LAKE POWELL – Note: There are now mandatory boat inspections at Lake Powell to ensure you are not Moving A Mussel or other invasive species. Mostly, the inspection stations are open dawn to dusk, but you cannot launch without one.

Best bet is to make sure your boat is quagga free to begin with. Clean, drain and dry your boat following each outing, and be sure to wait at least five days before launching your boat on any other lake (if you are a day user).

June 2, 2009, By Wayne Gustaveson. Lake Elevation: 3,630. Water Temp: 70- 75F
Inflow has dropped from 110,000 acre feet per day to a paltry 85,000 acre feet. The large inflow brought the lake up another 5 feet in the past week. Rapidly changing shoreline features confuse both fish and anglers but there is more. The layer of dead brush that succumbed when it was covered last year has been completely covered once more. Green brush that was only partially submerged last year is now wet again. Largemouth bass have moved into the welcome green tamarisk and willow boughs. Flooded cover is probably as good right now as it has ever been in the life of Lake Powell. Bass love it, fishermen just have to deal with it.

Smallmouth fishing is steady on main channel and main canyon rocks and points. Main lake areas are better fishing than the backs of canyons where new brush has been covered. Target small rock slides on slick rock shorelines for a predictable catch of bass.

Walleye are still being caught trolling and casting in the northern half of the lake. Some walleye are caught in the southern lake but numbers are much higher in the north. Walleye havce reverted to feeding mostly during low light periods at the ends of the day. During daylight hours fish muddy water and shade pockets on the main channel for best results.

Striped bass are at best – unpredictable. The spawn is almost complete. Schools are forming and searching for food. When anglers and schools come together results are immediate with many stripers caught in a short time. One day a large boil will be seen in a random location only to be absent the next. A school of fish will be enticed with bait along a deep canyon wall in the middle of the day but will be somewhere else the next.

The best striper fishing strategy is to move from one good spot to the next trying to intersect a moving school. Try bait on steep canyon walls. If no fish are found move often and try again. Then troll in shallow water. Keep rotating techniques and locations hoping to locate an agreeable school. Some days no stripers are caught but then 20-40 stripers can be placed in the cooler in short order. Always have a top water lure tied on and placed in an accessible spot ready for action when the big boils pops up right in front of the boat.

If I had to choose a spot for the best fishing trip possible it would be the lake midsection from the mouth of the San Juan to Escalante. Smallmouth abound in the breaks and cracks lining the steep main channel rocks. Walleye favor the rocky points. Striped bass are schooled at the mouth of the San Juan near Jacks Arch. They boil occasionally but are accessible to trollers working the brushy shoreline edges.

Catfish are getting more active now as temperature is consistently in the 70s. Fishing is more challenging now than it was in the spring. Improvement will come as lake level stabilizes, surface water warms to the summer temperatures and fish begin to feed consistently on the surface.

LEES FERRY – Fishing Report Courtesy Lees Ferry Anglers: Report by: Ted Welling, Fly Fishing: Today’s fishing was reported as good.

With the new flow pattern for the month the water is coming up rather slowly. Fishing has been reported being better in the morning hours and slowing down just a little after noon.

Mid May brought some rather warm weather and with that the midges were just as thick as could be. In every back eddy you could see fish sipping midges from the surface. Top water fishing was incredible.

The end of May we had some rains here in the desert and cooler weather and some wind and the back eddy areas became vacant. I have had my eye on these areas for the past week or so and have seen nothing. I bet as soon as the sun shines and the breezes stop these areas will come to life once again. When this happens I will be sure to let you know.

Midges are the fly of choice as of late, zebras, lasers, and brassies, in short, a lot of small stuff will do the trick. T

Walk in: Had a report just this morning that the walk-in section is fishing very well. From the boulder field all the way down to the confluence. The largest fish was 17 inches and very healthy, he had also reported that these fish are feisty even the smaller fish have a good fight in them.

Everyone I talk to comments on how beautiful these fish look and what great shape they are in. Hope to see you soon!

San juan worms, and zebra midges were the flies of choice. T

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
Angler report

I just wanted to mention that I had one of the most unbelievable fishing experiences of my life.  It was my first trip to Lee’s Ferry, and I thought that I was not going to have a successful trip on the Colorado due to a bad experience on a kayak on Sunday (50 mile per hour winds in the canyon), but I ended up making peace with those clear cold waters before the trip was over!

I fished the walk-in area with spinning gear and caught 15 of those beauties in about an hour and a half.  I put my waders on, walked in up to just above my knee, found a nice little hole, and cast after cast I was either reeling one in, or missing one!

I used a Black and Gold Panther Martin with a gold blade and red treble (GO STEELERS!  Sorry Cardinal Fans!).  It was a simple fishing trip, didn’t need much gear, just crimped the barbs, and didn’t even need to use my pliers at all!  Attached are a few pictures of the rainbows!

I look forward to getting back up to the Ferry in the coming months for sure.  I am “hooked!”

B.G. Davison
Scottsdale, AZ

LAKE MEAD –Lake Mead water levels are dropping at about one foot per week.  The current level is 1,096 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 Monday the 22nd.  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.
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 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 Monday the 22nd.    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.

For more information, go to the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s web pages at www.azgfd.gov  or visit http://100thmeridian.org/.

WILLOW BEACH – Trout are stocked every Friday.  Fishing has been pretty poor.  Not much word on the striper bite.

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  or visit http://100thmeridian.org/.

TOPOCK MARSH – The water level is up and the bite has been pretty good.  Both bass and catfish are biting well.  Catfish are biting on anchovies and night crawlers.

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  or visit http://100thmeridian.org/.

COLORADO RIVER BELOW DAVIS DAM –The striper bite has been pretty good.   I have not heard about the rest.

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.

For more information, go to the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Web pages at www.azgfd.gov  or visit http://100thmeridian.org/.