Water Temp: 75
Lake Elevation: 3636.03
Surface activity beginning to appear with Stripers lakewide. Smallmouth are being caught on rock piles off the points You may get an occasional Walleye still. I have been catching them each time I am out.
Capt. Bill
Nice Walleye caught 6-06-10 with Ambassador Guides
Lake Powell rose 4 feet since the last report one week ago. Daily inflow is currently near 74,000 acre feet per day. Water temperature went right through the upper 60s on its way to 80F.
The water temperature spike was exactly what striped bass were waiting for. They spawned last week from June 2-5 in Padre Bay. Spawning in most lake locations probably occurred at about the same time but local differences in wind, and water temperature may have allowed spawning to happen a week sooner or later at individual locations. Spawning by stripers ascending the Colorado River will occur next week as water warms and fish swim to Cataract Canyon to lay eggs. These eggs roll and tumble in violent current for two days. Hatching occurs as eggs reach the calm lake inflow. Here they survive on small plankton until large enough to eat fish.
There have been no reports of anglers finding a school of spawning stripers and catching trophy fish. It looks like the spawning discovery was more of an academic exercise. But is was fun and rewarding to track the school and determine spawning duration.
Another sampling event has much more interest to anglers. Larval shad tows indicate good numbers of young shad are being hatched in the backs of most canyons. It will be only a matter of days until these young shad are discovered by stripers just set free from “spawning prison”. Mature stripers have not eaten hardly anything for over a month while waiting to spawn. They are now free to go find food. Expect stripers to move toward the surface where larval shad reside.
Expect young stripers to be the first to start “slurping” planktonic larval shad. It will take the adult stripers another week or two to find small shad. Shad grow an inch a month. When shad get more girth to go with their 2 inch length, boils will being. Might as well tie on a surface lure now. You will need it for the next 5 months.
Smallmouth bass fishing is still excellent. Small bass are on most rock structure in the main channel and canyon. Use single tail grubs and senkos for steady action.
Largemouth bass are in the row of brush just recently covered by rising water. Use weightless senkos, double tail grubs and spinnerbaits to work the brush line.
Walleye are in murky cuts where bottom depth is 15-25 feet. Use live worms or plastic baits slowly crawled along the bottom to entice an attack from these ambush feeders.
Sunfish/Bluegill are building nests in shallow water and are susceptible to surface lures and popping bugs. Unfortunately, rapidly rising water makes them hard to find.
Catfish spawning is just beginning. These bottom dwellers will be seen in shallow water for the next two weeks as they seek out nest sites and partners. Carp have begun to spawn as well. That splashing on the surface this week will likely be carp. Next week it might be stripers!
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By: Wayne Gustaveson June 2, 2010
Lake Elevation: 3626 Water Temperature 67-72 F
Warm weather is here. Lake level is rising rapidly. That means transition time and tougher fishing
Bass fishing has been super all spring. Rising lake levels cover bass habitat and disguise fish holding spots that have been so obvious at lower lake levels. Bass fishing is still good but it will be necessary to fish deeper and more intuitively when bass nests or actual fish can no longer be seen. Structure fishing is a must. Identify where fish would likely be holding by looking at the landscape. Pick out rock points, rockslides on steep cliff walls and submerged brush for a starting point.
Try to identify a pattern. Bass tend to do the same thing at the same time in many lake locations. Sometimes they will inhabit structure at the intersection of the main channel and a canyon mouth. At other times they are in the very back of a cove. Fish both areas to determine present location. When one fish is caught try to duplicate that in a similar habitat location. It may be that fish are more readily caught at the intersection than in back of the cove during the first week of June. Smallmouth and largemouth will differ in habitat choice and location. Smallmouth are much easier to catch now, particularly the smaller fish. A single tail plastic grub cast to a submerged island in open water is sure to be eaten by a hungry little bass.
Walleye fishing is good in the early morning and afternoon. Afternoon winds are common. Find muddy coves and pockets where wind blows soil into the lake on a regular basis. Crawl a plastic grub or night crawler on a worm harness slowly along the bottom in 15-25 feet of water to target light sensitive walleye.
Striped bass will likely spawn this week. In recent years the spawn has not been so important as many fish were not mature or too thin to develop eggs. This year virtually all of the 3-5 pound stripers are in spawning condition. This intense focus on spawning means little feeding is occurring. Striper schools are more likely to move away from boat noise or high traffic areas. This uncharacteristic shyness makes them hard to find and catch. Cut bait is the best technique now and will remain so until the spawning event concludes.
Stripers have been caught on bait at Glen Canyon Dam, Navajo Canyon (second point beyond double islands), Padre Bay (east wall), and Moki wall near Bullfrog. Fishing is inconsistent at all of these locations. Fish will be there one day and gone the next. Try a spot and then return later for another try until fish are located.
The best part is that there are so many opportunities to catch one species or another that most trips will be successful. It is wise to be a generalist under these conditions and fish for any target of opportunity. One strategy would be to try for walleye and stripers at dawn and dusk. Then switch to bass in morning and afternoon. Little smallmouth will be catchable all day long on small sized main channel rock slides which would be a good chance to teach children how to catch fish.
June 5th is free fishing day at Lake Powell.
Photo Caption: Shane Spravzoff, Flagstaff, AZ, caught some nice walleye at Lake Powell. May is the best time to find these tasty food fish. Fish under mud lines in the main channel for best results.
Cold windy weather stalled much of the expected spawning activity this past week. Runoff slowed allowing the lake to rise only one foot in a week. Surface water temperature has been in the mid 50s most mornings. But that is now history and a new warming trend is developing.
The modest rise in lake elevation means that clear water still exists in the main and southern lake. Backs of canyons and coves still offer the opportunity to sight fish for spawning bass and crappie. At the inflow areas the mudline extends from Hite to Good Hope Bay. In the San Juan and Escalante cloudy muddy water is only a moderate threat in the last few miles nearest running water.
New warming will increase water temperature back into the 60s and make it unlikely that a return to the 50s will happen. That will allow bass and crappie to move back on nests for one final spawning event. Nests will be found at depths of 5 to 8 feet making them visible in many locations. Lures and techniques that have been working for the past month will still be very effective. Smallmouth bass like plastic grubs and tubes fished on rocky points. Largemouth and crappie will be in the tree line and susceptible to slow sinking, weedless rigged plastic double tail grubs and senkos. Spinner baits work well for both species. Bass like the big flashy blades while crappie are suckers for little spinners like Roadrunners. The old standard chartreuse marabou crappie jig is still a winner. Enjoy bass and crappie fishing for one more week before the runoff heats up and the nests get lost in rising water.
Walleye fishing is nearing its peak. Don’t expect to catch daily limits of the tasty food fish but a few can now be caught while fishing for bass. It is possible to troll crank baits or drag worm harnesses along the bottom for walleye. Use afternoon wind induced mudlines as one key to find productive spots. Main channel points, plunging into deep water, are a good place to start.
Striped bass are forming large schools in almost every canyon as they prepare to spawn. The spawning trigger is a rapid rise in lake temperature. Unfortunately, the prespawn period is about the only time that stripers are off feed and difficult to catch. Big schools have been seen cruising the shallows but attempts to catch them have been ignored. There are isolated events like windy feeding opportunities or fleeing shad schools that will ignite the large schools into a feeding frenzy. Be aware of the possibility that a striper school could show up at any moment. React to that event when it occurs because it will be a memorable experience.
Threadfin shad will spawn this week as morning water temperature reaches 65-70. They spawn at dawn so get up early to throw shad imitating rattletraps or crankbaits in the back of canyons and coves. All game fish enjoy the shad spawn as a line of tasty forage fish swims along the surface readily visible to anglers and game fish alike. Find spawning shad and catch bass and stripers. It is that easy.
Lake Powell Fish Report
By: Wayne Gustaveson May 5, 2010
Lake Elevation: 3620 Water Temperature 56-66 F
Fishing in May is always a unique experience. Expectations for targeting a certain fish species often go unfilled only to be replaced by an even better success. The lake begins to fill in a respectable manner and then the river gushes forth with reckless abandon. It seems bass and crappie go deeper but, in actuality, they stay where the original nest was placed. The rising lake level covers the nest with more water. The net result is that successful fishing requires angling in deeper water and using different cues to find a successful pattern.
Every year in early May striped bass get lost. Contributing factors are warming that triggers spawning, but then cooling messes that up leaving fish confused. Stripers aren’t sure if they should go to the channel to spawn or to the back of the canyon to feed. So they do both. Finding striped bass now requires moving from deep to shallow water constantly watching the graph. When a school is found the rewards are great.
Additionally, spawning mode makes stripers become more active at night and dormant during the day. May will be the only month when bait fishing may be good. Reports last week of good catches of stripers on Moki wall near Bullfrog indicate a stop in the main channel at the normal locations (Dam, Power plant intake, Navajo Canyon, Padre Bay, Rock Creek, Moki wall, etc.) should be a part of the fishing plan. Do not spend the whole trip waiting for a school to bite. Actively seek them out by using a graph to mark schools and then fish where schools are seen. Troll and cast in shallow water. Fish bait in deep water.
Bass fishing will remain excellent for another week. Cold weather moved bass off nests. Current warming will put them right back on. Fishing in the brush for largemouth bass and crappie will remain good. Weightless senkos, spinnerbaits and other weedless offerings work well in brush. Smallmouth bass will be on outside rock structure where plastic baits with exposed hooks will work fine. Top water baits are working early and late on bass.
Shad have begun to spawn. Gizzard shad have been spawning for the past two weeks. With new warming threadfin will spawn soon. They spawn at dawn and attract all game fish in the immediate vicinity. Look for shad spawning on the surface around driftwood and plants in the back of canyons and coves. Fish around active spawning schools by casting shad colored crankbaits and rattletraps to catch a wide variety of game fish.
This is the time of year when all fish are vulnerable. Line up on a rocky shoreline with a favorite crankbait or plastic offering and catch largemouth, smallmouth, crappie, walleye, sunfish and catfish.
Fishing remains as good as it has ever been on the big lake. Fish on a fair weather day to make some remarkable family fishing memories.
By: Wayne Gustaveson April 7, 2010
Lake Elevation: 3619 Water Temperature 52-56 F
The first largemouth bass has been seen tidying up a nest site. That heralds the beginning of spring fishing excitement. The largemouth bass spawn during the next 4 weeks will create indelible fishing memories for those lucky enough to be fishing on those magic days when bass are visible in shallow clear water, and eager to chase anything that comes near the nest. Bass spawn every year, but this year the average size of bass caught will exceed any yearly average in the recent past. The spawning peak will come during the warmest five consecutive days in late April unbroken by a cold front. Bass continue to spawn in May but spring runoff will raise the lake, cloud the water and make finding nesting bass much harder. If your bucket list includes catching a 3-6 pound largemouth bass then a spring trip to Lake Powell is mandatory.
Largemouth live in the brush that rings the shallows around the lake. They go very shallow on warm afternoons and are very spooky when approached. It takes a very stealthy cast to catch them shallow before they spawn. More often they are in thick cover. Lures bouncing through tree limbs get their attention. The lure must stop for a while to entice a bite. So use big baits with lots of surface area that settle slowly to the bottom for best results. When bass are on the nest they are much easier to catch. A slow settling, weightless bait, like a plastic senko is ideal.
Many big fish will be caught on beds this spring. Male bass guard the nest. Male bass should be returned to protect the young eggs and fry on the nest. Put them back right where they were captured and then watch them go right back to the nest site. It is fine to take a picture, weigh and measure the fish first. An exact replica of a huge fish can be done in fiberglass just from the length and girth dimensions. Expect to catch a big one but be ready to record the feat before a quick release.
Female bass are the ones that should be targeted for harvest if desired. Better yet keep smallmouth bass which are more abundant. Crappie will spawn during the same time frame. This spring will offer the best crappie fishing seen at the lake for a very long time. Be aware of the 10 fish crappie limit. Keep enough for a meal but not enough to stock the freezer. Largemouth and crappie have returned to prominence because of the ephemeral brush ring around the lake. When the brush disappears in the next few years their populations will decline as well. That is whey they are still cautiously protected when they appear to be available in large numbers.
Striped bass remain in the backs of the canyons. Small stripers are in the upper 15 feet while larger fish are now becoming more active in the deeper water (15-35 feet). Trolling is still the best method to catch them. Shallow running (6-12 feet) small baits take small fish at a fast pace. Deeper running (20-30 feet) lures take the 3-4 pound fish at a slower rate. Fishing with spoons and jigs on the bottom near schools seen on the graph is improving every day. There is still no movement of stripers to the main channel and there have been few fish caught on bait. Fat stripers like action baits and will show little interest in a passive anchovy. If bait is your choice then try slow trolling a whole anchovy on a salmon mooching rig in 35 feet of water.
There is more than can be said but the bottom line is that fishing will be remarkable in 2010.
By: Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3619 Water Temperature 51-56 F
Days are longer and weather warmer. Base water temperature taken in the morning has finally begun to increase. There is still some work to do but warm spring days are on the way. It is time to start planning spring fishing trips.
If current weather conditions continue, expect largemouth bass spawning to begin sometime near the 2nd week of April, followed by crappie and smallmouth during the 3rd week. Striped bass and walleye fishing will steadily improve through the month and peak during May. This is exciting news but the size and quality of all fish at the lake this year makes it so much better. Fishing success this year will be at a high point.
Right now water temperature is 53F in the morning which is still too cold for most warm water fish. Largemouth bass live in shallow brushy water. They are catchable but water is often clear and a stealthy approach is needed. Long, soft casts that plop down with little splash are needed to entice a bass bite where a big splash just spooks bass in shallow water. Smallmouth bass are in deeper water, usually on the first break at the base of the brush forest. Success for both species improves in the afternoon as water warms. My strategy is to fish for stripers in the morning and bass in the afternoon.
Stripers remain in the canyons. Sorry to those waiting for stripers to come to the main channel where they are so easily caught on bait. That is not likely to happen this year. Forage conditions are strong with both gizzard and threadfin shad living near the terminal end of each canyon. Stripers are not prone to leave their food source. To find them go to the back of the canyon.
Young stripers had been randomly scattered and feeding individually in the backs of canyons where bottom depth was 15-35 feet. Fish producing areas are marked by a significant color change from clear to murky water. Plain clear water is not as good. Trolling in any direction would randomly place the lure in front of a feeding fish. In these conditions small stripers were often caught every 100-200 yards. There was a subtle change in striper behavior detected when scouting for this fish report yesterday.
It took me a while to discover that these fish schooled up and quit feeding during full moon. Fish were no longer randomly scattered so trolling back and forth in the open bay was no longer successful. Instead, stationary schools had to be located before fish could be caught. School fish were then easily caught as the boat followed the same course along the shoreline to the holding school. Stripers just can’t help themselves when a wobbly lure wanders close by. Each pass produced one or two 14-18 inch stripers.
Trolling should be used as a precision tool, not a straight line journey 5 miles in length. Hook a fish, mark the spot and then return along the same route to duplicate the catch. It is that easy. On this day the school was on a perpendicular point some 50 yards off shore. We trolled parallel to shore at 3.5 mph. When shallow water appeared on the graph we turned toward the center of the lake dragging our Thunderstick JR lures in an arc that followed the extended point. The school was at the end of the point where depth was 25 feet breaking immediately to 45 feet. Each time a fish was caught we returned to a stating point 50 yards down shore and repeated the short trolling path.
Wayne Gustavson (Waynes Words) Fishing Report
Richard Laycock, Cheyenne, WY
March 24, 2010
Lake Elevation: 3619
Water Temp: 49-54 F
Lake level has been stable for two weeks. Water temperature has risen briefly but wind today puts it right back at 51 degrees this morning. With these important variables unchanged there is no reason for fish behavior to change. That means successful fishing methods during the past two weeks will continue to work until a significant change occurs.
Here is what to expect. Larger stripers are lying on the bottom waiting for warmer water or for a fish to swim by their resting spot. Deep trolling will put the lure in the zone but it is essential that the lure is in close proximity or even bumping bottom on occasion. Lure contact on bottom in the resting zone is the best way to rouse a sleepy striper. Down riggers or deep diving lures that get down at least 20 feet are best for larger stripers.
The other technique is to drop lures down to resting stripers seen on the graph. Spoons are the standard but I find them to be too active right now for really lethargic stripers. A better choice is a one-ounce or heavier marabou or bucktail jig with soft plastic trailer attached. Drop the jig to the resting school and then slowly work the bait right in the school. One fish biting will excite others and cause a quick flurry of activity in these schooling fish that are programmed to react to feeding by school mates.
Ice fishing techniques may work on these resting schools. Put an anchovy tail on a small spoon and work that slowly in the school. Or use the drop shot rig favored by bass fishermen. The key is to put a slow-moving tasty morsel near the dormant school to catch fish.
I prefer catching active fish. Yearling stripers are near the surface eating plankton. They will react to small lures zipping quickly through the plankton school. Three inch lures that dive from 4-8 feet trolled at 3.5 or 4 mph work best. The best lure for me has been the Lucky Craft Pointer 78. The Lucky Craft Bevy Shad 75 has been a close second. The consistent location is near the back of the canyon where water is off color and bottom depth is between 18 and 25 feet. Make sure to troll fast – at least 3.5 miles per hour.
Bass fishing is great for big fish. That means not many little bass are caught and time between bites may be lengthy, but each bite that comes is from a quality bass. Successful techniques are centered in the shallow brush zone along the shore. Spinner baits, bulky soft plastics like Yamamoto Flappin Hogs, or the old standard Jig and Pig (pork rind) work for bass up to 6 pounds.
Forage has been such that largemouth have grown to impressive size. It would not surprise me to see the lake record 10 pound 2 ounce largemouth record fall in 2010. The smallmouth record of 5 pounds 6 ounces is in real jeopardy. Take a scale along this spring in case you are the lucky angler. It would be nice to know if the huge fish in hand should be released or brought in for an official weigh-in ceremony.
The real fun is a few weeks away. The best spring crappie fishing in decades will begin in April. That will be the highlight of the spring for me.
If you haven’t picked up on it yet, fishing at Lake Powell is going to be really good in 2010.
By: Wayne Gustaveson March 17, 2010
Lake Elevation: 3619 Water Temperature 49-53 F
My fishing season started yesterday. The cold blustery weather the past two weeks has kept me close to the fireplace but that has all changed now. Fair skies and warmer temperatures arrived so it was time to go fishing. Stripers did not disappoint. It looks like my high expectations for 2010 are now even higher. We found another year class of fish to add to the mix.
Here is the pattern: Water temperature is consistently near 50 degrees in the main lake. Clear water does not absorb the suns energy as readily as water that is slightly stained. Near the back of most major canyons where streams or washes enter, there is enough silt deposited that any wind or wave action creates a murky zone. Water color change is readily visible while traveling toward the back of the canyon. The murky zone is at least a degree warmer than clearer water, sometimes much more.
The colored water zone can be very small or stretch for long distances depending on the canyon. The key to catching stripers is to find the deepest warmer water. Yesterday we tried three different canyons and the pattern was consistent. Best bottom depth for locating active fish was 20-35 feet.
When in the fish zone, open water can be most quickly covered by trolling. Deep diving lures have been most productive in cold water so we started trolling deep but put out a shallow running smaller bait just in case. Within 100 yards the first fish hit the shallow bait and that was the pattern for the rest of day. Stomach samples revealed stripers from 14-20 inches were feeding on plankton at the top of the water column. These fish were hungry and willing to grab a “small minnow” swimming in the feeding zone. Our most productive lures were 3 inch Lucky Craft Pointers and Bevy Shad. Similar sized “Rattletraps” worked as would other short minnow-shaped baits that dive to 8-12 feet.
Not interested in 14 inch stripers? Here’s the good part. Larger stripers were tight to the bottom and not eating or chasing deep diving baits. But no self respecting striper can ignore another feeding fish. Schooling fish are mandated to react to any feeding behavior. The hooked fish garners attention of others as it swims violently toward the boat. These vibrations are transmitted to the lateral line of resting fish. Larger stripers were caught while or immediately after the small fish was landed. A large white bucktail jig dropped to the bottom and fished slowly within a foot of bottom enticed the bigger fish to bite. We used the smaller plankton-eating stripers to excite the bigger dormant fish and had a really great day. Spoons seemed too fast paced for these resting fish but bucktail jigs worked slowly were taken. We filleted 30 stripers for our efforts.
Fishing for big largemouth bass is consistent. Results of the weekend tournament found many 3-pound and larger bass taken. Winning weights on Saturday and Sunday were just under 15 and 18 pound for 5 fish. Technique is to use bulky plastic baits fished slowly and methodically on bottom or work spinner baits through the brush zone of that same murky water described above.
By: Wayne Gustaveson
Lake Elevation: 3619 | Water Temperature: 49-51 F
My optimism about great expectations for fishing success in 2010 was given a boost by the catch of a big striper on March 2nd. Dale Barsness from Duck Creek UT was casting for stripers in Navajo Canyon using a deep diving Norman DD22 lure in 20 feet of murky water. Dale and friend Bart found a school of willing 4-pound stripers and proceeded to catch fish quickly for an hour while the school was active. They caught 40 fish of which they kept 20 to eat, releasing the rest.
The exciting news was that one of the fish Dale brought in was 36 inches long and estimated to weigh 15-20 pounds. Unfortunately, Dale was not able to get an accurate reading on his hand held fish scale. He measured the fish at 36 inches. From my personal past experience in handling many Lake Powell striped bass, that length equates to a weight of 16-18 pounds. The weight is not of great importance, in that Dale had enough fish to eat, so he took a picture of the big fish and released it to grow some more. The important question now becomes, how big will this fish be when it is caught once more?
The big fish was swimming with a school of smaller stripers. The pattern was typical for spring at Lake Powell. Look for murky water with a bottom depth of 20-30 feet. Murky water warms faster than clear water. With storm fronts moving through each week during March it is important to fish on a warm afternoon without wind for best success. Cold blooded fish respond quickly to a warm spot. They can feel it and will stay in the warmer water when possible. Sun beating on a rock wall warms the water and draws fish. Wind mixes the water and displaces any warming that has occurred. Seek out protected canyons where wind action is minimal for best fishing results. When a school of stripers is located enjoy the moment. Maybe one of the group will be larger than the rest. With forage populations being high that past few years there will likely be more big striped bass caught in 2010.
Largemouth bass will be caught on the same pattern using the same strategy. The difference is that bass will be in the brush near the wall while striped bass will be over the submerged creek channel. But both species will be in the warmer protected zone of colored water out of the wind. Find a flat rock with a direct southern exposure that may collect the suns heat and transmit that into the water.
Use a thermometer to fine tune the fishing experience. Main channel temperature is now near 50 degrees. Seek a warm cove that exceeds 53 degrees for best success. Don’t neglect the main channel right now. Smallmouth bass are in the depths seeking stable temperatures but when the afternoon sun warms a shallow crack or small inlet in the cliffs the clear water will warm and smallmouth will move up into the shallows to enjoy the moment.
Fishing success this week will follow the temperature. Warm days will bring good fishing. Cold days will require really good fishermen to make fish bite. Both experiences will be fun when surrounded by beautiful Lake Powell.
Fishing season is officially open at Lake Powell. Dale Barsness, Duck Creek UT, opened it in style by catching a 36-inch striped bass that weighed about 16-18 pounds. The weight is a guess because Dale released the fish to swim again. Maybe you can catch it!
