Edward Gerdemann
Well-Known Member
There appears to be no problem catching smallmouth bass in Lake Powell right now. The problem is catching some size. Neil Salmi and I fished around the no wake area just above the mouth of Wahweap Bay last week, and numbers certainly were not the problem. We caught 158 smallmouths, one largemouth, one bluegill and one green sunfish in two days, but most of the fish were quite small. We caught a fair number of 11-13 inch "eaters", but anything bigger than that was rare and most caught were considerably smaller. We caught three bass in the two to 2 1/2-pound class, but that was it.
We were limited by circumstances to Wahweap Bay. On Wednesday it was the threat of significant wind which did come up around noon. Thursday Neil had a late afternoon medical appointment in Flagstaff which necessitated us being off the water by about the same time. Most of the active fish we caught were quite shallow, usually between three and 10 feet deep. We caught very few deeper than that. A majority of the fish we caught were still in the spawning mode, however a couple of our biggest fish appeared to be spawned out. I suspect the bigger bass had already spawned and were in a post-spawn funk which often happens right now. This could explain why we got such little action in deeper water.
The most effective presentation was the usual drop shot setup fished horizontally and very slow. These fish were not chasing. I did not see one fish chasing a hooked fish which is very common when the bite is on. The lure of choice was the reliable Yamamoto Shad Shaped Worm. I fished mostly the Smallmouth Magic color, but I don't think color mattered very much. These fish would hit about anything placed in front of them.
That's about all there was to it. The presentation was pretty simple and the action was fast for smaller fish. Hopefully within the next few days the bigger ones will get out of the doldrums and start smacking lures. That's when it's the most fun!
We were limited by circumstances to Wahweap Bay. On Wednesday it was the threat of significant wind which did come up around noon. Thursday Neil had a late afternoon medical appointment in Flagstaff which necessitated us being off the water by about the same time. Most of the active fish we caught were quite shallow, usually between three and 10 feet deep. We caught very few deeper than that. A majority of the fish we caught were still in the spawning mode, however a couple of our biggest fish appeared to be spawned out. I suspect the bigger bass had already spawned and were in a post-spawn funk which often happens right now. This could explain why we got such little action in deeper water.
The most effective presentation was the usual drop shot setup fished horizontally and very slow. These fish were not chasing. I did not see one fish chasing a hooked fish which is very common when the bite is on. The lure of choice was the reliable Yamamoto Shad Shaped Worm. I fished mostly the Smallmouth Magic color, but I don't think color mattered very much. These fish would hit about anything placed in front of them.
That's about all there was to it. The presentation was pretty simple and the action was fast for smaller fish. Hopefully within the next few days the bigger ones will get out of the doldrums and start smacking lures. That's when it's the most fun!
