I have two bait casting reels that are more sensitive to backlashes than others so here is what I would suggest you try until you get your thumb trained to help keep those professioanl overruns from happening. It takes some time so don’t get frustrated because you will soon be able to out cast any spinning reel by a mile!! Ask Wayne how far I can cast a topwater bait with those reels!!

First things first… loose the spider wire on that reel. The diameter of the line is too small for the reel and starts to dig into its self, you can try a larger diameter braid but I think it will do the same thing because the spool is very large. The line guide does not move fast enough across the spool to stop this from happening by crisscrossing the line instead of laying it evenly across the spool. The line is also lighter in weight which will cause or allow the spool to spin faster than having mono on it which is the real culprit of the backlash, the spool is spinning faster than the line coming off and starts to wrap around in the opposite direction.

Second. When setting the tension, make sure it is tighter than normally suggested. Set it so the bait will hardly fall or better yet not fall at all. Just a soft bounce on the rod will cause the lure to drop only a couple of inches. Normal recommendations are great for reels like a Curado that have magnetic brakes to help slow down the spool during the cast.

Next make sure you are using a rod that is heavy enough or soft enough for the lure being used. I find most guys having problems are using a lure too heavy for the rod or worse, a lure too light for the recommended rod action. With the lure too heavy the rod tip will flex too much and cause oscillations in the rod when the tip snaps back. The rod tip starts slowing down the line and it backs up down to the reel and poof it’s a mess. If the lure is too light you end up over powering the rod (casting harder than you should) to cast the lure causing the spool to spin fast initially but the lure stops in mid flight and again @#$%#%.

Here is a tip that I regularly use on any baitcaster that will help you recover from backlashes faster and keep them from being extremely bad, it will also help stop the line from loosening inside the spool. Get some 1” wide white bandage tape from the store, cut a couple pieces about a 1” or so long, wrap one piece around the rod blank just above the handle for later use. Next cast your lure about as far as you want to fish, strip off a couple of extra yards for good luck. Engage the reel and get the line guide to bring the line to the center of the spool. Place the second piece of tape on spool and over the line. Hold the line tight with your fingers and reel the lure back in. the tape will stop the backlash from going to deep and if you end up cutting it out you only have to go down to the tape. After changing lures a couple of times or if you start to cast farther and start hitting the tape, remove that piece, strip out some more line and replace with the piece that you wrapped around the rod earlier.

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How goes it? It's Bassdozer here. You know what I am thinking? Maybe this is a good time to review a number of basic rigging options that are used nowadays with soft baits. Nothing fancy, just bass rigs you basically make with a bait, a sinker, and a hook. So here goes.

1) Weightless Rigs

1) Weightless Rig. The purest form of rigging, and most deadly with the Senko. No sinker is used and the hook can be tied directly to the main line. Optionally, tie the hook to a 12" to 24" inch leader tied to a free-turning swivel that dissipates the line twist which often occurs with unweighted soft baits.

2) Unpegged Texas Rig. A conical sinker is allowed to slide freely on the main line, with the hook tied directly to the main line. Optionally use a bead. The sinker will jackhammer constantly against the bead and make a tiny clicking noise that can attract fish at times.

2) Unpegged Texas Rigs

One difficulty is an unpegged sinker can slide far up the line on the cast, making for inaccurate casts and imprecise presentations. An unpegged sinker can also slide far down the line and get your rig stuck in snaggy cover. For more control over an unpegged sinker, you can contain it on a short 12 to 24" leader tied to a swivel. This gives you the desirable unpegged lure movement (and bead-clicking option) while at the same time, the short leader gives you better control over the cast and presentation.

3) Pegged Texas Rig

3) Pegged Texas Rig. Pocket a few toothpicks the next time you pay the check at the diner. Then jam one in the butt of a bullet weight and break it off. Keep in mind, don't jam it in so tightly that you risk weakening the line. Slide it down the line, and the toothpick will hold the weight securely against the nose of a soft bait used in heavy cover. The weight and bait will act like one unit that slips through weeds and resists snagging in cover.

4) Florida Rig

4) Florida Rig. An advancement over the toothpick-pegging method, Florida rig sinkers are molded around a thin Teflon tube, and a corkscrew wire that screws in to the nose of a soft bait. Slip the sinker on the main line, tie the hook directly to the main line, and screw it into the bait. This provides the ultimate in weedless and snagless presentation for big bass in heavy cover.

 

5) Mojo Rig

5) Mojo Rig. Mojo sinkers are long,  thin, and shaped like pencil leads. They're part of a complete system which includes rubber pegs that thread through the Mojo weight to peg it from 12" to 24" inches above the bait. The rubber strand cushions the line from any potential damage that can occur with wooden toothpicks or crimping splitshots on the line.

The thin Mojo sinker will slink through weeds better than most other weight types. Mojo rigs also work for vertical fishing in deep water where baits are suspended for bass lurking in or under the tops of flooded trees or brush.

6) Carolina Rig

6) Carolina Rig. Used most commonly on open, relatively unobstructed bottoms. Simply thread a bullet, egg or barrel-shaped sinker onto your main line, followed by a glass bead which clicks when the weight hammers against it. Then tie on a swivel, a leader line which is 18" to 24" most of the time (but can be longer), and your hook. As with all the various rigs we describe here, use lighter weights of Carolina rigs with light tackle, and heavier weights of Carolina rigs with heavier tackle.

7) Splitshot Rig

7) Splitshot Rig. Knot a hook to the end of your line, bait up and pinch one or a few split shot 18" to 24" inches above the bait. Keep in mind, don't pinch the splitshot shut so tightly that you risk weakening the line. Splitshot rigs are usually not used in snaggy areas, so you can simply nose-hook the bait with Yamamoto's specially-made series 53 Splitshot hook.

A splitshot rig is most often used with light line. In deep water, you can slowly sink a bait down to fish suspended in mid-depth or holding above bottom. A splitshot is also used for a delicate presentation in shallow water, or to sweep a bait down with the current flow in a stream or shallow river. The bait will swirl and sway as it is buffeted around by the water flow while the splitshots keep it hunkered down near bottom!

8) Dropshot Rig

8) Dropshot Rig. A hook such as the Yamamoto series 53 Splitshot hook is normally tied onto the main line with a Palomar knot. The tag end of the knot is left anywhere from 12" to 24" inches long. Once the knot is tied, the tag end is threaded through the hook eye in the direction that keeps the hook point positioned up. A swiveling style of sinker is then attached to the dangling tag end of the Palomar knot anywhere from 12" to 24" below the hook. The bait is then nose-hooked.

9) Wacky Rig

9) Wacky Rig. In relatively open water, simply tie a hook such as the Red Octopus to your line, and thread the hook straight through the middle of a slanky bait such as a Senko or worm. In some cases, to get a thin bait deeper quicker, you may want to string a very small bullet sinker to slide freely on the line above the hook.

Where snags are present, you are better off to wacky rig with the Gamakatsu #65112 which has a spring wire guard to protect the hook point from weeds and snags. Yet the wire guard depresses away easily from the point and usually does not interfere when you get a bite from a fish.

That just about covers all the most popular rigs in modern use for soft baits. All you need to do now is get out on the water and learn to use them well. Practically any rig shown will work (within reason) with practically any model of soft plastic bait.

This concludes our quick tour of basic rigging fundamentals!

Regards, Russ "Bassdozer" Comeau
Bassdozer Worldwide Bass Fishing
http://www.bassdozer.com

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More insight from RUSS - What Color?
Russ Bassdozer @Bassdozer.com

I must commend Wayne as always and sincerely on his insight on fishing. His post mentions two ways, both of which are successful. The first way, as Wayne says to stick with one bait in one color. Make no mistake, it can and IS done. I know a handful of anglers far better than myself who do that - fish one bait only. These guys are hard to beat, and on certain fisheries, I too will use one bait in one size and color - and do well. I enjoy that approach since it eliminates ALL of the variables except what Wayne says, which is to judge how the fish change fron trip to trip, and thereby catch them every time on that one bait. The second approach Wayne observes is to use a wide variety of colors, styles and sizes, and through trial and error, there is ususally a way to entice a bite if you discover the correct depth, color and presentation. That is what I have been doing on Powell since I got here last June (18 months ago). I have also done this on other fisheries where I could not beat the "one bait" guys at their own game, but I could often times outfish them by applying an ever-changing array of colors, styles and sizes of bait. As you may imagine, it is an exhaustive "needle in the haystack" approach to do that. But if you "listen" to what the bass tell you about each different bait you try, you can start to key in on a pattern that depends on a particular size, color and style that will work for a day, a week, a month or a season - but never lasts forever. In that regard, this approach is a "continuum" that may never repeat itself twice, and it is interersting and unpredictable as it unfolds!

My first experience on Powell was a few trips in October 1999. Those first few trips, all anybody used were chartreuse single tail grubs on jig heads. The guides I fished with opened their bait lockers, and they had loads of bait. What I saw seemed to be ALL chartreuse (with different sparkle variations), and mostly single tail grubs.

So when I moved out here (June, 2000), I used a lot of chartreuse single tail grubs that first year. Having eyes, I looked around me. I saw hardly no green, but everything was shades of brown - sand brown, orange brown and red brown. So, I added lots of browns to my repertoire (and combos of browns and chartreuses). Browns and chartreuses worked well for me straight through the 2000 season into late December, and I hardly used a green bait in 2000. I tended toward smoke baits (163, 200 or 214) when fish wouldn't bite the chartreuses or browns in 2000.

In 2001, I started kicking them on watermelon around Valentine's Day, and I used LOTS of watermelons up until October 2001. I used no browns (except 236) in 2001 and no truly heavy chartreuse usage in 2001. In spring, I went through a big bout of using bubblegum (229) which lost its flavor sometime in summer. About this time, a few hot rounds were fought with cherry red (008 & 009), but I never used cherry again after that. So many colors, so little time!

In the spring on the beds, they whacked the crack out of 901 (black/red) and 904 (black/blue) on the beds, and kept biting watermelons (194, 208 & 297) from early spring through mid-summer. As I said, I hardly used green in 2000 - and I hardly used brown in 2001. I hardly used black/red or black/blue after they left the beds either. Go figure!

Once it was mid-summer and schools of minitature young-of-year of all species were able to flit and flash about by themselves, I made the Senko Shiner (905 clear w/gold,silver, black, or 168 w/black) to imitate these flashing schools of bitty fish in early summer. I do feel bass believed it to be a flashing school of tiny bait, not an individual baitfish. In fact, I often watched bass jump from one side to the other of the Senko Shiner as it fell, seeming to use the sides of their bodies as if trying to herd and "ball" my Senko into a tighter cluster before bashing it.

In mid-August, I started to mix in lots of shad patterns (187, 150, 177, 237). Let's say about October, whites (especially 300) came on strong. Somewhere late in October, blue (240) ruled into November when almost anything with a blue sparkle flake in it worked well.

Now things are coming full circle here. You recall my saying chartreuse was the first thing I used here (because others seemed to use it). As the guides on this lake know (and prefer for their clients), chartreuse attracts smallies. Personally, I just don't like chartreuse too much, and I don't think largemouth do either, except in the spawn or when they are pumped up by an approaching squall. So, I designed the Watermelon Senko Shiner (907) around October as a way for me to "green" a chartreuse bait, and if you look at the 907 under water, you'll see the 907 mimics the bright lime green chartreuse color that largemouth dorsals appear under water in Lake Powell. If it's a good color for largemouth backs to blend into the lake, it's probably a good color for a bait here too.

However, since the whites and blues came on so heavy starting somewhere in October, I haven't had much opportunity as I would have liked to use the 907 much (too busy with the whites and blues). Plus, the catches went down on any kinds of watermelons anyway, (at least for me) in mid to late fall. Even still, guys in the boat with me caught pretty good with the 907 whenever they tossed it this fall, and it has achieved success winning several tournaments across the country too. I made just one cast with 907 last week. As I watched it start to sink slowly, I caught a big largemouth that rose to the surface behind it like a submarine ascending from the depths! The largemouth tore the bait to pieces, so I picked up another rod with a blue on it, and stuck to blue the rest of that day, never trying the 907 again.

In the last two trips, I have just begun to key in on more and bigger bass on purples (157 or 213), and I can't wait to get out again and pick up where that left off.

Now, I am sure I left out a lot of colors and color combos I used here on Powell the last two seasons, but the colors mentioned above were a big part of the fashion parade for me the last eighteen months on Powell. Notice, nothing repeated itself, but it all progressed along the lines of that "continuum" thing I mentioned earlier.

So, do you need all that for Powell? Do you need chartreuse, brown, black/blue, black/red, pink, cherry, watermelons, smokes, 905's, assorted shad patterns, blues, whites or purples?

Do you need several sizes of single tail grubs, skirted double tail hula grubs, two sizes of tube baits, 6 sizes of Senkos from 3" to 6", lizards, 2 sizes of crawdads, wispy drop shot baits in assorted styles, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, propbaits, poppers, topwalking baits, crankbaits, lipped minnow baits, Texas rigs, Pro-Jo rigs, Carolina rigs, dropshot rigs, a variety of jigheads and so on? As with the different colors, the different sizes, styles, jigs and rigs have all had their moments over the last 18 months for me, which have been very much of a "straight line" that progressed for me through trial-and-error, without a lot of repetition or "going back" to what worked last week or last month. In fact, most of my many years of fishing has been just such a continuum of styles, baits and colors, and I have rarely circled back to re-apply any of the fickle fashion parade that passed in prior years and decades.

So do you need all that for Powell? Maybe you do, and maybe you don't! It is however what has unfolded for me, totally unplanned by "listening" to the fish and scrambling to give them what I felt they wanted from me!

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Fishing Berkley Power Crawlers
By Ed Gerdemann

My rigging technique is pretty simple. I Texas rig it with a 1/0 Gamakatsu offset worm hook and usually a 1/4 oz. unpegged bullet weight. If the fish are less than 25 feet and the conditions calm, I sometimes go to a 3/16 oz. bullet weight, but the 1/4 oz. works best for most applications.

This wonderfully simple rig can be worked in a number of ways. Lots of times I cast it, let it sink all the way to the bottom and then slowly lift it off the bottom and let it fall back towards me. When the weight no longer makes contact with the bottom on the fall, I reel up and cast again. Another method is dragging it and letting it fall from one ledge to another. A third method is to take the slack out of the line when the weight hits the bottom and shake it for 15 to 30 seconds, move it a foot or two and shake it for another 15 to 30 seconds. Sometimes I only twitch it a couple of times and then let it sit on a semi-tight line for up to a minute and then twitch it a couple times again. If the fish are holding much below 30 feet I usually go with a vertical presentation either shaking the worm or hopping it as I slowly move the boat with the trolling motor. I've taken smallmouth from Powell down to nearly 50 feet with this method. I also vary my boat position. Sometimes I position my boat in shallow water and cast off to the deep and sometimes visa versa. Again, let the fish tell you what presentation they want.

If the fishing's really tough (particularly in colder water) you might try a brass bullet weight and a glass bead ahead of the hook. This makes a clacking sound like a crayfish snapping its pinchers, and that sometimes entices the fish to hit. California pro Don Iovino invented this method which he calls doodling. I don't think it's necessary or overly effective in warmer water, however, in cold water situations it often makes the difference.

Most of your strikes will be pressure bites, and about half of the hits will come on the initial fall. When taking the slack out of your line, tighten up slowly. If you feel any additional weight or resistance, set the hook! Also, if you are still feeding out line long after you think the weight should have hit bottom, engage your reel and set the hook. These Power Crawlers taste good to the fish, and they will often hold onto them a long time giving you every opportunity to set the hook. Once, while showing off, I led a bass completely around my boat before setting the hook. I don't recommend you try that because the fish is more likely to swallow the hook the longer it holds onto the bait. I will never do it again.

You can fish this rig equally well on spinning or baitcasting tackle. Because the fluorocarbon lines I like to use in Powell's clear water don't fish well on spinning reels, I generally use light baitcasting tackle.

Not only does this rig catch smallmouth and largemouth bass, walleyes love it, too. I think a Berkley Power Crawler is the next best thing to a real crawler for walleye.

Well, that's how I fish these worms. All these methods will work. You simply have to experiment to see what the smallmouth want on a particular day. Don't hesitate to try split shotting, Carolina rigging or drop shotting them. Experiment with your own techniques, and then let us all in on your secrets!

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STRIPED BASS INFORMATION

June 2004

Striped bass are caught on cut dead anchovies when shad are no abundant. When shad are the main forage target then a shad-imitating lure works better. Surface lures, large marabou jigs, spoons and crankbaits work well around shad. Trolling with flat line monofilament is deadly as is leaded line and down-rigger trolling. The most exciting technique is to cast surface lures (stick baits) in surface feeding frenzies called "striper boils". During the fall and winter stripers go deep but are readily visible with the use of a fish locating graph which reduces search time and greatly enhances total harvest.

Please keep all striped bass caught so the population can stay in balance with available forage.

WHY?

Striped bass are ocean fish that can live in freshwater. Now that this population is landlocked in Lake Powell they are reproducing at an unprecedented rate due to the unique water chemistry of Lake Powell which allows eggs that settle on the substate to hatch instead of smothering as they would in most nutrient-rich (eutrophic) lakes.

With unlimited reproduction the limiting factor for striper survival and growth is available forage. Stripers have eliminated shad from the pelagic zone on more than one occasion. From 1986-1990 there were almost no shad seen in open water of Powell. That period resulted in stunted stripers and led to the current management plan which is to reduce striped bass numbers by angler harvest. If enough stripers are removed then those that are left will benefit from the finite forage base and remain healthy and grow normally.

That program has worked. In 2004 the average striper weighs about 3-4 pounds which is a good freshwater angling target. The fish are in excellent health which is my main concern. Stripers typically boil in the fall which is unheard of in most other freshwater species.

To keep the fishery as healthy as it is now we continue to harvest all stripers that will not be wasted. If you can't eat them all then give some to your family, friends and neighbors. Take good care of them, put fish immediately on ice, fillet as soon as possible, keep them cold and those that benefit from your good fishing fortune will be better friends and happy to see you coming up the walk. Do not waste any striped bass. In 2004 it is fine to release fish over 3 pounds but keep all the smaller ones to save shad for future striped bass feeding opportunities.

GROWTH AND SIZE OF STRIPED BASS

In the recent past most female stripers did not mature or spawn. That has changed in 2004 with most stripers spawning this year. The population was more than adequately replenished by trophy fish and young males spawning each year. Now a huge year class has been produced in 2004 which will lead to abundant catches in the near future.

Young stripers eat plankton and insects until they are about 4 inches long at which point they prefer to eat larval fish. If shad are available in larval form and they grow with the striper crop, then striper growth is phenomenal. A young striper could reach 12-14 inches in its first year of life. This was the case in 2003 and 2004.

In previous years, older stripers ate shad first leaving the young ones to exist on plankton. Then first year stripers go into their first winter at 4-5 inches.

Yearling stripers eat plankton til shad hatch in May. Then yearlings eat shad larvae and grow quickly during summer doubling their size by fall. These efficient, most numerous fish really consume a large number of shad and prevent many shad from ever growing up and becoming food for larger stripers.

Two year old stripers from 14-18 inches eat crayfish and shad as they enter the open water in July. Stripers will grow as large as each successive year class of shad will allow. More shad equals more growth. By fall of the second year they are healthy 18-24 inch fish and at their prime - although not old enough or large enough to be sexually mature.

The key for three year old fish is to find enough shad for growth - not just maintenance - during the 3rd year. They wait for young-of-year to eat larval shad, yearlings to eat the next size larger shad and two year olds to eat in the open water in July, before they get a good crack at the remaining forage. In a good year like 2003-2004 3-year old stripers can weigh from 3-6 pounds.

Mature fish weighing more than 4 pounds grow rapidly when shad are available in open water. When shad are scarce there is no food for the larger stripers as they are forced to live in cooler water by changing physical requirements. Big stripers need cool water. Yearlings have no problem with warm water and can eat the very smallest shad. This "ontogenetic" partitioning of size classes works well in the ocean but has turned everything upside down in freshwater. Smallest stripers are the favored predators when shad are scarce. Adult stripers have the upper hand when shad are plentiful. Stripers up to 3 pounds have acclimated to warm water and are able to feed in water exceeding 80 degrees.

Our harvest program is absolutely essential, critical, can't-stess-enough how important, to prevent stockpiling of age classes and allowing the population to reach the point where no one has enough food. When this happens all older fish are disadvantaged and the only ones that can survive the next winter are the yoy and yearlings that can eat plankton. A massive dieoff ensues.

We have not had a significant winter die off during the 90's thanks to angler harvest and 3 good shad years.

Catch and KEEP a striper. It is the only way we can keep this great fishery going.

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FISHING TECHNIQUES FOR STRIPED BASS

Striped bass school and tend to feed as a group. They compete with each other for food and use quick swimming ability to chase down the prey. They are vulnerable to quick moving “reaction-type” baits like 'rattletraps' (swimmin image), minnow-shaped lures (shad raps, wally divers), silver and shad-colored jigging spoons, white jigs and especially top water stick baits such as 'zara spook', 'jumpin’ minnow' and soft plastic jerk baits (Senko). Reaction baits are dependent upon normal searching behavior which occurs when stripers are feeding on shad. In years when no shad are present, stripers eat suspended plankton or forage along the bottom for crayfish. When shad are limited, the smelly anchovy or sardine cut bait is much more effective. When shad are plentiful cut bait is ignored in favor of reaction type offerings. Spring is the annual period of low food availability while fall is a time of surplus. Choose lures accordingly.

 

WHICH LINE SHOULD I USE?

Times change and tackle must change to match existing conditions. I have run the gamut from mono to braid to fluoro to copolymer and back again.

For years, smallmouth were the main target and I used 8 pound monofilament with great success. When stripers weighed 8-pounds and were harder to catch in clear water I detected an increase in catch rate when using bait if I used a fluorocarbon leader. They could detect a subtle difference between the two clear lines as they inspected the bait prior to eating it.

Then conditions changed again as many shad made bait fishing useless and increased striped bass size to a point where using 8 pound test line was silly. Topwater baits ruled. Reaction baits tied directly to 30 pound braid were eaten without hesitation. Heavy stripers could be manhandled, flopped in the boat and recast quick enough to catch another 8-pound fish.

But smallmouth would not eat grubs when visible line was used so a fluoro leader was added which solved the problem. (I did not like to use braid with grubs as the braid is buoyant and tends to float making it great for walking a topwater lure - but changed the angle of the bait as it dives in the water and often prevented it from sinking quickly to the bottom making it a less effective presentation when using lightweight grub heads. Monofilament is best when fishing a grub on the bottom).

Then times changed again, shad were gone and 3-pound average stripers were eating any bait any time. In these conditions fluorocarbon still worked but so did monofilament and copolymer with equal success. Line test was less of a concern as fish were not pulling hard and making long runs.

So what do you put on the spool today?

If you have level wind reels I would put fluorocarbon on them because you can fish with a strong invisible line that handles well and fishes grubs and cranks with equal effectiveness. 14-17 pound fluorocarbon is invisible and STRONG enough so no fish 5 pounds and under are lost due to line breakage. I don't lose lures when using heavy fluorocarbon or braid.

If using a spinning reel NEVER load it with fluorocarbon heavier than 8 pound because it does not cast well from a spinning reel.

If using a surface lure or fast moving reaction bait then you can put braid on and find it very effective. (Remember the floating problem that messes up the action of a sinking lure.)

If bass are the primary target then it is all right to revert back to the standard monofilament (or copolymer) that has been so effective for decades.

So you see there is no right answer. That is why I take 8 rods with me when I go fishing. Instead of changing lures to fish a different presentation I just pick up another rod. I put down the top water rod with braid when the boil goes away and pick up the bass rod with mono and a grub when I want to go to the bottom.

I guess if I had only one spinning rod and wanted to be effective in all presentations I would put on 8-pound monofilament and loosen the drag realizing that I was going to lose some lures and an occasional big fish.

ANCHOVY RIGGING TECHNIQUES

Select a firm frozen anchovy. Soft thawed anchovies can be used most effectively as chum. Cut the anchovy into 3 pieces any of which can be used. The head stays on the hook best with the tail being fairly resilient. The trick to making the frozen bait stay on is to only run the hook in one time. Do not attempt to turn or reposition the barb. Push it in once and leave it for best results. Yes the bait will fall off when it thaws but I want to have a fish by then anyway. It should work long enough!

If the bait is partially thawed I sometimes run the hook all the way through the bait (especially the head) and then turn the hook and draw it back to position the bait so that it is cradled in the bend of hook. Again, do not reposition hook location more than once.

I use a Yamamoto circle hook (spit shot hook) but have had good luck with Eagle Claw lazer point hooks. I prefer number 4 hooks for the current size of striped bass. Hook size may be more important than brand or style. (DO NOT USE ANCHOVY HOOKS - THEY ARE MUCH TOO BIG FOR 2 POUND FISH) When fish get bigger, then a larger hook may be better.

The best anchovy rig is the carolina rig with the bait hook 18 inches below the weight in Spring time and 6 inches below in Winter. (Yes it does make a difference. Winter stripers lay on the bottom and may not rise up to grab a bait 2 feet off the bottom. Spring stripers are suspended and more willing to eat a bait that appears to be unrestrained by hook, line or sinker.) Peg the weight in place with a swivel (preferred) or use a rubber core sinker or regular split shot. The inherent problem with this rig is terminal bait tangling with the sinker/weight. Using heavier line reduces foulups but I think also reduces bites so I just deal with occasional tangles.

I prefer the same jighead used for fishing plastic grubs as an alternate. Use a short swimming head to reduce profile as much as possible (lead is my normal color but I have had good luck with white). Hook the anchovy tail or head one time through the back so it is in-line with the jig head much like a grub would be. Hook it so the bait swims with the head instead of twirling on descent and retrieve.

Once at depth move the terminal bait as little as possible but always maintain positive contact with the bait. That means keep the line tight. With the subtle winter bite a gentle lift on the bait will offer a certain feeling of resistance when just the bait is felt and another magnitude of resistance when a fish is there. Being able to judge the difference is the whole key to catching or missing. The "bite" is seldom felt in the winter. A sense of "perhaps a fish is holding on" is what makes the fishing fun in December. Sometime you strike at nothing and other times you catch a fish that was never really detected. I enjoy the challenge!

CHUMMING

You can get the school to eat anchovies by cutting up 6 anchovies in 1/4 inch slices and broadcasting them in all directions around your (hopefully) stationary boat. Watch the bait descend and see how slowly it moves. It will take well over 5 minutes to reach 50-90 feet where resting schools may be. If the school takes the bait then they all look for food and will eat your baited hook too. They move shallower when one fish starts to feed.

So fix the carolina rig (above) and attach a one inch chunk of bait which covers as much of the hook as possible. If fishing at 60 feet it is okay to use one ounce of weight. Sometimes a quarter ounce is enough. Experiment and see how much weight is prefered by the fish on the day you are fishing. They will let you know.

SUMMER

In summer I suggest a slow descent rate. Put out 20 feet of line. Let it go down another 2 feet every minute. When you get to 80 feet start reeling in one foot every minute. Another method of simulating sink-rate of chum is to put half an anchovy on a weightless line and just let in sink naturally. I usually do this after I have hooked a fish or two and know that the school is in the area and interested. Heavy line will only let the bait go down about 30 feet before line buoyancy equals anchovy sink rate and gravity quits working. Really technique is not quite as important as finding fish. Read reports and keep a log or mark on a map where the action was.

Summer temperature forces striped bass adults into deep water and separates them from shad. Deep trolling with down riggers, jigging at 60-90 feet or bait fishing at 60 feet is the secret to finding summer time stripers. Trolling with monofilament is effective if fish are willing to come up from the depths when they see and feel prey 10-25 feet above them. Use a Little Mac, Deep Thunderstick Jr, Wally Diver, Shad-r, Excalibur Fat Free shad or other deep diving plug trolled at 3-5 mph for best success.

SUMMER SLURPS- Young shad migrate out of murky water in June and July. If shad schools are large then stripers of all sizes (up to 4 pounds) begin feeeding on the very slow swimming shad. Stripers group so tightly they seem to be touching each other. Stripers swim in waves resembling a mowing machine as only mouths and foreheads break water. The disturbance is minimal but a tiny splash may be a 3 pound fish. Even though bigger stripers are feeding on inch-long shad they will hit full-sized surface baits or shallow runners. Yearling stripers may be so in tune with small bait size that presenting an inch long offering (crappie jig) is the only effective means of capturing them. I often tie a curly tail jig on an 18 inch monofilament leader to a hook on my surface lure. That way I can cast the big lure a long ways and still have a small offering to catch the smaller stripers.

FALL

Fall is the most exciting time. When shad are available stripers drive them to the surface creating surface feeding frenzies or “boils” (Click on Striper Boils). When feeding on the surface, stripers are constantly looking to the surface for food. Lures that stay on the surface and swim side-to-side making a V-wake, most resemble shad and demand attention from striped bass even when not actively feeding. It is common to retrieve the stick bait and see striped bass come up to look - then swirl as they head back down. This swirl is guaranteed assurance that stripers are in the area and can be coerced into feeding. Prospecting for stripers in the back of the canyon with a stick bait is a quick way to locate active fish.

WINTER

Winter patterns for stripers make them more vulnerable to anglers. In Fall stripers chase shad into brushy flood plains and feed shallow early and late. When temperatures plummet shad go deeper and stripers follow after them. During fall stripers were found chasing shad into submerged creek channels (40-60 feet) which led to shallow flood plains. In Winter stripers have pulled out deeper to the main channel where the canyon is wider. Bottom depth will be near 100 feet. Suspended at 70-90 feet shad schools which appear as grey-lining masses may be graphed. Stripers lay below the suspended shad in a dormant state, but when hungry will rise to the 45-60 foot range to capture a shad meal.

Stripers appear as a moving mass with individual fish shapes apparent around the edges of the school. Striper schools will often have "X" shaped marks on the perimeter while shad schools have a smooth perimeter.

Graph for fish traces about 1/3 the way out from the back of the canyon. Find the traces which are usually concentrated in Winter, but widely scattered in Fall. As the winter pattern solidifies shad schools and adjoining stripers get closer together and easier to find.

The best technique is to use a hammered silver jigging spoon, a shad colored slab spoon (wally lure- shad minnow), a half ounce or heavier white marabou jig or anchovy bait. Drop the lure into the striper school at the depth indicated on the graph. If no response, try bait fishing at teh same depth that stripers are marked on the graph. Stripers will feed all winter long but are less active when water temperature is colder than 55 degrees. The winter catching peak is from November 15 to December 15.

Most fish in Lake Powell are accustomed to seeing some green flash in their daily travels. Chartreuse is very visible in low light conditions that prevail at 40, 60 and deeper depths where the spoon is so effective. A chartreuse bucktail completes the total package in deep water. A shad colored (hologram) spoon with bucktail looks like a shad at depth in low light. It has the characteristic movement of a wounded shad as it sweeps toward the bottom on slack line. It creates a vibration and a resounding "thunk" as it hits bottom. We surface dwellers discount the very different properties that sound waves have in water versus air. Fish can hear for very long distances. More importantly they have the lateral line sensory organ that allows them to FEEL vibrations. Swimming motions of a fish in close proximity are felt by other fish.

A spoon at depth must be a sensory overload for striped bass that are still hungry but have to left the shallows. They hear and feel a spoon hit and rush over to take a look. The wounded shad tries to swim off the bottom as it is jigged by the angler. It doesn't have enough strength to get away and falls back. The green flash is added incentive. The spoon is inhaled. FISH ON!

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Houseboat Striper Fishing "101" 
By Guy Dansie

[Used when shad are scarce]

I really enjoy reading your web page about Lake Powell. We having been going down on a house boat for the past 4 years. I was skunked by stripers the first time. Since then I have read your advice and adapted it to our style of outing. I have discovered that in our houseboat group of share holders most do not know much about stripers or have little success fishing for them. I decided to write a little "how-to" and place it in the houseboat so that everyone can have as much fun catching fish as our family has. I thought maybe you could pass it on to people that are new to houseboating/striper fishing.

This is a simple way to fill the cooler with striped bass. It is a method that we have used many times. Due to the over-population of stripers in Lake Powell, we are doing our duty to catch and eat as many of them as possible.

1. Prepare by buying a few bags of anchovies and appropriate sized bait hooks (#2 to #2/0 work well) Anchovies may be purchased at the marina stores. Keep them frozen!

2. Location, location, location. Anchor the houseboat on a steep rock/rubble slide near deep water. The main channel is usually preferred. Side canyons are good as long as the water is at least 30-40 feet deep. Locate slides near steep canyon walls. You can test the depth with a rope. Try to have at least 30 feet of water off of the back of the boat.

3. Wait until the sun goes down in the evening. The best time is usually the first 2-3 hours of darkness. Hang a lantern over the back of the houseboat. Use a diving board, slide, hoist, etc. to suspend the lantern. Make sure that the light is cast directly into the water. We recently purchased a submersible green flourescent light that operates from a 12 volt battery (check with Cabella's). It is suspended 5-15 feet under the surface of the water. A lantern works almost as well.

4. Cut the anchovies into thirds. The head and tail stay on the hook longer. Use the middle portion for chum (this is legal on Lake Powell). Use a split shot sinker on the line 2-12 inches above the hook. Keep it simple.

5. Cast straight out of the back or deep end of the houseboat. Let the bait sink. Experiment with depths. Start on the bottom and reel-up slightly to remove slack. Try gently lifting the bait and letting it fall. Check the bait every 10-20 minutes. Chum occasionally.

6. Hold on to your fishing pole! Most of the time they will hit with a vengeance! Get your cooler ready. Sharpen the fillet knife.

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Date Received: January 5, 2004 - Kent Jorgensen, Twin Falls, Idaho

This is my first post on this site - I don't really know why I haven't done it before this - I guess it's because as a kid my Grand Pa would say that if you tell anyone about your secret fishing hole then it's not a secret and pretty soon you will not have a fishing hole. I also have a problem with talking about myself and fishing because it seems like bragging - another thing that Grand Pa warned against. Oh well here goes.

Since so many have been willing to share their "secret fishing hole methods" I have felt more than a little guilty about just enjoying the stories and taking the information while not putting anything back. So here goes, I hope you will enjoy this and find the following information helpful

I have fished Powell for about ten years but it wasn't until the last four years that I began to focus some serious attention on fishing for Stripers - I have lived in the Northwest (Portland, Or) where I chased Steelhead and Salmon during the seasons. Before that I lived in Salt Lake City where I was caught up in spending many nights fishing for trophy Browns and the Big Lakers at the "Gorge", but it wasn't until a July family outing to Lake Powell that I was bitten by the Striper bug.

I have always believed that fish bite for only a few reasons, well really only two - they are hunger or their instinct is "triggered to bite". When it comes down to it there is really only one reason for a bite the "trigger". Now most of you know this already but how many of you know the best method for determining the "trigger".

My first recommendation if you are just getting started fishing for a new prey like fresh water Striper's - ask questions and fish with "old fishermen".

When I moved to Portland from Salt Lake City on the very first day in the office, I began asking questions about the fishing. The most important question I asked was "who is the best fisherman". I soon had two names John and Doug it didn't take long to locate John and after a week of me crashing his lunch break he agreed to take me steelhead fishing. I of course asked all the questions about gear and rigs so as to be as prepared as possible. I offered to drive and bring the lunch being careful to walk the fine line of respect and smoozzing.

It was standing in the water of the Sandy River that I realized that John deserved the title of "Best Fisherman" we where using exactly the same thing (sand shrimp, corky's and yarn). I was standing so close to him that you would have thought that we where sharing waders , and casting to the exact spot. John caught and released 6 steelhead that morning the largest was about twelve pounds best guess.

I watched with amazement as he repeated the process over and over again each time laughing with this deep barreled chest laugh of his that rolled up the canyon like thunder. He wasn't laughing because he had caught a fish, he was laughing at me because by this time I am saying audible prayers, crossing my fingers on each cast (all of them) not so easy to do.

We finished the day (John 6 - Kent 0) on the drive home John got into the fine details of the "trigger" - He said that the trigger is more often a combination of subtle methods applied to a given condition than it is any single one thing. However in my case on this day he thought that I was just holding my mouth wrong (again with the laugh).

Thus began a friendship that lasted many years until a heart attack took the wind out of the laugh and the spring out of the walk for old John, but not before he taught me how to define the "trigger" in many given conditions. I don't see John much any more, I miss his easy laugh and gentle manner, what I am about to share with you is a direct result of time that I spent with the "Best fisherman" I ever knew.

The "Trigger" for Stripers on Lake Powell

Like John said the trigger is most often a combination of subtle methods applied to given conditions than any one thing that triggers a bite. Some would argue that conditions on Lake Powell vary greatly but I would take exception to that . If you go to Lake Powell on any given week of a month those conditions will be pretty close the same next year when you return. Until lately even the water levels have been pretty reliable not that they are a factor for this trigger. So one thing that what we have going for us are pretty reliable conditions. Some of the things I am going to tell you will go against "accepted fishing norms" but hear me out cause they work.

When we fish Lake Powell we do not fish early or late in the day -why is that you might ask?

In July I was at Lake Powell on a family outing not a fishing trip - true fishermen know the difference.

We where staying in the rental units at Bull Frog Bay marine. I decided to wake early to wet a line but could not convince anyone to go along until about 9AM when my son Bryan finally caved in. We purchased a bag of frozen anchovies and pulled the boat out of the slip just past the Bouy field in Bullfrog Bay.

We began marking suspended fish at about 50 to 70 feet I quickly rigged up two poles with what we call a Herring rig, spreader and drop sinker (3oz) on about 12" of 8lb. We counted our baits down to 50 pulls and started trolling slowly just getting a slow roll out of the baits, it was not even a minute and we both hooked up. We fished about 3 hours and promptly filled the 105 quart fish box (cooler) on the back of the boat. The heat from the midday sun was getting to both of us so we quit, but I have been hooked on striper fishing at Powell every since.

Each year I go back to Lake Powell not in July but in May, I'm older now I fish with a friend who just happens to be my wife's uncle he is in his 70's . We enjoy the fact that we don't have to be rushed - we slip the boat and stay aboard at Bullfrog marine, each day we will leave by 9am and rarely fish past noon - we will generally catch 40 fish but have caught upwards of 100 before we quit for the day, my rule is how many do I want to fillet on any given day.

It is rare that we will go fishing in the afternoon because it is so hot. Instead we opt to take our time filleting the fish at the cleaning station while we toss back a couple cold one's. The reason I am writing this article is that so many people are amazed at how many fish we are catching. You would think that after so many years of fishing the same week at the same place we would run into somebody that was doing as well or better than we are, not so in fact not even close. From my observations the spring is pretty slow striper fishing for most people yet we consistently score big catches year in and year out.

I do share what we are doing and how we do it but I think that unless you actually see it done it is difficult for people to get it down. I have shown the rigs to dozens of people, in fact I even tied some up for other fishermen and I only know of one other couple that has had success. I am convinced that it is what John said about the "trigger" it's not anyone thing but rather a combination of subtle methods coming together in a given condition that produce results. So to the best of my ability I will try and share those subtle methods that seem to work for us.

First we troll - if you don't troll then move on, we troll slow .5 to .75 mph the speed is adjusted to fit the roll of the bait - the bait must roll in a slow wide roll like a "wounded fish" = "the trigger". Everything you do is to create this look of the bait, it is the instinct trigger that makes fish on the spawn bite. If it spins, swims or the mouth is pulled open because of the tie, or it is broken it will not roll and it won't work.

Be consistent - I use the same gear on all the stations - no one brings "their pole" they use mine, no one use a different bait - the only variable is depth.

For fun sometimes we will stack two and three well tied baits on one line and catch two and three Stripers at a time.

I use long poles because we fish out of a 23' cuddy - it's the length that is important in case you need to swing out of the way of the kicker motor or muscle a fish into the net. Once again be consistent - I use the same length poles because we count down our depth from the reels to the first eye. Here is the formula one pull from the reel to the first eye using a 3oz cannonball weight trolled at .5 to .75 mph will result in a one foot drop 50 pulls = 50 feet (approx) but more importantly it is consistent.

We will fish the same rigs at different depths until we begin to catch fish, not only just fish but the size of fish. Like most fishermen we want to catch the biggest fish we can so keep in mind Stripers are like Lake trout they will generally school in sizes. One other point almost always the larger fish are deeper.

You might ask why not use down riggers - you can but it will slow you down, the most important thing to know is what depth your bait is at when you pick up a fish, so you will be able repeat the process. I like fishing with down riggers for lake trout but remember you are going to catch 50 to 100 of these 3-4- 5-7 lbs stripers you can't keep up with that setting down riggers and tying baits.

I use the same reels on all the poles - I prefer Abu Garcia 6500 with clickers - I like the drags which should be set very loose while trolling. Stripers hit like a ton of bricks and will really make the reel sing. A loose drag let's you control the hook set and prevents the fish from tearing off on the strike. You can adjust the drag to the fish once you have a good hook-up.

If you miss a bite change baits cause chances are you are dragging a piece of anchovy. Never leave a bait out in hopes of a second strike it isn't going to happen. Sometimes you can open your bail and let you bait drop immediately after a missed strike and the fish will come back and pick it up but you have to be fast to make this work.

Once again be consistent same size line, length of leader, size of swivels, size of spreaders and weight size 3oz cannon ball on a drop leader from the spreader.

Be ready to fish - I will tie up 1 or 2 dozen leaders ("John Pauly Rig") before I go to the lake, once at the lake I will rig two poles for every fisherman - all but the sinkers, I pre-tie about a dozen baits and keep them sitting on ice in a cooler; again consistency counts, all the leaders are the same length, they all use the same size number 7 swivels.

If you do this right it will be non stop action most of the time you will be fighting a fish or netting a fish or tying a bait . If you are going to take a lunch break stop fishing but stay where you are at. Stripers will bring in other stripers - we cut up anchovies and chum a bucket of anchovies (about two bags) and drop them on our first pattern pass.

Once we get the stripers going the bite seems to just gets stronger so we go. Rarely do we break for lunch, we just slug down a beer or water on the fly. But boy have we sponsored some fish taco parties on the docks after the fishing is done, but that is another story.

OK the hard part is getting the bait tied right - Old John was a fanatic about the bait and so am I, if it is not done right you are just going for a boat ride. I like to have the anchovies not quite fully thawed I lay the anchovy in my left hand tail down toward the palm and head pointing toward my fingers. I pass both hooks of the herring rig hooks down and through both eyes try not to pop the eyes. Now you have a anchovy with the leader passed through from the top down bring the hooks under the belly side so the hooks are on top of the anchovy.

VERY IMPORTANT: The leader must pass under the anchovy or the mouth will flop open when it is trolled.

Put the anchovy flat on a bait table still pointing the same direction, now take the second hook from the end (you have two hooks the tail hook and the head hook) you want the head hook, it will be the one closest to the head.

You must hook the anchovy at or just behind the gill plate in a manner that allows the hook shank to lay flat with the eye of the hook towards the anchovy eyes. The curve or bend of the hook will be sticking out the side of bait.

Important that you hook deep enough into the anchovy to catch some ribs on the other side yet not all the way through the bait. Now take the second hook and hook it into the bait just forward of the tail try to catch some of the bones, if you go all the way through John would frown on it but it will still work ok.

Now you should have a bait with two hooks in the side of it and the shanks laid along side with the eye of the hooks toward the head of the bait. The leader runs back down through both eyes and under the gill plate. Hold the head hook at the eye and pull the slack out between both hooks this causes the bait to curl gently - gentle is the key word - if you pull too much the bait will break or it will spin when trolled, not enough and you will not have enough curve in the bait to make your bait roll like a wounded fish.

Now pick the bait up by the leader it should pass under the gill plate in such a way that it holds the mouth closed while trolled.

This is a method used to tie herring for salmon fishing. Other herring bait methods do not work as well, like plug cuts or nose clips. It is the slow wide roll of the bait that triggers the strike.

Do this right and you will have to be prepared to answer one question over and over and over - " What ya using?"

Your reply "whole anchovy".

Let's talk about the rig - The "John Pauly Rig" is a two hook rig with a slip hook - the bottom hook is shank tied and the second hook is tied directly to leader to enable it to slide down the line with enough friction hold the bait in shape. If it's too loose and it won't hold or too tight and it won't slide. It's not hard to do once you have seen it done - but nearly impossible for me to tell you how to do it.

It is important that you tie these rigs neat because you have to pass then through the eyes of the bait. Here is a best example of this not that I can think of - if you look at a commercially tied snelled hook with the line shank wrapped. That is the same knot that you want to tie for both hooks only with the second hook you will use a separate piece of leader to tie it to the shank.

Eagle claw does make some rigs you can buy I am sure they would work.

I just prefer to use rigs I tie myself, made up with 12 lbs green MAX , 2/0 GAMAKATSU Octopus nickel hooks, a medium sized bait spreader and eagle claw # 7 swivels.

The length of the leaders is 3.5 feet. I don't think that Stripers are leader sensitive. I use mono because I like the 12 lb for quick bait tie-ups in the boat and it holds up well to the rough tooth pads on stripers. If there is a problem with this rig it is that after a number of fish the second hook will come loose it. It will not fall off the leader as it is threaded through the eye of the hook but it will need to be tied again after the fishing is over. One thing that I've found helps the front hook from coming loose is to heat the tip of a pocket knife and slightly melt both ends of the leaders used to tie the hook. This eliminates the end of the leader from catching the chovy's eye and keeps the leader from working loose and creating the need to tie on another front hook.

I use swivels to facilitate quick changes of rigs and I use swivels on the line to spreaders as well. I use lighter leader on the drop sinker cannonball usually 8 lbs test and make it about 12" long.

We sometimes use a rig with three hooks - we use these when we have a lot of missed strikes. The third hook is fixed (does not slide) same as the second one. Top is the only slider hook - the trailer hook does not hook in the bait it just rolls along behind the bait - about 1 in 5 hook ups will be on the trailer.(Salmon)

The reason I sent this along was because we do catch some Walleye while we are fishing for Stripers (in the middle of the day) and often a missed hit will result in half an anchovy - I just read your fishing tips on Walleye and their nature of being tail biters and it sparked this rig into memory so I thought I would share one with you. I believe Walleye are a little more leader sensitive not sure? At any rate hook size and line weight can be modified I would be interested to know what you think so that I can tie up a supply of rigs to fish specific to Walleye.

Ok talk fishing - First thing find fish which is not hard at Lake Powell. Stripers can be found everywhere on this monster lake and there are millions of them. Speaking of millions I wish they would have the Million dollar fish contest again. - back to fishing - Well here is what you know: You know that you have to troll slow, using a rolling anchovy and you know how to rig, you know there are fish in the area. So let's fish

Once you locate some fish decide a trolling pattern and stay with it first pass chum a bucket of Anchovies. When setting your baits adjust your boat speed and the anchovy so the bait does a slow wide roll of the bait - count the bait down - one to upper depth range of the marking fish the other on the lower depth range..

Have handy least two nets on board. When a fish hits fight it, net it, hang the net on a pole holder outside of the boat (helps keep the boat clean) with fish still in it.

Change the bait, get your line/bait back into the water prior to removing the fish from the net. Use two pairs of pliers to remove both hooks from the fish, this will save your fingers although stripers don't have big teeth over time those little ones take a toll on your hands.

The fish goes into the box.

Tie a new bait to the now empty hook.

Hook and land the fish that is now biting your new bait.

Repeat above until exhausted.

We will be in Powell the second week of May as usual - Lord willing - maybe we will see you down there and we can swap stories eyeball to eyeball. If this helps you out - great - but don't thank me - all thanks to my friend John Pauly the "BEST FISHERMAN" I know.

DOWN RIGGING WITH JP RIG

Here is what I have noticed with down riggers the release clip tension seems to be a problem at the time of hookup – I have not fished with the release clips for many years - instead I fashion a hook from a coat hanger I attach the hook to the ball - then I use #10 rubber bands to my line directly to hook.

Here is the process: Let your bait as far back as you would want to fish behind the ball then to the line tie two rubber bands in a loop knot – the first rubber band is clipped so all you have is a washer of rubber band closest to the ball on the line - the second one is attached in a loop to be hooked through the hanger hook on the ball - use # 10 rubber bands – the washer rubber band is a stopper to keep the line from sliding down as you “load” the down rigger. When a fish hits, the rubber bands provides enough tension for a basic hook set – as the rubber band breaks slack will come into the line, quick reaction to the pole to take up the slack and set the hook firmly is needed – I also use a rubber band washer on my reel at the distance trolled so I can quickly release the bait to the length on a reset.

I think that often missed bites are smaller fish, catfish, or lucky fish but a missed fish is just that the fish missed the bait – the trailer hook really improved this problem .

I fish mostly with a spreader rarely with the down riggers – my drag is set very, very, very light – you can experiment with this if you like but you will find that a tight drag will mean lost fish while a loose one will result in more hook-ups.

One final comment on the rubber band method smaller fish will not break it but most stripers will pop it on the strike – it is my belief that this method works best because the rubber band tension is just enough to provide a good hook up before RB breaks and the loose drag kicks in. When you consider the strike condition there are many variables that come into play – speed of the bait - size of the fish – state of the fish (feeding or dormant) – and many others – the rubber band seems to compensate for many of these factors when fishing down riggers to provide consistent not perfect hookups.

SPOONING TIPS

I talk a lot about spooning because it is such an effective method of taking stripers and I know that it is not that well understood or utilized by most anglers. Unfortunately it is a technique that you really have to use a few times before gaining enough confidence to use as the primary search means instead of the "fallback", use-it-if-nothing-else-works technique.

Let me try to demystify it a little more. Again shad are the key. If stripers are chasing shad spoons work. If no shad are present then forget it - anchovies are the ticket.

Once shad presence is established by seeing boils, catching stripers and checking stomachs then spoons should be your lure of choice in November, December, April and May. Silver spoons (kastmaster, hopkins, CC, Strata, etc) work but recently I have found that shad finish spoons (shad minnow and hologram spoons) are more readily taken particularly when a chartreuse bucktail is attached. These spoons seem to be more readily accepted on more occasions than the silver spoons. The shad finish and flash of green at depth seems to resemble shad well enough to fool stripers most of the time. Silver only does it about 1/3 of the time. That used to be good enough for me. Now I am more effective. Try rubbing a little smelly jelly or other attractant on the spoon for even better results.

Spooning is an active search method similar to fishing boils. Find fish before you start instead of just fishing good looking habitat as is done when fishing bass. Graph an area thoroughly before starting. Don't drop on the first fish trace. Spend at least 15 minutes graphing a canyon and bay and you will find a range of circumstances. Usually a pattern will become apparent to you. It may be that scattered fish traces are consistently seen at 40 feet; or all traces are at 80-90. Maybe there are no traces except in very isolated spots and sometimes there is a random scattering.

When you have a good feel for fish location then start fishing by marking school locations. In December fish are more prone to stay in a certain spot. In November there is much more fish movement and it may be necessary to drift keying on a certain depth. Do what the fish want. This will come to you if you keep a close eye on the graph.

The technique is simple. Drop the spoon to the bottom, wait for the line to go slack, pick the spoon up and let it fall to the bottom once more. From this basic method comes a zillion variations depending on circumstances.

The first problem encountered will be line twist. This happens when the rod tip is lowered too fast and the line piles up on the surface and coils around the rod tip. Try to lower the rod slightly faster than the lure falls so the line stays taut but does not impede lure progress. The spoon must slip side to side to give it the action needed to catch fish.

Most hits come on the fall. Tighten the line and the fish lets go. Let it fall again and they come right back. When they hook themselves the fight is on. To increase your catch rate set the hook when the line pops or jumps. Set when the line quits falling when you know it is not to the bottom yet.

Sometimes fish hit on the retrieve in a reaction to escaping bait. SPEED REELING will work on suspended fish. Start with the lure on the bottom. Reel as fast as humanly possible for a count of five. Pause for a two count, then repeat all the way to the surface. Stripers don't like things to get away - even when they aren't hungry.

Spooning is typical striper fishing, quick bursts of catching with pauses between bursts. I like it!

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Chuck Fulton - Trolling Tips

Something I've been experimenting with for the last couple years that seems to work well and will incrementally increase striper catch production is to use the "trolling jig". When I enter a canyon like Piute Cr which is known to have fish but where? We'll put out leaded lines with a white bucktail (or mono) or kastmaster or wallys then troll until there's a school passing under the boat. I pull the motor to idle and let the lures sink. Count to 10 or 15...kinda judge based on depth..and start forward again. Most of the time there's an immediate hit and often a double. You can then back up over the school and go to jigging or chumming. The bonus is the fish caught while looking for the school and the line already being in the school when you first find them.

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FLY FISHING TIPS

If there were ever a set of ideal circumstances for fly fishers it would be the small stripers that boil. These fish come up within reasonable range - like 5 feet from the boat - and they need small baits to get them interested. A small clauser minnow would be perfect and any medium weight fly rod with regular floating line would be adequate. In July and August leave Wahweap at daylight (or before) and head straight past Castle Rock into Warm Creek. Continue to head east until reaching land which will be gently sloping sand fingers. There is one sandstone hump on the shoreline which has been dubbed the haystack. There are two coves left (north) of the haystack and 3 coves to the right (south). From 5-7:30 am there will be numerous schools of 10-14 inch stripers to catch on any flyrod.

The other option is to go to Hite or the uper San Juan. In the summer bigger fish are boiling on larger shad and you will need to gear up to throw the long casts needed to reach out to the quickly moving schools. If you have a buddy willing to be your "caddy" you can bait the boiling stripers into range. Get a good walking bait like a zara spook or jumpin' minnow and take off the hooks. Find the boil, get as close as possible then have your caddy throw the surface lure. As he draws it back to the boat the hungry stripers will be tearing the paint off it while trying to eat it. That is when you start flailing the streamer fly into the closing pack of fish. When they get into range you will start catching fish (2-4 pound stripers).

I have seen this operation work very well. A fly rodder can get 2-3 fish out of good sustained boil. The beauty of fishing boils is that you get all the appeal of fly fishing (seeing the fish, the strike, the miss, the great visual display) with the efficiency of the spinning rod. So try fly fishing but have a spinning rod and super spook jr. handy just in case you might want to try harvesting a few more fish.

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Here is a pic of the striper fly I (Rich Sutterfield) am going to try out this year on boiling fish. I tied 4 different types but this one I like best. I used the traditional streamer fly style, and was shooting for something that was durable and easy to tie. I used colors that were productive in other lures last year, silver body, chartruese back and tail, so I am hoping the fish like it. What do you think? Actual size is about 3" long, I will try different sizes. It is unweighted and will stay on top. I plan to retreive it in fast short strips.

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STRIPED BASS LANDING TECHNIQUE - WAYNE GUSTAVESON

Thought I would share my quick striper landing technique with you. I still do not have a net in the boat. I know I should but I have had bad experiences in the past with fouled hooks and nets. Frankly, I would rather lose a fish than have one tangled in a net. If one gets away there are more where he came from. It is not a big deal.

So when the striper is ready at the side of the boat I wait until his head comes up then bounce the rod tip and swing the fish into the boat in one easy motion.

Note the hand placement in the picture. Use the whole rod. The natural tendancy is to move the hands down the rod toward the tip or worse to grasp the line. Both are wrong.

Keep one hand on the rod handle and the other just in front of the reel for leverage. With this technique the rod tip loads and flexes absorbing the shock.

With a hand on the line it is a direct pull which makes the breaking point 10 pounds or less (if line is weakened by a nick) when using 10 pound test line.

This is a proven method of landing fish with a success rate equal to or better than netting a fish. Ever had a fish knocked off by the net? With courage you can become proficient. Just have to get over the fear of losing that first fish during the first swing.

I land all walleye this way. I have lost many over the years between the time I decided it was a walleye and getting excited about putting it in the boat. That moment hesitation gave it slack and the fish was gone. Now I just keep the walleye moving and never pause until the final swing deposits the prize on the deck.

With super line I have no trouble swinging stripers over 6 pounds in the boat. I just have to grasp the line during the swing to keep the drag from working and not allowing the fish to leave the water.

Following this discussion I was taken to task by those with carpet on the boat deck. If you have carpet USE A NET!

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MORE STRIPED BASS INFORMATION

Stripers cannot be discussed without including their primary forage, threadfin shad. Every summer, newly hatched shad move from the back of the canyon to the open bays to feed on plankton. Two to four pound striped bass find the small shad and feed aggressively on the surface until the shad are eliminated or get smart and move back toward cover. There may be an extended period of striper surface feeding activity (SLURPS) during July and August at many open water locations over the expanse of Lake Powell. After the mid summer fire works, shad moved out of open water to find escape cover where they could avoid the relentless pursuit of stripers.

Really good surface action is most likely to happen very early in the morning, about 30 minutes after first light. The boil may be near cover, such as a flooded tamarisk cove or a buoy field or break water guarding the marina. Shad need to eat and are prone to sneak out of cover just after dawn and just before dark. That's why boils are seen most often at twilight periods.

As the water begins to cool in September and October, larger stripers which require cooler temperatures and have been living in deep water all summer, are able to spend longer periods of time in the warmer surface layers. The big fish round up schools of shad and drive them into short, wide canyons and coves where they hold them captive in between feeding sprees. Shad get in shallow water where stripers can't swim. Stripers guard the mouth of the cove waiting for a ball of shad to attempt an escape. Finding one of these guarded box canyons is like having your own private fishing hole. Look for shad schools that will not leave shallow water. A wave of the hand over the school causes them to scatter and even jump out on the shore. They will do anything except enter deep water where stripers are patiently waiting.

Ravens walk the shoreline like prison guards waiting for shad to make an ill fated leap for freedom. Ravens, gulls and blue herrons can be used like sign posts that say "Fish here!". Throw your favorite top water bait to the back of the cove near the raven's feet and brace for the jolt of airborne stripers or the slurp of a bass. A large, trapped shad school may stay in the same cove for two weeks while enduring daily feeding attacks from guarding stripers and opportunistic bass. Generally, shad are trapped in a cove for three to five days before escaping or being eliminated. If the shad are gone when you return for another day of fishing search the adjacent shoreline for another shad corral.

Use some of these subtle clues to really increase your striper catch rate. If you need more enticement I will dangle a little more bait. There is often a daily progression of feeding activity. Shad leave cover to feed at first light. Stripers show up about 30 minutes later. The surface boils with flying shad and stripers until shad head for cover again. That can be 5 minutes or two hours depending on the day. But as the shad turn from open water towards cover they find bass waiting. Large and smallmouth bass let stripers drive shad right to their waiting mouths. On numerous occasions I have watched a striper boil build to peak intensity. Then as shad leave open water and stripers lose interest a second wave of green fish hit shad right at the cover line. A zara spook or jumpin' minnow thrown towards the middle of the bay gets a striper swirl while the same lure thrown towards the canyon wall or other cover gets a bass attack. I have taken more big largemouth on top water baits from declining striper boils than with any other method. Three to five pound largemouth will swim near similar size stripers and use the aggressive striped bass wolf pack to get an easy shad meal.

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How To Find a Canyon with Shad

It is as simple as it sounds. In late summer and fall shad find the shallowest water available to avoid stripers. Cruise to the back of the canyon and LOOK. Recently harassed shad will be along the edge of the cove usually in water less than one foot deep. There will usually be some old tamarisk trees that shad use for additional cover when stripers attack. It will often be a short open (box canyon) cove close to deep water. If shad will not leave the shallows when you approach and even jump on the bank when you wave your hand, you know that stripers have recently attacked and will be close by. Bird activity really speeds up the search process.

Random coves where stripers trap shad are better fishing than the terminal end of long floodplain canyons. For example, the back of Red canyon always has shad but it is very shallow and brushy in the back where shad have the advantage. You can catch stripers there but only a few. Move further out to the mouth of Red and there are many short coves where stripers can round up shad in the channel and then trap them in the cove. When shad are found in these coves stripers are near and will be catchable either on top or on spoons at the mouth of the cove. Shad will escape (usually over night) after stripers leave and the next boil will occur where shad and stripers come together again. It may be in the same cove or a half mile away. That's why I contend that cruising and looking is better than waiting and wishing.

Morning and evening shad will feed near the top and the "dimpling dark cloud" of fish usually about 10 feet in diameter can be seen riffling the surface. Look for a riffle near the back of a calm cove. If lucky enough to find an unmolested feeding school check back periodically and you will find stripers.

Granted it takes more time to go look for shad. Sometimes I cruise for more than an hour without casting a lure. But when I find feeding stripers I make up for lost time in a hurry. Use the cruise and scan technique the first hour of light in the morning and last hour of light in the evening during August and September.

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Trophy Stripers

Big stripers will consistently be in 64 degree water if they can find it and still find a way to feed in close proximity. So trophy stripers will be at or near the thermocline (60-90 feet). They feed at night when boating and recreational activity is less and feeding opportunities are enhanced for the very proficient nocturnal predator. They exert only as much energy as needed to catch a 1 pound carp or gizzard shad every other day. The number of trophy size fish is small compared to the great numbers of school-size fish.

If you really want to go trophy fishing, troll with down riggers at 60-90 feet or fish with bait (whole anchovies) all night long. Spend a lot of time graphing and isolate individual targets and try to fish for that one fish.

Chances of catching the bigger fish are enhanced in the winter when cooling temperature allows the big fish to use the entire water column to forage BUT, They still prefer to feed at night.

The only daytime opportunity for big fish comes in May when spawning draws them to the top and decreases inhibitions. Dreary days in the dead of winter have also produced trophy sized fish.

Forage conditions have changed enough to make 3-7 pound stripers common. Another strong shad year in 2004 will allow many stripers to exceed 5 pounds. Unfortunately, like salmon after a spawn, a 5 pound striper is doomed the next year if it can't find enough food to support his larger body mass and greater metabolic needs. Hopefully shad will continue to provide adequate forage and support the larger size stripers now occurring in Powell.

Once a striper tops 10 pounds his mouth is big enough to consume the next size larger forage (carp and adult gizzard shad) and it can get as big as he wants to be.

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BLUEGILL AND GREEN SUNFISH TIPS

Sunfish are underutilized and easily caught with live worms, dry flies and small plastic baits. Bluegill live in brush and green sunfish hide in rocks. Both are common on every shoreline and can be caught by anglers of all skill levels. Use the smallest hook possible (Aberdeen long shank preferred) to entice the schools of sunfish that often use your boat for shade at virtually any campsite. The larger fish are usually most aggressive and will be the first fish to take the bait. Once the larger fish are captured then many smaller fish will move into the vicinity and swarm around the bait. The larger specimens are big enough to fillet and provide some of the finest eating quality of all Lake Powell fishes. Even the smallest sunfish is big enough to bring a grin to the youngest anglers.

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MICRO JIGS for BLUEGILL 
BY MATT MADSEN

Jigs are an effective tool for the pursuit of all game fish, large and small, however there are certain game fish, specifically the members of the sunfish family, that feed on small zooplankton almost exclusively and have small mouths that restrict the size of lure/hook that can be used effectively. Micro jig, sizes 1/32 to 1/100 oz not only imitate natural food , but are small enough to hook and hold these smallmouth battlers.

Due to their lightweight size, micro jigs do not cast well with standard tackle, hence to fish them effectively, you must adapt and use different techniques. By far the most effective of these is the slip bobber.

A slip bobber consists of a bobber/float that has a hole through the center. The other key component of the system is a bobber stop and bead. The bobber stop is a piece of line which grips your main line, allowing you to adjust the depth that your lure sinks. The stop runs to the bead, the bead stops the line from going through the bobber. You can purchase bobber stops and beads from a variety of locations, local tackle shops, mass merchandiser like K-Mart, Wal-Mart, or mail order. You can also make your own by tying a nail knot, using a small straw ( coffee stirrers ) instead of a nail. Use as heavy a cotton thread as you can find, preferably unwaxed.

You will find that standard ultra-light tackle is okay, but if you want the ultimate in control and success, I would recommend a 6 ½ to 7 ½ ft. medium light action spinning rod, with 4-6 lb mono, and a good spinning reel with a large diameter spool. The large diameter spool lets you get the maximum amount of line on the spool for long casts, without the line billowing off and twisting.

The jigs themselves can be dressed with small grub tails, small tubes, or left bare bones and fished with bait. Lets talk about tubes and tails first. These should be 1 ½ to 2 inches long, in a variety of colors. Bass Pro and Cabela's are well known, but try other sources, especially those that cater to panfish/crappie fisherman. Check those centered in the southeast and mid-south.

Bait wise, there are several preferred baits. Crickets are by far the best. These can be purchased locally at pet stores that sell reptiles or on the Internet. Red worms are better than night crawlers, and small red worms better than jumbos. Other baits that would be available at Powell are crayfish. Tip your jigs with a piece of crayfish meat out of the tail, ‘gills love em.

You will want to balance the bobber/jig combo with small soft lead shot, the kind that fly fisherman use. You want to add shot to your rig so that the bobber is just floating, so when the fish takes the jig, the bobber does not give any resistance. You will have to experiment with various bobbers, jigs and shot combos to get the right set up.

Where do you fish this?? Just about anywhere. In the spring, shallow flats with stickups, brush, and weeds with sandy gravel bottoms. Adjust your bobber stop so the jig is just suspended off the bottom. Work slowly and watch the bobber for the strike. As the season progresses, you can find sunfish just about anywhere on the lake and you can adjust your depth by moving your stop knot up and down. You can fish this as deep as 20-30 feet. The bobber stop will run through your guides and onto the reel without hanging up.

The deeper you go, you may want to have more weight, but sometimes a very slow fall will produce more action. Just experiment. Don't be surprised if you catch a smorgasbord of other fish, as these micro jigs can be very deadly on even the bigger game fish.

More information about Micro jigs, slip bobbers, and panfish can be found on various web sites on the Internet. Check those that deal with European style fishing, walleye fishing, and crappie fishing. Remember, downsize, and experiment. Good luck.

 

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BLACK CRAPPIE TIPS

Crappie are not abundant but they can be caught in bunches when a school is found in the spring, fall or winter. It is most common to catch crappie during April when they spawn. Nests will be seen in shallow water close to brush. The dark black crappie are males which guard the nest and insure the survival of the next year class. Please release all males. The lighter green crappie are usually females which are the ones that could be harvested. The crappie populaiton is not large due to the lack of brush in the springtime. Good numbers survive only in years when new desert brush is flooded by rising water during April and May. Catch and release is recommended. Live minnows CANNOT be used.

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CHANNEL CATFISH TIPS

Catfish are ever present in the summer on shallow sandy beach areas and caught on stink baits, anchovies, and table scraps. Fish any place a boat can be beached for best success. Use a carolina or drop shot rig with a light weight or just a piece of bait with no weight in shallow water (5-15 feet). The biggest fish are in flowing water of tributaries. But the scrappy, great-tasting fish are commonly caught during the summer months.

 

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WALLEYE INFORMATION AND FISHING TIPS

Walleye are caught on bottom bouncing rigs tipped with live nightcrawlers during the month of May. They are most often caught by accident while fishing for bass, but some anglers fish specifically for walleye. Trolling close to cliff walls and across rocky points with a shad imitating minnow lure can be good at times. Consistent bottom contact while trolling or casting is the most important key in finding walleye.

Walleye are light sensitive. The huge eye is constructed to gather light in dim conditions and let walleye have a sight advantage when there isn’t much light. The eye becomes a liability in bright conditions.

May is the month when warming water increases fish metabolism and the need for food. Most species have spawned in April or May but numbers of small forage fish are at a low point for the year. Newly hatched fry are still very shallow and hidden in brush. There is not much food of the right size and in the right place for walleye yet. With more food needed and not much available, normally nocturnal walleye are forced to forage around the clock.

Fish seek out a comfort zone. With feeding expanded to daylight hours during May more anglers come in contact with hungry walleye. The walleye comfort zone still requires low light. Walleye strike from the shade of overhanging rock ledges, brush, cloudy water, wind washed mudlines trailing off a wind-swept clay point, and many other environmental conditions that filter light.

Walleye feed on rocky reefs and points near brush where forage fish and crayfish live. They prowl uninhibited at night and are still present in fairly open habitat at daylight and dusk. Once the sun hits the water walleye are forced to seek shelter in the form of shade. Walleye can avoid bright light by going deeper where light penetration is filtered by plankton, algae and other microscopic organisms. The focal depth of the water can be estimated by simply watching your lure descend below the boat. In some locations the lure will disappear at 8 feet while in others it can still be seen at 25 or 30 feet. The lure disappearance point is the minimum depth that walleye will be hunting at that particular location. It works both ways. When the lure can’t be seen, a fish looking up will be protected from most of the sun’s bright rays.

Walleye like live bait. Walleye are omnivores which eat anything that swims, flips or crawls. They prefer not to chase prey but lie in wait and then strike like a snake as prey passes in range. They are notorious tail-biters, often just tasting the bait before eating the whole thing. A plastic bait is often struck and discarded before the angler knows he has been ambushed. Using scent, salt, amino acids, or adding a live worm really gives the taste and feel necessary for the walleye to take the bait in the mouth and hold it long enough for the hook set.

Vulnerability to angling is short lived. When young-of-year forage fish grow in size and number to the point that walleye can feed in the normal nocturnal fashion and obtain their daily food requirement, then feeding rituals return to those that exclude most daytime anglers. Walleye harvest decreases in June and is lowest in fall when the annual crop of small fish is most abundant. When fish are well fed they are extremely hard for anglers to catch.

Walleye spawn in March. They spawn in the main body of the lake on clean broken rock. Those residing near current will ascend to the headwaters of the lake searching for clean gravel to deposit eggs. Males seldom eat while in spawning condition and are hard to catch during March. Females continue to eat except for the one day when spawning actually occurs and the entire ovary is evacuated during that event. Walleye spawning in the lake are not congregated in isolated locations and in large enough groups to provide good fishing. There may be spawning aggregations near the flowing water where major tributaries enter Lake Powell where schools may stage prior to spawning and provide a large enough group of fish to provide a brief period of excellent fishing.