sio2
Member
Got on the water around 5:00 PM on Monday from the main ramp at Wahweap. The wind had already picked up pretty good. I trolled around then went over to a big cliff that was sheltered from the wind and tried chumming for some stripers - nothing.
As the sun was going down, I set out for the east shoreline to find a place to camp. By then the wind had picked up in earnest. It set up a pretty big chop as I crept along with my little 30 FP Minkota trolling motor getting battered by the crosswind. The shoreline wasn't getting any closer, it seemed, distances can be deceiving on LP. Finally found a nice beach with a little bit of shelter just as it was getting dark. I was disappointed at getting shut-out, but I was in an excellent position to start fishing early in the AM.
There are vast stretches of shallow flats on the east side of Wahweap Bay. One of the things I love about fishing this lake is how clear the water is. Not having radar, it is sometimes difficult to locate fish. After a couple hours I found this rock ridge that ran out from a point for a few hundred yards. It had a vertical drop-off on one side going down to some fairly deep water. You could see schools of bluegill with a few smallmouth mixed in. I started hitting the smallmouth bigtime! A lot of babies that I put back. Every 4th or 5th fish was a nice fat one. I was getting a lot more bites than fish hooked using a Ned-rig. I think what was happening was that the bluegill would move in and start attacking the worm. Then a big smallmouth would occasionally swoop in and take it. I eventually switched to a weedless jig with a grub tail. More low-key colors seemed to work better in this very clear water. I threw a few white colored swimbaits and when the fish came up close, they got spooked. I caught 90% of my fish on that ridgeline, and to top it all off, my first ever walleye!
I also caught a bluegill, but my crappie jigs were too big for their little mouths. If I had the right tackle, I could have filled a cooler with bluegill. What do you all use for bluegill around here.
People at the fish cleaning station were friendly. One guy even showed me how to fillet that walleye to get the most meat out of it. Didn't get the guy's name, but it was much appreciated. I did overhear folks talking about Wayne's Words . . .
As the sun was going down, I set out for the east shoreline to find a place to camp. By then the wind had picked up in earnest. It set up a pretty big chop as I crept along with my little 30 FP Minkota trolling motor getting battered by the crosswind. The shoreline wasn't getting any closer, it seemed, distances can be deceiving on LP. Finally found a nice beach with a little bit of shelter just as it was getting dark. I was disappointed at getting shut-out, but I was in an excellent position to start fishing early in the AM.
There are vast stretches of shallow flats on the east side of Wahweap Bay. One of the things I love about fishing this lake is how clear the water is. Not having radar, it is sometimes difficult to locate fish. After a couple hours I found this rock ridge that ran out from a point for a few hundred yards. It had a vertical drop-off on one side going down to some fairly deep water. You could see schools of bluegill with a few smallmouth mixed in. I started hitting the smallmouth bigtime! A lot of babies that I put back. Every 4th or 5th fish was a nice fat one. I was getting a lot more bites than fish hooked using a Ned-rig. I think what was happening was that the bluegill would move in and start attacking the worm. Then a big smallmouth would occasionally swoop in and take it. I eventually switched to a weedless jig with a grub tail. More low-key colors seemed to work better in this very clear water. I threw a few white colored swimbaits and when the fish came up close, they got spooked. I caught 90% of my fish on that ridgeline, and to top it all off, my first ever walleye!
I also caught a bluegill, but my crappie jigs were too big for their little mouths. If I had the right tackle, I could have filled a cooler with bluegill. What do you all use for bluegill around here.
People at the fish cleaning station were friendly. One guy even showed me how to fillet that walleye to get the most meat out of it. Didn't get the guy's name, but it was much appreciated. I did overhear folks talking about Wayne's Words . . .
. So good to see there doing good. Come on Red ears
