COLORADO RIVER NORTHWEST

LEES FERRY – Today’s Fly Fishing: Most everybody did well today on the river. There was a report that the water came up slow in the afternoon and didn’t get as high as yesterday. Therefore the fishing lat this afternoon was slower than yesterday and Friday. It was a mix of flies today. The San Juans and midges in the morning. Toward the afternoon, zebra midges are the ticket. Cover your water and when haven’t had any strikes, switch up you rig. Sometimes it is just a matter of showing them something new, provided you have a drag free drift. Carry scuds and egg patterns as well.

Walk-in fishing: No real ideal how the walk in fished today, as I only spoke with a couple of anglers that fished at the walk in late this afternoon. 

Spin fishing tips: This week end was reported as good for those that were working the channel. Big pink glo bugs were a sure fire way to catch fish. Some anglers fished the rubber worm bouncing off the bottom and did well.

Fishing Synopsis and Forecast by Terry Gunn 11/08/07. The recent fall weather has been almost perfect with most days in the 70s which is warmer than normal. The ramp rates in November have been considerably different than those we saw in October. The water has been quickly rising in the morning and peaking at a higher rate than last month; around 11:30 a.m. the water is dropping like a rock, then rising again late in the afternoon. You have to pay close attention to the boat or you can end up high and dry.

The water-flow will increase in December and we will be moving back into the boat to drift nymphs. For a real time graphic view of water releases and ramp rates go here: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/az/nwis/uv?09380000

The trout have been moving into the riffles to feed on the small (size 28) midges that are hatching most days. The riffles are easily wadeable once the water begins to drop.
The fish continue to look good and are strong and in great physical shape and the overall size has increased from last year. We are seeing a tremendous number of fingerling trout in the river as a result of the terrific spawn that we saw this past spring which bodes well for the future…the downside is that these fish will not be of catchable size until after next summer.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department recently detected whirling disease in a small percentage of Lees Ferry trout that were collected for a random sampling. For those of you who are not familiar with whirling disease; this disease only affects fingerling trout and limits their survival. Adult trout can harbor the disease but in all respects appear healthy and normal. The arrival of whirling disease at Lees Ferry isn’t good news nor is it necessarily terrible news. Whirling Disease has infected many of the Western State’s fabled trout streams with greater and lesser affects depending on the watershed. The Madison comes to mind as one river that was severely impacted while the San Juan suffered no noticeable impact from Whirling Disease. Lees Ferry has more in common with the San Juan than the Madison…both Lees Ferry and the San Juan are Tail-Water rivers with clear, cold water which is a consistent temperature year-around. Consistent cold water temperatures are believed by most experts on the disease to keep the spread and severity of the disease in check. I’ll be sure to keep you informed as more data becomes available. In the mean time when you do come to Lees Ferry be sure to clean your wading gear thoroughly before you leave to prevent the spread of Whirling Disease. For more information visit: http://www.whirling-disease.org           
Spin Fishing: Egg patterns are still producing down deep when drifting. Make sure that you have the proper weight on so that the flies are bouncing the bottom and not dragging bottom. Consider a scud dropped below the glo bug about a foot and a half. KastMasters and Rapalas are also productive while back trolling.

Projected River Flows:
Glen Canyon Dam Operations
Releases from Glen Canyon Dam in November 2007 will average 10,000
cubic feet per second (cfs) with a total of 600,000 acre-feet
scheduled to be released for the month.

On Mondays through Fridays in November, daily release fluctuations due to load following will likely vary between a low of 7,000 cfs (during late evening and early
morning off-peak hours) to a high of 13,000 cfs during daylight and early evening on-peak hours.

On Saturdays, release fluctuations will likely vary between a low of
7,000 cfs to a high of 12,500 cfs.  On Sundays, release fluctuations
will likely vary between a low of 7,000 cfs to a high of 12,000 cfs.

Releases in December 2007 are scheduled to be higher than
November.  The current schedule shows 800,000 acre-feet of release in
December 2007, which corresponds to an average flow of 13,000 cfs.

LAKE MEAD – The striper fishing at Lake Mead has slowed a little, but is still pretty good. Trolling crankbaits along steep shorelines in Greggs Basin was yielding stripers.  Catfish have been biting all day and night on anchovies and liver.  The ramp is open at South Cove, but it is a gravel ramp. Be careful when launching here.  The lake elevation remains fairly steady around 1,111 feet.  State and federal biologists sampled fish populations in Lake Mead during October and for the first time, found gizzard shad in Lake Mead.  This is not a surprise since they have been found in Powell since 2000.

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 has been good in spots.  I have received multiple reports of fat stripers full of shad and 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.  I’ve also received reports of largemouth being caught in 25 to 35 feet of water on drop-shots. 

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.  As the water temperature falls in the basin, some of the stripers will return to the open water, but many of the big stripers remain in the vicinity of Willow Beach year round.  The water level has begun to drop for the winter. Look for the surface elevation to drop to around 12 feet below full.

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 down, so be careful launching.  The bass are in the vegetation outside the channel.  Try using quick movements to trigger strikes through the thick vegetation. Catfish have been excellent. Try using mackerel, anchovies, worms or shrimp in the early morning or night.

Kenne Probst caught 25 catfish, with most in the one-pound range, using frozen anchovies. He said one angler caught a 15-pound striper.

On Oct 13, 45 kids participated in a fishing clinic at Five Mile landing that produced carp, bass, channel catfish, and one green sunfish.  One little girl caught a 10-pound carp her first time fishing. 

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 – Trout stocking resumed in October.  Fishing has been good below Davis Dam, but look for it to be even better following immediately following the trout stockings.  Fish and Wildlife Service stocks once a month in this area. 
The fish are stocked in two locations; Davis Camp and near The Riverside.

Kenne Probst said he found fishing a little slow but did manage to catch some catfish float-fishing from Davis Camp along Casino Row.  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/.