Lake Powell Fish Report – June 7, 2016
Lake Elevation: 3606
Water Temperature: 72-76 F
By: Wayne Gustaveson http://www.wayneswords.com
Slurps Start!
Lake Powell rose 3 more feet in the past week with more runoff yet to come. Surface water is muddy in Good Hope Bay all the way to the inflowing river. Downstream from Good Hope the water is stained but fishable. There is floating debris lake wide that has been set adrift by rising water so be alert for floating wood.
The big news this week is the beginning of striper surface action. “Slurps” have begun as small stripers have found the very small, newly hatched baby shad. Stripers have been subsisting by eating plankton, which is the only readily available food source. Now that plankton also contains small fish that are growing larger each day, much to the delight of hungry stripers.
The slurpers are mostly yearling striped bass 9-12 inches long. They are catchable each morning and evening and then randomly seen throughout the day. The key to catching them is to cast small flies into the line of slurpers or to find the leaders that change direction and look for a new food source after the shad school runs out. These fish that are looking for more food can be caught on spoons (Kastmasters) and small bass jigs while the main school eating small shad are totally focused on the job at hand and spook when a large lure splashes nearby.
Do not be surprised when larger fish suddenly join the small feeding stripers. The warm surface layer is thin and larger fish living in deeper cool water will investigate the feeding action and rise to the occasion. Visible slurps can be a target for anglers that want to fish for bigger fish by dropping spoons under the surface action.
Bait fishing for stripers is not over. Many new schooling areas have been reported this week. The standard spots in the main channel at Moki Canyon, Lake Canyon, Navajo and many more are still producing. The new spots are at the mouth of the San Juan and Nasja, and in the in the back of Rock Creek, Last Chance, Deep Canyon and Gunsight. The best fishing time is morning and evening. Look for striper schools on the shade line near rock outcroppings suspended at 30-40 foot depths in 60 feet of water.
Juvenile smallmouth bass are still on fire along shallow rocky terrain over the length of the lake. Larger bass are found in 20-30 feet of water at the same distance away form the shore. Sometimes casting parallel to the bank works better to catch the larger bass. Lake Powell has an abundant supply of all species of fish this spring. Please keep a 20 fish limit of 9-12 inch smallmouth bass for a great meal while camping on the lake shore.
Walleye are being caught early and late in low light conditions while trolling and casting medium to deep diving lures in 12 to 25 feet of water. Dragging bottom bouncers along a smooth slick rock bench works well, particularly where the worm trailer rig falls over a breaking edge into deeper water. Lake Powell predators really like to be on the edge of deep water waiting to ambush unsuspecting prey.
Fishing conditions are changing with rising water and warmer temperatures, but the catch of fish continues to be off the charts for a wide variety of sport fish.
Lake Elevation: 3606
Water Temperature: 72-76 F
By: Wayne Gustaveson http://www.wayneswords.com
Slurps Start!
Lake Powell rose 3 more feet in the past week with more runoff yet to come. Surface water is muddy in Good Hope Bay all the way to the inflowing river. Downstream from Good Hope the water is stained but fishable. There is floating debris lake wide that has been set adrift by rising water so be alert for floating wood.
The big news this week is the beginning of striper surface action. “Slurps” have begun as small stripers have found the very small, newly hatched baby shad. Stripers have been subsisting by eating plankton, which is the only readily available food source. Now that plankton also contains small fish that are growing larger each day, much to the delight of hungry stripers.
The slurpers are mostly yearling striped bass 9-12 inches long. They are catchable each morning and evening and then randomly seen throughout the day. The key to catching them is to cast small flies into the line of slurpers or to find the leaders that change direction and look for a new food source after the shad school runs out. These fish that are looking for more food can be caught on spoons (Kastmasters) and small bass jigs while the main school eating small shad are totally focused on the job at hand and spook when a large lure splashes nearby.
Do not be surprised when larger fish suddenly join the small feeding stripers. The warm surface layer is thin and larger fish living in deeper cool water will investigate the feeding action and rise to the occasion. Visible slurps can be a target for anglers that want to fish for bigger fish by dropping spoons under the surface action.
Bait fishing for stripers is not over. Many new schooling areas have been reported this week. The standard spots in the main channel at Moki Canyon, Lake Canyon, Navajo and many more are still producing. The new spots are at the mouth of the San Juan and Nasja, and in the in the back of Rock Creek, Last Chance, Deep Canyon and Gunsight. The best fishing time is morning and evening. Look for striper schools on the shade line near rock outcroppings suspended at 30-40 foot depths in 60 feet of water.
Juvenile smallmouth bass are still on fire along shallow rocky terrain over the length of the lake. Larger bass are found in 20-30 feet of water at the same distance away form the shore. Sometimes casting parallel to the bank works better to catch the larger bass. Lake Powell has an abundant supply of all species of fish this spring. Please keep a 20 fish limit of 9-12 inch smallmouth bass for a great meal while camping on the lake shore.
Walleye are being caught early and late in low light conditions while trolling and casting medium to deep diving lures in 12 to 25 feet of water. Dragging bottom bouncers along a smooth slick rock bench works well, particularly where the worm trailer rig falls over a breaking edge into deeper water. Lake Powell predators really like to be on the edge of deep water waiting to ambush unsuspecting prey.
Fishing conditions are changing with rising water and warmer temperatures, but the catch of fish continues to be off the charts for a wide variety of sport fish.