Lake Powell Tagged Walleye contest begins July 1st. Catch a tagged walleye and win prizes.
Lake Elevation: 3619
Water Temperature: 79F – 83F
By: Wayne Gustaveson http://www.wayneswords.com
Lake Powell came up another 3 feet since the last report. All fish seem to like the rising water but changing conditions are making fishing better at some locations and not as good at others.
Here is the most recent fishing schedule for midlake Bullfrog / Halls and upstream:
From first light until the sun hits the water there are lots of small slurping stripers all over the mid section of the lake. After 8 AM with full sun on the water larger stripers join in the surface feeding action with the small slurpers. I think the larger stripers need the sunlight to be able to identify and target the small shad (less than one inch) they are pursuing. Large boils and slurps are found until about mid day when the surface action subsides. Iceberg Canyon had some majestic boils recently.
Smallmouth bass are willing participants all day long near sloping shorelines and rock piles while larger bass are hiding under the floating debris and near submerged brush.
From noon to 5 PM, particularly in breezy areas, walleye are the most likely fish to catch. Look for mud lines or murky water trailing off points in the Stanton Creek area. Troll medium diver lures where bottom depth is 7-20 feet. When a walleye is hooked trolling, return to the hooking spot and try for more walleye by casting jigs and night crawlers to the capture sight or slow troll bottom bouncers and worms in the area. From Bullfrog to Hite walleye are caught in the afternoons in murky water.
This is exciting news since the tagged walleye contest will start this week on July 1st. Many walleye with red numbered tags in their back are now swimming in Bullfrog Bay and nearby canyons. Catch one of these tagged fish and win prizes awarded by Sportsman’s Warehouse, Stix Market, Fish Tech and Berkeley. You must register on line before catching the walleye to be eligible for a prize.
Enter here: http://wildlife.utah.gov/lake-powell-tagged-fish-contest.html
Fishing success around Bullfrog was slow after 5 PM earlier this week. Expect that to change soon but for now the best fishing times are early mornings for stripers and afternoons for walleye.
Wahweap to Rock Creek fishing schedule:
In the southern lake trolling for stripers works well in the morning shade of tall canyon walls on the east side of Padre Bay, Last Chance and Rock Creek. Bait fishing for stripers is still excellent all day long in Navajo Canyon from the mouth to the far end. Surface slurping activity is slowing down but still visible and fish catchable during the morning hours from Wahweap to Rock Creek. Further upstream from Rock Creek to Escalante surface activity continues all morning long for small slurpers and the larger stripers up to 24 inches that have joined in on the feeding spree. Impatient stripers are consuming way too many tiny shad now. It would be much wiser for stripers to wait until shad were larger than 2 inches. We can help stripers manage their resources better by chasing the slurps, making the stripers go deep and allowing some shad to escape the constant striper pursuit.
Smallmouth bass are found in the backs of canyons and coves. A slender rock slide located on a barren slick rock wall marks a location where bass, walleye and sunfish can be caught on live worms, small plastic grubs and swim baits. In full sun look for a tall cliff wall to provide shade and then target a rockslide or a few submerged boulders to target smallmouth bass.
There are not as many walleye to be caught in the southern lake but tagged walleye are available to be caught from Warm Creek to Rock Creek.
Fishing success is surprisingly good for long, hot summer days marked with lots of boat traffic, water sports, and houseboats. The key is to select the right location, technique and time of day to seek after your favorite species of fish.
