Lake Powell 2008

Fishing Time: All day Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday

Weather: Friday - Perfect 75 degrees, Sat. - 25 mph winds 70 degrees

Water Temp:53-60 degrees

Water Level: 3,593 ft amsl

Who Went: Phil, Zanger, Me

Another annual trip here and gone, at my favorite reservoir, Lake Powell. We arrived to Bullfrog at 2:00 a.m. on Friday Morning with plans to stay through the weekend. We loaded the boat with all our gear and headed to Zanger's family houseboat. When we got there and started to unload my cousin Phil noticed that the top of the boat was 6 inches higher than the

water! I had put the plug in the drain hole and not the plug hole! I hurried to get the plug in the right hole and flipped on the bilge. For the next two hours I sat there waiting for the boat to pump dry while Phil and Zanger made fun and laughed. I got to bed at about 4:30 and was back up at 7:00 ready to head out for the day. I figured after last years trip not catching many fish and hearing about it from my cousins and Zanger that I would take them to a spot where I have always done well! Problem is that it was an hour boat ride away! We did it anyway, and it worked out in our favor. After a long boat ride we were in White Canyon and started the fishing bonanza! We all started catching fish and the best part is we were catching all different species. We put a bunch of monster Crappie in the boat and Phil hooked up with the trips only Walleye. We also caught Stripers, Smallmouth Bass, and a few Largemouth Bass. After spending quite a while in White Canyon we moved on to try and find some more Largemouth. We spent a lot of time with nothing to show for it. We ended up in Cedar Canyon where we again got into some

more Crappie. The size of the Crappie were the biggest I have ever seen before, and these pictures do not do them justice. They were all about a pound to a pound and a half.

We also caught more Smallmouth and one more Largemouth. After we worked Cedar Canyon we headed back towards the houseboat and spent the rest of the evening in the back of Bullfrog Bay. We continued to put a lot of fish in the boat with Smallmouth and Stripers, but we just could not find the big Largemouth Bass. Right at the end of the night we found a little tiny cut in the sandstone that was filled with tumbleweeds. Zanger had a hit on his curly tailed grub but did not hook up. I took that opportunity and grabbed my pole rigged with a roboworm rigged drop shot and worked the nook really slow. I finally hooked up with the only nice Largemouth of the trip with this two and a half pound bass.

Saturday mornings wake up call was again at 7:00 a.m. and after the long boat ride the day before we spared some gas and stayed close to Bullfrog. We went into the back of Halls Creek Canyon where I instantly hooked up with a little Smallmouth. It Seemed like it was starting off just like the day before, NOT! I caught 4 fish all morning, and Phil and Zanger had the skunk smell! We tried fishing the back of Moqui Canyon without a bite until around noon when the wind became something fierce, so we headed back to the marina to watch the weigh in for the Bullfrog Open Bass Tournament that was going on this weekend. The contestants in the tournament were having as hard of a time as we were, putting bass in the boat! Half of them did not even bring in a 5 fish limit! Then some guy pulls up with a grin on his face holding a nice bag. He weighed in at over 16 pounds! That doubled eighty percent of the other contestants weights. After the weigh in we went back out to see what the wind was doing and it had not changed. We tried to wait it out til just before dark and then decided to go home. Wind at Lake Powell makes life miserable! It was a short lived trip, but a blast as usual!

Two Lakes One Day

Fishing Time: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Weather: Clear, breezy, low 60's
Water Temp at Utah Lake: 52-56
Who Went: Hunt, JJ, Dave, Me

My buddy Justin Hunt was coming into town from Oregon this weekend and he wanted to fish in my new boat. We planned a trip to Deer Creek since its one of the only lakes with out ice on it. JJ and Dave also wanted in on the action so we all loaded up and headed out at 6:00 a.m. When we got to the lake it was balmy at about 40 degrees. The lake was glass and we went straight across the lake to see if we could pull in some Walleye off the rocky structure on the north side. We didn't have much luck so we moved as close as we could to the Provo River Inlet. This is where Hunt hooked up with this small rainbow. We didn't hook up with any more by the river inlet so we moved again. I finally caught another rainbow and that was going to be it for the day. The wind came up at about 12:00 so we decided to get off the water. We loaded up the boat and said good bye to Deer Creek. The only problem was that it was noon and Hunt

and I had planned an all day trip not a half day! We made an executive decision and headed towards Utah Lake. Dave and JJ had enough for one day so they headed home and called it a day. (They drove separate) When Hunt and I got to American Fork Boat Harbor we were shocked to find a calm Utah Lake. I thought with Deer Creek being windy that Utah Lake would be also. We launched and headed straight over to Saratoga Springs Boat Harbor.

We wanted to see if I could break the curse and pull out a Largemouth Bass from Utah Lake. We fished it hard but to no avail. We finally gave up and moved to the inlet from the sewer treatment plant in American Fork and set up shop there for the rest of the evening, hoping to find a straggling Walleye or a school of White Bass. When we got there we were greeted by some Pelicans that were in search of the same thing. We didn't find any Walleye, but we did
manage to find a few White Bass that wanted to play. Funny thing was, they would not hit a jig for anything. We caught them all off a worm and a bobber. Right at dusk we gave it one more

chance to catch a Largemouth by hitting the inside of the American Fork Harbor. Hunt had something on and I thought I was finally going to get to see a Largemouth come out of Utah Lake, but it came unbuttoned right at the boat! Someday I will figure out this lake for bass! What an awesome day with friends and good weather!

Weekend of Boating!

Moon Phase:

Fishing Time: approx. 10:00 to 2:00 each day

Weather: Friday-cold, windy Sat.-warmer, windy Sun.- Perfect

Water Temp:51-54

Who Went: Cari, JJ, John, Me

Friday:

With the new boat ready to go, we took it to Utah Lake three times this weekend. I know it sounds excessive, but I loved every minute of it! The first trip was me and JJ. We both had a half day off so we decided to go for it! The weather had other ideas! When we got to the lake the wind was nasty! The swells were hanus and the breeze was cold! Normally I would say okay lets go home, but not when you have a brand new boat to break in! We lasted about 1 hour tops, before I got frustrated enough to call it a day!

Saturday:

Cari and I took it to Utah Lake to test our luck! We had a little better weather with the temps going up, but the wind hadn't quite died down all the way.Cari relaxed and layed out on the back with the stereo playing, while I washed every piece of tackle I had trying to catch anything that would bite! Nothing ever did. Not even a bite! Cari is enjoying our new toy though, and she's excited for the weather to warm up so we can go more often!

Sunday:

The weather forecast was listed at 70+ degrees, so I decided to test my luck again. JJ and John joined in on the adventure. It definitely started off as an adventure when I forgot to put the plug in the boat! I went to gun it outside of the harbor and it felt like I had an elephant in the back of the boat! I instantly realized what I had done! I hauled butt all the way back into the harbor, with people screaming and flipping me off due to the wakeless area. I tossed the keys to John and said run! We loaded the boat back on the trailer and then waited for 15 minutes while it drained. Whew! Man it took on water fast! I think it only takes once to learn that lesson! After the show we put on in the harbor, we were off. It turned out to be one of the most beautiful days I have ever seen on Utah Lake! The wind never came up and it was definitely above 70 degrees! We headed straight over to Saratoga Springs Boat Harbor to try our luck for some early bassin. There were about 4 other bass boats in there and I never saw a fish landed, including us! We decided with how nice of a day it was that we would

go try and find some kitty cats and relax in this gorgeous weather! We tried 3 or 4 spots and JJ had on our only fish all day but couldn't quite get the hook in it! It was a beautiful day but the fishing was sloooooooooow! We talked to quite a few different people that also caught nothing! What an eventful weekend! Can't wait to do it all over again. Oh and the boat is AWESOME!!!