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July 13, 2006 |
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Shad are steadily moving from the backs of canyons to
open bays to feed on abundant plankton in the open water. Shad are still
tiny in most bays so the only attention comes from the smaller game fish.
Yearling stripers are schooled and ready to feed on top. But shad numbers
are not strong enough to allow unlimited feeding. The result is quick
surface bursts usually lasting less than a minute. With such short duration
it is difficult to get to the feeding fish before they go down. Luckily
they come back up numerous times. With patience and good guessing on where
to position the boat a good number of the 12-15 inch fish can be caught. The
most consistent spot is buoy 113 in the main channel near Sevenmile Canyon.
The San Juan is good one day and off the next.
Stripers are feeding on small shad so small lures are required to get a strike. Most lures cast into the small boil will get hit the first time the fish see it. The second cast may be ignored entirely. It is more productive to seek new schools of fish often than to chase one school as long as possible. A better approach is to work a broad section of lake casting to many different schools. Return to the first school after half an hour and retrace the path finding each school once more. Good lure choices are clear top water baits with a feather on the rear hook. Sammies, Jumpin Minnows, Superspook Jrs, or small poppers fill the bill. Shallow runners like X-raps and Bevy Shad are excellent choices since fish are usually going down as the boat gets in casting range. Kastmasters and small Wallylure spoons are also effective. It is wise to have 3 rods rigged with these baits in case a striper school stays up for more than a minute. Put the first fish in the boat and cast another rod before unhooking the first fish to efficiently work the boil. On July 12, boils were scattered in Wahweap Bay from the south marina breakwater to Lone Rock. Best time of day was 7-9 AM and 6-8 PM. This same pattern will hold lakewide. Under full moon, early morning fishing is not as good as evening. Fish get more active as the day progresses and continue to feed in the moonlight. Night fishing is good under fish attracting lights. Stripers are still being caught on anchovy bait on the steep canyon walls lakewide. Fish at 30 feet or deeper for best success. Moki wall near Bullfrog is producing some good catches of stripers. Glen Canyon dam and the mouth of Warm Creek are still good in the southern lake. Bass are found in pockets of brush that contain shad or sunfish. Topwater baits work great when one of these hot pockets is discovered. Look for shad in the brush uplake and sunfish in the brush downlake to find a bass honey hole. Bass tend to be in brushy pockets close to the main channel rather than in the back of the canyon on the shallow floodplain. The brushy floodplains look better but fishing is better in the isolated pockets. Catfishing is excellent at dusk near your camp. |