Lake Powell Fishing Report! - 30+ LBS Stripers.

By: Wayne Gustaveson February 14, 2007
Lake Elevation: 3598 Water Temperature: 48-50 F

The Lake Powell fishing season was opened very early this year with the capture of a huge striped bass from Knowles Canyon. The big fish weighed 32.5 pounds, with a length of 43.75 inches and a 26 inch girth. The lucky angler was Sherm Mcdonnell who lives at Bullfrog and gets to go fishing often.



Sherm is a good angler but admits the catch may have involved some luck. He was in Knowles canyon for the first time and just fished the whole length of the canyon to get to know it. He tried anchovy bait in the deep water and caught a walleye but no stripers. That was only the first strange event. The best bait for 1-2 pound stripers was the chartreuse plastic bass grub on a lead head jig. Bass weren’t interested at all in the plastic offering in the 47 degree water.

Small stripers hit best in the afternoon from 1-3 PM. As the deep water gave way to shallow near the end of the canyon, Sherm picked up his chartreuse bass grub on the light 6' Ugly Stick rod with 6 pound test to try a cast to the shoreline. As the grub descended in the clear water he saw the flash of a nice fish and set the hook. It was a solid hook up and Sherm was sure he had a 10-pounder. The first run was strong but the trolling motor in high gear was enough to keep up as the fish passed under the boat and headed for deep water.

The first run played out in about 40 yards but Sherm couldn't gain much of his 6-pound line back without using the trolling motor to take up the slack. He got just enough back before the second run started. The next run was longer but fairly steady so he was able to keep up with the fish by using the trolling motor. He felt lucky to still have the fish hooked up with some line left on the reel. On a warmer day the runs would have been quicker and longer and the first run may have been the last. Sherm was braced for the next run but the huge fish came to the top and rolled on its side where it was apparent that it was much larger than 10 pounds. The boat and fish finally got close enough together for the net to be slipped under the trophy after an adrenaline filled 15 minute battle




Stripers in the 30 pound class have been caught during the past 3 years during May. Hopefully, this is a sign of more good things to come. Trophy fish are spread through the entire lake. The last three big fish have come from Padre Bay, Rock Creek and the San Juan. Now a 32-pound striper from the northern lake proves that a trophy can be caught anywhere in Lake Powell.

Good luck I hope you catch the next big one.

Thirty Desert Bighorn Sheep Find a New Home

Bighorns released in southeastern Utah

Lake Powell -- Thirty desert bighorn sheep in Utah have a new home.

The Division of Wildlife Resources released the sheep in the Dirty Devil drainage north of Lake Powell on Jan. 18. The transplanted animals included 19 ewes, five lambs and six rams.

The DWR contracted with Pathfinder Helicopters to catch the elusive animals in locations in southern Utah that have numerous bighorn sheep. Entangling the sheep in nets, fired from a helicopter overhead, was the first step in capturing them. The sheep were then airlifted to trucks and trailers for a road trip to their release site.

Before being released, the sheep received health examinations, vaccinations and ear markers. Six of the sheep were also fitted with radio collars. The collars will allow biologists to monitor the sheep's movements, their survival and the eventual success of the release.

Of the six rams that were captured, one was 3½ years old, two were 2½ years old, and three were yearlings. Biologists prefer to transplant young rams because they're less likely to wander away from the release area. They also have a longer life expectancy than the older rams.

The bighorns released on Jan. 18 will supplement an existing bighorn sheep population on the west side of the Dirty Devil River.

The DWR released a small group of sheep in the area 10 years ago. This population has slowly increased in size, but there's still plenty of room for more sheep.

Biologists hope the recently transplanted population and the existing population will connect with each other. That connection would speed the growth of bighorn populations in the desert country of southeastern Utah.

Bringing Bighorns Back

Desert bighorn sheep are native to Utah. However, because of disease, by 1960 their populations had declined to very low levels.

Since that time, the DWR and conservation groups, including the Utah Chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep, have worked together to bring bighorn sheep back.

Through their efforts, desert bighorn sheep can now be seen throughout much of their former range in Utah.

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Contact: Brent Stettler, DWR Southeastern Region Conservation Outreach Manager (435) 636-0266 or (435) 636-0260

Invaders Threaten Lake - Quagga Mussels Threaten Lake Powell

Tips provided to keep these "mussels on steroids" out of the lake

Page, Ariz. -- An aggressive shell fish has invaded several lakes near Lake Powell. And Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologists are concerned about the effect quagga mussels could have on the fantastic fishing at the lake.

Aggressive Invaders

An aquatic nuisance species task force determined in 1999 that zebra mussels would eventually cross the Continental Divide and infest waters in the West. The task force determined that Lake Powell would be the likely place the mussels would be introduced because of the many boats that visit the lake.

Since 1999 an active program has been in place to prevent zebra mussels from invading Lake Powell. Any boater entering the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area from east of the Continental Divide has been stopped at the entry stations to see if mussels might be hitchhiking on their boat or trailer.

Any boat with questionable credentials was given the option of a free hot water wash to kill any lingering mussels.

The program seems to have worked and mussels have not been found in Lake Powell.

Mussels did finally arrive in the nearby area, however. They've now been detected in lakes Mead, Mohave and Havasu.

The mussel that's invaded these waters is a close cousin to the zebra mussel. It's called a quagga mussel.

What the Heck Is a Quagga Mussel?

Quagga's have been characterized as a "zebra mussel on steroids." They prefer deeper, cooler water and can attach to soft and hard substrate. And they can live in more places than a zebra mussel can.

The problem with both species of mussel is how prolific they are. They can cover the bottom of a lake and its structures with layer after layer of shell fish. They can even attach to slow moving animals, such as crayfish. Nothing is safe. They have been known to form a shell reef more than a foot thick and deposit enough shells to close off water pipes less than 12 inches in diameter.

These shell fish, which can number in the millions, eat by siphoning water through their shell. Lake productivity is soon impacted as nutrients and plankton is siphoned off by these shell fish before other fish can eat them. This restructures fish populations. If mussels entered Lake Powell, the lake's smallmouth and striped bass fisheries would decline dramatically.

Mussels also discard waste in such a high volume that the bottom of a lake becomes fouled and its water chemistry changes.

Lake Powell is threatened by all of these drastic end results.

The mussel threat to Lake Powell has now increased beyond description. While mussels cannot climb over Glen Canyon Dam to enter the lake, the chance of boaters bringing larval mussels from the lower Colorado River basin to Powell is "almost" a certainty.

The only way Lake Powell can avoid this fate is if everyone who visits the lake knows about the problem and takes steps to prevent these invaders from making it to the lake.

Please do everything in your power to prevent mussels from altering the beauty and bounty that everyone currently enjoys at Lake Powell.

What You Can Do

* Drain the water from your motor, live well and bilge on land before leaving the immediate area of a mussel-infested lake.

* Flush the motor and bilges with hot, soapy water or a 5 percent solution of household bleach.

* Completely 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.

* Wash the hull, equipment, bilge and any other exposed surface with hot, soapy water, or use a 5 percent solution of household bleach.

* Clean and wash your trailer, truck and any other equipment that comes in contact with lake water. Mussels can live in small pockets anywhere where water collects.

* Air-dry your boat and other equipment for at least five days before launching in any other waterway.

For more information, please visit www.protectyourwaters.net and www.100thMeridian.org.