FISHING
REPORT EDITOR:
Rory
Aikens, (602) 789-3214
Regional editors:
Pinetop Region - Richard
Dreyer, (928) 367-4281
Flagstaff Region - Chuck
Benedict, (928) 774-5045
Kingman Region - Andy
Clark, (928) 692-7700
Yuma Region - Brad
Jacobsen (928) 342-4051
Tucson Region - Don
Mitchell, (520) 388-4451
Mesa Region - Richard
Wiggins, (481) 324-3544
May
19,
2009
LAKE
POWELL - By Wayne Gustaveson.
Lake elevation: 3,619. Water temp: 68 - 73 F.
Lake
Powell tributaries are now depositing 90,000 acre feet per day in the
lake. That volume of water brings mud, cold temperature, and driftwood.
Fishing in the muddy water is difficult at best. For this week fish
clear water. The mudline is well downstream from Good Hope Bay in the
main stem and at Neskahi and Piute bay on the San Juan.
Lake Powell has risen 4 feet in a week. The shoreline is rapidly changing.
Expect to reposition the boat every day if camped on shore. Do not
leave vehicles close to the waters edge when camping for an extended
period.
To avoid false starts do not fish shallow flats that were dry desert
soil the previous day. Fish are not there yet. Instead look for a ravine
with steep sides and brush where fish can move vertically with rising
water and changing temperatures.
Cautions aside, the good news is that fish can still
be caught. Bass fishing is excellent for 1-2 pound smallmouth
bass. An occasionally largemouth or crappie is still caught
in the brush. Best bushes are those just recently covered by water
as they were home to bass before the lake rose so fast.
With the backs of canyons changing daily, a better strategy is
to fish main channel cliffs, cracks and cuts. The deep water ends of
rocky points allow one to find bass by gradually working deeper along
the point until fish are caught. Once the active fish depth zone is
known, concentrate efforts on that specific depth for best success.
Striped bass are being caught more often but still
only in modest numbers. Some anglers are finding stripers in the traditional
main channel spots including the dam, power plant intake, Navajo Canyon
and Moki Wall. It is necessary to fish much deeper than in past years.
Stripers are holding at 50-80 feet in the main channel, so let the
bait go deep and chum often to attract attention and get fish to rise
in the water column.
More consistent action is found trolling in 25 feet of water. That
pattern has been in place all spring and continues to produce the majority
of the striper harvest. Some good trolling locations include backs
of major canyons where bottom depth is 15-25 feet. Try Warm Creek,
Navajo, Gunsight, Last Chance, Rock Creek, Jacks Arch, Escalante, Lake
Canyon, Bullfrog, Halls Creek, and Red Canyon. Troll over the shallow
water between the Halls Ferry Ramp and houseboat buoy field. Again
catching 10 stripers a day is good and 20 or more is perfection.
One very bright spot is the potential walleye
catch this week. Rising water causes bank sloughing and
muddy coves. Warm temperatures energize walleye to their peak feeding
response of the year. Cast night crawlers to coves or troll muddy
main channel shoreline with Wally Diver lures to target hungry walleye.
Catfish have come alive now with warm water. The can be caught with
ease along main channel beaches in the evening with hotdogs, chicken
liver or anchovies.
Bluegill
are larger than normal. These forgotten fish will provide excellent
fishing and table fare for those willing to use live worms in the
brush.
LEES FERRY - Fishing Report Courtesy Lees Ferry Anglers:
Report by: Ted Welling
Fly Fishing: It was another great day of fishing here
at the ferry. Fish were in a good mood and ready to play, loads of
fish in the back eddies sipping midges. Just about anywhere you saw
foam and a few ducks you could bet there were fish just under the surface.
It almost looks like a light rain is falling in that particular spot.
The trick is to locate yourself so you can cast to them without spooking
them.
The drift is another tricky task, you can see them but, sometimes it
is hard to get your fly to do what is needed to hook these fish.
The riffles are fishing well too, some better than others but, that
will change from day to day.
There is an incredible amount of moss growing on the river bottom,
it is a bit of a pain but that will bode well for the trout’s food
base. I have been here quite a few years now and I cannot remember
seeing it this green.
We are using laser midges, zebra midges, San Juan worms, the dry and
dropper rig. Or even a double midge rig. It was just one of those perfect
days here today. Hope you can make it here soon. Tight lines, T
Walk in: This area is fishing as well. You don’t
need be in the water waist deep; knee deep will do fine. Out in the
water just enough to keep your line out and off the rocks. You will
see a kind of line in the water where it turns from light to a darker
color, that’s where you want to flick your fly and send it down stream
with a good dead drift.
Flies
of choice are the San Juan worm, brassies, zebra midges, the laser
midge, midge x and the like.
Spin Fishing: Fishing with glo bugs and San Juan worms on the bottom
seems to be the trick.
BE SURE YOU CRIMP THE BARBS.
If you have some news you would like to report about fishing lees
ferry, the walk-in section or up river please e-mail your report to: anglers@leesferry.com Attn.
Lees Ferry Fishing Report. We would be happy to have your input, and
pass it along.
-Ted Welling, Lees Ferry Anglers & Cliff Dwellers Lodge
Lees Ferry Anglers celebrates our 20-year anniversary this month and
we want to thank all of our customers for making this possible.
LAKE
MEAD - Lake Mead water levels are dropping at about one
foot per week. The current level is 1,099 feet above msl. The
striper bite has been great. Both trolling and fishing
under lights at night yielded large numbers of fish. The lights
are more productive when used around the new moon, on dark nights.
The next new moon is on Sunday the 24th, so look for the fishing
be really good at night. Two-pound
stripers are not uncommon.
Launching conditions at South Cove will continue to deteriorate as
the water level continues to drop. The concrete ramp the National
Park Service completed last year is one lane with cones marking the
edges. Use caution not to go off the sides of the metal extensions
at either side. National Park Service is working to keep the ramp open. Temple
bar launch ramp is two lanes. Launching conditions in general are
better at temple bar than south cove.
Important
notice: With the discovery of invasive
quagga mussels in Mead, Mohave and Havasu, proper cleaning
of all watercraft is critical to help prevent the spread of these
invaders. Please drain and dry your livewell and bilge on land.
Drain all the water you can from your engine. Also, inspect your
vessel and trailer, removing any visible mussels, but also feel for
any rough or gritty spots on the hull. These may be young mussels
that can be hard to see.
LAKE
MOHAVE - The lake level is around 643 feet above msl.
Fishing for stripers seems to be pretty good in the southern portion
of the lake. Submersible lights are very effective for stripers
when used on dark nights. The next new moon is on Sunday the 24th,
so look for the fishing be really good at night. The new fish
cleaning station at Katherines Landing is operational. Bass are
located on fish habitat in 15-20 ft. As the water warms look for
the fish to become more active.
Biologists
from both Arizona Game and Fish Department and Nevada Division of
Wildlife with the help of volunteers, National Park Service and Bureau
of Reclamation personnel have continued to install fish habitat in
Carp Cove, Box Cove and now Shoshone. Fish habitat consists of PVC
structures, wood pallet structures, Tamarisk bundles, and some Christmas
trees. The largemouth, bluegill and catfish are really utilizing
the new structures. Additional habitat will be added at several locations
over the next two years. These structures are fish magnets.
There is a wheelchair accessible fishing pier just south of the main
launch ramp at Katherine's Landing. If you fish Mohave and are having
luck, please e-mail me at mchmiel@azgfd.gov so
I can share your successes with others.
Important notice: With the discovery of invasive quagga
mussels in Mead, Mohave and Havasu, proper cleaning of all
watercraft is critical to help prevent the spread of these invaders.
Please drain and dry your livewell and bilge on land. Drain all the
water you can from your engine. Also, inspect your vessel and trailer,
removing any visible mussels, but also feel for any rough or gritty
spots on the hull. These may be young mussels that can be hard to
see.
WILLOW
BEACH - Trout are stocked every Friday. Fishing has been
pretty poor, only about 10-percent of the anglers are having success. The
striper bite has not been much better. A couple of 8-p0und stripers
were caught, but it seems to be pretty slow.
Important notice: With the discovery of invasive
quagga mussels in Mead, Mohave and Havasu, proper cleaning
of all watercraft is critical to help prevent the spread of these
invaders. Please drain and dry your livewell and bilge on land. Drain
all the water you can from your engine. Also, inspect your vessel
and trailer, removing any visible mussels, but also feel for any
rough or gritty spots on the hull. These may be young mussels that
can be hard to see. If you fish Willow beach and are having luck,
please e-mail me at mchmiel@azgfd.gov so
I can share your successes with others.
For more information, go to the Arizona Game and Fish Department's
web pages at www.azgfd.gov
TOPOCK
MARSH - The water level is up, but the fishing has been
really slow. Some bass are being caught, but fishing in general
is slow.
Fishing report from Georgia at Capt. Doyle’s Fun Fishing Guide
Service
Catfish between 1- and 8-pounds have been active during the nighttime
hours at North Dyke in the Topock Marsh. The better baits for these
cats have been meal worms and anchovies. Also being taken out of North
Dyke are largemouth bass. A variety of lures have been enticing bass
between 4- and 6-pounds. Baby bass topwater lures, pumpkin colored
crankbaits, brown and purple flake jigs as well as trout colored minnows
have all produced results.
The Topock Gorge remains productive. No limits as of yet but with a
half full stringer weighed down stripers between 2- and 7 ¼-pounds,
whose complaining. The channel cat action is up and down with sizes
running in the neighborhood of 2- and 3-pounds.
You can access the marsh by boat at the North Dike, Catfish Paradise,
and Five-Mile Landing. All three also provide plenty of area for shoreline
fishing too. For more information on the marsh, contact the Havasu
National Wildlife Refuge at (760) 326-3853 or go to http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/arizona/havasu/index.html.
Important notice: With the discovery of invasive quagga mussels in
Mead, Mohave and Havasu, proper cleaning of all watercraft is critical
to help prevent the spread of these invaders. Please drain and dry
your livewell and bilge on land. Drain all the water you can from your
engine. Also, inspect your vessel and trailer, removing any visible
mussels, but also feel for any rough or gritty spots on the hull. These
may be young mussels that can be hard to see.
COLORADO
RIVER BELOW DAVIS DAM - No new reports. The striper bite
has been slow. Trout are stocked once a month at both Davis Camp and
the Riverside. Look for the trout fishing to be good immediately following
the stocking.
Water levels on the river fluctuate, so be careful. You can check the
Bureau of Reclamation Web site for flow predictions http://www.usbr.gov/lc/riverops.html before
you go. If you fish the river below Davis Dam and are having luck,
please e-mail me at mchmiel@azgfd.gov so
I can share your successes with others.
Important notice: With the discovery of invasive quagga mussels in
Mead, Mohave and Havasu, proper cleaning of all watercraft is critical
to help prevent the spread of these invaders. Please drain and dry
your livewell and bilge on land. Drain all the water you can from your
engine. Also, inspect your vessel and trailer, removing any visible
mussels, but also feel for any rough or gritty spots on the hull. These
may be young mussels that can be hard to see.
OTHER
WAYS TO GET THE FISHING REPORT:
Internet Home Page www.azgfd.com
Recorded Public Call-In Line (602) 789-3701
