Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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Early one Saturday morning, a call came stating a big striper had just been caught at the mouth of Warm Creek. It took about 20 minutes to get there but we soon found a boat at the corner of Warm Creek and the main channel. Adam Jones and Deborah Williams were right there and when we got in range, Adam held up a huge striper. We got out of the wind and headed to shore where we could get the full story. Death Of A Big Fish Adam and Deborah were out at dawn fishing along Warm Creek Wall on June 14... Full story
http://www.wayneswords.com Lake Powell has topped out at 3609 MSL after rising 35 feet this year. That means Castle Rock Cut is 27 feet deep and should remain passable for the rest of 2014. Fish are more concerned about habitat. New green brush went under water at 3603 and will provide bass habitat and shad shelter for much of the summer. The shad crop is a bit above average. Adult shad continue to spawn in July when in some others years they would have finished spawning by now. That is a... Full story
Lake Powell is still coming up and now breaking the 3600 MSL barrier, but stripers are the big news now. Striper slurping boils are seen lake wide. Young stripers that live in the warm surface layer are finding larval shad (less than an inch) near the surface. Young shad cannot swim fast enough to elude stripers which line up and methodically "mow" the surface area, chomping down all shad in their path. From a distance, the feeding activity looks like another boat wake, but after closer... Full story
May is here and water temperature is in the 60s which means spring fishing is at its best. Cold fronts will still slow down catching for a day or two but on most days fishing will be excellent. Here is the room service menu for spring fishing in order of availability. Striped Bass Bait fishing along the canyon walls is good in the normal spots. Spots close to the marinas will provide good catches for those looking for a good, close fishing trip. But, the results are sometimes long awaited and ti...
Lake level remains fairly constant with a slight drop to 3574 MSL. We hope spring runoff holds off for another few weeks as the Castle Rock Cut deepening project will continue until the last week of April. The best news is that the Cut will be deepened down to 3575 MSL, meaning that the lake only has to come up 5 feet or so from the present level to allow boats to take the shortcut. That will save much time, fuel and aggravation with rough water in the main channel detour. My guess is the cut... Full story
Weather is warming and trees are budding in the high desert. It s time to start thinking about fishing and what to expect from Lake Powell in 2014. The lake has dipped to the lowest point since 2005 leaving brushy cover high and dry on the shoreline. Fortunately, there has been modest precipitation in the Colorado River drainage. When runoff starts, the lake should rise from the currently level of 3575 MSL back to 3600 MSL or perhaps a bit more. Also fortunately, the Castle Rock Cut is being... Full story
Ron Colby started the Lake Powell fishing season off right by catching his personal best striper which weighed 13.33 pounds. It had been a while since Colby and friends had fished at Lake Powell so they were excited to finally get back out on the smooth clear water reflecting images of tall red rocks. They started fishing in Navajo Canyon where striper fishing reports were good from the week before but his group had no success there. After a fishless morning, they ran back to the starting point... Full story
Current conditions at Lake Powell during 2013 were difficult for all fish populations because of declining lake levels resulting in habitat loss. Shoreline vegetation, which had been inundated in recent years, was desiccated in 2013. Loss of brushy habitat resulted in lower than normal production of bass, crappie and bluegills. Lack of brush also limited the survival of both gizzard and threadfin shad produced in 2013. Low forage made for difficult circumstances for adult fish of all species as... Full story
During October we fished the same spots in the southern lake each week while checking current results for the fish report. Results ranged from superb early in the month to difficult after full moon. I am pleased to report that this report is right back at the top of the charts. Fishing success has recovered for striped bass that have been holding in the same locations all during last month. They have just responded differently on the various trips at the times that we fished there. Fishing... Full story
Individual fish species are evenly divided and are holding caucuses to decide how best to move forward from this point. Adult stripers would like to open the gates and let more anglers come in so they can reap the rewards of anchovy chum falling from the boats in all the locations that have proven to be great feeding spots all summer long. They revel in the free food that comes to them without effort. Young stripers and smallmouth agree that finding plankton on their own without any assistance... Full story
On Friday, Sept. 27, 2013 a bear cub showed up on the shoreline of Lake Powell. Visitors in Face Canyon were certainly surprised to see the little guy and even more amazed that he seemed right at home walking up the ramps of the houseboats parked there. He was looking for food as he was obviously very hungry after a long walk from wherever he came from. Food was offered. The bear seemed to like fish and table scraps. But children, dogs and bears are not compatible. The bear visitation was... Full story
September is the first fall fish-sampling period. Utah Wildlife’s first two electrofishing sample sites revealed some interesting details. The first sample was taken in Lone Rock Canyon near the back of Wahweap Bay. The first cove on the left heading up Lone Rock Canyon contained more shad than we could scoop up in our nets. That was a surprise. It was obvious that yearling gizzard shad were using the muddy, shallow, warm cove to avoid striped bass predation. Adult stripers cannot survive in 8... Full story
Lake surface temperature and lake level are declining. Cool monsoon weather patterns are adding much-needed rainwater to the lake but not enough to keep the lake from declining one foot per week. Fishing success for stripers on anchovy bait and smallmouth on plastic bait is still exceptional. Adult stripers are holding at about 30 feet where cooler temperatures make life more pleasant for these hungry fish. Add some anchovy chum to the water and stripers come running. Best fishing spots are... Full story
Lake Powell fishing strategy is determined by shad size and abundance. Striped bass are feeding on the surface over the entire lake but where shad numbers are small so are the boils. Where larger shad are numerous fishing success is terrific. In the southern lake shad are tiny and scarce. Little slurps are seen randomly throughout the day, but stripers feed quickly on a small group of shad and then dive back to the depths. Stripers can be caught if they surface within casting range and anglers... Full story
Lake level is slowly rising, but that is not as important as the rise in water temperature. During May the surface temperature was consistently in the 60s, which was great for bass fishing. During June, lake temperature have been in the 70s, which means young shad are growing large enough to draw interest from lake predators. The immediate result of new shad presence is a dramatic change in sport fish behavior. Last week’s report was all about stationary schools of striped bass that were easy t... Full story
One week after the spring fishing peak and fishing is still good. A lingering cold front has slowed fishing for bass slightly but stripers continue to eat bait in the southern lake. One disturbing note is that lake level is still going down, making it uncertain that the lake will rise much during the normal runoff period. There is still time but the runoff is slow to start. A lower lake leaves brush out of the water and causes access problems at some ramps. Hite ramp is closed but other ramps at... Full story
Stripers are still running along the canyon walls in the southern lake. They spilled into the main channel 3 weeks ago and have been eager to hit bait offered by anglers ever since. I have heard they are chasing boats, begging for anchovies. Well, that may be a bit much, but if you pass over some hungry stripers please stop and feed them! Glen Canyon dam still holds the majority of the fish, but many are behind the barricade out of casting range. The Chains parking area offers good shore... Full story
Early in the year, a lucky 13-year-old from Denver, Colo., was trolling with leaded line near Forgotten Canyon just upstream from Bullfrog Marina. As Wayne Gustaveson reported, "We are still trying to talk with Jessie Pond to find out exactly what lure he was using and how he was holding his mouth, what he had for breakfast and other important details." Jessie and his dad brought the big fish to Bullfrog Marina after hours and were able to get it weighed at the Bullfrog Post Office. The length... Full story
Declining lake level will have a huge impact on spring fishing. Current lake level is now at the projected low of 3600 and it will likely decline another foot before spring runoff reverses the lake level. That is great news for boaters using the southern lake as it will allow the construction crew currently deepening the Castle Rock Cut to remove one more foot of soil and make the pass last a bit longer in future low-water situations. But, fish care more about the water level as it relates to... Full story
It’s been a cold winter at Lake Powell. Water surface temperature bottomed out at 44 F and presently fluctuates between 45 at night and 47 during the “heat” of the day. Water level continues to decrease resulting in the closure of the Castle Rock Cut and the primitive launch ramps at Hite. Luckily, the last cold spell featured an increase in the snow pack in Colorado, which means there will be some runoff this spring. On the bright side, those anglers who continue to bundle up and venture out h... Full story
This is the last 2012 fishing report from Wayne Gustaveson for 2012, and we thank him for all the excellent information he has provided us for the past 12 months. It has been an interesting year with more highs than lows. Bass and walleye fishing in the spring was awesome, followed by a great run of surface fishing for juvenile stripers in summer. Now, going into winter it’s a mixed bag with unexpected fishing opportunities occurring each day. For example, on Saturday we took a side trip into Ca... Full story
Fishing out of Wahweap is hot and cold. Fishing is super hot for the first hour of light in the morning. Toss a small profile surface lure like a Sammy or Sugoi splash toward the shoreline for fast action from smallmouth bass and juvenile striped bass. On one morning recently, one of the hottest spots was the Stateline ramp cove. A shad school moved under the courtesy dock at first light and was quickly surrounded by bass and stripers. Lures landing on the outer perimeter of the shad school... Full story
Wayne Gustaveson http://www.wayneswords.com Good fishing success we have enjoyed for a while continues and is perhaps even better than last week. The main factor is falling lake level. Shad have been hiding in the brush line surrounding the lake all summer long. Now water level is declining, leaving the brush high and dry and shad without a good hiding spot. Shad are exposed and all game fish are taking a swipe at them every chance they get. Scattered splashes mark the action punctuated by... Full story
Lake Powell Report Fishing Success Continues With Attention To Details By Wayne Gustaveson Fishing success in the main lake, particularly for stripers, requires attention to a few small details. Timing Is Critical Visible action from surface feeding fish consistently occurs at morning and evening twilight. Finding surface feeding fish provides the first opportunity to catch fish. Juvenile stripers that break the surface in groups of three or more are extremely aggressive and will hit most lures... Full story
For a little while longer, Lake Powell's water level is stable and temperature remains in the low 60s, which is ideal for excellent bass, walleye and crappie fishing. With day length and ambient temperature increasing, the best tip is to fish in the shade. That includes the shady side of an individual rock or the shady side of a canyon. Seek shade to increase catch. Bass Spawning Near Completion Bass nests are still seen in the clear water and some have male guards cruising in the vicinity.... Full story
