March 2007

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wayne gustaveson

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March 28, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3598
Water Temp: 55-66 F
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It's easy to predict fishing success this week - just look out the window and see what the weather is doing. Sun is good. Wind is bad. Mild March weather has allowed the lake surface to warm to 58 degrees, which is the temperature threshold that launches spring fishing. When morning water temperature is 58 the afternoon temperature on a calm day may be as high as 66 degrees. That makes fish do cartwheels. A cold March wind can quickly lower the surface temperature back to the mid 50's. That stalls bass fishing.
Phil and fishing buddy fished with Kevin Campbell at the dam to catch many stripers.

Just before the wind storm on March 27-28, bass had moved on to the bank to enjoy the hot afternoon sun. They were eager to bite and chase most plastic offerings that came in range. Lures tossed right at the waters edge were most likely to be noticed. The best cast landed on the sandy bank. The bait was then pulled into the water. Bass were very shallow as they tried to stay in the thin layer of warm surface water. Some bass were even prospecting for a nest site.

Wind cooling is temporary and causes bass to drop back to the depths. They are still catchable but not nearly as aggressive as when lake temperature is rising. The present cool spell will give way to warming again on the weekend. It will be early next week before bass come shallow once more. When they do, fishing will be great.

Stripers are found most often near the back of the canyon near deep water. Hungry stripers will come up to shallow water to eat. The main feeding area in the southern lake is near weed beds and tumbleweed coves that provide cover for sunfish. Young fat stripers are more likely to be in the back of the canyon instead of the main channel. Thin adults are moving toward the channel. Catch rate at Glen Canyon Dam is good on 2 out of 3 days now. Stripers bite for a while and then seem to move out before returning a few hours later. The channel from the Intake to Warm Creek is only fair fishing.
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Walleye and crappie are showing up more often. Crappie move into brush on warm afternoons and can be caught on small plastic grubs. Crappie fishing will be better in April. Walleye are found near other feeding fish. Stripers and bass often stir up a school of shad or sunfish during a feeding event which excites the ambush feeding walleye into activity. Find actively feeding fish to catch a bonus walleye.

Natalie, Bree and Ashley with stripers caught at the dam on bait.

Wash your boat before heading from mussel infested water to Lake Powell.
March 21, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3597
Water Temp: 55-62 F
Lake level has stabilized. Weather is still warming despite some cloudy days. Spring fishing is improving daily. Looks like an early start to another good fishing year at Lake Powell.
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The anticipated movement of stripers into the main channel near Glen Canyon Dam is just beginning. After last year's early season success, folks just can't wait for big striper schools to move near the dam and power plant intake and many other deep water spots. There have been some good days at the dam but the poor days are still more prevalent. Striper schools are moving from the backs of the canyons to the deep water and back again. Moving schooling fish are more difficult to find but easy to catch once located.
Dave Bland with striper caught on crankbait in Navajo Canyon during early March.

The best fishing strategy is to be a generalist. Fish bait in deep water for stripers and then try the shallows for bass and walleye. Keep moving and experimenting until the daily pattern is discovered.

Bass are near brush cover and weed beds. Largemouth bass are the most active fish now but smallmouth are biting better with each passing day. Standard bass fare from spinner baits, hula grubs and jerk baits are all working. Bass will be congregated on certain points and brushy coves while other spots that look just as good will be fishless. Keep moving and casting to find fish or to find active fish. The best time to fish is afternoon when water reaches its warmest temperature. It may even be better to sleep in and just fish in the afternoon for best results.

Walleye are being caught on bass baits while anglers fish for bass. Walleye can be targeted in May when they get more active. But for now fish for bass and catch one or two walleye per trip as a bonus.

It's the same with crappie. Some are being caught but the catch will increase greatly as the water warms consistently in the 60's.

It's typical early spring fishing. Some days are great but most likely there will be more casting than catching. But, what better place to practice casting than at Lake Powell.
Don't bring Quagga Mussels to Lake Powell from the lower Colorado River Reservoirs. Wash your boat and dry it for 5 days before launching in Lake Powell.
March 14, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3597
Water Temp: 51-58 F
The big high pressure system parked over the West this week is warming the surface of Lake Powell. In the morning the surface temperature is in the low 50's but by afternoon the sun warms it to almost 60 F. The warm water layer is thin but cold-blooded fish really like warming water.
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Fishing has not "taken off" in the main lake. It will take a few more warm windless days for fish to get active. But that is exactly what the weather forecast predicts. The key water temperature is 57 in the morning with warming to the mid 60's in the afternoon. When that happens spring fishing will peak. The question will be if the current warm weather pattern allows that to happen in March.
Harris family from Syracuse, UT. Brenda holds a big striper she caught in the northern lake while Halle and Mom look on.

If warming continues then bass spawning can happen as early as the last week of March or first week of April. The normal bass spawning period begins in mid April. An early spawn precedes snowmelt runoff and provides better fishing than late spawning that occurs while the lake is rapidly rising. Take a close look at the weather patterns and plan a spring trip accordingly.

The most active fish right now are largemouth bass. They are near brush and often in shallow water warming their backs in the sun. They can be caught on a wide variety of lures from the standard plastic grubs and tubes, to spinner baits and jerk baits. The best time to fish is late afternoon with water temperature at its peak. Cloudy water warms quicker than clear water but finding brush is important. This week bass may be caught in clear brushy water just as well as in cloudy brushy water.

The best fishing location is the northern lake from Farley and White Canyons down to Scorup Canyon. With shad still common in this stretch look for good early activity from bass, stripers and walleye. Good catches of healthy stripers were recently reported from these northern canyons on anchovy bait. Stripers are sluggish in the rest of the lake with only a few fish being caught. Stripers will be more active in the afternoon and at night for those that like to fish "under the lights".

For those coming to Lake Powell from water infested with quagga mussel, please make sure to wash your boat and inspect it for hitch hiking adult mussels. Don't bring these unwanted nuisance shellfish to Lake Powell. If you want to learn more, go to 100th Meridian Initiative Take the quagga mussel test and download a certificate that will allow you to bypass the Lake Powell fee booths with minimal inconvenience.
March 6, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3597
Water Temp: 47-51 F
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Bass fishermen have already been competing for fishing honors in the early season at Lake Powell. Cold temperatures, and a little snow mixed with wind did not dampened their spirits as they showed their prowess by catching bass in the toughest of cold weather conditions. The Anglers Choice Team tournament saw many 5-fish bass limits with some teams weighing almost 15 pounds for a 3-pound average. Smallmouth up to 4-pounds and largemouth over 5-pounds were taken and released following the weigh-in.

There are as many productive techniques as there are fishermen. Some of the most productive in this early tournament involved a fishing strategy using multiple methods. Most know that a few bass will be easy prey and bite on the first cast. After that it takes more patience to continue to catch fish.
Ron Colby shows off a 3-pound smallmouth caught on the shad shaped worm. Ron won the heaviest weight for two days combined.

Bass were often shallow but not in the backs of the canyons. Bass like points with shallow feeding areas in close proximity to deep water. Wise anglers fished the points and brush shelters. Prowling fish were taken on deep diving crankbaits tossed to the far side of the point. The deep diver was then dragged through the soil and rocks leaving a mud trail. Bass attracted to the mud trail would then bite as the lure broke out into deeper water. Remember that each team only had to catch 5 fish to get a limit. Fishing was not fast, with one or two keepers caught in 2 hours of cranking. It takes hundreds of casts and great patience to be successful in cold conditions.



When prowling fish quit biting, it's time to break out the plastic and fish slow and deep for resting fish. Time tested jig and pork rind and large hula grubs caught some fish but perhaps the best deep approach was the drop shot rig. The weight is placed on the bottom with the plastic worm, grub or senko hooked on a super sharp hook some 6-10 inches up the line. When fished correctly, the weight rests on the bottom and the plastic bait resembles a free swimming or resting bait fish. A slight movement of the rod tip allows the bait to flutter and twitch with tantalizingly slow movements that are attractive in cold weather. The weight is pulled along the bottom on a tight line and then allowed to rest and flutter in one spot for longer periods.
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Fish become accustomed to seeing the same popular baits fished time after time. Sometimes the new bait or new color draws the strike while the old standard is ignored. A new plastic bait from Yamamoto worked very well in this event. It is called a SHAD-SHAPED WORM and is designed specifically for drop shot fishing.
The deep diving cranks needed a bit of innovation as well. The lures that dug up mud at 15-25 feet worked better when a "hot color" like red-crayfish or fire tiger was used. Fishing is off to a good early start. When temperatures warm up, it won't take nearly as many casts or crazy colors to catch fish here.
Tournament anglers found some willing stripers in Rock Creek, Neanderthal Cove and Warm Creek. A few walleye were taken as well.
Remember to protect the big lake from hitch hiking mussels coming from Lakes Mead, Mohave or Havasu. Drain all water and wash the boat, then let it dry 5 days before launching in a new water.
 
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