May 28, 2008 By Wayne Gustaveson Lake Elevation: 3607 Water Temp: 64- 72 F |
Rapidly rising lake levels dominate the fishing scene. It is now possible to launch at Hite primitive ramp which has been long awaited by anglers. Unfortunately, the same high flows that allowed the lake to cover the ramp have muddied the water and cooled the main channel, effectively slowing fishing to a standstill. I recommend waiting for curtailment of high runoff before heading to Hite to fish. Still, it is closer to get to the fishable waters of Good Hope Bay via Hite than from Bullfrog. Jared Mayfield with smallmouth bass caught in Iceberg canyon. The lake has risen 3 feet in the last 3 days. That dramatic change renders gently sloping shoreline unusable as a visual reference when searching for spots that hold bass. Look for reefs in open water and fish the breaking edge from 15-25 feet deep for consistent bass action. Slick rock canyons that have many cliffs and few open flats are easier to fish successfully in these unsettled conditions. Fish the cracks and corners to find bass, crappie and walleye. Another major event finds the rising lake covering brush that survived inundation last year. Water is now lapping at the base of the bush. As soon as the entire bush is covered largemouth bass will head to shallow water and the comfort of brushy shelter. Trees with leaves are unforgiving when most lures come even close by. Newly covered brush is hard to fish with anything but a surface lure, spinner bait or Texas rigged plastic bait. Striped bass are still waiting for the spawn which will occur during the next warming period. It is not too late to catch a trophy fish as water temperature is still in the preferred comfort zone of all stripers. Big fish feed at night, so find one of the big schools of small stripers commonly found in most any bay or canyon. Fish near the large school at dusk and dawn with big crankbaits. Trophy fish will be shallow during this period so cast, troll or jig during the magic twilight feeding period. Stripers exceeding 30-pounds have been caught during each of the past 4 years. Time is now right for another big fish to show up. Schools of 2-pound stripers are commonly caught in big numbers in Wahweap Bay, Buoy 3, Buoy 9, Padre Bay near Cookie Jar, Last Chance along points and rock slides extending out from main canyon, Jacks Arch and mouth of San Juan Arm, Lake Canyon, and mouth of Moki Canyon. There are thousands of other spots where striper schools are stationed awaiting the spawn. Walleye fishing is at its peak. Fish murky water along the edge of the main channel. Walleye share long points jutting into the main channel with stripers. Trolling the edge of the channel with medium and deep runner crankbaits can locate schools of stripers and willing aggregations of walleye. Fishing conditions continue to change but fish are very catchable with a slight alteration in fishing techniques. |
May 21, 2008 By Wayne Gustaveson Lake Elevation: 3601 Water Temp: 64- 72 F |
![]() Striped bass males are extremely active lake wide. They are in large schools both in the canyons and the main channel. Schooling nature means there will be many areas without any fish and then a few spots with an endless supply of fish to catch. Here are a few locations with raging schools. Wahweap Bay near Castle Rock, Buoy 3, Buoy 9, Navajo Canyon (points past the first big island), Padre Bay - Cookie jar, Last Chance at the back of the canyon and half way in on the east Bluff with the first noticeable rock slide, Jacks Arch, Rincon near floating potty, Lake Canyon, and many spots in the northern lake. Schools up north may be harder to find with murky runoff water clouding their presence. There may actually be more stripers in the upper lake as they run to current when spawning - but they may be harder to find. Brooke and Bill Wiley land two stripers from a school in Padre Bay With huge schools present in most canyons and bays the best method of locating them is to graph the 30-60 foot depth contour. It is fine to troll while looking. When a fish is hooked or a school seen on the graph, mark the spot. The location will often be well out in the bay without a good way to stay on target, unless GPS or floating marker is used to pinpoint the spot. Once marked, that school location may be good for many days. Schools I have graphed recently resemble a tall thin vertical stack with spaces. A tall thin stack without spaces may also be a tree. Stripers in the main lake are eating plankton so they are more likely to be caught on anchovy bait than reaction lures. One combination that works well is to chum with anchovies and fish with a spoon or crankbait to actually catch fish as they rise in response to chum. The striper spawn will occur when water warms sufficiently to trigger females into activity. When that occurs, activity shifts to dark hours and daylight fishing slows considerably. Afternoons may be the best fishing time this week. Look for shoreline splashing activity in the evening to find a spawning school that may include a trophy female. Males will all be the 2-pound fish that have been caught so often this spring. Rapidly rising water has flooded new ground that is far way from where bass were residing. In gently sloping area bass are hard (not impossible) to find. Fish much deeper water to catch the bigger bass. The trick this time of year is to fish vertical habitat where bass can go up and down instead of moving laterally to stay in the comfort zone while water rises. The exception and best place to fish, is the slick rock canyons. Here much of the habitat is vertical cliff with cracks and ledges for cover. Bass will be in the likely looking spots along walls and in cracks. Some of the best canyons to fish now for bass include: Face, West, Oak, Reflection, Hidden Passage, Escalante River, Iceberg, and Moki. Again the canyons uplake are still good but the main channel may be muddy. Fishing remains great - it just requires a slight adjustment to keep up with the moods of the quarry. |
May 14, 2008 By Wayne Gustaveson Lake Elevation: 3595 Water Temp: 59-66 F |
![]() The positive aspect of the blustery weather is that striped bass are still holding in the main channel in large numbers. They have their nose turned into the slight current waiting for warming to trigger spawning. While there, they are easy targets for bait anglers. Graph along the edge of the channel at first light in the morning. When a school is found a bit of chum will ignite the school into a morning feeding frenzy. Most fish will be between 1-3 pounds but fishing is intense for the first hour of the day. Conner Grass and Wayne with largemouth bass. When the sun hits the water fishing changes to spurts of activity flowed by slow periods. The school can take off feeding again anytime. If a good spot was found in the morning expect fish to return there during the day. It helps to have a few spots in mind to keep trying during the day to maximize the catch. Just a slight ledge or small rock slide may be enough to hold a large school of stripers. While stripers are still being caught at the dam it seems more fish are found from Buoy 1 to the mouth of Antelope, from the power plant intake to Buoy 9, and in Navajo Canyon. Further uplake stripers are next caught at the mouth of Last Chance and then uplake to Lake Canyon, mouth of Halls Creek and Moki Canyon. I am sure there are many more spots just as good. Look at the features characterizing a historically good fishing spot and try similar areas in other parts of the lake to find your own private fishing hole. Runoff has muddied the water down to Good Hope Bay in the Colorado and to Neskahi Bay in the San Juan. The backs of canyons are still fishable but avoid the main channel further upstream in both arms of the lake. Smallmouth bass become active with warming water. Afternoon fishing is best after the lake has a chance to warm 3-5 degrees. If the temperature is 60 in the morning expect bass to bite well when it reaches 65 degrees. ![]() Cut intersecting Navajo Canyon is a good spot to fish for bass. |
May 7, 2008 By Wayne Gustaveson Lake Elevation: 3595 Water Temp: 59-66 F |
Smallmouth Bass Bite is ON! The weather in warming and Lake Powell is filling a foot every 4th day. Bass are guarding deep nests but the fast rising water makes sight fishing difficult. Not to worry! Bass fishing is great with feisty smallmouth bass waking up and getting with the program. Work the rocky structure to find willing smallmouth. Earlier in the spring all the bass action was in the backs of sandy coves with brush. Now bass are staged near the primary rocky points leading into those coves. It is not time yet to fish the main channel drop-offs. Start at the back of the canyon where muddy water meets the rich green color. That is the bass hotspot and many other species of fish like the green productive zone. Technique varies with personal preference. The most common approach is to use a plastic grub, tube, senko or other bait of your choosing. That works great as does retrieving a spinnerbait or crankbait across rocky structure. I like to have the option of using both techniques. Just have a tube rigged on one rod and a crank or jerk bait on the other. Use a tube for a while and then switch to the crank. Let the fish tell you which they like best. Do not be afraid to fish deeper water. The shoreline at the current lake level is devoid of brush. Old brush is buried 10-15 feet deep while the new shoreline brush won't go under water for a couple more weeks. The lake has to exceed last year's high water mark of 3611 before new brush is flooded. Walleye are perking up with warming conditions. They should be caught more often now particularly in murky water after an afternoon wind muddies a cove or floats a mudline into a clear water bay. Crappie are still being caught in the brush at the ends of the canyons. Use a bobber to suspend a tiny curly tail grub just above the brush zone. Dr Chad Lunt and son Jason - St George UT Stripers are schooled in 25-45 of water waiting to spawn. Trolling and graphing across deep points and drops in bays is the best way to located them. They will come up from 25 feet to hit a bevy shad, rattletrap or Wally diver running at 10-12 feet. I keep a floating fish marker handy and toss it out each time a good school is graphed. When tired of trolling, go back to the various makers, chum and fish bait over the stationary marked schools to catch a cooler full of stripers. Chum brings striper off the bottom. While they are easy to catch on bait, they are searching for food and will also take a spoon, crank, or swim bait while swimming in the chum field. Fishing is great right now whichever species or technique is your personal favorite. |