Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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My last fish report expressed the hope that stripers would start boiling again, but to my dismay, no boils have been reported this week. Unforgettable boil action has occurred in August, September, and early October but each of these episodes has been interrupted by quiet periods when stripers stay deep despite a high abundance of forage. When boiling stripers do splash on top in big groups, it is easy to find and then catch them with surface lures. I hope that happens soon but, while waiting,... Full story
The fall sports season has begun with college and professional football kicking off. Not to be outdone, husky professional-size striped bass in Lake Powell are lining up to compete against the smaller-but-more-numerous underdog shad population. Shad are huddling in the backs of the canyons hoping to come up with a playbook that will allow them to survive another day. Stripers are on the open water side of the scrimmage line waiting for the shad to venture out in the open where they become fair... Full story
Stripers make for great fish tacos because of their mild, flaky, white meat, and medium texture. Also, the average-sized striper (10-12 inches) naturally fits into taco shells. If anything were meant to be - And here's why: Once an angler fillets a striper, he or she should cut out the blood line along the center. With average stripers, that leaves two strips tailor-made to relax in those crunchy or soft, curved-corn delicacies. Here's one way to prepare them: Dip the fillets in an egg wash and... Full story
Some misspell them, "strippers." True enough, they are just that: strippers of line. Today, though, we'll be talking about stripers. Just northwest of Phoenix, the striped bass fishery is buzzing. Lake Pleasant is a haven for these linesiders, known for their line-stripping potential, excellent table fare (their mild, white meat is great for fish tacos) and, under special regulations at this 9,500-lake, no bag limit. Great to eat. No bag limit. Yep, and this type of fishing is suitable for men... Full story
Brothers Jackson (10, right) and Vance (8, left) caught some large stripers while fishing with bait along Lake Powell?s shady canyon walls first thing in the morning. Striper boils get the most attention now, but fishing with bait in the shade is a good way to spend time while waiting for evening boils to emerge.... Full story
http://www.wayneswords.com Striper boils reported last week were visited by more happy anglers this week. Stripers did not disappoint - if the proper rules were followed. Stripers feed on their own schedule when in these bonus days of high shad numbers. The prime feeding time over the length of the lake was the last two hours of daylight. Major feeding events were described by lucky anglers as "covering 20 surface acres, continuing for hours, full of big fish, and totally satisfying." Those who... Full story
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
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
The unseasonably warm water experienced lately has now turned seasonably cooler. The cold front chased bass off their nests, sent stripers deeper and slowed fishing success temporarily. But in reality that makes this a normal April with the various changes that occur every spring. Now it is easy to predict what will happen next by looking at the temperature and weather forecast. Plan the fishing trip for three to five-day warming periods and avoid cold fronts if possible. Both Large And Smallmou... 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
The Reel Deal Spring fishing is here in all its bedding-bass, crisp-morning glory. Yet the vernal equinox, or the first day of spring when the Earth is neither inclined toward, nor away, from the sun, isn't until Friday, March 20. And the summer trout stocking schedule just came out. Read all about where trout are being stocked in a lake near you. This week's full moon has coincided with consistent, warm weather. The result? Springtime spawning conditions for largemouth bass have graced the... 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
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
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
Tip Of The Week Greer Derby The Business Council of Greer is sponsoring a $10,000 Fishing Derby until Oct. 31. Catch one of 50 tagged fish in the three Greer Lakes and bring one into the Lazy Trout Market to exchange for a hat. On Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. at The Lazy Trout Market, a tag will be drawn and it must match the winning number sent by OddsOnPromotions to win the $10,000. Registration is not necessary before catching the tagged fish. If there is no $10,000 winner, a $250 first and $100 second... 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...
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...
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
