Home

Lake Powell Fish Report

Have you made a recent fishing trip to Lake Powell?
If you have, please let us know how you did.  E-mail your fishing report to Wayne Gustaveson (wayne@wayneswords.com).  Please include who you are and where you're from, dates fished, location, tackle used, species and number of fish caught and any other information you would like to pass on to other anglers.

Visit the Anglers Corner - Fishing reports from Lake Powell by anglers for anglers.

If you have a question try posting on WAYNESWORDS FORUMS.

Reports from the previous week can be seen by clicking on Archived Fish reports

ARCHIVED FISH REPORTS

May 7, 2008
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3595
Water Temp: 59-66 F

Dr Chad Lunt and son Jason - St George UT

Stripers are schooled in 25-45 of water waiting to spawn. Trolling and graphing across deep points and drops in bays is the best way to located them. They will come up from 25 feet to hit a bevy shad, rattletrap or Wally diver running at 10-12 feet. I keep a floating fish marker handy and toss it out each time a good school is graphed. When tired of trolling, go back to the various makers, chum and fish bait over the stationary marked schools to catch a cooler full of stripers.

Chum brings striper off the bottom. While they are easy to catch on bait, they are searching for food and will also take a spoon, crank, or swim bait while swimming in the chum field.

Fishing is great right now whichever species or technique is your personal favorite.

April 30, 2008
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3593
Water Temp: 57-64 F

Joel Belmont with stripers caught under green light at night.

Crappie have spawned and will continue to guard nests for the next two weeks. There will be another spawn that will coincide with smallmouth spawning on the next warm spell. Expect this to happen when morning water temperature exceeds 62 degrees.

Good walleye fishing is delayed by the same lack of warming. All these warming worries will be forgotten when the heat does come.

The good news is striped bass. They have turned a "cold shoulder" to the weather and have just gone about their business of finding current in the main channel to the delight of anglers. Fishing has been excellent in the southern lake from the dam, to buoy 3, to the intake, buoy 9, with stops in Antelope and Navajo Canyons. Running the circuit of these favorite fishing spots has resulted in catches of at least 20 and often many more stripers for bait anglers.

Patience is required. It seems the schools start and stop. When they are on fishing is furious; when off, not fish is caught. Fortunately, they are on most of the time. Chumming gets the school going. Then all that have prepared by using invisible fluorocarbon line with either a light jig head or Carolina rigged circle hook catch fish in a hurry when the school comes in range.

In the northern lake, the mouth of Moki canyon is the most consistent place but many schools are holding along canyon walls both uplake and down from Bullfrog. I like Lake Canyon and Slick Rock for consistent action.

The Hite area is affected by runoff. Good Hope Bay is still murky but fishable. Head to the back of the canyon to find fish when muddy water dominates the channel. Trolling for stripers in the bays is consistent but not better than fishing bait in the channel. All stripers are now eating plankton which means they are able to forage individually. Therefore, schools have broken down. Many lone fish will be found in the backs of bays while schools are in the channel.

April 23, 2008
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3591
Water Temp: 53-64 F

Jacob Berry with prespawn bass from Wetherill Canyon.

If a nest is found, cast slowly descending plastic baits (senkos, flukes) right on to the nest ring and watch the male bass rush over to grab the lure and haul it away from the nest. Some just grab the tail and never get the hook in the mouth but it is sure fun to watch them work. Return males caught on the nest so they can protect the young from predators.

If no nests are seen in clear water, go to the back of the canyon where the green and brown water meet. This zone warms up sooner and provides bass and crappie a warm spot to live while waiting for real warming. Brush piles will hold largemouth and crappie, while smallmouth bass will be on rock ridges, terraces and points. Use your favorite technique in these conditions. The fish won't care and will take all incoming lures and offerings.

Stripers remain in the channel where they can be caught by the tubful with anchovy bait and copious chumming. There is not a lot of forage this time of year. Most of the stripers are small enough that they can eat plankton to maintain their body while waiting for a fish dinner. The plankton supply is most abundant in the upper 20 feet of the water column so many stripers are in the upper zone. That makes them prime targets for shallow trolling lures as well as bait. I have effectively used Wally Divers, various rattletrap types, and bevy shad to consistently catch mature male stripers. The trick is to find them.
 

Wally Diver lure in black and silver

My search pattern has consistently led to striper schools holding on the breaking edge of a long point. By long, I mean at least 100 yards or more. Follow the shallow point (5-12 feet) out until it breaks from 20-25 feet and goes quickly to a depth of 40 feet or more. Follow that 25 foot sharp breaking contour to find stripers holding right on the edge at 25 feet. When a school is located, troll back and forth over the spot or mark the school and hold with the trolling motor while chumming to keep them in place. This allows you to find your own private fishing spot and not have to share it with others in the popular (dam, Moki Wall) or well known striper fishing spots. If it's your first time, go fish with the anglers at the Dam or Moki, to see their techniques, get a few tips and measure success.
 

April 15, 2008
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3591
Water Temp: 55-65 F

Bass are Building Nests!

Largemouth bass began nest construction this week as air temperature hit 80 degrees. Spawning is imminent with largemouth going first followed by smallmouth a few days later. Warming is long overdue but may work to the advantage of anglers who enjoy fishing for spawning bass. Expect to find bedding bass in shallow water for the next 10 days. Lake levels are not increasing at a quick rate so nests will be visible for the first spawn.

All of this is weather related. Bass move on nests as the water warms quickly. This spawning trigger causes a quick reaction in bass that are now overdue. Bass move on nests and spawn within a few hours. Males are actively building nests today. Each male then spawns with one to two females on the next warm day. On the third day the male drives away anything that comes close to the nest including female bass and fishing lures. Aggression is greatest right after the spawn and decreases with each passing day. By the fifth day of nest tending the male is seen lurking near the nest but not actively chasing. In warm water, eggs hatch and fry swim off in about 7 days. It takes longer if the water cools. Males stay with swimming clouds of black fry for a few days and then spawn again. Each male may make as many as 6 spawns during a season if driven off the nest by cooling temperatures. They renest as soon as the water warms once more.
 

Mike Beall, Page, AZ with 4-pound Largemouth Bass
 

It is fun to sight fish for bedding bass. Watching a slow sinking senko or grub settle onto the nest creates an adrenalin rush as the nest monster rushes to the attack. Enjoy the spectacle but return fish caught on beds so they can protect the nest. If keeping a few bass for dinner - keep the fish that are lurking on the extremities beyond the nest. In the bass community, females are excess fish and should be the ones harvested. The males are vital to perpetuate the species.

Striper fishing is excellent. In the south, stripers have moved into the main channel. It is not necessary to fight the crowd at the dam any longer. Large schools are found roaming the channel near Buoy 1 and 3 and from the Power Plant intake to Buoy 9. The points in Navajo Canyon just past the double islands are beginning to produce some nice catches. Main channel fish tend to move to a slightly different spot each day so a good method to find them is trolling the wall with a deep diving lure. When fish hit the trolling lure, stop and drop bait to fill the cooler in a hurry. With warming temperatures remember to put fish immediately in a cooler with ice to keep the fish fresh. Do not place them on a stringer in warm water. They deteriorate in a hurry unless kept cool.

In the north lake both bait and trolling are working. Moki Wall near the mouth of the canyon is producing for bait anglers, as is the mouth of Lake Canyon. Trolling with a deep diving lure like a Rapala X-Rap is working well in the back of Bullfrog Bay, Red Canyon south of Castle Butte, and White Canyon. Water is stained by runoff beginning at Ticaboo in Good Hope Bay but it is not interfering with fishing until rounding the horn at 2 Mile and 4 Mile Canyons. The backs of these canyons are still clear enough to fish.

Crappie are showing up in modest numbers around brush in the backs of many canyons. This is the best report of fishing conditions that I have been able to write this year. Watch the weather reports and plan the spring trip now. Try to fit it in between storm fronts for best results.

April 9, 2008
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3590
Water Temp: 54-62 F

In the southern lake the big news is steady fishing for stripers along the barricade line in front of Glen Canyon Dam. Here are the specifics.  The third barricade from the west canyon wall is directly over a submerged cliff edge.  The first two barricades float in shallow water. Stripers follow the cliff wall directly below the third barricade and are often found as far away from the wall as barricade five. The prime spots then produce steady fishing while other spots are less productive.  The cliff edge continues north away from the dam and fish follow the wall in their wanderings. If the prime barricade spots are taken then fish along the wall using the trolling motor and graph to hold right over the cliff drop off. 

Stripers have been caught in the main channel near Antelope Marina from the Power Plant Intake all the way to Buoy 9.  Fishing is kinder early in the morning before boat wakes increase the swells and nudge one to move to calmer water.  Cliff walls just inside the mouth of Antelope Canyon and the points of Navajo Canyon just past the first set of double islands are starting to produce stripers.

Lynette Johnson with 7-pound largemouth caught in Bullfrog Bay

My preference is to fish the backs of the canyons in murky water where most game fish are now living, looking for food, and preparing to spawn. Stripers, bass, crappie and walleye are increasing activity as water warms.  This being a typical spring, there will be days with much warming followed by cold and blustery weather.  Fish shallower water when water temperature is increasing and go deep and slow when water cools.   

Largemouth bass are still the most active species but water temperature is now in the range where smallmouth bass fishing will blossom.  The key temperature is 57 early morning increasing to the mid 60’s in the afternoon. Spawning occurs when morning temperature is in the low 60’s. The lake is still a week away from rapid warming but the weather forecast for the weekend is for warm calm days.  If that happens then bass spawning is right around the corner.    

Crappie are on the same temperature schedule.  They are staging for spawning in the backs of canyons.  They are not on nests in brushy pockets yet. Expect to find them suspended between 8 and 18 feet in the open water near brush. Troll or drift slowly with a tiny crankbait or crappie jig to find suspended fish in open water. 

Walleye are starting to bite.  They are in the murky coves but also on the main rock points near the main channel. It is not too early to fish mud lines on the main channel points and coves for walleye.  Trolling Wally Divers or casting green plastic grubs or tubes works for walleye in muddy water from 12 to 25 feet deep.

Spring fishing is warming up. It is a fun time to make that first trip to Lake Powell.   

April 4, 2008
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3590
Water Temp: 52-62 F

                                                          Stripers Show up at Dam

Those anglers that have been diligently paying their dues fishing in the main channel for striped bass were rewarded in a big way this week. While catches have been steady recently the numbers caught have been modest. That changed on Thursday when stripers were caught by the cooler full reminiscent of 2006. Fish caught were smaller but healthier than seen the two previous years.

What does this mean? It appears that more fish made their way into the channel than had previously been there. Or they could have been there all the time and were stimulated by increasing water temperature. For whatever reason, it seems that the likelihood of catching a good number of fish at the dam has now increased. There will still be time periods or whole days when fishing is slow.

It is always good to have a backup plan if all the prime spots at the dam are occupied or fishing is not good when you arrive. There are other locations that harbor striper schools. The closest location is the canyon wall on the west side near the barricade line. It is not necessary to tie to the barricades to catch fish just follow the wall north for a few hundred yards to the end of the underwater ledge that holds the striper schools in place. Check Buoy 1 at the mouth of Wahweap Bay, or Antelope and Navajo Canyons, NGS power plant intake to Buoy 9 on the south canyon wall. Schools are often there if not found at the first spot tried.

Rusty Rath, Aramark boat pilot at Wahweap, with a 7 pound 2 ounce largemouth bass caught in Wahweap Bay on Easter Sunday.

For those seeking other species the prospects are still the same with cool water in the morning and warming by afternoon. There is an early morning largemouth bass bite in the backs of the canyons where water depth is between 10-20 feet and in coves of the channel at the same depth. Look for murky water for best results. Often coves have sandy bottoms with "old brush" like long submerged tumbleweeds or old trees on the bottom. This sparse cover is enough. A little ridge of rocks in the sand may be all the cover needed. The best bait for me this week was a bulky dark green plastic grub like the Yamamoto hula grub. Use a slow dragging retrieve while maintaining bottom contact.

Smallmouth bass are caught much better in the afternoon during the warmest part of the day. Use the same techniques but target the rocky structure near the shallow coves. Each day more walleye and crappie are caught while using plastic to catch bass.

The fishing opportunities here are varied but what ever your personal preference the chances of success are increasing each week.
 

March 26, 2008
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3589
Water Temp: 52-58 F

12 year old, Monroe Jaccard from Glendale, AZ with 6-pound striper caught at the dam on bait.

Smallmouth bass are coming on with many more caught this week than last. The bonus of pattern fishing is that smallmouth bass do not know that you are fishing for largemouth. They will bite every time the bait is placed in their strike zone. Fishing a watermelon green tube jig may result in an encounter with a largemouth, smallmouth or walleye. Find the pattern and the fish will sort out the rest.

Here is a hint. Some fishermen are better at fishing a plastic grub while others excel with a tube. If you are not a proficient tube angler keep using the grub even though the tube is working better at the moment. If you decide to become more experienced with different terminal baits make sure you can feel what the bait is doing in the water. Grubs are easier to feel as they are retrieved along the bottom. Tubes are in a weightless condition more often and harder to maintain direct contact between angler and bait. But when a new bait is mastered it may become your best weapon.

Stripers are finally coming up in the backs of the canyons. Good reports recently came from Warm Creek on the shoreline east of the floating restroom. Crankbaits cast along the white rocky shoreline were taken by 1-2 pound fat stripers. This is what I have been waiting for. Stripers in the main channel (near the dam) are often disconnected from their food supply and may not be in prime physical condition. Those that live with the forage in the back of the canyon are often in better condition.

The parting shot is a plug for spring weather. It has been very nice here this week. Spring storms make it difficult to enjoy the scenery but calm warm days are unforgettable.
 

March 19, 2008
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3588
Water Temp: 49-53 F

 Louis Santi; Helper, UT, with 5lbs 7oz largemouth caught in Bullfrog Bay - March 9, 2008

The bad news? Fishing is still waiting for a bit of warming before really taking off. There has been some spotty success on warm afternoons for bass and stripers but it will get a lot better as soon as the daily air temperatures consistently exceed 70 degrees. That happens soon as day length exceeds darkness on the first day of Spring. The magic water temperature to key on is 57 F. When that happens fishing really takes off.

For the present - Patience is required. Fishing is not good all day long. There are some short daily feeding periods when fish become active. There are also times when fish can be seen on the graph but they are not interested in feeding.

Stripers are caught sporadically at Glen Canyon Dam and other canyons on the south end of the lake, close to the current as water is drawn through the dam. Schools can also be found in the backs of most canyons lakewide where remnant shad populations still exist.

Bass are dormant most of the day with short activity periods. Largemouth will be near brush and smallmouth will be on rocky structure. Find the warmest water possible to interdict active bass coming close to the surface to feel the warmer water.

The current weather forecast is for warmer days free of wind. That can change fishing prospects in a hurry. Best Spring fishing is always found after 3 days of warm calm weather. It continues to be good until the next storm front blows through with a drop in water temperature.
 

March 12, 2008
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3588
Water Temp: 50-53 F

Lailah Campbell and Brenna Bayles  with stripers caught at the dam on bait.

Most stripers are still in the backs of canyons searching for shad schools. Their feeding periods are short now but will increase with warming water. Expect them to be foraging along the shoreline as individuals or in 20-40 feet of water in schools. Find shad schools and stripers will be near by. That habit never changes.

Largemouth bass are the best game in town. They will be active on warm afternoons in shallow brushy coves. Now is a good time to study the shoreline for brush lines, tumbleweed piles and other brushy shelters that will provide perfect ambush structure when the lake starts to rise. Expect the lake to rise 40 feet this spring and plan future trips and fishing locations based on structure that will be inundated next week ad next month.

Smallmouth bass feed on warm afternoons now, but they will bite so much better in April. Walleye are spawning now and will be more likely to bite in April and May.

Fishing is getting ready to take off. Hope you can make a spring trip.
 

March 3, 2008
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3590
Water Temp: 49-53 F

Bill Bjork with tournament bass.

Smallmouth bass need a bit more warming before taking off. They increase activity about 10 days after largemouth start. Smallmouth are more numerous and will be found in a wider range of habitats. Again the 15-25 foot bottom contour will be the favored depth. Smallmouth will be on rock points and ledges without regard to the occurrence of brush. Brush only becomes important when it harbors the food source. If shad are present over the submerged creek channel then fishing location will be the rocky drop-off at the canyon edge. If bluegills hiding in brush are the forage target then bass will be around brush. It will be two more weeks minimum, before smallmouth fishing picks up.

Striped bass are scattered in the backs of the canyons. Fat two-pounders are present in good numbers but temperatures do not favor activity. A school may be located but the fish are flighty and hard to corner. Slow trolling may offer the best strategy to cover ground in search of stripers.

Walleye are just beginning to spawn. The males are ripe and off feed but the females are still eating and gearing up for spawning. Target clean rock structure to find spawning walleye aggregations. There are more walleye in the northern lake.

Other species are still huddled up looking for something warm. My advice is to wait one week and then come give it a try.
 

Spring Fishing Lake Powell Forecast - 2008

January 29, 2008
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3590
Water Temp: 46-49 F

Dont confuse that with the Asian clam that is already present in Lake Powell

The problem with mussels is that they are so prolific that they cover the lake bottom and hard underwater structures with live shellfish. They can even attach to slow moving animals like crayfish. Nothing is safe. They have been known to form a shell reef over a foot thick and actually deposit enough shells to close off water pipes less than 18 inches in diameter.

The mussel threat to Lake Powell has now increased beyond description. While mussels cannot climb over Glen Canyon Dam to enter the lake the chance of boaters bringing larval mussels from the lower basin to Powell is "almost" a certainty. The only chance for Lake Powell to avoid this fate is if all visitors are made aware of the problem and take steps to prevent invaders from making it to Lake Powell. Please do everything in your power to prevent mussels from altering the beauty and bounty that is now enjoyed.

Mussel encrusted outdrive.

o Flush the motor and bilges with hot, soapy water or a 5% solution of household
bleach.
 

o Completely inspect your vessel and trailer, removing any visible mussels, but also
feel for any rough or gritty spots on the hull. These may be young mussels that can
be hard to see.
 

o Wash the hull, equipment, bilge and any other exposed surface with hot, soapy water
or use a 5% solution of household bleach.
 

o Clean and wash your trailer, truck or any other equipment that comes in contact with
lake water. Mussels can live in small pockets anywhere water collects.
 

o Air-dry the boat and other equipment for at least five days before launching in any
other waterway.

Additional information can be found at www.protectyourwaters.net
www.100thMeridian.org.
 

Expect to be asked questions about your boat and where it has been before entering or launching at Lake Powell. DWR techs will be on the ramps beginning in March 2008 to answer your questions about mussels and protect the lake from mussels.

November 22, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3599
Water Temp: 59-61 F

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

The first freeze of the year occurred on Thanksgiving Day. The cold temperature finally allowed the water surface temperature to dip into the high 50s. Fish respond to cold temperatures by exhibiting springtime behavior. Best fishing happens when water is warmest - usually in the afternoon. Feeding periods are farther apart meaning there are times when fish just will not bite. These dormant periods are followed by brief feeding sprees that make it very worth while to be fishing on a cool day.

Striped bass: Still very abundant although average length is smaller than in the spring, fish health is greatly improved as the older generation is now mostly gone giving way to the new rising generation. Shad are moving deeper and stripers follow. Expect to find striper schools in canyons with shad where bottom depth is 40-60 feet deep. They can be deeper when resting and shallower when feeding but graphing in this range allows a good starting point when searching for the first school of the day.

Striper schools have been most recently found in Wahweap Bay near Lone Rock, Dry Rock Creek, San Juan past the Great Bend, and Trachyte and White Canyon near Hite. Night fishing is good near the marinas.

When shallow, stripers can be caught trolling shallow running "trap" baits or shad raps with a bit of chartreuse and shad color. When deep, swim baits like walleye assassin and Yamamoto swim baits are very effective when retrieved slowly along the bottom. It is very important to use the graph to located fish during the winter. They don't move much so a large school can be very close but not caught unless the boat is positioned directly over them. Anchovies are always effective.

BASS: It has been a great year for big black bass. The trophies are still out there and can be caught by fortunate anglers in the right place at the right time. But most average-sized bass are hanging in one of two locations:

Largemouth bass really like cover. Sunfish are hold up along the bottom in weed beds. Some of these weed beds are shallow with an edge exposed as the lake drops. Others are down as much as 20 feet. Largemouth bass will be right in the weeds (including tumbleweed piles) all winter long. They stay surprisingly shallow and follow the forage. Weed busting lures like spinnerbaits or vertically fished jig and pig baits are the winter standards. Some lake areas along the main channel are very clear. Look for murky water for best success. 

Smallmouth bass are rock oriented and will be deeper along breaking edges of long points or terraces. Both bass species are in cool water well below their preferred temperature range in the winter so feeding may not happen every day. But they do feed and can be caught. Smallmouth bass eat crayfish that hide under rocks. Use a bait that resembles their prey and stays close to the bottom. Nothing is better in the winter than the standard plastic grub that has been so effective for the past 20 years. Just experiment with grub colors, swimming action and speed of retrive to refine the most appealing pattern on any given day.

OTHERS:

Walleye feed well in winter. They congregate around brushy cover where bait fish hide. Murky water is more comfortable for them and they are a very effective night time predator. Spoons, swim baits and plastics are effective cold weather walleye baits. Walleye can often be seen in shallow water around brush.  Put a drop shot bait right in front of their nose to wake them up. 

Crappie suspend in open water or hold up in schools near brush in winter. They don't feed often but they can be started once a school is located. Fishing at night under lights may be the most effective cold weather crappie technique.

Sunfish hide out during the winter trying to avoid bigger fish. Do not expect to catch many bluegill.

October 30, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3600
Water Temp: 61-64 F

Jacob Berry - largemouth he caught on plastic grub.

 
To reduce the patience factor and increase opportunity head to the inflow areas. The upper San Juan and Colorado inflow upstream from Good Hope Bay are good for all species. Look for the temperature break between the cold inflowing river and the warm lake water. Great fishing will be on the warm side of the cold water. If I had to choose the best spot right now it would be in the San Juan Arm from Alcove Canyon to Spencer's Camp. Use shad colored plastic baits to catch bass, stripers, walleye and crappie. The shoreline has some nondescript structure that harbors bass. The big flat expanse of open water has plenty of stripers. Just troll the plastics in open water while moving between bass fishing spots to find stripers. All are keying on shad on the warm side of the bay. It's as good as it gets right now.

There is a nice school of stripers near the Dome Rock in upper Bullfrog Bay (Red X). Use fluorocarbon leader for best success!

For those that can't run to the headwaters, a cooperative school of stripers has moved into the back of Wahweap between Lone Rock and Lone Rock Canyon. The school is right in the middle of the bay where bottom depth is 50-55 feet. It takes some graphing to get on the school, but once located fishing is great as long as the anchovy chum keeps falling. When the moon was full, afternoon fishing was best. But now the moon is waning, fish can be caught any time day or night. But here is where the patience factor comes in. The exact time that they want to feed must be discovered. A good plan is to check for the school every two hours. If they are not there in the morning then try again later until they light up. Coolers fill in a hurry when the bite is on.

Bass are as moody as the stripers. Mornings were not good fishing last week but now that the nights are not as bright bass catching will improve. Flat calm periods are not as good as those where a little breeze breaks up the surface and allows bass better feeding visibility. There will be a two hour feeding period that is awesome followed by a slow period until bass decide to feed again. I expect morning and evening to be best this week. Plastics fished  on the bottom are generally working better than crankbaits. 

Bonus crappie are in their fall feeding period. Again the inflow areas are best but search the brush and rocks just like spring time fishing. Schools are tightly bunched so they are easy to miss, but once discovered schools are large and tightly bunched. Remember the 10 fish limit on these fun pan fish.

October 16, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3601
Water Temp: 64-66 F

Trevor Skelton with his big smallmouth and brother Chase Skelton.

Fishing for bass is a better bet in the main lake. Temperatures in the low 60's are ideal for large and smallmouth bass. The current temperatures coincide with highest bass activity in spring time. Standard bottom bouncing techniques with dark green plastic baits is very effective. Bass are still eating as much as possible as they prepare for a long winter of inactivity. Look near weed beds and brush structures for the best success. Structure at 15 to 25 feet may be the best target area to catch some of the biggest bass of the year. Bass caught in 2007 have had the largest average size since 1996.

Another bonus at this time and temperature is the resurgence of crappie. Schools are difficult to find but once located they don't move much so many can be taken at one spot. Remember the 10 fish crappie limit.

Catfish and walleye are likely to provide some interesting action at times. It is getting late in the season but fishing is not done for the year.
 

September 26, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3601
Water Temp: 71-74 F

Smallmouth bass will be on rocks because that is their preferred habitat. That means crayfish are more important in their diet. If prey fish swim by they will attack, but their primary search image is bottom oriented. Fishing with bottom bouncing grubs/tubes in open water is more likely to be rewarded with smallmouth than any other species. Crayfish imitating lures fished slowly on the bottom around rocks is the best technique for catching smallmouth bass. As I write this, smallmouth bass are more often found on the "outside edges" meaning they are more likely to be on the main channel side of a rock, instead of the side nearest shore. That can change on a daily basis, but for starters look on the deep water side of a rock ridge and then adjust as needed.

Classic feeding stripers pictured on graph.

Striped bass are hungry and constantly looking for fish forage in open water. They are most talented at feeding and trapping prey in open water. They have little finesse while working a weedy bottom near shore. A good general strategy is to fish the outside reefs for bass while keeping an eye on the graph for fish in deep water. A spoon can be rigged and waiting. Employ the spoon at the first sign of multiple fish at 30 feet or deeper. These fish could be a school of larger bass or a striper school. Either one will be fun.

Active stripers will respond immediately to a shad (spoon) dropped into a school. Stripers are so competitive that they rush to see which fish can get the shad first. The entire school responds to a single feeding opportunity. Draw the school off the bottom by hooking one fish, and keep them going with a shower of anchovy chum at 10 minute intervals. Striper schools will suspend under the boat, often following it, and actively feed, sometimes for hours, as long as bait is presented.

Some striper starting spots include: Warm Creek near the floating restroom, Rock Creek in all three arms, Oak Canyon, Piute and Neskahi Canyon on the San Juan, main channel near mouth of Long Canyon, main channel at buoy 86A, dome rock in Bullfrog Bay, mouth of Knowles Canyon, and Striper City from the horn at Good Hope to White Canyon.

Don't be surprised to catch a big catfish, walleye, sunfish or crappie. All fish are active at this temperature range.

September 19, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3601
Water Temp: 75-78 F

5-Year-old Landon Springer with dad's 5 pound largemouth bass caught in Bullfrog bay.

Largemouth bass are in the shallow weeds with the sunfish. A surface popper slowly retrieved with many pauses will draw strikes from bass up to 5 pounds. Smallmouth bass wait on the rocky edge of the cove for sunfish to venture beyond the safe limits of the weeds. Plastics baits that are rigged in a weedless fashion that can penetrate the weeds without hanging up are needed to fish the shallows, but grubs on jigheads can be worked at the edge and in open pockets with good success.

Striped bass are aware of sunfish in the weeds but they are clumsy when chasing prey there. In weed beds stripers end up with salad as the main course. Look for stripers near weed beds but holding further out on the second terrace. The weedy cove will often have a flat that extends from shore to near 15 feet. Depth will drop quickly at the edge of the weeds to 20 or 25 feet. Stripers will be found at the next break where depth falls to 30 or 40 feet.

Position the boat over the breaking edge and cast toward shore for bass and toward the channel for stripers. Spoons are the best choice for stripers since they fall quickly from surface to deep water. Active stripers can be found by reeling the spoon quickly off the bottom. Pause the spoon a time or two during the retrieve to entice following fish to bite.

When stripers stop hitting spoons they can be reactivated by using anchovy chum and bait to catch more fish resting on the bottom. Trolling the 30-foot contour with deep diving plugs is another effective method of locating striper schools.

Boils are still happening morning and evening but not every day. There is enough inconsistency that finding a boil is a very special event. Boils have been very good when located with numerous schools feeding on top from dawn to 8 AM. A return to the same spot the next day does not mean the stripers will repeat the event. Circumstances have to be just right for stripers to find a large shad school when the forage fish are scarce and hiding.

September 13, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3602
Water Temp: 79-82 F

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.

September 5, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3603
Water Temp: 80-83 F

Wayne with results of 10 minutes of boiling stripers

Look for a resurgence of surface action near Trachyte and White Canyon. Striper abundance is greatest in this location. Lake level decline will displace shad and allow a new round of feeding. Striper abundance at most other locations is still strong with many yearling stripers actively feeding on top and deeper in the water column.

The best strategy will be to use spoons as the weapon of choice for these conditions. Stripers want to feed but shad may not be numerous enough to allow a boil. Hungry stripers then sulk just at the cool water break (35 feet) of the shallower feeding area while scanning above for any trace of shad. Shad presence alerts the school into instant action. The slip-sliding action of a falling silver or blue spoon mimics the descent of an injured shad. One striper eating that spoon gets the rest of the school started just as if the shad school had been encountered.

When graphing watch for a tight rectangular smudge of fish with an irregular shape at 30-50 feet. Often the resting striper school signature will appear as 2-3 smudges instead of individual fish arcs. The arcs appear as the school comes off the bottom to chase spoons back to the boat.
Typical striper "smudges" on graph. Bottom most smudge is most typical striper signature display.

Bass chase shad when available but they also root around the rocks looking for crayfish. The developing bass pattern is associated with rooted aquatic weeds that offer a safe haven to small sunfish. Sunfish are the 'go-to' target when shad are scarce. Find a tall grass bed and bass will be close by. All shades of green are found in the grass and sunfish. Try dark green or watermelon colors for quick bass action.

Choose your fishing target. September is the time to satisfy all those fish cravings for all Lake Powell anglers.
 

August 29, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3603
Water Temp: 80-85 F

Typical widespread open water boil.

Boiling fish are yearling stripers from 12 to 22 inches which are very strong and healthy as they chase shad to the surface. The feisty young fish will hit surface lures while blasting shad on top or spoons while in the depths looking for the next victim. Larger stripers are waiting at about 40 feet for any wounded shad to fall to the bottom. Spooning over a resting school of stripers results in nonstop action.

When stripers are seen on the graph resting near 40 feet, drop spoons to the bottom and work them in short pulls (12-24 inches). Try to get one fish to hit so the school gets excited. Stripers will rise off the bottom in response to the feeding behavior of the hooked fish. When the school has separation from the bottom, drop the spoon below them and then reel quickly through the layer where fish were seen. Pause the lure twice if reeling from the 40 foot bottom or three times if 60 feet or deeper. Following stripers will often hit just as the lure pauses or starts to move upward once more.

Try to hit a splash ring for the best results.

These techniques will work on active stripers at any lake location. Expect boils anywhere. September will be the prime boil month for 2007. Look for boils during the two hour period at first light and last light each day.

Bass were seen working the shoreline with boiling stripers. They got more active and were willing to take surface lures as the stripers left the shoreline to head to deep water. Shad moving in front of advancing stripers will excite any game fish. Find active stripers that will lead you to bass, walleye and catfish that lurk on the outskirts of the striper feeding frenzy.

The weather is cooling, crowds are smaller and fish are very cooperative. Looks like September will be prime time to fish at Lake Powell.
 

If the boil is circular just throw to the far edge and reel across for instant hook ups. 

'FLIP-FLOP'

My Goodness! Something happened to Lake Powel this week. The cause is uncertain but we know that yearling stripers that were feeding on top near Hite went deep. At the same time the bottom feeding fish on the south end came to the surface. I suspect there is a logical reason, such as water level decline displacing shad from brush shelters causing them to seek open water. Rather then try to explain the phenomenon, I just went fishing! It has been awhile since I have found full open water boils where I could reach them from Wahweap or Antelope Point. This morning 103 stripers were caught in 2 hours of fishing.

Warm Creek was where I fished, but my guess is that the same conditions are at work from Wahweap to Dangling Rope and beyond. At dawn stripers start to hit the surface as widely spaced individuals. A spoon thrown near a single splash is quickly eaten. Top water lures are taken only half the time. Then as the sun climbs, stripers run shad schools toward shore or into a cove. Real boils erupt with hundreds of yearling stripers feeding tightly together. Fish in full boils hit anything, with walking topwater baits being the most effective. When boiling fish go down to regroup, pick up a hammered silver spoon to follow them to the bottom. When they come back up, use the topwater lure. Fishing becomes non stop catching when using these complementary lures.
 

Jack "Hotwheels" Herrin 'surrounded'.

Scan the shoreline for the location of the boil. A neat trick is to look toward the East into the rising sun as it peaks over the horizon. Striper splashes will light up like flashing strobe lights as the sun backlights the splash spray. Follow the strobes to the center the activity. My advice is to keep moving while looking for boils instead of waiting in one spot - even if that was where they were seen yesterday. Stripers have no loyalty to spots. They just follow shad that are doing their best to avoid the stripers.

How long will the southern lake boils last? There are no guarantees. Today's boil may have been the last. More likely we should see boils at least through this weekend. Do not wait hoping for a prolonged surface feeding event. My guess is these boils will be short lived. Be prepared to look in lots of places to find boiling fish.

Bass and walleye will be near the boiling stripers. Expect bass to hit as the stripers go deep. Today I found healthy 3 pound stripers on bottom under the 16-inch boiling stripers. As we reeled in each hooked fish, many shad were regurgitated. I am sure the deeper fish were laying low, waiting for the dead and wounded shad shower to come into the deeper water. Again shad-colored spoons are the ticket to find bass, walleye and larger stripers after the boil.

Catfish and sunfish are eager to provide fishing action for all near camp.

August 15, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3606
Water Temp: 82-90 F

Brody Gilbert caught this striper which made his Dad Keith very proud.

Smallmouth are not put off by warm water. They just drop down a few feet with rambunctious juveniles anxious to eat, residing at 10-15 feet and larger adults down at 20-30 feet. If snorkeling around camp, smallmouth can be teased into visual range by simply tapping on a rock with another rock. Curious fish come to see what the noise is about. My guess is that tapping a big heavy lure would attract bass which could then be caught with a trailing plastic grub. Try this and let me know how it works. If it really works I will take credit - if not I disavow all knowledge for even suggesting it.

Anchovy fishing for stripers continues to be beyond belief. Adult stripers have gone deeper - some as deep as a 100 feet. Anchovy chum gets a school going and they just keep feeding as long as the bait continues to fall.

Stripers are also shallow, particularly the very common yearlings from 14-20 inches. Find morning boils and then concentrate fishing in those areas through the day and into the night. Bait looks good to hungry fish with a high metabolic rate from living in warm water.

Green lights attract plankton, bait and predators in the cool night hours. Night fishing near Hite and upper San Juan will leave little time for enjoying the meteor shower going on in the dark sky. But glance up occasionally after taking a fish off the hook to get a complete Lake Powell experience. There will be time to sleep when the vacation is over.

August 8, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3606
Water Temp: 81-88 F

Charlie Doss Family

In the main body of the lake, small boils are found each morning from Wahweap Bay to Good Hope and on the San Juan. These boils are small and quick. There may not be time to see the boil and get to the school in time to catch a fish. But look for surface action in Navajo Canyon, West Canyon, Rock Creek, San Juan, mouth of Escalante, and Rincon. Boils may be seen from Bullfrog to Good Hope and morning twilight is the best time to look.

Catching is quick on small spoons (Kastmaster and CC Spoons). Full size surface lures work. When fishing near Trachyte it is advisable to remove the front hook so the fish is the only one impaled on the hook. The Lucky Craft Gunfish 115 in clear Ghost color is amazing topwater bait. It "walks the dog" with a spitting action that is hard to resist.

Summer schools of adult stripers are right where they have been for the last two months. Some spots not recently mentioned include, mouth of Last Chance, Oak Canyon and Reflection Canyon - just inside the canyon mouth in the shady alcove. There are literally hundreds of striper spots (probably one in every canyon) just waiting for an anchovy chum shower to get the fish started. Look for shade near a rockslide along the steep wall to locate a willing school of stripers. When the school lights up, they will eat all anchovy baits and many other offerings for the next hour or more. Return the next morning or evening for more action.

Bass fishing is improving. The best technique is drop shot, split shot or Carolina rigged plastic grubs or tubes fished slowly along the bottom at 20-30 feet. Perhaps the best presentation for bass is trolling a deep diver along the 20 foot bottom contour. Bass fishing may be better in the main lake than at the Colorado River inflow where boiling stripers are dominating the forage.

Catfish and bluegill fishing is hot. Both species are easy to catch on bait near camp.
 

August 1, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3607
Water Temp: 81-89 F

Alphonso Gonzales with trophy striper he found floating in Last Chance bay. The big fish was 49 inches long and weighed between 40 and 50 pounds. 

July 25, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3608
Water Temp: 81-85 F

Thor's Striper Crusaders - a few anchovies and a lot of fun

The real action this week is with bait. Stripers are still holding in the same spots they have frequented all summer waiting for food. They come up briefly to feed on crayfish and sunfish on the warm shallow flat, then drop off the nearest edge to cooler water. Once cooled and rejuvenated, they come shallow again to search for food. These schools are easy pickins' for a handful of chum and a baited jig head. Graph a school, anchor the boat or tie to shore, chum, then cast a third of an anchovy and let it rest just off the bottom. After the first bite stripers come shallower with each caught fish. When in full bite the entire school swims at 10-20 feet. An unweighted anchovy bait on a circle hook is now the ticket. Smaller healthier stripers will usually be at the top of the school. Don't let the bait go too deep after the first few fish are caught. Remember there is no limit on stripers. Catch all you can. Keep all you catch. There is still a population overbalance in favor of the predators. We can help make this a fair fight by keeping all stripers.

Catfish are often overlooked but this is the peak of the season for catching cats. Chum for stripers, or clean fish in deeper water off shore, then fish for catfish at night close to shore preferably near camp. Choose a spot with easy access and a place for a comfortable chair. The back of a houseboat is perfect. Select a sandy spot without a lot of brush. The smooth bottom allows pleasant fishing after dark without a lot of snagged baits to spoil the fun. If bottom depth is less than 15 feet I use weightless bait and circle hook allowing it to slowly descend and rest on bottom. A lantern or green fishing light offers more classic catfishing ambiance but is not necessary. Cats are very good night feeders. They will find the bait. Some of the best offerings are night crawlers, chicken liver, shrimp, hot dogs or other items left over from dinner. Catfishing is a fun family event on a warm peaceful night at the lake. Keep the cats for a great meal or let them go to bite again. It's your choice.

July 18, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3609
Water Temp: 81-85 F

Full sized 'Jumpin Minnow'

I am changing over to braided line with the top water reaction bait tied directly to the braided line. Boiling fish are not fussy and will hit surface lures while on the surface despite the visible line. Braided line is very strong so fish and lures are not lost to breakage in the intensity of a boil. Fish not caught up in a boil will avoid lures on visible line. Have two rods ready with different line to be able to use both techniques when necessary.

The very best place to be is at Hite where it is still possible to launch a fishing boat on the primitive "ramp". Wood and debris is less of a factor now with the lake declining. Motor downstream at planing speed in the early morning while scanning for fish. Stop near the boil without running through or disturbing the feeding fish. Boils are quick. Probably only two fish can be caught from each. But many boils are happening so on a good calm morning 30 fish can readily be taken from 15 different stops. Sometimes it is possible to keep up with retreating schools with a trolling motor, but a school across the bay is best approached with a quick burst from the big motor.

About 2-3 hours after daylight, boils cease and fish head to the bottom. Near Hite trolling will work on resting stripers. In the main lake its time to dig out the anchovy bait and fish from 40-60 feet in the general area where fish were seen boiling in the morning. Chumming with finely cut anchovies is a great way to get the school started. Keep the boat over the chum for best results. If no stripers hit bait after 15 minutes try a different location.

Bass feed with the stripers on top in the morning. Then the go down to 20-25 feet to beat the heat. Fishing plastic bait dropped straight down to the 20 foot contour along the edge of reefs and points is still very effective for bass.

Lake Powell has many mouths to feed and forage is at a premium. Fishing is quite good for hungry fish even in the 80 degree water of midsummer. This fishery is truly amazing.

'Slurping boil'

July 11, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3610
Water Temp: 81-85 F

FISHING TIP: 

Drop shot rig is featured (left).  The weight maintains bottom contact while the plastic bait suspends (swims) horizontally above the bottom The bait goes up and down slightly as the rod tip gently moves. Fish this slowly for bass.  Keep line tight enough to feel the bite but not too tight to restrict bait movement.  

NOTE:  before I get any comments - Yes the sliding sinker should be put on the line so the pointy end is toward the rod tip - not the bait.  Hey! it looked good in the garage!    

July 4, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3611
Water Temp: 79-84 F

              Happy Independence Day - God Bless America

Fishing is best very early in the morning and again late in the evening with night fishing being perhaps the best opportunity. Fishing strategy during the day requires a bag of anchovy bait, some shade and a cooler full of ice to keep the fish fresh and the fillets cool. At night a green light and anchovies will do the trick.

 
Jarrett "Bones" Lanyon with his first ever striper.

Striper schools are in the main river channels, main canyons, and where the canyon intersects with the main channel. Look for a prominent point, deep drop off near a shallow flat or similar travel lane where stripers can stay deep and cool but near the feeding zone provided by a brushy flat. Chumming will cause an immediate reaction from the resting school if they are nearby. Chum and fish for 15 minutes. If no fish respond then move to the next likely location and repeat the process. It should take no more than 4 or 5 tries to locate a school. Once located, these schooling stripers will hit for as long as bait is put in the water.

Some good starting points include Glen Canyon Dam, both points past the double islands in Navajo Canyon, main channel edges between Rock Creek and Dungeon Canyon, flats near the Rincon, and Moki Canyon mouth and Wall.

There will be some boils in the extreme ends of the lake where the San Juan and Colorado Rivers enter Lake Powell. Look in very muddy water or under debris fields to find shad hiding and stripers seeking. The surface action is very early and very late in the day. But 50-100 stripers can be caught quickly on topwater lures during prime time.

Bass fishing is still good but bass are deep. Dangle a green or smoked plastic grub on a drop shot or Carolina rig in 20-30 feet of water. Fish the bait very slowly with frequent rest stops to tempt curious bass. Keep the bait near the 20 foot depth contour to consistently catch fish.

Chuck Fulton's grandson plays a striper just like he saw gramps do it!

Boat camps will attract some fish. Bluegill and catfish are curious and will shade-up under houseboats. They provide great fun for kids and adults alike. Just put a little piece of live worm on a small hook (size 12) placed under a bobber for bluegill. Kids can catch their first fish quickly and easily. Have a bucket of water ready to allow the neophyte angler an opportunity to watch and touch the first fish after the catch. When the young angler is done with the fish it can be released or eaten.

Summer is family time at this grand lake. Swim and ski during the day but allot a bit of time to fish each morning and evening. Adding fishing to the agenda will enhance the enjoyment of the trip.

June 27, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3611
Water Temp: 77-81 F

Chris Wilson with striper caught on bait at mouth of Dungeon Canyon.

 
Deep to an adult striper is now 40-60 feet. Stripers are resting in the cold water beneath the thermocline where they use less energy. But food is shallow so stripers still must come up to eat. Adult stripers are still parked on drop-offs in front of tamarisk flats along the main channel. Look for a school on the bottom near the first break from 40-60 feet. Anchovy chum will start the school feeding and draw them off the bottom. Then they can be caught mid depth and shallow on a variety of lures. Many of the hot spots mentioned in previous reports are still producing what seems like a never ending supply of 3-pound stripers that are thin, but fun to catch and good enough to eat.

Deep to a juvenile striper is 20 feet. These cruisers up to 18 inches are feeding on plankton in the warm surface layers. If a pod of shad happens by then the striper school shuns plankton and blows up on the surface. The surface commotion is still more like a slurp than a full boil. Shad are getting bigger but not necessarily more numerous. Slurp boils in the lower lake are common but few stay up long enough for anglers to see them and then catch a fish. Seems the shad supply is dwindling making boils much shorter in duration. Top water striper catching is declining in the southern lake from Rock Creek to Warm Creek.

While morning slurps and ghost boils are most common, feeding duration seems longer at mid day. If lucky enough to see one of these random feeding events the chances of catching fish around noon is greater than in the morning. The problem is that the feeding event is random and usually catches one off guard without a rod in hand. Surface action is seen daily in the lower lake but not many fish were caught on top this week. If fishing boils is the goal, go north of Bullfrog to have the best chance of catching stripers on top. Water is now clear enough in the upper lake (Good Hope to Hite) and San Juan arm to support good shad numbers and lots of striper surface action.
Wade Cavender with "slurper size" stripers

Deep to an adult bass is 20-40 feet. Bass will be at the first temperature break above the thermocline. Temperature from the surface to 20 feet is in the 75-80 degree range. Bass reside in the 70-75 degree water found deeper than 20 feet. Concentrate on structure at that depth to find some large bass and many small ones. Plastic tubes, grubs and senkos work well on heavy jig heads (drop shot or Carolina rig) which are needed to get the baits down to the bottom. Bluegill and crayfish are the food of choice so watermelon, smoke, and brown colors are working well. Bass fishing is best early and late. Success seems to decline abruptly after 10 AM.

Catfish really like the warm shallows each evening. Put a hot dog round on a hook and invite a catfish to dinner.

June 20, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3611
Water Temp: 75-80 F

Launch site at Old Hite marina.  Use 4wd and watch for driftwood on the way to great fishing

Bigger stripers are schooled up along the breaking edge of the main channel. They can be caught with anchovy bait but need lots of chumming when fishing slows down. Schools were found last week near the Good Hope Bay floating restroom at Buoy 119, Moki Canyon and Moki wall, Rincon north of floating restroom near buoy 77, mouth of 50 mile canyon in Escalante, Rock Creek, in front of beach guarding mouth of Friendship Cove, points above islands in Navajo Canyon, Power plant intake and the dam.

Striper activity on top tends to get all fish in the mood to eat. Walleye are still active near tumbleweed and tamarisk brush any place striper slurps are found. Bass and bluegill will feed near stripers on the same food. Just go down to the bottom with big plastic grubs to find quality large and smallmouth bass. If the bass bite is off with regular plastic try scented baits like Yum and Gulp for a change of pace. Of course trolling the edge of brush in 12-20 feet of water is sure way to catch bass. Use a shallow running plug like a bevy shad for bass and walleye. Use a deep diver like a Thunderstick for stripers.

The catch has dropped off because fishing trips are shorter. Average catch now is about 30 fish per boat. That is a slow day by Powell standards but still good enough to warrant a rating of hot fishing. And that's not just about the weather!
 

June 13, 2007
By Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3610
Water Temp: 70-74 F

I was lucky enough to have a job assignment on the Escalante arm of the lake. The luck ended when the wind blew most of the trip. But there is never a bad day here. Fishing success rebounded as the weather moderated.

Stripers are slurping small larval shad from the lakes surface. Slow swimming shad are easy prey for yearling stripers who meander across the surface in pods of 10 to 100 fish. The schools can be seen from a long distance in calm water but not so far when the lake is choppy. Most slurps are spotted as the boat is planning at warp speed in the channel and comes in close contact with the feeding fish.
 

Slurping Stripers

Striper pods are not especially spooky until the boat is within in a few feet of the action. Since size of shad is small, an equally small bait is most effective. I had the best catch rate on a 2-inch plastic grub on a 1/8th ounce jig head. Silver spoons (half to ¾ ounce) are very good and cast farther than grubs. If schools are spooky then spoons are a better choice. In either case, cast the lure beyond and/or in front of the school and then work it back with an erratic motion in the top five feet of the water column. It is fine to use a full size topwater lure. Any bigger striper swimming with the school of 10-15 inch slurpers will be attracted to and hit the bigger bait. If there is no reaction to topwater within 2 casts, switch to the smaller sub-surface baits. Slurpers sound when near the boat but often come back up just out of casting range. It is not necessary to rush after the slow moving schools. Just fast idle along until in casting range once more. I was catching two fish out of slurp before they went down. Then a quick glance around showed the direction of another group of fish. It is often necessary to choose which group to chase next. The slurpers are small but very robust. They fight as hard as a 3-pound adult and are much better eating.

Two inch plastic grub on small jighead.

On my trip, striper slurps were seen at Rincon, mouth of Escalante,