<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=4><TBODY><TR bgColor=#dfdfdf><TH style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18px" class=body12 bgColor=#b3b7ab>Waterbody</TH><!--<th bgcolor="#b3b7ab" class="body12">Updated</th>--><TH class=body12 bgColor=#b3b7ab>Report</TH></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD class=body12 vAlign=top>
Lake Powell
2010-07-14
Good
</TD><!--<td class="body12" nowrap valign="top">2010-07-14</td>--><TD class=body12 vAlign=top>Lake elevation: 3,638 feet
Water temperatures: 80–85°F
This is what to expect on a typical summer morning. We launched at Wahweap Stateline Ramp at 5 a.m. After the mussel prevention boat inspection we headed toward Castle Rock Cut. We saw single fish splashing along the way but no striper slurps or boils. That's not surprising; predators need sunlight on the water to see the tiny larval prey fish they are eating. Headed to the back of Warm Creek, we stopped to see if any of those single surfacing fish would hit a lure. The fish ignored all of our offerings. We saw an occasional yellow flash, which indicates most of these fish were carp.
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</TD></TR><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif]12-year-old Austin Kimber from Delta, Colorado caught a number of slurping 3-pound stripers near Bullfrog Bay. Some larger striper boils are now happening from Bullfrog to Hite.[/FONT]</TD></TR><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif]Photo courtesy of Wayne Gustaveson[/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Near the mouth of Crosby Canyon, jumping fish were still scatted but some were in close proximity. We eased the boat in the middle of the loose congregation of fish and deployed various surface lures, flies, spoons and rattle traps toward each splash. Small, 8- to 12-inch yearling stripers were quite cooperative. They hit flies and small spoons, but their favorite was a blue rattletrap. In the next hour, We put 21 of the best eating fish in the lake on ice.
Then we headed across Warm Creek on the way to Padre Bay. It was slow going. We would stop every 200 yards to cast at a 10 fish pod of slurping stripers. Some days, you can catch a fish from each pod. Not this time. We could only catch one striper out of every 5 pods of fish. Not a single fish hit a lure until we headed up the main channel. The rattletrap was preferred here again.
In Padre Bay, the slurps were a bit larger. We caught an occasional fish when we placed the lure perfectly in front of the lead fish. I can't explain the lack of respect for many of the casts that I thought were perfect, yet my casts were ignored for some undiscovered reason.
On the return trip, we saw pods of fish continuing to work in the same vicinity in which we saw them an hour earlier on the trip uplake. There were more fish in each pod but perhaps less aggression. They were totally focused on larval shad and not on artificial lures. At the fish cleaning station, we had 21 small stripers, eight 3-pounders and one walleye that ate a spoon that got too close to the bottom.
Bass and walleye fishing should remain good for the dog days of mid-summer. Casting deep-diving crankbaits into the tree line will consistently produce fish, but you'll lose a few lures in the process. To catch walleye, troll over tree tops. Walleye numbers are at a level that I have not seen since the 1980s. Largemouth bass in the 4- to 6-pound range continue to provide great sport for those hoping to catch their personal best bass. Smallmouth fishing is good but larger fish are deeper on rock structure. Try fishing 25- to 35-feet deep for the best chance to catch a quality smallmouth bass. Catfishing is exceptional in the evening and after dark.
Now that the lake has quit rising, good fishing spots will continue to produce fish each trip. Find a good spot and it will continue to pay off for the next month.
Information compiled by Wayne Gustaveson
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Lake Powell
2010-07-14
Good
</TD><!--<td class="body12" nowrap valign="top">2010-07-14</td>--><TD class=body12 vAlign=top>Lake elevation: 3,638 feet
Water temperatures: 80–85°F
This is what to expect on a typical summer morning. We launched at Wahweap Stateline Ramp at 5 a.m. After the mussel prevention boat inspection we headed toward Castle Rock Cut. We saw single fish splashing along the way but no striper slurps or boils. That's not surprising; predators need sunlight on the water to see the tiny larval prey fish they are eating. Headed to the back of Warm Creek, we stopped to see if any of those single surfacing fish would hit a lure. The fish ignored all of our offerings. We saw an occasional yellow flash, which indicates most of these fish were carp.
<TABLE style="WIDTH: 350px; FLOAT: right; MARGIN-LEFT: 10px" class=body10 hspace="5" vspace="3"><TBODY><TR><TD>
Then we headed across Warm Creek on the way to Padre Bay. It was slow going. We would stop every 200 yards to cast at a 10 fish pod of slurping stripers. Some days, you can catch a fish from each pod. Not this time. We could only catch one striper out of every 5 pods of fish. Not a single fish hit a lure until we headed up the main channel. The rattletrap was preferred here again.
In Padre Bay, the slurps were a bit larger. We caught an occasional fish when we placed the lure perfectly in front of the lead fish. I can't explain the lack of respect for many of the casts that I thought were perfect, yet my casts were ignored for some undiscovered reason.
On the return trip, we saw pods of fish continuing to work in the same vicinity in which we saw them an hour earlier on the trip uplake. There were more fish in each pod but perhaps less aggression. They were totally focused on larval shad and not on artificial lures. At the fish cleaning station, we had 21 small stripers, eight 3-pounders and one walleye that ate a spoon that got too close to the bottom.
Bass and walleye fishing should remain good for the dog days of mid-summer. Casting deep-diving crankbaits into the tree line will consistently produce fish, but you'll lose a few lures in the process. To catch walleye, troll over tree tops. Walleye numbers are at a level that I have not seen since the 1980s. Largemouth bass in the 4- to 6-pound range continue to provide great sport for those hoping to catch their personal best bass. Smallmouth fishing is good but larger fish are deeper on rock structure. Try fishing 25- to 35-feet deep for the best chance to catch a quality smallmouth bass. Catfishing is exceptional in the evening and after dark.
Now that the lake has quit rising, good fishing spots will continue to produce fish each trip. Find a good spot and it will continue to pay off for the next month.
Information compiled by Wayne Gustaveson
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