October - November 2006

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wayne gustaveson

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November 30, 2006
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3606
Water Temp: 54-57 F
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Jeff came home from Iraq long enough to fish at Lake Powell for a day. Thanks Jeff for honoring us at home and overseas.

Winds and arctic cold temperatures have caused the lake surface temperature to drop two degrees in two days. The wind is still blowing meaning more rapid cooling. This unusual rapid temperature drop signals the imminent arrival of "TURNOVER". Lake Powell will lose thermal stratification this week as the upper hundred feet of water mixes and becomes the same temperature throughout. The deepest part of the lake (>200 feet) does not mix every year so there is still a distinction between water layers. This type of mixing pattern is referred to as "warm meromictic", meaning the water layers do not mix all the way to the bottom. Most meromictic lakes have no oxygen on the bottom during summer stratified. When turnover occurs fish are able to range into the newly oxygenated water layers and travel through a larger portion of the lake. The phenomenon is marked by an increase in feeding activity.

That is not the case in Lake Powell where oxygen is normally present throughout the water column in all seasons. So turnover here does not have the same significance to anglers that is common in some other waters. At Lake Powell it just means that the water got colder and warmwater fish have slowed down.

Expect slower fishing in most of the lake with the exception of White Canyon. The abundance of hungry game fish and forage make it likely that fishing will continue to be very good near Hite. Colder temperatures and storm fronts will cause all fish to descend deeper in the water column. Those that have been successfully trolling near White Canyon with shallow running Lucky Craft baits will now find it better to use deeper diving lures. Norman 'suspending' Little N's and other deep divers that troll about 20 feet deep will now catch more fish than those trolling the upper 10 feet.

It is still possible to launch at the gravel ramp near the historical site of the floating Hite marina. (See launch ramp page for details). A short boat ride to White Canyon makes for a great fishing trip. Stripers are the most common fish to catch but fat walleye and big crappie will hit the full size deep diving lures.

Over the rest of the lake expect slower fishing. "Slower" at Powell means catching only 20 fish instead of 100 when fishing for stripers. As fish are stressed from poor forage conditions they cannot rest, and have to keep searching for food. It will be common to find schools of stripers searching for food in shallow water all winter long. Cast a topwater chugger or slow rolling spinner bait in shallow flood plains at the back of the canyon and around grass beds and tumbleweed piles. Locate a school of stripers and catch lots of fish in a short time. When they quit hitting artificial lures beak out the anchovies and catch more fish.

Keep all the stripers caught to help balance the game fish with limited forage.

Winter fishing will be much better this year than in the past.
November 23, 2006
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3607
Water Temp: 58-60 F
HAPPY THANKSGIVING​

Your gift is HOT Striper fishing at White Canyon. Stripers are caught steadily over the rest of the lake despite cooling temperatures.




It’s a real bonus to still be able to launch fishing boats at Hite. Main ramp is useable but a bit muddy. Use 4WD if launching at main ramp. A better bet is the old floating marina site and temporary ramp road. That has better water depth and launching capabilities.

Carefully leave the shallow marina area (watch out for the cable) and motor to the mouth of White Canyon. Begin by trolling bright colored (chartreuse, chrome, etc) shallow divers. It won’t take long to hook up with a one-pound striper. At this point it is possible to cast to the school with the same shallow running lures, or jig with spoons while fish are under the boat. Each trolling stop results in 4-5 caught fish as all lines are reeled in with fish and more are caught while the first one is being landed. This process can be repeated as often as necessary. It is common to catch 50-100 fish depending on your perseverance. All of the small fish are in great shape and worthy of a Thanksgiving dinner. As a bonus it is possible to catch an occasional walleye or bass and some larger stripers while trolling.

Over the rest of the lake stripers have moved toward the backs of canyons searching for threadfin shad that have recently left the shelter of shallow weeds and brush. Search the back of the canyon where water depth is less than 10 feet with slow moving topwater lures and shallow running crank baits. It’s possible to effectively search by trolling from the shallows in the back of the canyon to a water depth of 40 feet. If casting is preferred, go to the back and use a slow popping retrieve with a lot of pauses to give the bigger stripers a chance to catch up for a surface bait. Other effective slow moving baits are white spinnerbaits, suspending jerk baits, and rattletraps.
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Wordlings whack willing stripers on bait in Rock Creek.


Stripers are bunched in huge schools. Find one of the mega concentration and the entire day can be spent in one spot. These schools move from one canyon to the next as stripers move to find food. It should only take a search of 3 or 4 canyons to find their hideout for the day. Of course, it is possible to catch all of these fish on bait but they are now shallow enough to take artificial lures as well. Some of the best lower lake canyons are Gunsight, Padre, and Rock Creek.



Bass fishing in now hit and miss with some really good days followed by 3 or 4 not so good. When it’s good, suspending crankbaits and rattletraps are excellent baits. When fishing gets tougher, probe the bottom with plastics grubs and tubes. The best spring and fall big fish bait is the heavy living rubber jig head with a pork chunk or pork rind. Water is clear along the main channel but that really doesn’t keep bass from biting. They just go deeper. In clear water, do not be afraid to fish at 40 feet or deeper where visibility is reduced.

Walleye are showing up with more regularity. The best technique is to fish the backs of canyons where stripers concentrate. Catch 25 stripers and then a walleye. Get 25 more and then another walleye. These cool water fish seem to frequent the same habitats in most seasons.
November 16, 2006
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3607
Water Temp: 58-60 F

Subtle changes have taken place as water temperature has dropped to the high 50's. Shad have been displaced from the shallowest summer hiding places making them more available to hungry bass and stripers. Wind and cooler temperatures have sent shad seeking temperature stability. Threadfin have not been forced into the deepest winter holding depths but rather they have pulled out of the shallowest weeds and brush into water 10-15 feet deep.
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Threadfin shad presence has alerted striped bass and feeding opportunities in the backs of canyons have greatly increased. A few quick boils have been seen lakewide but more often the feeding is subsurface where shallow running crankbaits or lipless vibrators retrieved in the upper 10 feet of water provide the most action.

Clear water is prevalent in the main channel. Avoid that, as shad feel more secure in murky water. Start fishing in the backs of canyons with cloudy water. Canyons with flooded willows and tamarisk are better than slick rock canyons without cover. Move quickly making many long casts to locate a school or troll until a school is found and then cast to the school for a quick catch of fish.
Ron Colby with a largemouth caught on a suspending crankbait in cold weather.

Competition for smaller threadfin shad continues with young healthy striped bass out-maneuvering slower, adult stripers for each meal. I have seen a resurgence in health of some of the larger stripers that are still quick enough to catch shad. These quick fish are regaining body mass while slower adults are continuing the slide into poor health and eventual death. There will be a population downsizing this winter as unhealthy adults make way for the upcoming generation.

When stripers are not cruising the shallows looking for threadfin they are holding in deep water amid schools of gizzard shad. Perhaps the most effective fishing technique is spooning with slab spoons among these holding bait schools. Find a school on the graph in the 40-70 foot depth range and vertically jig at the same depth as the school. Periodically reel the spoon as fast as possible to the surface to ignite striper chasing tendencies and to start the school feeding. Once started, catching will be continuous as long as stripers are under the boat and can see the spoon.

Bass fishing is still good during stable weather. Bass hit rattletraps and suspending jerk baits in the murky water at the backs of canyons near shad. Throw lots of casts and move often to find them. After a storm front bass go deep and can be caught on heavy jigs with pork trailers at 25-40 feet along main channel points.

Walleye and catfish are taken incidentally while spooning and casting for other species.
November 10, 2006
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3607
Water Temp: 60-63 F
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Annual gill net sampling confirms what anglers have been telling us. Striper numbers are highest near the inflowing tributaries and less at midlake. Numbers increase again near the dam. Physical condition decreases with fish size. Healthiest fish are near the inflowing Colorado and San Juan rivers. All of this correlates to shad location and abundance. Lake Powell has peaked in game fish population numbers and now must experience a population downsizing before balance between predators and prey is regained.

Gary Foell and the other Gary help Georg Blommer pick fish from gillnets in Good Hope Bay.

Anglers can do there part by catching and keeping all striped bass. Striper schools are not hard to find as many fishing hotspots still remain. Fishing with anchovy bait is the best way to find fish and keep them biting under the boat. Large schools of striped bass are holding in deep water just waiting for food. Toss a little chum, followed by a baited hook and catch as many stripers as you dare in a short time. A few of the southern hot spots include: the back of Warm Creek near Crosby Canyon, the mouth of Padre Canyon, the back of main Rock Creek near the gravel island. These fish will most likely be seen on the graph at 70 feet. After chumming and catching a few on bait, the school will rise off the bottom and come into visual range. When near the surface they can be caught on hard baits and even surface lures. When the school descends again they can be started once more with anchovy chum. One hundred fish per trip is common but adult fish are not in prime condition. Keep all fish but fillet the smaller ones.

In the northern lake the hot spot is between the mouth of White and Trachyte canyons (MM 134-135). More shad equates to more aggressive fish that can be taken by your choice of trolling, casting, spooning, or bait fishing. Start at the mouth of White canyon for best results. Fish size ranges from 1-2 pounds with some larger ones. Fish health here is excellent. Other good spots include Blue Notch/Red Canyon, and Cedar Canyon but these pale in comparison to White Canyon.

The San Juan features good numbers of striped bass that can be caught trolling along the walls of the great bend or on spoons and bait in the cuts and deep drops in the 50-70 foot range. The best fishing is in Neskahi and Cha bays and the cuts leading to the ends of canyons.

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The lake midsection has some spots to avoid. The Rincon has almost unbelievable water clarity, which is beautiful but makes fishing tough. Stripers here are in very poor condition. At midlake make sure fishing is done in water with some color to increase chances of success. Avoid crystal clear water during the day.

Marty Peterson fishing near Hite during the winter.

Bass fishing at clear water locations could be successful during low light periods in deep water or by throwing very long casts.

Bass in the main body of the lake still frequent grass beds which are more numerous in the southern lake. Fish grassy flats at the 20 foot depth contour with plastic baits for best results.

Some walleye and crappie are being caught but these catches come incidentally while fishing for bass. Water temperature is still in the low 60’s in mid November. Bass will remain active and aggressive until water temperature falls a few more degrees. It looks like bass will remain active through the entire month of November. That would be the prefect end to this most successful year of fishing and catching in recent memory.
October 26, 2006
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3607
Water Temp: 64-67 F
The surface temperature still says its early fall but big storm fronts come through and tell the fish to wait a few days before feeding aggressively. Fishing can be tougher this time of year due to weather, rising or falling water levels and fish behavior. Just react to conditions found on any given day to find the most cooperative fish.

Striped bass tend to sulk on bottom when recovering from a storm front passage. The vast numbers of stripers make it hard for them to hide from the graph. The most common behavior is for stripers to pull out to deeper water and rest near bottom. If fish were found at 45 feet last time but are no longer present at a certain spot, just keep working deeper following the submerged channel to relocate them. The tendency to suspend just off the bottom allows them to be detected on the graph. Look for irregular shaped schools.
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When found they can still be quite challenging to catch when holding at 80 feet. They seldom respond to active spoons at depths deeper than 60 feet, unless shad are close. In the southern lake the best alternative is to chum and then fish bait on the bottom. A short drop shot rig may be the most effective presentation. Put the weight on the bottom and then just lift the bait enough to feel resistance from an almost imperceptible bite. Each fish caught gets the school more excited and makes catching easier. Getting the first bite is the challenge.

Dave Hillier with striper caught on Warm Creek Wall.

There are more presentation options in the northern lake where shad are still present. Spoons may get the school started. The slower movement and appeal of a drifting large white marabou jig may get the fist bite from a school and start feeding activity. Place the jig at the depth where most fish are seen on the graph and then use very subtle movements to wake lethargic fish. Trolling with deep runners, downriggers or leaded line is effective where shad are present.

The most effective technique now is fishing under lights after dark. When stripers are hard to find during the day they often feed better after dark. Place a light in the water, chum with bait and then fish below the plankton and shad that are attracted to the light. The public fishing docks at Antelope Point and Wahweap Marina are good night fishing venues. Uplake, fishing from moored houseboats and near lighted docks is most effective. Rules require you to fish from your boat in marina harbors. Please respect property of others and noise when fishing near a marina at night.

Rising water has allowed bass to reoccupy brush and grass that was out of water two weeks ago. The increased habitat makes it necessary to increase the search pattern when looking for feeding bass. The best strategy is to ignore the good looking cover on shore and fish deeper water where bass were hanging before the sudden increase in lake level.
October 19, 2006
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3607
Water Temp: 66-69 F
Weather is moderating after some cold storms. The drop in barometric pressure puts both bass and stripers off feed for a while. Fish behave much the same now as after a spring storm. A short initial feeding flurry at first light is followed by a morning lull. Then as the sun climbs in the sky, fishing gets progressively better through the day. Exercise patience to catch fussy fish after the storm blows over.

Bass overreact to a drop in barometric pressure and tend to recover more slowly. It is perhaps better to fish for stripers following a storm. Bass will be back to normal feeding patterns within 2 days after the weather stabilizes. If you can’t wait that long, then go slower and deeper in presenting bait or lures to bass. Spinnerbaits and plastic grubs or tubes may be the best bet.
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Teresa Bonzo, Cedar City, UT, caught her first striper at Warm Creek Wall this week.

Stripers are likely to begin feeding sooner, particularly those holding in deep channels waiting for anchovy bait. They can be jump-started into feeding with a shower of anchovy chum. It may be difficult to keep them going when they are mesmerized by the pressure drop. When one school will no longer respond to chum, move to find another school. Start the new school with bait and stay on them as long as possible. When they quit, move to find more. The investment in much chum will be rewarded with more fish in the cooler at the end of the day.

When this report was written striper fishing at the dam was not as good as the canyon walls further out in the forebay. The school on Warm Creek wall was more active near the hanging anchor and on the point extended beyond the wall. The point is that fish tend to move away from standard locations when disturbed by weather or fishing pressure. They seldom go far, so a short search pattern may put the boat right over them once more.

The bright spot this week has been a feeding frenzy of young stripers in the upper lake near Hite. Rising water allows launching of small boats from the main Hite ramp. Then it is only a short run to Trachyte where trolling for stripers is great. The water is muddy but the fish don’t care. They are constantly looking for food and a trolled bait takes it right past fish that can hear and feel the bait, even if they can’t see it until the last second. Use a 3-4 inch diving plug that runs about 8-12 feet deep for best results.

When the water visibility improves, using spoons at the mouths of coves. Drop the spoon to the bottom, and then reel quickly through the band of stripers. This technique is almost a sure thing. The trip to Hite to catch stripers is the best bet this week. With luck, crappie and walleye will be found in the process.
October 12, 2006
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3605
Water Temp: 68-70 F
If this were springtime with water temperature in the upper 60’s, fishing would be peaking. Couple that with rising water from recent rains and the parallels with fishing in late April are uncanny. Expect fishing this week to similar to the best spring has to offer - except for bedding fish.

Bass are active throughout the water column. They will eat plastic grubs and dropshot baits along the rocky edges. They will chase spinnerbaits and suspending lures at mid depths around brush, grass, and rocky ambush points. They will come up to the top for surface lures at any time of the day. Expect bass to travel in groups. Some likely looking points may have no fish present but then the whole school may be found on the next outcropping. In these active conditions move often until fish are found or change techniques to find fish location within the water column. Once found the pattern should provide steady catching for an extended period. Bass fishing is excellent lakewide. If fish are not readily found, try dropshotting a plastic worm or grub as the go-to method for catching fish.
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Striped bass are in transition from deep water to shallow coves as they constantly look for forage. Shad are scarce in much of the southern lake. Stripers are then looking for grass beds where sunfish hide. Occasionally, a remnant school of shad may be located and pushed to the top by schools of stripers still strong enough to catch and eat shad. The ensuing boil will be memorable as stripers can be caught at will for a very long time. They stay in the area for as long as any shad are left to be found. Then they leave the canyon to search for another elusive foraging opportunity. Boils can recur but that is not the norm in the southern lake. Boils are usually singular events.

Maynard Sorensen family with a morning catch.

In most lake locations, stripers are not boiling but will come up to surface lures. It is productive to cast surface lures all day long if that is the desire. A better approach would be to have 3 rods rigged with a topwater walking bait, a suspending crankbait and a heavy slab spoon. Alternate using these techniques at each location for maximum coverage of the existing habitat. At the end of the day the most successful lure will be the jigging spoon offered to fish seen on the graph.

Stripers are still caught most often on anchovy bait fished at any location where stripers are found. Find a surface feeding fish or catch one on the bottom with a spoon then use anchovies to maximize the catch from that school when the active fish stop biting. The best method of locating stripers is to troll a deep diving crankbait at depths exceeding 20 feet. Once located the method of catch is up to you. Active baits, like lures and spoons, tend to select healthier fish while anchovies attract slower moving fish that are showing signs of malnutrition. Please harvest all striped bass so that the over population of striped bass can be brought back into balance.

Bonus fish encountered while fishing this week will include increasing numbers of walleye and crappie.
October 5, 2006
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3601
Water Temp: 69-72 F
Lake level has stabilized at 3601 and surface temperature has been holding at 70 degrees. Game fish have taken this opportunity to move freely throughout the length and breadth of the lake. The fall weather is ideal for comfortable fishing conditions.
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Striped bass are on the move in search of food. Schools that have been holding in the deep main channel have now fragmented as smaller groups of stripers are probing the weeds and brush, searching for sunfish in the southern reservoir. Stripers return to the depths to rest after each foraging journey. With wide ranging movements anglers can now find fish all the way from the depths to the shallows. Once located hungry stripers are still very easy to catch. The best strategy in the southern lake is to troll while intently watching the graph. When a striper is caught or located on the graph use your favorite technique to catch them. Chum and use bait, or drop spoons on the school or continue to troll. All of these will work with effectiveness dependent upon the mood of the school. The easiest school to find hangs out around Lone Rock in Wahweap Bay.

Brooke Wiley proudly displays a smallmouth caught in Gunsight Canyon.

Shad numbers increase with distance traveled uplake. Shad presence changes feeding behavior. Striper schools are larger and more cohesive when feeding on shad. The same search strategy applies with the emphasis on graphing more than trolling. Begin the search in locations that have previously held striper schools. Areas like Lake Canyon, Bullfrog Bay, and Moki Canyonstill hold large striper schools. It is just a matter of finding fish. Locating a school usually means than a large harvest is in store. With shad present there is always the chance of a little surface disturbance to give away striper location. When a school is found the best technique is vertically jigging slab spoons and then speed reeling spoons back to the surface. Use this strategy all the way to Hite.



Bass are feeding with a vengeance as they prepare for winter. Plastic tube jigs, spinner baits, and trolling crankbaits will results in a big catch of both large and smallmouth bass. They are feeding together and are willing to chase down baits. Target weeds in the southern lake and shad schools in the northern lake to locate bass. Topwater is a good choice in twilight conditions regardless of lake location. Bass are looking up for food in the Fall. They will come up to bump a surface plug every morning and evening.

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Perhaps forgotten in all the harvest this year is the lowly sunfish. Fall is a great time to use a small hook and piece of live worm to catch a large stringer of these tasty panfish. Sunfish will be near cover. They don’t move far just deeper into cover. Find a school, wait for them to settle down and then put on a bobber 3 feet above the worm, for a fun change of pace.



As an added bonus schools of crappie are often found in the northern lake and upper San Juan.
 
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