Hello everybody! Long time lurker first time poster. Had a couple of questions for the experts on this page. Me and a couple of buddies are planning a kayaking trip the last weekend in March. It will be a fishing/sight seeing trip since none of us have ever kayaked LP before. My first question is can you launch a kayak from the Stanton camping area? Or are we going to have to launch from the Bullfrog marina? Is there a better place to put in closer to forgotten canyon? Second question with it being Easter/Spring Break weekend how crazy does the boating traffic get? We have a tentative plan to kayak up to the forgotten canyon area and smith's narrow fishing along the way. The hitting Moki canyon on the way back. Last question, how is the fishing in this area, this time of year? Do we even stand a chance at chancing anything this early in the year? Thanks in advance for any and all pointers!
Kayaking the north end. (Forgotten Canyon area)
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catchnabuzz
Well-Known Member
You can launch from stanton but I don't think you want to paddle 12 miles uplake to get to Forgotten. Moki is about 4 miles up from stanton
Why would I not want to paddle the 12 miles to Forgotten? Covering 12 miles in a kayak in one day is not that much of a problem, unless the weather is crappy, many of my fishing trips have covered 10-15 miles round trip. Also, guess I should have included that this will be a multi-day trip. 3 days total on the water and finding a beach to camp on at the end of the day. Are there other reasons I wouldn't want to make that paddle?
I've seen kayakers in Rainbow Bridge that had started at Wahweap and camped their way to there. One guy I talked to traveled 40 miles one full moon night (no lake traffic) from above the San Juan to Rock Creek....said he was able to go 6mph. Two years ago there were three paddle boards camped in the Great Bend of the SJ. The lake ended short of Spencer's Camp so I don't know how they got there unless dropped by boat. Later that day they were paddling out of Piute Bay headed to the mouth of the SJ. I don't know if they had boat support but had packs and a tent on their paddle boards. Tougher than I am, for sure!! Chuck Fulton
Dorado
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
I guess a couple of things that might make LP different, are that there are extended sections that really have no exit because of cliffs and or steep banks if you were to get into some bad wind/weather. The other thing is there can be a lot of boat wakes bouncing off the cliff walls that can make it rough even when there is not a lot of wind. That said, in March that should not be as much of a problem.
I have been out around that time of year, and been cruising in my 17' boat on pretty calm, flat water and come around a bend in the river channel and have conditions really change for the worse. If you are in a section where the river channel is oriented perpendicular to the wind direction, it appears calm, but when you come around a bend, the lake can be suddenly very rough, especially where the waves just keep bouncing off the cliff walls and there are no safe bays to hid in. Lake Powell can be so placid it lulls you into a false sense of security; I always try to never be complacent!
Fishing can be fantastic that time of year. If it was me (I like to fish more than paddle), I would launch out of Hite, or Red Canyon (Blue Notch). Better fishing and more bays to hide in.
I have been out around that time of year, and been cruising in my 17' boat on pretty calm, flat water and come around a bend in the river channel and have conditions really change for the worse. If you are in a section where the river channel is oriented perpendicular to the wind direction, it appears calm, but when you come around a bend, the lake can be suddenly very rough, especially where the waves just keep bouncing off the cliff walls and there are no safe bays to hid in. Lake Powell can be so placid it lulls you into a false sense of security; I always try to never be complacent!
Fishing can be fantastic that time of year. If it was me (I like to fish more than paddle), I would launch out of Hite, or Red Canyon (Blue Notch). Better fishing and more bays to hide in.
Dorado question for you, like you I enjoy fishing more than the scenery. On the flip side I will have 2 buddy's with that have never fished from a kayak so I'm thinking they may be more interested in the scenery. What are the canyons like around Hite? I've been to the bullfrog area so I know what I'm in for but have been to the Hite area. Are there areas to get out and hike? Any slot canyons that aren't technical climbs? Also is the fishing better for bass, stripers, or walleye in that region? Thanks for the input.
KYKevin
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
Not Dorado, but I can help you a little. First of all, for me, there is not anywhere I go on Powell, that the scenery is bad, and there are a lot of place's or canyons to hike, Farley's has some Indian stuff, if you know where to look, White canyon has the Battleship, which is well worth your paddle, and there is great fishing all over down in there for everything you mentioned, and more. But the fishing, will depend on weather, and water temp's, for most fish, Striper's, can be caught most of the time, if you locate them.
You can put in at Farley's canyon, save some paddling, or at Hite, and go over into North Wash, and then Down River, to Farley's, White's, or on and on. Hope this help's.
Have a good one.
KyKevin
You can put in at Farley's canyon, save some paddling, or at Hite, and go over into North Wash, and then Down River, to Farley's, White's, or on and on. Hope this help's.
Have a good one.
KyKevin
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Dorado
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
There are some cool hikes in the upper lake. Not sure about slot canyons, but there are some fun hikes. The areas below the high water mark are kind a mess, lots of invasive plants, noxious weeds and things with burrs and thorns! Above that, it is much nicer...
As far as fishing, everything is better up there. Hite will probably be pretty muddy, but a paddle down the 2 and 4 mile canyons or up into Farley/White should get you out of the deep mud. Stained water is your friend when fishing...Stripers may be harder to locate since your going to be in kayaks, but if you can troll 2.5-3 mph over 15-50 foot depths with deep diving plugs you should catch a bit of everything.
As far as fishing, everything is better up there. Hite will probably be pretty muddy, but a paddle down the 2 and 4 mile canyons or up into Farley/White should get you out of the deep mud. Stained water is your friend when fishing...Stripers may be harder to locate since your going to be in kayaks, but if you can troll 2.5-3 mph over 15-50 foot depths with deep diving plugs you should catch a bit of everything.
Reeltor
Member
I have taken my 16' touring kayak set up for fishing into blue notch the last two years in early to mid March, the camping and paddling are awesome around red canyon and over to tics boo and the fishing has never been disappointing, I troll deep divers and even grubs and do well, and there is loads of drift wood for big warm fires at night, that would definitely be my recommendation if you have a trustworthy 4-wheel drive, it's roughly an hour and a half drive in from the highway, but really scenic and a pretty easy rd
Wet1
Well-Known Member
Last spring I ran into a guy and his dog in a canoe. First time we saw him he was near the mouth of White Canyon. Talked to him the second day when we saw him around Red Canyon. He had come from Bullfrog and was making his way back. Third day we saw him near the mouth of Crystal heading towards Bullfrog. Each time we saw him we were surprised at how far he'd made it.
Wet1
Well-Known Member
I've had labs my whole life. The last one I had was the most powerful swimmer I've ever seen. I used to harness him and he would pull my ice fishing sled all over the lake during ice season. I bet he could have pulled the guy's canoe no problem.
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