LAKE POWELL – By Wayne Gustaveson, Utah Division of Wildlife. Lake Powell continues to rise a foot per week. The fill rate will increase when warm weather finally releases the snow pack in the mountains. There has been one cold front per week for what seems like forever. Warming and cooling have fragmented bass spawning. Some spawned early and some late but the big event was a no show in 2008.

The positive aspect of the blustery weather is that striped bass are still holding in the main channel in large numbers. They have their nose turned into the slight current waiting for warming to trigger spawning. While there, they are easy targets for bait anglers. Graph along the edge of the channel at first light in the morning. When a school is found a bit of chum will ignite the school into a morning feeding frenzy. Most fish will be between 1-3 pounds but fishing is intense for the first hour of the day.

When the sun hits the water fishing changes to spurts of activity flowed by slow periods. The school can take off feeding again anytime. If a good spot was found in the morning expect fish to return there during the day. It helps to have a few spots in mind to keep trying during the day to maximize the catch.

Just a slight ledge or small rock slide may be enough to hold a large school of stripers. While stripers are still being caught at the dam it seems more fish are found from Buoy 1 to the mouth of Antelope, from the power plant intake to Buoy 9, and in Navajo Canyon. Further uplake stripers are next caught at the mouth of Last Chance and then uplake to Lake Canyon, mouth of Halls Creek and Moki Canyon. I am sure there are many more spots just as good. Look at the features characterizing a historically good fishing spot and try similar areas in other parts of the lake to find your own private fishing hole.

Runoff has muddied the water down to Good Hope Bay in the Colorado and to Neskahi Bay in the San Juan. The backs of canyons are still fishable but avoid the main channel further upstream in both arms of the lake.

Smallmouth bass become active with warming water. Afternoon fishing is best after the lake has a chance to warm 3-5 degrees. If the temperature is 60 in the morning expect bass to bite well when it reaches 65 degrees.

Bass are found midway back in the canyons. In slick rock canyons expect bass to be on relatively scarce broken rock, ledges or around brush. In most canyons look for a short drainage or submerged creek channel joining the main canyon. These abrupt breaks are perfect spots for bass and walleye to ambush prey. Always look for fish around color changes from brown to green and green to clear. Factors that cause color changes also congregate fish in select locations.

Cut intersecting Navajo Canyon is a good spot to fish for bass.

LEES FERRY – Fishing has been good, especially when the wind dies down.
Upper Colorado River Basin Hydrology
Hydrologic conditions above Lake Powell have dried out somewhat during March. Precipitation in the Upper Colorado River Basin was 65% of average in March 2008 and is now 112% of average for the water year as of April 7, 2008. As of April 7, 2008 the snowpack conditions above Lake Powell are 116% of average. The climate outlook for the Upper Colorado River Basin indicates that the next 3 months will likely have below normal precipitation and above normal temperatures. Inflow to Lake Powell is currently 14,500 cfs (April 6, 2008). Total unregulated inflow to Lake Powell so far in water year 2008 (October through March) is 86% of average with March measured at 88 % of average. Forecasted April through July unregulated inflow to Lake Powell in 2008 is 9.7 million acre-feet, 122 % of average (April final forecast). Typically by April 1 , the snow accumulation season is nearly complete in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Snowpack levels, on average, peak by about April 10.
The current elevation of Lake Powell (March 2, 2008) is 3,590.5 feet, 109.5 feet from full pool elevation of 3,700 feet. Reservoir storage is currently 10.86 million acre-feet, or 44 percent of capacity. The water surface elevation of Lake Powell is now near its seasonal low. In April, anticipated snowmelt runoff will cause the water surface elevation to begin to increase. Under the current inflow forecast, Lake Powell would reach a peak elevation of about 3639 feet in July 2008. The peak elevation for Lake Powell in 2007 was 3,611.7 feet.
Check out:

Fishing Synopsis and Forecast by Terry Gunn 4/19/08
The high flow experiment was basically a non event as far as the fishery is concerned. It came and went with few visible changes to the river or the fishery. For more details and to see my complete comments go here: http://coloradoriverconservancy.org/
Lots of stuff happening at the Ferry and it is all good!
Due to the higher than normal runoff conditions and the desire to equalize Lake Powell and Lake Meade, water releases were increased on April 14. The projected increase amounts to more than 600,000 acre feet of water to be released between now and the end of the water year in October. This means that water flows will be higher than normal for the months of April, May, June, and July. Steady flows are planned for September and October. Read below how I predict this increased flows will affect fishing.
It has been a very different spring than most years. The air (and water) temperatures have been much cooler than normal and as a result, the midge hatches occurred much later than in past years. The swallows did not arrive until the first week of April, the exact same time as the midges started to hatch (how do they know?!). The swallows normally arrive Feb. 28 and this is the latest arrival that I have seen in my 25 years on the river.
Most of the ducks are still here and they should have migrated several weeks ago which tells me that it is going to be a cool spring going forward and winter is going to be hanging on later than normal
The trout spawn began in early December which we have not seen in several years. It was a good strong spawn until the start of the experimental flow. Immediately following the high flow experiment the trout spawn began in earnest. It looked like every fish in the river was spawning at once and was the strongest spawn that I have ever witnessed. It was an inspiring sight, fish spawning everywhere and in areas that I have not seen them use in years.
The spawn occurred in mostly deep water (up to 40-ft. deep!) with very little shallow water spawning taking place. The deep water spawn should translate into a “bumper crop” of fry and the survival rate will likely be off the charts.

This is going to be a year to remember at Lees Ferry…there are so many good things happening at once which will make this THE YEAR that will set the stage for great fishing for years to come.
First and foremost: the current snowpack in the Colorado River drainage is 121% of normal, (Lake Powell is predicted to rise 50-ft!) and if the ducks are an indicator as to whether winter is lingering, the snowpack is likely to continue to increase. When the snow melt begins in earnest, the streams that flow into Lake Powell will be raging and stir-up all the accumulated sediment at the stream entrance. This sediment is nutrient laden and the suspended nutrients will be distributed throughout Lake Powell. All these nutrients will be transported and arrive in the river below the dam in a few months and the river will explode with algal growth and there will be lots of food for the fish.
Here is a quick overview and prediction.
The high runoff will provide the river with a huge nutrient load that will result in tremendous growth of aquatic organisms and plants (trout food).
The current trout population is healthy and the fish are larger than we have seen in years. These fish will grow rapidly to a larger size with the arrival of the nutrients and food. The current average 17-in fish should grow at least a couple inches and we have a bunch of fish that are bigger than that. We will see lots of 20+-in fish in the river next year.
The spawn from 2007 survival rate was substantial; the river is currently full of 7 to 8-in fish and the increased productivity of the nutrients should arrive just in time to stimulate growth of these juvenile fish. These fish will be 12-in and larger by this next fall and be catchable. The nutrient load should last at least a couple years even if next year’s snow pack is below normal. One strange phenomenon regarding juvenile fish at Lees Ferry is that once the fry reach 3-in long, they “disappear” until they reach 12-in and then suddenly they reappear and populate normal fishing lies. We’ll be seeing these fish this next fall.
I have already told you about the trout spawn from this year. The number of trout fry will likely be off the chart and the survival should be good. The river conditions should be perfect for survival and growth of these young of the year fish and they will show up as 12-in or larger fish in the fall of 2009.

Higher water flows always provide better health and growth rates for trout at Lees Ferry. Due to the projected run-off and the desire to equalize Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the planned release volume from April to October is being increased from 8.23 million acre feet of water to 8.88 million acre feet which is an increase of more than 600,000 acre feet of water. To help put this into perspective this increase is more than all the water that will be released in the month of April. This is the first time since 1997 that there has been a release larger than the minimum of 8.23 million acre feet. For those of you that remember what the fishing was like in 1999 and 2000…you should be as excited as I am about what this higher water and increased nutrient load should do to the fishing at Lees Ferry.
In the short term the higher water will make fishing conditions tougher. The trout normally stop feeding on sub-surface midges when the water flows exceed 12,000-cfs and the flows will exceed this value for the remainder of this season. The fish will shift their diet to worms and scuds in the higher flows which means we will be using heavy nymph rigs and be doing more drifting than wading.
Overall the trout are in great shape and the average size is larger than we have seen in several years. I predict that the size and condition of the fish will continue to improve this spring and summer and we should continue to see great fishing for the remainder of 2008 and into the future
LAKE MEAD – Lake Mead water levels continue to drop as the elevation is projected to be at 1,108.5 feet above msl this weekend. Water temperatures are running between 65 and 70 depending where you are on the lake. Backs of coves are warming up nicely and largemouth bass are starting to move in for the spawn. Striper fishing continues to be good. Anglers using artificial lights were catching as many 13 to 18-inch stripers as they wanted to clean.

Catfishing under lights was also very productive using anchovies. May 19 is the full moon so trolling crankbaits during the day will get better and better this week. Fishing under lights with anchovies should be good too, however the moon will be up early and won’t go down until 2-3 a.m.

Launching conditions at South Cove have continued to deteriorate with the dropping water. Both the dirt ramp and the new concrete the National Park Service just completed are one lane ramps with buoys marking the edges. Use caution not to go off the sides of the metal extensions at either side. According to the Bureau of Reclamation, water levels are projected to dip as low as 1,105 feet above msl later this summer before rebounding slightly by October.

Important notice: With the recent 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 azgfd.gov or visit http://100thmeridian.org/.

LAKE MOHAVE – The striper bite is picking up a little. The fishing is picking up a little on the upper end of the lake. The stripers seen in the fall were fat and full of shad, with schools of shad being chased by striped bass. If the shad are making a comeback, we may see more mid-size stripers in the basin. If you can find schools of shad, throw a small crankbait. Most of the largemouth are in 20-25 ft of water, but some are in shallow water.

Biologists from both Arizona Game and Fish Department and Nevada Division of Wildlife installed fish habitat in Carp cove on Dec. 12-13. A total of 84 wood pallets and 16 4X4-foot PVC structures were put into Lake Mohave in an attempt to increase angler success. On Jan. 29-30 an additional 54 wood pallets and 16 4X4-foot PVC structures were put into Lake Mohave at Box cove. On March 28-29 brush bundles pallets and PVC structures were installed in carp cove. 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 recent 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 azgfd.gov or visit http://100thmeridian.org/.

WILLOW BEACH - Trout are stocked every Friday. The fishing for trout has been good from shore immediately following the stocking. Try using a Jake, Panther Martin, or other spinner’s or spoons. If that doesn’t work you can always use Power Bait. I’m starting to get reports of the striper bite picking up around the monkey hole area.

Important notice: With the recent 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 azgfd.gov or visit http://100thmeridian.org/.

TOPOCK MARSH –Water level is up, but still be careful while launching. The catfish are biting on night crawlers and anchovies. Bass bite is still not bad. Crappies have shut down. Try night crawlers or anchovies for catfish.

Game and Fish biologists surveyed the Marsh starting on the week of Jan. 15. The largemouth bass population was observed to be very healthy, as well as channel catfish. Crappie were also present, but in smaller numbers.

You can access the marsh by boat at 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 recent 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 azgfd.gov or visit http://100thmeridian.org/.

COLORADO RIVER BELOW DAVIS DAM –The striper bite is picking up. Trout were last stocked on March 24-25. This was the last trout stocking until next winter. Fish and Wildlife Service stocks once a month in this area. A few days following the stocking look for trout to be across the river from the Riverside. The fish are stocked in two locations; Davis Camp and near The Riverside. I am getting some reports of the largemouth bite picking up.

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 recent 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 azgfd.gov or visit http://100thmeridian.org/.