Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Fishing Success Will Even Improve As Summer Wanes
BIG NEWS --The big news this week is that the first tagged walleye has been captured in Bullfrog Bay. It is not only possible to catch a walleye in the heat of the summer but also to capture one of the select few fish that have been tagged with red Floy tags. The attached picture shows where to look for the tag when a walleye is caught. Jared Beckman was awarded a gift card from Sportsmans Warehouse as his prize. If you would like to enter the contest before the next trip to Lake Powell you may do so at this Web site. http://wildlife.utah.gov/lake-powell-tagged-fish-contest.html
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 consistent habitat type is a steep main channel canyon wall that ends in a shallow rocky flat or point.
Stripers hold in the deep water and then move up to shallower rocky areas to search for crayfish. Recent hotspots include Antelope Canyon, Warm Creek Wall, Navajo Canyon and shady east walls in Padre Bay and Last Chance canyon. Look for the same steep walled habitat in the northern lake for fast bait fishing.
From Rock Creek to Hite, stripers are feeding on the surface and easy to find as slurping boils are often seen anytime during the day. Larger stripers have joined smaller fish in chasing small shad to the top. Surface activity is still found in the main channel but surface action is increasing along the shoreline.
We found stripers chasing shad into 2 feet of water on our sampling trip this week. Shad were trying to find a hiding place in the brush ring that now surrounds the lake. Hopefully, some of those shad will survive to grow to a larger size and provide more forage in the fall.
Bass Fishing Excels
Bass fishing continues to excel along the rocky shoreline. Plastic grubs, swim baits, spinner baits, and surface lures are working well. The best topwater fishing is found at dusk and dawn while the best daytime fishing action is at 25 feet with plastic baits fished close to the bottom. A striper school chasing shad into the shallows activates the bass and increases opportunities to catch a wide variety of species. I was surprised to catch a walleye on a rattletrap while fishing the shoreline after surface feeding stripers evacuated the area.
Panfish Increasing In Size
Bluegill and green sunfish are seen much more often and their size is increasing. Look for a canyon or cove with lots of weeds. Large schools of bluegill can be seen in shallow water hanging out in the newly submerged brush. They can be caught on tiny crappie jigs or on live worms on small hooks. Bluegill are excellent eating fish and a lot of fun for kids to catch off the back of the boat.
Catfish Constant Visitors
Catfish are a constant visitor to sandy shore areas where houseboats can park on a sandy beach. Catfish are best caught in the evening on hotdogs or other leftover dinner food. My favorite catfish bait is found in a striper stomach. Just open the stomach cavity of a freshly caught striper and remove the liver. Catfish just cannot get enough striper liver! Try it.
This has been a great year for catching fish at the lake and it looks like fishing success will only improve as summer wanes.
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