CHRIS MCBETH
Well-Known Member
I swore we’d never come back to Powell over the 4th of July after past experiences and for the most part I stand by that statement... if not for the fact it’s one of the few times everyone in our family could gather we’d certainly be at home enjoying anything but this LOL.
The ramps are crowded and the parking lots are so full people are literally parking their trailers on the HIGHWAY leading into Wahweap.
And the Wake-Boats... OMG these boats will eventually drive most other boaters off the water if we don’t someday figure out a way to regulate their use or designate certain areas or timeframes off-limits.
Their destructive and disruptive wakes combine in the channels and canyons creating a gauntlet that only the largest of boats can navigate without repeated back-breaking knee-blowing head-jarring dog-injuring impact...
But our one secret weapon against them is time.
Get your butt out of bed early, and for the most part you have until about 8:30 before the kids are done eating their Cinnamon Toast Crunch and want to go out boarding.
So we made an early jaunt out of Wahweap up Navajo Canyon around 6:00am and made it to our fishing spot around 6:35.
https://goo.gl/maps/pE2vt3QyCqxvTfxV6
The water was glassy and vivid aquamarine with the red rocks lit up from the morning sun contrasting the deep blue sky that was mostly cloudless with an occasional poof. Perfect fishing conditions!
My wife saw the first one: “BOIL!!”
I aimed for it and cut the motor 50 yards away and coasted at em. As the boat approaches they go down but if you cast right beyond and reel in a little briskly they’ll strike your swim bait.
We used 1/4oz jigheads with 5” plastic swim baits that were colored like a natural shad.
When you’d hook one, wearing polarized glasses you could see several others following the victim in a bit of a frenzy.
Several times Amy and I would get fish on at the same time as the first one incites an obvious feeding response by the others who are attracted by the activity and movement.
The boils would pop up, stay up for awhile maybe 10-15 seconds on average but some stayed up until we got too close and then they’d go back down invariably rising again within 50 yards or so.
We don’t have a bass boat so the big Volvo 350 had a tendency to spook em, but we had success by getting a feel for where they’d surface next, waiting a bit off station, and when we’d see the boil our tactic was to head straight at em fairly fast and cut the engine about 50 yards away coasting like a stealth fighter right up on them.
Doing it this way we were able to slide quietly within casting distance and as long as you could cast over and beyond the slurp on your first try, you’d usually catch one or see several following your lure.
A couple times we got lucky by casting beyond the slurp and letting it dive, meanwhile the school happened upon it as they dove and moved.
Despite the issues with crowding and the wake boats, overall it was a great morning of fishing with my wife of 25 years, and well worth the effort!
(Then the Wake Boats showed up and our 24 foot Stingray was nearly swamped twice by the very kind and considerate family who thought nothing of driving right past us within 25 feet with their Cardi B blasting on the 1500W stereo through 14 speakers.)
Very fortunately the Arizona Game & Fish officers came by and ticketed them for coming too close to us, and shortly after the same cops came and boarded our boat and asked for our ARIZONA fishing licenses... now that came as a surprise since I was under the impression AZ licenses weren’t required for Powell regardless of location.
So FYI they’re out there and won’t hesitate to demand the AZ license. Fortunately we had our licenses and all the required safety equipment, so it wasn’t an issue.
While here, I also got some great pics of the fireworks in Page, and the amazing Milky Way on the highway 12 miles west of town!
The ramps are crowded and the parking lots are so full people are literally parking their trailers on the HIGHWAY leading into Wahweap.
And the Wake-Boats... OMG these boats will eventually drive most other boaters off the water if we don’t someday figure out a way to regulate their use or designate certain areas or timeframes off-limits.
Their destructive and disruptive wakes combine in the channels and canyons creating a gauntlet that only the largest of boats can navigate without repeated back-breaking knee-blowing head-jarring dog-injuring impact...
But our one secret weapon against them is time.
Get your butt out of bed early, and for the most part you have until about 8:30 before the kids are done eating their Cinnamon Toast Crunch and want to go out boarding.
So we made an early jaunt out of Wahweap up Navajo Canyon around 6:00am and made it to our fishing spot around 6:35.
https://goo.gl/maps/pE2vt3QyCqxvTfxV6
The water was glassy and vivid aquamarine with the red rocks lit up from the morning sun contrasting the deep blue sky that was mostly cloudless with an occasional poof. Perfect fishing conditions!
My wife saw the first one: “BOIL!!”
I aimed for it and cut the motor 50 yards away and coasted at em. As the boat approaches they go down but if you cast right beyond and reel in a little briskly they’ll strike your swim bait.
We used 1/4oz jigheads with 5” plastic swim baits that were colored like a natural shad.
When you’d hook one, wearing polarized glasses you could see several others following the victim in a bit of a frenzy.
Several times Amy and I would get fish on at the same time as the first one incites an obvious feeding response by the others who are attracted by the activity and movement.
The boils would pop up, stay up for awhile maybe 10-15 seconds on average but some stayed up until we got too close and then they’d go back down invariably rising again within 50 yards or so.
We don’t have a bass boat so the big Volvo 350 had a tendency to spook em, but we had success by getting a feel for where they’d surface next, waiting a bit off station, and when we’d see the boil our tactic was to head straight at em fairly fast and cut the engine about 50 yards away coasting like a stealth fighter right up on them.
Doing it this way we were able to slide quietly within casting distance and as long as you could cast over and beyond the slurp on your first try, you’d usually catch one or see several following your lure.
A couple times we got lucky by casting beyond the slurp and letting it dive, meanwhile the school happened upon it as they dove and moved.
Despite the issues with crowding and the wake boats, overall it was a great morning of fishing with my wife of 25 years, and well worth the effort!
(Then the Wake Boats showed up and our 24 foot Stingray was nearly swamped twice by the very kind and considerate family who thought nothing of driving right past us within 25 feet with their Cardi B blasting on the 1500W stereo through 14 speakers.)
Very fortunately the Arizona Game & Fish officers came by and ticketed them for coming too close to us, and shortly after the same cops came and boarded our boat and asked for our ARIZONA fishing licenses... now that came as a surprise since I was under the impression AZ licenses weren’t required for Powell regardless of location.
So FYI they’re out there and won’t hesitate to demand the AZ license. Fortunately we had our licenses and all the required safety equipment, so it wasn’t an issue.
While here, I also got some great pics of the fireworks in Page, and the amazing Milky Way on the highway 12 miles west of town!
Attachments
Last edited:
