walls in Navajo Canyon but that was not up to par. In fact, we only caught 5 stripers with 3 boats and 9 anglers fishing from Navajo Canyon to the San Juan. No boils or slurps were seen in the main channel from Wahweap to Cha Canyon because of the slight breeze that kept the fish down. Some days fishing is not as good. We chose one of those days. That really makes me want to go out tomorrow because I know it will be better then.
The best striper fishing is in the far northern lake where full blown striper boils are wide open from North Wash to Good Hope Bay. Launching at Hite is no longer possible due to dropping lake level, but it is worth the long run uplake from Bullfrog to the Horn to chase boiling stripers.
If you go, pick a day with calm water and no wind in the forecast to make sure the fish will come to the top to feed.
Many are now camping on the shore of the lake in houseboats or tents. There are more fishing opportunities than those mentioned above. Catfish are really aggressive now and are easy to catch on the sandy beaches where boats can park. Both Bluegill and Green Sunfish are in the shallows and can be seen in shallow water where brush resides. Many of the brushy sites are drying out as the lake declines but sunfish are still near those areas. Look for blocky rocks, that fish can use as shade, near the dried brush to find sunfish. Use small hooks and small worms to catch some very impressive sized bluegill that are now just finishing up their spawning ritual. After spawning fish get hungry and are easier to catch. Fishing is always great at the lake if you pick the right species, at the right time, and the right spot.
Michael Winward (12 yrs old) caught some nice fish while camped at Wahweap Marina. His catch included a 7 pound striper, smallmouth bass and catfish.
