Upper Colorado River

Arizona Game and Fish Department's Fishing Report

FISHING REPORT EDITOR:
Rory Aikens, (602) 789-3214

January 26, 2012

Note: If you have a fishing report, send it to "Been Fishing?” at bfishing@azgfd.gov

LAKE POWELL –  Last report for the winter was By Wayne Gustaveson, Lake Powell Fish Report on Nov. 21, 2011

Shad remain in shallow water when temperature is close to 60 and retreat into deep water when temperature is near 55.

Knowing that makes it an easy decision when launching at Hite where fishing is best now.  In warm water, head up stream where water is shallow and murky.  Fish in the brush for bass and stripers.   When water cools into the low 50s then head downstream and fish deeper water for striper schools resting on the bottom. 

Great success has been found recently fishing with plastic baits like walleye assassins in salt and pepper color. An offset worm hook can be turned into the plastic, instead of exposed, to allow it to fish weedless in the treetops.  The assassin is heavy enough to cast without adding extra weight.  Move steadily along the shoreline until a striper is caught and then concentrate on that spot to catch more striped school mates as they feed in the brush on shad and sunfish.  When a striper is hooked and brought to the boat, school mates often follow, hoping for a feeding opportunity.  As your buddy is reeling in a fish, don’t grab the net.  Instead drop a spoon under the boat to catch another striper.

This same pattern works lakewide with some modifications. Fishing is hot for bass and stripers in the tree line surrounding the lake during the last hour of daylight.  Again work steadily along the brushy shoreline in water less than 20 feet deep until a striper is caught. Then concentrate on that location casting rattletraps, flat-raps and/or walleye assassins.  The lure is not as important as the timing. As the suns sets, fish feed voraciously for the last hour of the day.  

During the day trolling along the edge of the brush line in water 15-20 feet deep results in a steady (not fast) catch of stripers along with a few bass.  Rattletraps, X-raps, Bomber flat raps, and other medium divers that hit tree tops without snagging result in an average of 2 fish per hour in the main lake.  Fishing is much faster at Hite upstream from the ramp. 

Crappie can be caught very well now in the San Juan arm and from Good Hope to Hite. Walleye fishing is prime for those slow trolling a night crawler harness behind a bottom bouncer. The trick is to find a brush free bottom near the brush zone where the walleye rig can be used without hanging up.  Look mid channel where water depth is 20 to 40. Check the graph to look for a flat bottom without brush for best results.

Enjoy the late season fishing and wonderful warm days when storm fronts are not forecast.  Air and water temperatures near 60 make a delightful time for fishing at Lake Powell.

LEES FERRY -- Report courtesy Lees Ferry Anglers. Fishing upriver has been good the last few of days. The river is running 9,550 cfs for the majority of the day and increasing to 16,000 cfs in the evening, but dropping back down by the morning. These new flows have really opened up the river creating an abundance of wading opportunities.

Beginning in February the river will be running around 7,000 cfs for the majority of the day and increasing to 13,000 cfs in the evening and dropping back down by the morning. The key to a successful fishing day is to follow the sun. Where ever the sun is hitting on the water should make for better fishing.

Fishing the seams, riffles and drop offs from the gravel bars has been the most productive. We are primarily nymphing using Scuds, San Juan Worms, Zebra midges and Glo-bugs. The fish tend to be right on the edge or in the deeper water just after the drop off. Using a dry fly with a dropper such as a Zebra Midge, Glo-bug or Scud has also had some success depending on the water one is fishing.

There are more actively spawning trout in a few areas on the river. A person may consider fishing a Glo-Bug below a San Juan worm or a Scud. The spawn should only improve as we get later into January and February. However, the location of the spawning beds will change depending on the current river flows.

Although the water has come down another good option is fishing a small streamer or wooly bugger. Stripping the wooly bugger has been successful but the key is to vary your strip retrieve. This particular method may produce some larger fish. When streamer fishing, we highly recommend a Teeny 200 grain sinking tip or a similar line. The reason for the Teeny is that the sinking tip is twenty feet allows the streamer to cover more water effectively especially the deeper drop offs.

If this is your first time fishing at Lees Ferry or if it has been a long time since you last fished the Ferry we strongly recommend hiring a guide for the day. Not only will hiring a guide improve your chances at catching fish they will also give you advice on how to fish, where to fish and help improve your skills and techniques. It is a great way to learn the water.

If you’re contemplating a trip to Lees Ferry, I would say go for it. Fishing has been good. We have had a really mild winter thus far with comfortable temperatures. The crowds have virtually disappeared for the season it is as though you have the whole river to yourself. Weekends tend to have a little more traffic than during the week days. We have rooms available. Our winter rates are fifty dollars a night for one or two people from now until February 23, 2012. If you have any questions please give us a call at 1-800-962-9755.

Walk-In Report: By Dean Windham

Fly Fishing: The glo-bug is still working well in all areas of the walk-in. The fish seem to be getting used to the flow fluctations patterns and are feeding more in the morning and less as the day goes along. Everyone appears to be catching fish with some nice sizes also. Good news for February as the flow will fluctate but be even lower than this month. The predicted low flows will be 7,000 cfs in the morning and 13,000 peak in late afternoon. This will make the fishing even better.

The upper boulder area has been fishing well with glo-bugs, midges, and San Juan worms. A couple of people I spoke with also had some luck with scuds. This, area has some great holding water, so don’t overlook this as a fun place to fish.

The area from the big boulder down to the Paria River has been producing some really nice fat fish. Here also the glo-bug has been doing well. Most use a glo-bug dropper with a San Juan attractor. Some fisherman have also been using streamers, wooly buggers mainly, and having good results. Just remember if using streamers you will need a line with a long sinking tip. We recommend a Teeny T-200 line as it sinks quickly and puts the fly on top if the fish faster than the shorter sinking tip lines. With the lower flows wading is much easier and we can now get to some of the seams that we could not fish during the high flows of December.

The spot where the Paria enters the Colorado river is still fishing very good at all times. This is one area where it seem the fish are always hanging out. Twenty to thirty fish mornings are quite possible here. You can try most anything in this area including drys in the afternoon. Glo-bugs are the most consistent producer but everything works it’s just a matter of getting it down to where the fish are.

Remember when coming up to the Ferry make sure that you have new leader and tippet. The fish here will test your tackle and if it has any weaknesses they will find it.

Spin fishing the walk-in has been good this week. Most of the spin fishing is drifting glo-bugs. This has been the most successful method of taking fish at the walk-in as well as up river. Kastmaster and panther martins have also been working when you can find the fish and get them to drop down on the this. We did have some weather earlier in the week and it seemed that the spin fishing was better during this period. Spin fishing follows the same pattern as fly fishing in that the fish are more active in the morning with the rising flows and less active in the afternoon. This does not mean that you can not catch fish in the afternoon they just need more encouragement. With the lower flows predicted for February fishing should be even better but remember that with the lower flows it will take a while get used to what depth your lure needs to be at. You will be picking up more moss but you should also get more fish and perhaps even more larger fish.

The best area in the walk-in for spin fishing is where the Paria River joins the Colorado river but remember this area demands caution when wading due to all of the muck being deposited. The conditions change constantly so be aware of where you are wading. Also always put new line on your reels before fishing the Ferry as the fish are very strong and if your line is old it will not hold.

At the start of the week the rating was an 8 at the end of the week it was a 7 due to the fish getting used to the fluctuating flows and moving around more than the previous week. All in all the fishing is great and the weather has been awesome. If you have any questions about fishing the Ferry email us or call us at 1-800-962-9755 or stop by the Fly Shop for more tips and to pick up some local fly patterns. We’ll see you then.
Spin Fishing Up River:

Spin fishing is good! It’s all about bouncing Glo bugs, San Juan Worms and Scuds off the bottom.

You can also try fishing with gold Kastmasters, black and gold Panther Martins #5s or Rapalas in Perch or trout.

Also definitely don’t forget about the marabou jig, this one has been working great and has been very reliable.

Report from one of our customers:

I rented a boat from you all and fished the river on Sunday with 2 friends. First off the boat ran great. We had some issues the last time out and we appreciate that they are all resolved.

On to the fishing – 3 words — Best Day Ever. The weather cooperated wonderfully. Our party had 2 experienced Lees Ferry fisherman and one total noob. Our noob got a fish on the third cast and ended up with at least 20 to hand for the day. I got a fish on the first and second casts, missed the fish on the third and had one on the fourth. I had only two casts all day that did not have a strike or a fish and on those I had the flies stuck to the indicator. We each had over 100 fish to hand easily. It was truly and incredible day. I give the up river rating a 10 (maybe an 11).

Fish were hitting eggs, midges and worms with the eggs getting the most fish. We’ll be back soon.

Rusty

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.

LAKE MEAD – The current water level is still approximately 1134 feet above msl. Water elevation has risen about 43 feet from this time last year and 13 feet from October’s elevation.  As the water rises more and more vegetation, mostly in the form of small salt cedars, gets flooded and makes habitat for fish.  There seems to be an abundance of shad currently which may be the reason for the lack of bite.  Cut anchovies are still the bait of choice.  Check the moon phases before you go –last new moon was Christmas Eve.  The next new moon will be January 23rd.  Dark nights work best when fishing under light.  Fishing for stripers in 50 plus feet of water will normally find the larger fish.   If you can locate the shad, the stripers are not far behind.  Trolling usually works best in areas were shad are found and best done in the early mornings and evenings.  The bite for largemouth and smallmouth was reported good using plastic worms and crawdads with purple and browns in them.  Several fishermen said that top water lures were working for them.  One boat had been using a white frog and having good success also.  All the fishermen contacted were hopeful for the coming years with rising water conditions and the abundance of baitfish they have seen this year.   

Launching conditions at South Cove have improved as the water level has gone up. There are currently four lanes.  As the water raises logs and other debris can become hazards, so be careful boating.

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 has maintained about 639 feet above msl.  The black bass are hitting soft baits when worked slowly especially on grass beds in 20 to 30 feet deep.  Trolling with anchovies in 30-50ft has been producing some stripers, while catfish are on the bottom.  While the number of stripers in Mohave has been decreasing, the quality of the fish caught has increased. A couple recently caught several stripers in the 4 lb. to 10 lb. range using rainbow colored Storm Wildeye Swimbait in the Cottonwood Basin area. Best time to fish is at night for cats and he likes fishing for largemouth and smallmouth in the early morning with blue, black and purple and black grubs and worms. 

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, Shoshone, and Arrowhead.  Fish habitat consists of PVC structures, wood pallet structures, tamarisk bundles, and some Christmas trees. The largemouth, smallmouth, 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 gcummins@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.

For more information, go to the Arizona Game and Fish Department's web pages at www.azgfd.gov

WILLOW BEACH – Willow Beach is stocked every Friday with 3,000 13” rainbow trout.  Rainbow, peach, garlic and yellow Power Baits and Powerworms were being used most for trout.  Jakes original and Jakes Juniors, Panther Martin and Rooster Tails are also usually effective.   Fishing is usually best near the fishing pier after the Friday stocking.  Most of the nice stripers and trout are seem to be caught between river mile 49 and 53.  Jenna caught a 23.78 lb striper with a Bomber and last week Jim landed a 38.7 lb striper on an imitation trout swim bait. 

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 gcummins@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

COLORADO RIVER BELOW DAVIS DAM – Trout stocking has resumed at Davis Camp, Rotary Park and Riverside on the second Tuesday of each month starting in October. Trout continue to bite in the casino area with some larger fish in the deep holes.  Several folks have called and spoke of very large trout being caught in the Laughlin area. A recent report from Debby of Orange County, says she drifted from the Laughlin Bridge to Rotary Park in a kayak and caught a beautiful 4 lb. rainbow trout between the Palms and Harris Casinos.  Overall the fishing is great on the river. 

Topock Gorge-The report from the Gorge is that the cold has slowed the bite down.  The reported bright spot is that the bluegill bite is hot and heavy with fish up to 2.25 lbs being taken.  A group from Brighton MI had a blast catching bluegill and redear on small brass crappie hooks baited with very small pieces of night crawler.  Smallmouth and largemouth are being a little harder to catch but that should change with a few warm days. A 3.5 lb largemouth was recently caught on night crawlers.

Rainbow trout are stocked by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service monthly during the winter. The fish are normally stocked in two locations; Davis Camp and near The Riverside. Stocking at Rotary Park has made another access point to the river for fishing and has made many people happy.  Trout fishing at the stocking sites is great immediately following the stockings, then the fish move out and you need to find them.

Rainbow trout are located throughout the river below Davis dam, but anglers typically report catching trout on the Arizona side across from the Riverside, off the shore of Davis Camp and in the big bend area. This year we have received multiple reports of larger holdover trout being caught.  Remember to fish for trout, you need a trout stamp on Class A and Lifetime fishing licenses.

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 gcummins@azgfd.gov so I can share your successes with others.

Capt. Doyle's Fishing Report:

Winter may be giving way to an early spring–we can only hope such is the case. January has been relatively warm which means fishing in the Topock Gorge has been productive. Striper action remains a little lackluster except for the occasional fish.

Smallmouth bass bite as well as the largemouth bite while not as lively as it will soon be, is still pleasingly entertaining. Sizes have been running between dinks and 2-pounds. One largemouth tipped the scales at 3.5-pounds–night crawlers have been the bait du-jour.

The sunfish action continues to be energetic. Weights have been ranging between pan size and 2.25 -pound! If you think sunfish aren’t worth fishing for; think again. Their meat is firm and white and a fillet makes for a deliciously tasty taco–just add cabbage and salsa.

Like the striper, 2011 was uncharacteristically shy of catfish.  Melancholy fishers of both the striped bass and the whisker fish are longing for a more plentiful 2012. Catfish action may be off in the river, but stringers of them are being taken near North Dyke in the Topock Marsh on live bait–minnows as well as with worms. The marsh is also producing a few largemouth bass, and crappie. Anglers have been spotted dipping their rods into the waters at South Dyke, but no reports have issued forth!

Thanks, 
Georgia

TOPOCK MARSH – The action at Topock Marsh has been steadily improving. Night crawlers and live minnows have been tempting catfish from North Dyke.   Bass can be hit and miss but live bait has been reported to work the best now.  Small crappies are being taken throughout the marsh. 

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.

For more information, go to the Arizona Game and Fish Department's web pages at www.azgfd.gov.

OTHER WAYS TO GET THE FISHING REPORT:
Internet Home Page www.azgfd.com