Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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What a great day spent learning about striped bass behavior, attitudes, and preferences. It was time well spent. We headed out from Wahweap as the sky began to glow in the east. We made it to the mouth of Navajo before sunrise in hopes of seeing the slurping stripers encountered there previously. I am not good at waiting, so we trolled while hoping for the first slurps to appear. That went well as we caught a 3-pound striper trolling a Lucky Craft Bevy Shad at 4 mph. As that fish was undergoing... Full story
Subtle changes in fishing conditions continue. Here are some of the small events that may change your fishing adventure into a successful trip. Stripers have now received that warm-water spawning trigger and most have now spawned. Female stripers caught recently had no viable eggs left in the ovary. That is important because spawning occurs at night and daytime activity is very limited. One successful report from last week indicated a good trolling pattern at night with stripers from 2-10 pounds... Full story
Largemouth bass fishing is a great bet at Bartlett Lake, and the dropshot technique using plastic worms is usually the most reliable method of catching these fish. Before heading out, see a video shot at Bartlett Lake with local semiprofessional angler Gary Senft on how to fish a dropshot rig using Bobber Stoppers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35ATjA3DL4g&feature=youtu.be THE REEL DEAL Let's get right to some recommended Fourth of July weekend fishing waters, starting with the high country:... Full story
Steve Roberts from Clear Lake, Iowa, had a great first trip to Lake Powell. He did his homework by reading all the fish reports on Wayneswords.com two weeks before his arrival. When he finally arrived, he couldn't wait to get out on the lake. He launched at Wahweap and headed through the Castle Rock Cut to Warm Creek and started fishing for bass. There were a few bass that cooperated but it was challenging fishing due to the cold front that had just passed by. Roberts then headed to the back of... Full story
http://www.wayneswords.com Fish reports from the first part of May are rolling in and all agree that we have seen the best fishing of the year and perhaps the best seen in a very long time. All species of fish were caught along the length and breadth of the lake. Smallmouth bass were the leader by a country mile followed about equally by largemouth bass, crappie, and walleye. Stripers came in last but there were a few clues to help find them in the coming days. Smallmouth Bass Smallmouth bass... Full story
Tip Of The Week Trout stocking in our mountain streams has begun and will continue every week until September. In the White Mountains region, big holdover trout have been caught at Big Lake, Luna Lake, Carnero Lake, and Becker Lake (there are special regulations at Carnero and Becker.) The Reel Deal The recent full moon helped trigger a heavy wave of spawn activity in the Phoenix/Tucson-area desert lakes. Although largemouth bass spawn through June, this will likely be the final such apex of... Full story
May 8, 2015 For the most updated fishing information from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, follow our Fish AZ blog at: http://fishazblog.com/ Here's the latest from the blog, an afternoon/nighttime striped bass trip Thursday, May 7, at Lake Pleasant with professional fishing guide Derrick Franks "The Striper Snatcher." LAKE PLEASANT -- For predators such as schooling striped bass, a recent hatch of shad means the groceries are in the 'fridge. Flying through the water column and chasing fry Thursday, May 7 at Lake Pleasant, these stripers... Full story
The striper hot spot this week at Lake Powell is Good Hope Bay. This will be a recurring theme in 2015. Striper numbers and shad forage are higher in the northern lake. Reports from Good Hope this week indicate it is possible to catch 100 stripers per day while graphing and spooning. Begin At Good Hope Bay Begin the search in Good Hope Bay near Red Canyon. You may have to go as far as The Horn to find a school. Graph the 25-45 foot contour looking for big striper schools. These schools are... Full story
Alexandria VA- April 9, 2015 – This month, the FishAmerica Foundation, the sportfishing industry’s fisheries conservation and habitat restoration foundation, launched a brand-new version of its website, www.FishAmerica.org. The new site features extensive content highlighting the foundation’s community-based, nationwide partnerships that seek to improve habitat for a multitude of fish species. For example, on the West coast, the foundation provided funding to Wasco County Soil and Water Conse... Full story
Effective date: April 13 through June 15, 2015. Species affected: Spring chinook, steelhead and shad. Action #1: Allows only hand-casted lines to be used. Area: Mainstem Columbia River on the Washington shore from Tower Island power lines (approximately 6 miles below The Dalles Dam) downstream to Bonneville Dam Restrictions: Washington shore only: When the mainstem Columbia River from the Tower Island powerlines (located approximately 6 miles below The Dalles Dam) downstream to Bonneville Dam... Full story
Tip Of The Week Alamo Lake has possibly the best crappie fishing in the state right now. Bartlett is also noteworthy. Mark Knapp from Alamo Lake State Park said these "specks" are fishing up by the north end of the buoy line. Anglers are using a road runner with a white jig head and minnow trailer. The fish are in approximately 25 to 30 feet of water. The Reel Deal Bass fishing in the desert regions could pick up in the next weeks, maybe a few days after the recent cold front has run away and... Full story
Sport fishing at Lake Powell enjoyed a great year in 2014. Threadfin shad came back in record numbers, allowing all fish species a seat at the banquet table. Fish responded by growing rapidly in the warm water during fall 2014. Now, over winter, feeding continues for striped bass. Fish health and condition is remarkable. Striped bass have not been this healthy since the backs of the canyons where shad spend the winter. It looks as if 2015 will be a year to fish the backs of the canyons instead... Full story
Striped bass annual migration is now almost complete. Fish movement begins in the spring as stripers react to warming water by leaving the backs of the canyons and heading toward the main channel to spawn. Then in summer they pursue forage in open water wherever they can find it whether on the surface or at great depths. As temperature declines in fall, stripers move toward the backs of canyons where they will spend the winter with shad schools that descend to 60-90 feet where water temperature... Full story
Tip Of The Week For rainbow trout in the high country, PowerBait and worms are still the best baits, but trout are also more willing to chase down a lure in these cooler water temperatures than they would during the warm summer months. You can cover a lot of ground by casting a Panther Martin spinner or Kastmaster. Some anglers choose to fish bait on one rod while casting a lure with a second rod to find what the fish are hitting. The new license structure allows the use of two rods with any... Full story
Tip Of The Week Fishing for largemouth bass is excellent at Bartlett Lake. Crankbaits are hot, and here's a tried-and-true bass-snatcher: the Rapala Shad Rap. Get a 3-inch version. Then tie it to 8-pound test line, fish islands, points and rocky shorelines, and if conditions are favorable, anglers could have a good shot at some bass strikes. Have fun! The Reel Deal In the desert impoundments, predatory fish have become more active. Crankbaits and buzzbaits and jigs are drawing increasingly more... Full story
October is hunting season. It's time to put on the blaze-orange sweatshirt, load some weapons and get in the boat. The weapons should be transported fully loaded because the game appears quickly and then runs off even faster. If fully ready and very observant, there is time to get one shot off before the game slips out of range. This is not a road hunt but rather a very exciting fishing trip. The critters being pursued are surface-feeding striped bass and smallmouth bass. The weapons are... Full story
Striper fishing has settled into a predictable pattern over the length of Lake Powell. Each morning striper schools come to the surface chasing shad schools. The trigger is first light which makes shad form into tight schools following a night of happy wandering as individuals. Shad feed on plankton after dark but do not maintain the school mentality in low light. When visibility improves in the morning, each shad wants to be in the middle of the school while those shad on the outer edge of the... Full story
Lake levels at the Salt River chain lakes did not rise as much as some anglers might expect, but there was enough rain to cool the water temperatures. Many anglers are reporting the bite at desert lakes had been slowing considerably after the sun comes up -- get out early. If you do brave the high sun, find the depth the fish are at, then see what color is hot. Be persistent when finding the right color - a simple change from a morning dawn Powerworm to a red crawler, for example, can make a... Full story
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
OLYMPIA - Each year, thousands of Washingtonians go fishing - legally - without a license. How? By taking advantage of 'Free Fishing Weekend,' scheduled for June 7-8. During those two days, no license will be required to fish or gather shellfish in any waters open to fishing in Washington state. Also, no vehicle access pass or Discover Pass will be required during Free Fishing Weekend to park at any of the nearly 700 water-access sites maintained by the Washington Department of Fish and...
For something different, head to Lynx Lake, where some anglers reportedly are having some decent action catching brown trout. Here's the tip: Try fishing a No. 18 or 20 with wooly bugger about 4 feet under a float with a 4-pound test leader. THE REEL DEAL Hello, anglers, First, a quick fish story. On Tuesday, April 8, angler Jack Head of Phoenix was taking his wife and sister-in-law boating, fishing, and for a quick picnic. What he saw in the Agua Fria arm floating on the surface was a...
Anglers who love to fish Roosevelt Lake located in central Arizona's Tonto National Forest have a future hope for the fishery -- monster bass. To help boost fishing opportunities at the 13,000-acre lake, the Arizona Game and Fish Department is partnering with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) through April to stock up to 500,000 fry of Florida-strain largemouth bass, which have been known to eventually attain sizes up to 20 pounds. The FWC will be donating the bass fry...
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
