September
13, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3602
Water Temp: 79-82 F 
It is readjustment time as the water begins to cool,
the lake level continues to fall and predators try to find their next meal.
Recent electrofishing sampling at San Juan and Rincon showed an eerie absence of shad or any
small fish for that matter. All fish that were bite-size were hiding in thick
cover of rooted aquatic weeds in less than 15 feet of water near shore. Some
weed beds were quite tall and hid many fish. Those baby fish condos were
constantly patrolled by hungry predators hoping "Nemo" would stick
his head out too far.
Bass fishing was excellent around weeds which are fairly shallow at this lake
level. A good strategy was to use a topwater lure over the weed tops in low
light periods or toss a shallow running lure that would move through the weeds
without hanging up. Spinner baits and weedless plastics like texas-rigged
worms, senkos and flukes were ideal. Fishing shallow water along shoreline
rocks was good for little smallmouth but the bigger fish were on the cliff
walls or near weeds.
Live well
overload
Neskahi Bay
on the San Juan was excellent fishing as always. I was
disappointed with the large number of thin bass here, as competition for food
in this bay must be intense. There are way too many bass in Neskahi Bay.
If fishing there, please harvest a limit of 20 smallmouth bass to reduce total
fish numbers and help balance predator and prey numbers. Surprisingly, striped
bass at Neskahi were 18-22 inches long and in good health. My guess is that
stripers are able to feed on slightly larger prey while 10-inch smallmouth bass
do not have large enough mouths to eat what prey is available. Small fish are
gone or hiding in tight cover. Largemouth bass feed well in these circumstances
but smallmouth suffer.
Further up the San
Juan water
clarity is murky beyond the Great Bend and into Zahn Bay. I did not find shad or game fish in the murky
water. Alcove Canyon was good fishing for very healthy bass. It appears that poor bass
condition is a localized event in Neskahi Bay.
Striped bass are not often boiling now with shad numbers limited. Stripers find
shad grouped up and boil two to three times each week. The rest of the time is
spent searching. Stripers are very easy to see on the graph most often at the
30-40 foot strata. When a school is seen, drop a spoon to the bottom (40 feet),
and reel quickly through the school pausing often. Without a graph the same
success can be had by trolling a deep diving lure (Thunderstick or Mega Bait)
in likely looking spots along points jutting into the main channel. When a fish
is hooked try a spoon in that location or just troll over the same spot until
they quit biting.
Good striper
bait fishing spot near the mouth of Long Canyon - Opposite shoreline.
Bait fishing and night fishing is great. This week some new hotspots have been
detected at the mouth of Knowles canyon, near Long Canyon in the main channel and Rock Creek in the lower lake. While fishing
for bass, a chance encounter with a striper school allows a quick catch by
trolling or spooning. Return to that spot with bait, especially at night with a
green light to maximize the catch. Hundred fish trips are still common. The
difference between now and springtime is striper size is smaller but fish
health is much improved. Smaller, healthier fish offer a greater fight, and dinner when that time comes.
Fishing is slow when not tuned into the changes that have happened recently.
Study this report and change your tendencies if necessary. Using last years
techniques on the annual trip will not always bring success.