Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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At press time, Lake Powell was continuing to drop about one foot per week. The Castle Rock Cut should be passable for another two months. It was recently announced that a High Flow Experiment (HFE) will occur during the first week of November. At that time, the outflow from the dam will increase dramatically to move sediment from the river bottom to the river banks further downstream. This event improves habitat for native fish in the river and in backwaters. It is likely that the Castle Rock Cu... Full story
Quality of life is measured by amount of time spent fishing. Welcome back to the weekly fish reports from Lake Powell - 2017 was a banner year with high water levels that covered shoreline vegetation and provided extensive habitat for both predators and prey fish. Young fish survived in big numbers and these fat healthy fish will awake and become active as soon as Lake Powell water temperature rises above the 54-57 range. "Warm water" fish residing in Lake Powell really do like warmer water... Full story
While many parts of the country are shoveling snow and driving snow mobiles, in the desert areas of the Southwest, others are readying their craft for a new year of boating pleasure. Soon, two popular expos will showcase - among other outdoor activities -boating models and accessories. As the fun on the water begins, it is vitally important to remember "safety first" so that 2018 has zero-to-very few boating accidents. To this end, we highly recommend one of the safety courses listed on page 3... Full story
'Quality of life is measured by amount of time spent fishing.' In the last fish report we reported stripers and shad holding in the 15-30 foot depth range but suspected that colder weather would force both species to seek deeper water where temperature was more stable. With that in mind, we headed for Warm Creek to look for striper schools. We passed the floating restroom and slowed down and started graphing. This fall, the graph has printed a mostly blank screen in deep water with an occasional... Full story
If you know Wayne Gustaveson of Waynes Words, you have heard him say, "[the] quality of life is measured by [the] amount of time spent fishing." During the Southwest summer months, we would add this: " ... spent fishing on or near cool waterways." On page 8 (page 9 online) of this issue, Gustaveson writes of the great angling opportunities now at Lake Powell: "Lake Powell has lots of fish to catch." Fishing - perhaps considered by many the ultimate activity in watersports - offers us a chance... Full story
Wayne's Words - http://www.wayneswords.com Surface water temperature today and for most of the week was 64 degrees. End of report! For those who need a bit more information, here are the details: Striped bass adults prefer a temperature of 64 degrees. At this comfort level, trophy size fish, adults, and juveniles have free reign and can travel in any direction, any depth and feed anywhere. Trophy fish cannot handle warmer water and must stay in the 64 degree range. Adult fish are found close to...
Water temperatures are now up into the spawning zone. Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and crappie are on beds now. This is the first spawn and we can expect the nest guardians to spawn perhaps two to three more times before mid-May. Inflow continues to increase the lake level, which is now officially above 3600 MSL. Expect 40 more feet of elevation increase. Make sure to check the boat tie lines each morning if camping on the lake. Weather has been clear but there has been some wind in the even... Full story
The quality of life is measured by amount of time spent fishing. Lake Powell is rising. Spring runoff has begun a bit early due to warm days in March. That may change as another storm front is now on the way. Early runoff is a double-edged sword for fishing success from Trachyte to Good Hope Bay. This week, reports indicated good steady fishing success for smallmouth bass, walleye, stripers and largemouth. Catching was steady for those using bass jigs along the shoreline and trolling with wally... Full story
February was an excellent month for great fishing results in the southern lake. We found great spooning results in early February with a fish count of 75 stripers. Then, later in the month, we caught 38 stripers while trolling and casting. Spoons did not work on that trip. When we headed uplake to see how conditions had changed, we were prepared to give the stripers any presentation they wanted. The fish did not disappoint us; in fact, we were amazed at what happened. Following reports from the... Full story
Wayne Gustaveson Takes A Break, Thanks Readers 'Quality of life is measured by amount of time spent fishing.' Lake Powell fish at the end of fall were in prime time. Water temperature is in the mid 60s which means that all fish can basically go anywhere they want to. During summer there is a separation of large and small stripers because big fish need cooler temperatures. Those barriers are now removed. http://www.wayneswords.com Consider fishing patterns now to be just like fishing in late... Full story
Lake Powell fish are in transition mode with day length getting shorter while air temperature is cooling. Water temperature and lake elevation have stayed stable during the past three weeks. Elevation is 3610 and temperature holding at 70 degrees. The main change is fish location. Keep An Open Mind Bass are moving up on shore, stripers are on the move and shad are split between hiding in the backs of canyons while some are going deep in open water. My best advice is to keep an open mind and an... Full story
Water temperatures have declined to 74 F in the morning, rising to 78 in the afternoon. These temperatures coincide with mid-June, which is a transition month for warm-water fish. In the spring, bass get ready to spawn while waiting for the preferred temperature (mid 60s). Shad get active in the low 70s. Stripers spawn when the water temperature rises quickly to the mid 70s. After all the spring time excitement based on water temperature, most fish experience a lull in activity during the 75-80... Full story
'Quality of life is measured by amount of time spent fishing.' Stripers have moved out of the main channel and toward the backs of canyons. The move indicates that the shad food source has been well used in open water of the channel and bays. Slurping stripers have been relentless in pursuit of small newly-hatched shad. Those shad that have survived are seeking a sanctuary in the brush that now lines the shoreline. Shad have a better chance of avoiding predation if there is some kind of brushy... Full story
When a tagged walleye is caught, take a picture of the fish and then a closeup of the tag number. Contact me with the tag number at 928 645 2392. Send a fishing report indicating how and where the fish was caught. You will then receive a prize donated by Sportsmans Warehouse, Fish Tech Outfitters, Stix Market, or Berkley. Other Fish Biting As Well Other fish are biting as well. Bait fishing continues to provide lots of stripers for anglers using anchovies along steep canyon walls. One... Full story
The inflow to Lake Powell over the past days has exceeded 100,000 acre feet each day. The lake is still rising and will end up at the highest level recorded since 2012. Fish are excited because the lake is now flooding into green brush and trees. Bass and crappie really like brush habitat. Shad love brush because it helps them avoid the constant barrage of predators that have their eye on them. 2016 has been a wonderfully successful fishing year, so far, and it will continue through the summer... Full story
Fishing success has been great despite early mid-May's lingering cold and winds. The good news now is that morning water temperatures now exceed 60 degrees, which opens up opportunities for the second round of bass spawning, continuing gizzard shad spawning which will soon be followed by threadfin shad spawning. More forage is on the way for the many predators in Lake Powell. All Fish Are Hungry For this week, all fish are hungry and warming temperatures only increase the desire for food and... Full story
Every spring season, bass and crappie wait for just the right water temperature before spawning. Water temperature at this writing was 57F, which means that on a warm, calm day, the temperature will increase in the afternoon to the 64F threshold where spawning begins. It seems that water has been warmer this spring but looking back through the history of the lake, bass and crappie normally spawn during the third week of April. For those who have not experienced this event, the first week of spaw... Full story
Its time! Choose your species and technique Lake Powell is officially open for fishy business. The lake has now stabilized and is slowly starting to rise. Water temperature is rising. Bass are moving into the shallows. Stripers are found in all portions of the lake. The peak of spring fishing opportunities begins right now. Let's look at each species of fish and what they have to offer. Bass Bass are ready to spawn and lake level is stable. These are perfect conditions for sight-fishing. Male... Full story
On a recent trip to Washington D.C. McDowell naturally took time out for a little fishing. Hope his trip to D.C. was as successful as his fishing was on Chesapeake Bay.... Full story
Lake Powell sportfish were warm and happy when tucked in for the winter in 2015. Shad production has been at peak levels for the past two summer seasons. Gizzard shad dependably produce a consistent number of offspring, but in 2014-2015, threadfin shad were produced in record numbers. Stripers, bass and walleye absolutely "love" threadfin shad. The shad boom came at just the right time for an aging striper population comprised of old stripers that were worn out from searching for the scarce... Full story
'Quality of life is measured by amount of time spent fishing.' Warm weather is settling in, resulting in big changes in fishing conditions. Shallow colored water warms more quickly than deep clear water. Cold-blooded fish gravitate to and hang out in warmer water. The expected springtime fish movement to shallow, warmer water is now occurring. Stripers that were holding at 40-100 feet can now be found at 15-30 feet. Bass that were in deeper water are making their move to the backs of canyons... Full story
Tip Of The Week At Lake Havasu, a.k.a. Arizona's West Coast, anglers can have banner days on the bedding smallmouth bass. Crappie and largemouth bass will follow with their egg protecting endeavors. (Did I say, "crappie"? Yep, and it looks like Alamo Lake is ripe to be targeted for this great-tasting fish. Just get some good advice from an area tackle shop – if you need it -- and mean business.) The Reel Deal Most bass are in pre-spawn mode in most of the desert lakes. Before recent storms, some... Full story
Bill Luke Bass Days is "Making Bass Fishing Great Again!" The 18th annual event at Pleasant Harbor RV Resort and Marina is handing out over $50,000 in cash prizes over the course of the three-days bass fishing tournament. The bass fishing tournament has six daily hourly weigh-ins; every hour first place pays $300, second through tenth place pay $100. Top Overall Big Bass this year wins $10,000! The Biggest Bass of The Day, each day, will win $2,000. And, Bill Luke will pay a $1,000 cash award... Full story
Each November we conduct our annual gillnet sampling to assess adult fish population strength, numbers and health. Since we will be on the lake for two weeks, this issue's fishing report will the last of the season. Sporadic reports will be sent out randomly when something unusual happens like a trophy fish being caught. For current fishing information during winter log on to Wayneswords.com. The next regular weekly report will be published the first week of March 2016. Stripers Late fall finds... Full story
Local Striper Guide Derrick Franks, aka "The Striper Snatcher," is going big with a line of lead jigs. It all started this season in San Diego aboard the Malihini sport fishing vessel, fishing ¾-day trips. Franks took a knife to the gun fight. Day one, freshwater bass jig rod vs. yellow fin tuna -yep, the tuna won the fight. Day two, re-armed with a tuna rod, Frank lands yellow fin tuna. During the process, we had conversation on air about using the same swim baits, spoons irons and jigs... Full story
