This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Lake Powell Fish Report – May 12, 2015 Lake Elevation: 3590.6 Water Temperature 62- 70 F By: Wayne Gustaveson of Wayne's Words Lake Powell is rising! The inflow is double the outflow allowing the lake level to climb almost one foot in a week. Let's hope it continues to rise for the next month. Fishing success continues at the fast rate for which the month of May is known. All fish species are cooperating. You just have to know what time it is in the water so you can set your clock for your target species.
Bass fishing is an afternoon phenomenon. Water temperature in the morning is in the low 60s. That was just what bass wanted last month - but not now. The sun starts to warm the water mid morning but really gets aggressive by mid afternoon. When the water temperature nears 68-70 degrees bass fishing peaks. Bass are caught lakewide. There may have been a subtle movement from open water reefs toward fairly steep rocky shoreline. But that will change now that water level is on the rise. It won't take long to find out the best location. Just cast to reefs and then to steep rock piles. Smallmouth bass will let you know where they are at any given time as they gobble up the green plastic grub or Gulp minnow. But first check your fish watch – Afternoon = Bass. Dawn starts the day off with another chance to catch walleye as the first fish of the day. It is best to fish in the shade before the sun hits the water. Drag a plastic grub slowly along the bottom. In early morning expect walleye to be the narrow trough at the center of a ravine where water would run down to the lake after a rain storm. The magic depth is 12-25 feet. Catching walleye is better if there are submerged tumbleweeds in the shallows near shore. That gives bluegill a place to hide and walleye a fast food stop for breakfast. Walleye will snack when the wind blows in the afternoon. Look for them where the waves are breaking along a reef or shoreline. Fish watch – Breakfast – Walleye. Crappie are rebels. They do not care what time of day it is. In fact their only concern is searching for a large bush to hide in. With not many bushes in the water crappie are paranoid and found in really strange places. They can be on a shallow hump near shore or in open water where the water color is murky brown. They are widely scattered so slow trolling to cover a lot of ground may be the best technique. Crappie are easier to understand at night. Put out a light in a shallow cove where crappie were found during the day. Crappie are attracted to light after dark.
Fish watch – Bright light on a dark Night = crappie. Striped bass fishing is HOT at the right time. There are two brief periods when striper catching is easy. The first striper feeding period occurs as the sun begins to brighten the morning sky. Stripers then come shallow to feed after a night of chasing each other around shallow coves. The next catching period is from sunset until dark. Stripers have been sleeping all day long waiting for dark and hoping tonight will be the time to spawn. They try to find a little snack before being consumed by spawning mania once more. Lucky Craft pointers retrieved in a stop and go motion near shore are just what stripers are looking for. Fish Watch – Almost light and then again at almost dark = Stripers