Striper Fishing in Warm Creek, Dec 9-10

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Fursniper

Fursniper

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Spent 2 days spooning for stripers on Dec 9-10 in Warm Creek and thought I would report the outcome. We were able to find several striper schools on the sonar from 70 to 105 feet deep in Warm Creek. Trying to get them to cooperate was a different story.

On the first day we (2 people in a boat) did not get any bites in about 2 hours of effort. We tried adding anchovies on our 1 ounce Kastmaster spoons and that did not work for us. Tried trolling in shallower water that was 30-45 feet deep and nothing happened there. We then went to the back of Navajo Canyon to fish for other species. We did not target stripers in Navajo Canyon. Spent a couple hours there and caught one LMB using a 1/8oz jig against the shore. Sorry I did not take a picture, but the LMB was about 2 pounds. We blamed the slow fishing on the storm that occurred the day before.

The second day (Dec 10) we returned to Warm Creek. We quickly found a school of stripers near the floating restroom at 105 feet deep. Dropped spoons to the bottom and immediately caught 1 striper on the first cast. Nothing caught the rest of the day. Clouds of shad were also observed on the radar at all depths, but mostly in shallower areas between 30-50 feet.

Overall. we caught 2 fish in 2 days and both fish were fat and built like a football with fins. We blamed the slow fishing on the storm and the night time full moon that followed. The stripers were there in Warm Creek and I think the potential for catching a lot of stripers is good. Just need to be persistent to time when the conditions are right. Hope this helps.
 
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Thanks for the great detailed report. Normally, at Lake Powell we don't have to worry about those issues that cause slow fishing in other waters, such as full moon, and barometric pressure drop. In the current state of the "fat" LP fishery, make sure during the full moon period to fish in the late afternoon and evening for best results. When a storm is scheduled, look at the barometric pressure line on Weather Underground and plan your trip to arrive when the barometer is at its highest point just before the pressure dives before with the next storm.

Will this assure good fishing? Not always, but it will help on some trips.

Another option when spooning is to use different spooning actions. Sometimes, stripers will hit a spoon that is just hanging there slightly off the bottom. Stop the lure and just let it sit for a few minutes. On my last trip we had good success with very active spooning action. Instead of just raising the rod tip up and down, try adding in a quick zip to the side, then hop it up and down, followed by speed reeling up 15-20 feet. Then drop it to the bottom. Start over in your normal spooning actions, add in some quick hops and skips and see what the fish want on this day and time. When a school is visible on the graph and not cooperating, give them the full dose of spooning possibilities and it may surprise what they react to on any particular day.
 
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Here are some more ideas to catch stripers when fishing is slow-

Kastmaster spoons work best on the retrieve. They are best when stripers are chasing shad near the top. Sometimes striper respond to them at mid depth or on the bottom. They are a good spoon.

My go-to spoon in the winter is a slab spoon. Watch it as it falls and you will see a side-to-side motion. Then on the retrieve it runs straight. In deep water stripers hit slab spoons most often on the fall. You feel them tick on the way down and then hook the fish as you raise the rod tip.

Try slabs spoons on the next spooning adventure to see which type spoon, what speed and what action they want. It changes daily. For deep water fish use a 1.5-ounce at 60 feet, or a 2-ounce spoon near 100.

download.jpg

Here are home made slab spoons which can be painted in a variety of colors.
 
Thanks for excellent fishing tips. I'm planning to hit the lake several more times this winter and will follow up with your advice.
 
Don’t know why but low and high pressure effect deer as well, you want to be in the stand in high pressure weather as well. It is fairly well documented through years of study. Don’t know why but it makes a difference and I would never question Wayne on fishing advice! 😉
 
Mtkruzr said:
I have a question. If water is not compressible and expands only when frozen, what difference does atmospheric pressure have on fishing success?
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Fish have a different organ than humans called a lateral line. Humans hear, feel and touch, but fish "feel" swimming action from other fish, as vibrations are transmitted through the water. The lateral line system is also known as the lateralis system. It is a system of tactile sense organs located in the head and along both sides of the body. It is used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Humans have no clue how this works since we don't live in water. Changes in baromteric pressure has some impact on lateral line sensitivity which I do not fully understand. All I know is that when fish in Lake Powell are fat and sassy they are effected more by pressure changes, probably because they are not as hungry as Lake Powell predators are normally with less forage.
 
wayne gustaveson said:
Here are some more ideas to catch stripers when fishing is slow-

Kastmaster spoons work best on the retrieve. They are best when stripers are chasing shad near the top. Sometimes striper respond to them at mid depth or on the bottom. They are a good spoon.

My go-to spoon in the winter is a slab spoon. Watch it as it falls and you will see a side-to-side motion. Then on the retrieve it runs straight. In deep water stripers hit slab spoons most often on the fall. You feel them tick on the way down and then hook the fish as you raise the rod tip.

Try slabs spoons on the next spooning adventure to see which type spoon, what speed and what action they want. It changes daily. For deep water fish use a 1.5-ounce at 60 feet, or a 2-ounce spoon near 100.

View attachment 6567

Here are home made slab spoons which can be painted in a variety of colors.
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These look like the old Wally Lures. Did you find a mold?
 
Keith Stockman said:
These look like the old Wally Lures. Did you find a mold?
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Yes we make our own spoons. First buy a mold from Janns Netcraft

DO-IT 3265 CC-1-4 CASTING SPOON MOLD
Do-It CC-1-4 Casting Spoon Mold

Hang the long, thin spoon made with the Do-It CC-1-4 spoon mold on your rig for smooth casting and realistic action. Add our reflector tape along the flat sides of the casting spoon to mimic -fish scale- shine and catch the eye of a hungry one. Uses CC-400 forms and rig with a size 2/0 Mustad 35517 or 3551 treble hook. Casts 1 4oz lure.
This is a non-stock item, your entire order will be shipped with your mold in approximately 10 days.



$38.45 / EACH


Then paint and add designs of your choice.
-+



DO-IT 3266 CC-1-6 CASTING SPOON MOLD

Get the 1.5 to 2 ounce mold with accessories.
 
treetop said:
It makes their ears pop😀
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This is about as close an explanation as I've seen. In my opinion, and based on articles I've read in the past, it is believed that fish develop a sort of "comfort" level or preferred depth which corresponds to a certain amount of ambient pressure. This pressure not only includes the weight of the water over the fish, but the air above as well. It was intimated that the swim bladder was the source of pressure sensitivity, but that may be inaccurate as well(I believe it was an old InFisherman article that proposed this theory). When a low pressure front moves through, the weight of the air is reduced, and the fish must move to deeper water to return to its "comfort" level of pressure. Why this affects feeding habits, I can't explain definitively, but it may be that moving to a different depth may push them to a less optimal or familiar "hunting area", or maybe it does hurt a while because their ears can't "pop". If Wayne doesn't have a definitive answer, I'm not going to pretend to know more, but this is what I've read.
 
The weight of the entire atmosphere at sea level is equal to 34 feet of water depth. A fish changing depth a fraction of an inch has more impact on the total pressure than any change in atmospheric pressure. But.....there is so much informal observational evidence that it is tough to dismiss its effect on fish behavior :unsure:
 
Pressure also changes the amount of dissolved gasses the water can retain. Just thought I'd throw that in.

GregC
 
I started out as a child! almost always in my 60 years of putting all my egg money in the bottom of the "pond" and or river. most fish species bite much better before, and during a storm than after it, period. during the year 20 20 we should all have clearer vision. happy Christmas and merry 2020!
 
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