Lake Elevation: 3,637 msl

Water Temperature 82-87 F

PAGE, Ariz. — Lake elevation has stabilized and water temperature is at its peak for the summer. It was 84 degrees this morning at sunrise. These factors allow sport fish to settle into a pattern without responding to water level changes. Occasional monsoon cloud bursts are taken in stride without lasting impact.

The water is warmer than most fish prefer sending most deeper during the heat of the day. Young shad take advantage of this and hang out at the surface hoping for separation from lake predators. Striped bass hang out at cooler depth strata but “look up” for a chance at an easy meal from the tiny bait fish. Stripers rise quickly and as a group surround shad, eat quickly and then go back to cooler water. Sometimes the whole process takes a few seconds. At other times a bigger shad school makes it worth working up a sweat to eat more fish and the boil may continue for a few minutes.

Catching fish focused entirely on eating three-quarter inch long larval shad is challenging, especially when the predators have to dive quickly for personal comfort. Here are some tricks to even the playing field a bit until shad have time to grow large enough to be bigger targets.

When a boil is observed try to determine direction of travel so the boat can be in position to cast when fish resurface. The most vulnerable time for slurping stripers is the first time they break surface in attack. Almost any lure cast to a fish as it breaks surface will be eaten.

More likely the boat will be in casting range when the school is headed for deep water. Follow the diving fish with a small diving lure like a Lucky Craft pointer or rattletrap. The most versatile lure is one that will descend quickly to the fish holding depth. Spoons and swim baits can be fished on top, at mid depth and in the deeper cool zone. Vary speed of retrieve until it is apparent that fish want it fast or slow. That speed preference seems to change throughout the day.

Catching slurpers is challenging. This activity is found lake wide and seeing slurps morning and evening is assured. Boiling fish are found more often uplake when cooler water is closer to the surface because of the recent heavy runoff. Best boils and highest catches are coming from Good Hope bay to Hite.

Don’t forget bass with all the surface striper chasing going on. Casting a plastic grub in smoke or watermelon color at fist light in the morning is almost a sure thing. Again the northern lake is best.

Ten-inch smallmouth are ever present over the length of the lake. Little bass and sunfish provide great sport for kids learning how to fish. Take some time out from water sports to teach a youngster the joy of fishing. He or she will be forever grateful. Small hooks and live worms are all that is needed. The same goes for catfish. Fish cats in the evening at supper time and bass in the early morning or under the shade of the houseboat. Can it be that easy? Try it and see.

Lake Level 3637.99

Water Temp: 80-85

Been  fishing  quite a bit and stripers are best found this month by cruising to locate schools that are constantly moving. This being what I call the 10 year cycle for larger fish in the slurping stage that normally would be the 1-2 lb. schoolies as the nights begin to cool in August.  You will be able to spot feeding fish a 1/2 mile away in the mornings.  Right now fishing can be excellent on the fly and spin tackle and it will only get better.  Had 4 boat trip yesterday with our boat catching the “largest striper’ 5 lbs.  Excited for August and Fall especially. 

Fountain Ready to Go

By: Wayne Gustaveson                         July 7, 2010
Lake Elevation: 3638                           Water Temperature 79-84 F
 
Bullfrog Is Boiling!
 
The main channel upstream from Bullfrog has erupted with significant sustained striper boils.  That is the place to be right now.  Cruise the main channel from Bullfrog to Good Hope Bay early in the morning or in the evening to find cooperative striped bass chasing shad on the surface.  Slurping boils are still seen every day in the main channel near Wahweap but fishing near Bullfrog and upstream is much more rewarding.
 
Boils are seen more often in the main channel than in the backs of canyons.  Shad migrate into the channel in search of plankton where they are found by stripers that have recently completed spawning in main channel areas.  Later as shad grow larger they will leave the channels and bays to seek shelter in brush ringed coves. For now, search the channels and bays morning and evening to find hungry striped bass.
 
The next step in boil progression will be at Hite. The water is now clearing rapidly as runoff has subsided to normal summer flow patterns. With increased visibility shad will migrate into the channels as they have done down lake and stripers will find them. There are more shad in the productive inflow areas. Expect boils to be bigger and stronger each day in the Hite area.  That will be the place to be from mid July to the end of the month. 
 
Walleye fishing remains strong from Bullfrog to Hite. Record numbers of walleye were found in northern lake sampling last year. Those fish are hungry and willing to hit live worms, plastic baits and trolled crankbaits. Morning, evening and night are the best times to fish for these light sensitive fish.  They can be caught mid day and afternoon in areas where wind or wave action has created a mudline which provides shade for these ambush feeders.   Muddy coves along the main channel are great walleye producing spots.
 
Bass continue to hit plastic baits, live worms, and spinnerbaits. Largemouth will be right inside dense brushy shelter. Weedless rigged baits that can be worked through and retrieved from brush are the most effective. Four-pound largemouth are still being caught each week.
 
Smallmouth bass are on rock structure and seemed to be found more often in the backs of canyons and coves than in open bays. Trailing a single tail plastic grub rigged Carolina style or fishing drop-shot rigged plastic baits directly under the boat at 25 feet seems to the best method for successfully taking bass right now.
 
Catfishing is awesome on sandy beaches near camp in the evenings and just after dark.
 
It’s the dog days of summer but Lake Powell fish don’t care. They are still being caught in good numbers and in exciting fashion. .

Here is the latest from our Chief Biologist “Wayne’s Words”

Lake Powell Fish Report

 
By: Wayne Gustaveson                         June 23, 2010
Lake Elevation: 3638                           Water Temperature 69-75 F
 
Slurps and Boils!
 
We will be talking about surface feeding by striped bass for the rest of the summer. Here are some terms that will make it easier for you to understand my reports. “Slurps” are defined as surface feeding by stripers of all sizes on very small larval shad. Tiny shad are poor swimmers. There is not much chance of them eluding stripers that line up with open mouths and skim the surface sucking in shad as they go. The scrimmage line moves along at high speed (3-5 mph). Slurpers go down when the boat gets in range but then resurface in random directions. If they come up near the boat stripers are easier to catch. If they surface well out of range the boat must be quickly repositioned to get in casting range again.
 
“Boils” happen when all size stripers trap fast swimming juvenile and adult shad at the surface and feed voraciously while shad are trapped within the circular stationary striper school. Boiling stripers consume large surface lures that can be cast for long distances.
 
Slurping stripers can be fussy eaters because their prey is so small. The feeding school can move in just about any direction as larval shad are commonly found in most open water areas. Fishing success in slurps requires precision casting. A lure tossed into the scrimmage line will spook the whole school or be ignored by fish looking straight ahead. But a lure cast well in front of the first fish and worked back into the scrimmage line will be seen and sometimes eaten. This morning slurpers would take full size surface lures and crankbaits until 8 AM. Then we used finesse streamer flies behind a casting bubble to deliver a small bait a very long way. This method proved just as effective for stripers as it is for trout.
 
Stripers are now slurping intermittently throughout the day. This morning slurps were seen from Wahweap Bay to Navajo Canyon to Padre Bay and beyond. My guess is that stripers are slurping from Wahweap to Bullfrog and perhaps as far uplake as Good Hope Bay. The upper lake beyond Good Hope is too muddy for slurps. Slurps will last through the rest of June with boils beginning in July. Stripers caught from slurps this morning weighed between 3 and 4 pounds.
 
Excellent fishing for big largemouth bass exists in the tree line that is now mostly under water. Use heavy line with weedless plastic baits worked right in the thickest brush for best results.
 
Smallmouth bass are found on rocky structure in the main canyons and main channel. Smaller bass are shallow while larger bass are at depths of 15-30 feet. Tube jigs, Carolina rigs and drop shot baits fished along the breaking edge of fast falling sloping rock are very effective.
 
Walleye continue to be caught in the largest numbers seen since the 1980s. Trolling along brushy treetops, crawling worm harnesses along the bottom and casting to muddy coves morning and evening are all effective techniques.
 
Fishing success continues to be awesome. The only drawback/benefit now is that the technique determines which species will be caught. It is possible to pick which fish to catch by choosing a location and a technique to match the target species.

Lake Elevation:  3636.03

Surface activity beginning to appear with Stripers lakewide.  Smallmouth are being caught on rock piles off the points  You may get an occasional Walleye still.  I have been catching them each time I am out. 

Capt. Bill

Nice Walleye caught 6-06-10 with Ambassador Guides

Lake Powell rose 4 feet since the last report one week ago. Daily inflow is currently near 74,000 acre feet per day. Water temperature went right through the upper 60s on its way to 80F.
The water temperature spike was exactly what striped bass were waiting for. They spawned last week from June 2-5 in Padre Bay. Spawning in most lake locations probably occurred at about the same time but local differences in wind, and water temperature may have allowed spawning to happen a week sooner or later at individual locations. Spawning by stripers ascending the Colorado River will occur next week as water warms and fish swim to Cataract Canyon to lay eggs. These eggs roll and tumble in violent current for two days. Hatching occurs as eggs reach the calm lake inflow. Here they survive on small plankton until large enough to eat fish.
 

There have been no reports of anglers finding a school of spawning stripers and catching trophy fish. It looks like the spawning discovery was more of an academic exercise. But is was fun and rewarding to track the school and determine spawning duration.

Another sampling event has much more interest to anglers. Larval shad tows indicate good numbers of young shad are being hatched in the backs of most canyons. It will be only a matter of days until these young shad are discovered by stripers just set free from “spawning prison”. Mature stripers have not eaten hardly anything for over a month while waiting to spawn. They are now free to go find food. Expect stripers to move toward the surface where larval shad reside.

Expect young stripers to be the first to start “slurping” planktonic larval shad. It will take the adult stripers another week or two to find small shad. Shad grow an inch a month. When shad get more girth to go with their 2 inch length, boils will being. Might as well tie on a surface lure now. You will need it for the next 5 months.

Smallmouth bass fishing is still excellent. Small bass are on most rock structure in the main channel and canyon. Use single tail grubs and senkos for steady action.

Largemouth bass are in the row of brush just recently covered by rising water. Use weightless senkos, double tail grubs and spinnerbaits to work the brush line.

Walleye are in murky cuts where bottom depth is 15-25 feet. Use live worms or plastic baits slowly crawled along the bottom to entice an attack from these ambush feeders.

Sunfish/Bluegill are building nests in shallow water and are susceptible to surface lures and popping bugs.  Unfortunately, rapidly rising water makes them hard to find.

Catfish spawning is just beginning. These bottom dwellers will be seen in shallow water for the next two weeks as they seek out nest sites and partners. Carp have begun to spawn as well. That splashing on the surface this week will likely be carp. Next week it might be stripers!
 

Photo Caption: Shane Spravzoff, Flagstaff, AZ, caught some nice walleye at Lake Powell.  May is the best time to find these tasty food fish.  Fish under mud lines in the main channel for best results.

Cold windy weather stalled much of the expected spawning activity this past week. Runoff slowed allowing the lake to rise only one foot in a week. Surface water temperature has been in the mid 50s most mornings. But that is now history and a new warming trend is developing.

The modest rise in lake elevation means that clear water still exists in the main and southern lake. Backs of canyons and coves still offer the opportunity to sight fish for spawning bass and crappie. At the inflow areas the mudline extends from Hite to Good Hope Bay. In the San Juan and Escalante cloudy muddy water is only a moderate threat in the last few miles nearest running water.
 

New warming will increase water temperature back into the 60s and make it unlikely that a return to the 50s will happen. That will allow bass and crappie to move back on nests for one final spawning event. Nests will be found at depths of 5 to 8 feet making them visible in many locations. Lures and techniques that have been working for the past month will still be very effective. Smallmouth bass like plastic grubs and tubes fished on rocky points. Largemouth and crappie will be in the tree line and susceptible to slow sinking, weedless rigged plastic double tail grubs and senkos. Spinner baits work well for both species. Bass like the big flashy blades while crappie are suckers for little spinners like Roadrunners. The old standard chartreuse marabou crappie jig is still a winner. Enjoy bass and crappie fishing for one more week before the runoff heats up and the nests get lost in rising water.

Walleye fishing is nearing its peak. Don’t expect to catch daily limits of the tasty food fish but a few can now be caught while fishing for bass. It is possible to troll crank baits or drag worm harnesses along the bottom for walleye. Use afternoon wind induced mudlines as one key to find productive spots. Main channel points, plunging into deep water, are a good place to start.

Striped bass are forming large schools in almost every canyon as they prepare to spawn. The spawning trigger is a rapid rise in lake temperature. Unfortunately, the prespawn period is about the only time that stripers are off feed and difficult to catch. Big schools have been seen cruising the shallows but attempts to catch them have been ignored. There are isolated events like windy feeding opportunities or fleeing shad schools that will ignite the large schools into a feeding frenzy. Be aware of the possibility that a striper school could show up at any moment. React to that event when it occurs because it will be a memorable experience.

Threadfin shad will spawn this week as morning water temperature reaches 65-70. They spawn at dawn so get up early to throw shad imitating rattletraps or crankbaits in the back of canyons and coves. All game fish enjoy the shad spawn as a line of tasty forage fish swims along the surface readily visible to anglers and game fish alike. Find spawning shad and catch bass and stripers. It is that easy.