|
Fish are grinning at Lake Powell. All of the little necessities for successful fish life are perfect.
There is enough snow in the mountains to make the lake rise just above the levels it reached last year. A modest increase would allow the lake to lap at the remaining layer of green brush that has been growing on the shore since 2002 (when the lake declined due to drought). The presence of brush along the normally barren shoreline created much more living space and shelter for all fish. It has been a long road back, but the journey has really been worth it.
The drought had a few positive effects. The lake was low enough that waves stirred the old bottom sediment, releasing long-buried nutrients. The additional nutrition created a bumper crop of forage fish, which in turn enhanced the populations of hungry sportfish.
Lake Powell has long had only one forage fish that ventures into open water. In 2000, gizzard shad were found in the lake. Today, that second shad population is huge, and the threadfin population is strong.
This all translates into great conditions for fish, but what does it mean for anglers?
Anglers will have to adapt to be successful. That won't be hard for those pursuing largemouth. Bucketmouth bass love brush and won't venture far from it. Those accustomed to fishing for largemouth will be right at home casting lures into brush thickets and dragging them back with fish (instead of tree limbs) attached. If this is new to you, you might want to invest in spinnerbaits, weedless lures or learn to embed the hook inside a plastic bait to allow it to swim through tree branches without hanging up.
Smallmouth numbers are high. Fish are generally larger than last year. Luckily, anglers can use traditional techniques to catch these rock-loving fish. The subtle difference is that bronze bass will chase lures in open water more often now. This is a response to the higher number of shad swimming in the upper water levels. You will catch bottom-feeding bass, too.
Striped bass are fat and constantly chasing shad. Those who expect incredibly easy springtime bait fishing will be disappointed. Stripers migrate to the dam and main channel when food is scarce. That will not be the case in spring 2010. Fat stripers will be in the backs of the canyons near shad schools. Cover lots of water while trolling deep-diving baits. Each time you catch a fish, stop the boat and try casting, spooning or baitfishing to increase the catch. If the school moves on, then troll again to relocate them. Then, repeat the catching process each time the school is in range.
Walleye are one of the bonus fish for 2010. Expect excellent walleye fishing in the Good Hope Bay area. We found an extraordinary number of walleye in our fall fish sampling in 2009. That will translate to great fishing from April 15 to June 15 in the upper lake. For the rest of the lake, walleye will only be biting in modest numbers during the same time frame. A great technique is to troll medium-running lures along mud-washed points in the main channel during May.
Crappie are the other bonus. Dense brush has allowed the species to come back in big numbers over most of the lake. Crappie will spawn in April and early May. Use small plastic or marabou jigs, fished in the densest cover, to catch these tasty panfish.
This is obviously a very enthusiastic report. The only detractor may be that forage and cover are too good. That makes it easy living for most species and a bit harder for anglers to catch fat, fussy fish. But this is an accurate assessment of what to expect in 2010. I invite you to come to Powell and match wits with any of the eight species of game fish that are thriving here this spring. There will be enough fishing action to make every trip worthwhile.
See you on the lake!
|