Spring Lake Powell Trip 2017

Fishing Time: April 20 to 24, 2017

Weather: Sunny, warm, mostly calm wind, T-70s

Moon Phase:  20% Moon

Location:  Lake Powell (San Juan)

Water Temp: Morning - 59-61 degrees, Afternoon - 60-65 degrees

Water Level: 3,602 ft amsl

San Jaun Mudline:  Mud: Neskashi Wash to the mouth of San Juan River, Green Stain: Piute Canyon to Neskashi Wash, Clear: Main Channel to Piute Canyon

Best Baits:  Trolling crankbaits, casting creature baits and grubs

Who Went:  Rick Everson, John Schuler, Dunc

Our Spring Lake Powell trip took a twist this year due to extremely low water levels.  The north end of the lake has treated us well the last 7 years, but with low water and early runoff, the upper end of the lake is shallow and muddy.  So, we headed south this year to the San Juan Arm.  The boat ride from Bullfrog Marina to our camp spot at Leroy’s Canyon inside the San Juan Arm took almost exactly 2-hours.  This is double the amount of time we are used to heading north to Good Hope Bay.

We found a nice sandy shoreline at the mouth of a small vegetated slot canyon deep inside Leroy’s Canyon and it became home for 4 days.  Soon we found out we weren't the only ones inhabiting this nice cove, but more on that later…

On first arrival we found two critters near camp.  One we were excited to see and the other we were devastated to see. The first was a desert spiny lizard that decided to flare out and show us how tough he was.  The other was the quagga mussels that have now infested the shorelines of Lake Powell.  The muscles are attached to the walls and shorelines where water used to be.  It's a sad sight to see.  What a tragedy.

The fishing turned out to be different than the north end of Lake Powell with very little gravel shorelines and no brush to be found.  We mainly fished deeper underwater structure, points, and boulder shorelines on the main channel.  It was less flipping jigs and plastics into the shallows and more casting and retrieving grubs, drop-shot rigs, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits towards the deeper boulder shorelines and deep underwater structure.  The biggest change in our trip this year was trolling.  We spent a lot of time doing it, and it produced a ton of fish. 

My favorite part about this trip was learning a new area, seeing new scenery, and catching a variety of different species.  In the past we have focused mainly on largemouth and smallmouth bass, with a few crappie and walleye mixed in, but this trip was a mixed bag of everything and in good numbers. 

We trolled and caught stripers, crappie, and walleye.  Casted the shorelines with plastics and crankbaits and caught tons of smallmouth, largemouth, and crappie.  We also drifted jigs to pick up more stripers and a bunch of small channel catfish.  Topwater produced multiple different species including bass, crappie, and stripers. We also found a pile of monster bluegill hanging off a deep underwater point that kept us busy for hours and made us feel like kids again with our ultra-light rods and floating bobbers.  We used a bunch of different techniques to catch fish and they all worked!  Lake Powell is awesome!

We camped at the end of Leroy’s canyon and there were gamefish, wildlife, and carp all over.  We utilized the bow to take part in the carp eradication program, and caught stripers, smallmouth, and crappie from the shoreline when not on the boat.  We also found another critter in abundance that apparently loved the cove as much as we did… Scorpions! 

This camp spot will forever be known as the Scorpion campsite.  We found a couple small ones the first day and didn’t think much of it, but that evening I went to turn on the generator and found what I thought was the king of all scorpions.  It was huge!

Now we were up to three scorpions and started getting the heebie jeebies.  We decided to do a spot check on our gear and sure enough, found another scorpion in Bobbers suitcase! 

Now we were officially creeped out!  Rick had a blacklight in his fishing tackle and we knew that scorpions were supposed to glow under a blacklight, so we put it to the test and went out on a scorpion hunt.  Maybe we shouldn’t have.  The scorpions were everywhere and some of them were gigantic!  I have never used a blacklight to hunt scorpions, and wow!  You can see them from a mile away.  They glow so well all you do is shine a blacklight on the hillside and you can easily point them out as they glow like stars in the sky. It’s crazy.  We started using the blacklight on all our gear before we went to bed.

Anyway, it was another great trip with many fish caught using a variety of techniques.  We had a big fish fry one night and enjoyed good weather the entire trip.  I think we were a bit early on the bass spawn.  This spring has been extremely wet and cold, so it’s taken the water a bit longer to warm up.  I think this Powell trip could go down as one of my favorites and the only thing we needed to cap it off was a monster fish.  Usually someone lucks into something nice, but this year was more numbers and no lunkers.  However, Rick has been trying to catch a pair of 15-inch crappies to mount on his wall for years now, and this trip he finally completed the task. 

In fact, we all caught a bunch of very nice crappie...

Our four days was finally up and we made the two hour jaunt back to Bullfrog Marina.  I think we wore the big fella out.

I also think he got zapped by a scorpion and didn't know it.  What the hell is that...

Overall a very fun and relaxing trip, and the best part… no problems, boat wrecks, or prop killing rocks!  We joked on the way home that we were going to get in a car crash and die because the trip went way to smooth with zero issues.  The spring Lake Powell trip is always my favorite trip of the year, and this year was no exception.

Elusive Walleye of Utah Lake

Fishing Time: 6:00 to 8:00 PM

Weather:  Windy, cold, T-50s

Moon Phase: Full Moon

Location: Utah Lake (Bird Island)

Best Baits:  None

Who Went:  Bobber John, Devin Duncan, Dunc

I received a phone call from my fishing buddy Rick Everson about his trip the night before to Utah Lake and how they hammered the walleye.  Not only did they hammer them, but they caught some big ones to up to 8 pounds!  The walleye has always been elusive to me, so I felt this may be my chance to get in on some walleye catching action.

I showed the pictures to my boy Devin and he was in, and Bobber John was in as well.  We arrived to the Lincoln Beach boat ramp only to be greeted by wind.  Ugh, this wasn’t in the forecast!  The white caps were out and the rolling waves that Utah Lake is known for were in full force.  We debated launching, but felt it may calm down if we could just get out to Bird Island and anchor up.  Devin had fun on the ride out there sitting on the bow and going up and down with the big rolling waves.

We arrived to our spot and finally got the anchor to stick in the windy conditions and began casting.  Rick said if we weren’t catching a few rocks in between fish then we were in the wrong spot.  Well we caught a lot of rocks, so we must have been in the right spot.  

Unfortunately, the wind didn’t die down and only picked up bringing cold air with it.  My guess is the wind and cold air killed the fishing.  Cold winds from the north always seem to kill the fishing at Utah Lake from my experience. 

 

So, we didn’t catch any walleye, but I have never been more proud of Devin.  It was absolutely freezing and we couldn’t get him to leave!  He was dead set on catching a walleye.  He kept casting after Bobber John and I gave up and called it quits.  He was literally shivering with teeth chattering as he would ask… 5 more minutes’ dad?  I told him we could stay as long as he wanted to tough it out.  Well, we motored into the boat ramp in the dark!  What a tough kid that loves to fish. 

Once we got the boat trailered and into the truck, I had to wrap Devin in a blanket and blast the heat.  He was like a little shivering icicle.  Five minutes into the drive he was asleep.  Wore the little dude out.  No fish were caught, but the full moon was out, and I have never had a prouder drive home.  I have a pretty awesome fishing buddy!

First Ice at Flaming Gorge

Fishing Time:  January 28-29 (Saturday to Sunday).

Weather:  Gorgeous, no wind, clear, T-30s

Moon Phase: New Moon

Location:  Flaming Gorge (Swim Beach)

Best Bait: 7-inch Tora tube jig (rainbow pattern)

Who Went:  Bobber John, Rick Everson, Jess Everson, Josh Newton, Dunc

After enjoying some good success up at Flaming Gorge a couple weeks ago fishing from the boat, we were itching to try it through the ice.  It has been frigid cold the last couple weeks and the rumor was that Swim Beach was capped with ice.  Invites were thrown out and soon we had a crew of fisherman headed to Manila, Utah. 

We arrived to a balmy temperature of -3 degrees in Manila on Friday night.  The first night it was just myself and Bobber John.  We drove down to Swim Beach for an ice check and sure enough it was frozen with a skiff of snow on top.  Perfect walking conditions for the mile journey we faced to get to our favorite hump the next day.

We woke up early and were the first ones on the ice.  However, it didn’t take long for the parking lot to fill with trucks and the 4-wheelers started flying by us as we made the journey to our spot.  A couple 4-wheelers made their way to our hump.  Lame.  Price you pay for walking I suppose.  We nestled in with the groups and set up our tent. 

We started seeing fish beneath us immediately and while they weren’t super aggressive they did show a little interest in our techniques.  We fished for about an hour before Bobber missed the first bite of the day.  Shortly after he redeemed himself by hooking up with the longest 20 pounder I’ve seen yet.  It didn’t have much of a belly, but if it ever grows one it will be a 40 pounder in no time.

The fish were active for another hour or so, but soon became grumpy and showed no interest in our offerings.  At around noon we gave up and made the long walk back.  

Bobber John and I drove up lake and found a burbot spot that has treated us very well in the past.  We set up our tent and gear and prepared for our return at dusk to hunt for some slimy eels.  Meanwhile, Rick Everson, Jess Everson, and Josh Newton were on their way towards the Gorge from SLC. 

Bobber and I returned to the burbot spot just before dark and started our meat hunt.  Bobber had big plans of filling the freezer with eel meat.  Unfortunately, the spot we picked was not as plentiful as past trips.  Rick, Jess, and Josh arrived around 8 PM and joined the effort, but only a dozen or so burbot were landed between all of us.  Filling the freezer will have to wait.

The next morning the whole group made the journey to the same spot that Bobber and I fished the day before.  Within the first half hour Rick was hooked up.  It was no monster, but a good fish in the 8-10-pound range.

The fish were a bit grumpy right from the start today, and made for some tough fishing.  Late in the day Bobber John hooked up only to lose it right at the ice hole.  We never did see it, but it came up quick, so no need to lose sleep.  Again shortly after, Bobber redeemed himself and hooked up again.  This time he was able to pull the small lake trout up through the ice hole.  

He decided to keep it, and we all started to immediately give him grief.  You see, Bobber has a track record of being gung ho to keep fish, but when we ask him later how the fish tasted, he usually responds with “uh yeah I didn’t quite get around to cleaning it”. 

When I dropped Bobber off at his house we decided to make a quick “how to” video for cleaning lake trout, Bobber John style.  After filming we quickly sent it off to Rick, Jess, and Josh for their viewing pleasure.  You can find the video on my YouTube channel here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd1yldwK1EI

Another good trip to the Gorge with the same theme… me getting skunked!  It’s been a rough run for me.  I didn’t even get a bite this trip after spending two days on the ice.  Tough to swallow, but I guess you have to work through the slumps!  Maybe it’s because there's a 40 pounder in my future, and I gotta pay my dues.  A man can dream!

Good Things Happen When a Storm Rolls In

Fishing Time:  7:00 to 2:00 PM

Weather:  Cloudy, snow, T-30s

Moon Phase: 19% Moon

Location:  Flaming Gorge (Anvil Draw)

Best Bait:  6-7-inch Tora tube jig (rainbow color)

Water Temp:  38 degrees

Who Went:  Rick Everson, Josh Newton, Dunc

It’s my favorite time of year to go chase the big boys at Flaming Gorge, and it’s always difficult to know whether there will be ice or open water.  This year I prepared for both and tucked all my ice fishing gear inside the boat. 

Josh Newton and I left Salt Lake City late afternoon and Rick Everson met us up there later that night.  After arriving to Manila, Utah, Josh and I drove down to the Anvil Draw boat ramp to have a look.  We found open water as far north as the eye could see.  Boat trip it is.  We grabbed a bite to eat and headed to the Flaming Gorge Inn where Eves met us a couple hours later. 

We heard wind all night while we slept and woke up to 2-inches of snow in the boat.  I didn't have the boat cover with me because the snow was not predicted and that later proved to be a mistake on my part.

We shoveled out the snow and launched the boat just after sun up.

After a very short boat ride we immediately started to graph some fish.

And on the first drop of the day Rick was hooked up with a nice lake trout.  Little did he know this was only the start of the clinic he was about to put on the rest of the day.

Every time we moved it seemed we found more active fish and Eves would end up putting one in the boat.  They all ranged between 15 to 20 pounds with one small 5 pounder to break up the monotony.  Josh and I missed a couple hits, but it was Eve’s bait they seemed to want every time we dropped down.

The fish stayed active even up through early afternoon, which is not the norm, and just before we were about to wrap it up, Josh hooked up with the biggest fish of the day.  Woohoo! This was his first time on the other end of the line with a big lake trout, and he was in awe of how hard they pull.  He fought the fish well for a first timer and ended up putting a 22 pound lake trout on the deck. 

We continued fishing for about another hour until the white squall set in.  Interesting enough, when the snow came in around 1 PM the fish suddenly got very active and that’s when Josh hooked up with the big boy of the day.

I have encountered this many times while fishing and would say that many of my big fish have come right before a big storm moves in.  Definitely something to this theory.

It ended up being a 6-hour drive home on snow packed roads and white out conditions.  Coming down parleys canyon pulling a boat in a blizzard was an experience I never need to go through again.  After getting home safe I can say it was worth it, but man was it scary.  We ended up landing 5 lake trout, Oh wait, Rick and Josh landed 5 lake trout.  I only had one bite and missed it, but, I don’t care who lands em, I just love when they come aboard my boat.  Okay, okay, one fish would have been nice to feel on the end of my line, but still one of the best lake trout trips I’ve ever had! 

I woke up the next day to the boat looking like this...

Spent the rest of the day turning it back into this...

The crazy things we do for big lake trout...