Upper Colorado River
& Northwestern Waters
Includes: Lake Powel, lake Mead, Lake Mohave, Willow Beach, Topock Marsh and Colorado River.

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LETS GO FISHING




LAKE POWELL - Report Courtesy Wayne Gustaveson, Utah Division of Wildlife.

Lake Elevation: 3627 Water Temp: 77-79 F. Darn old full moon really put the fish down early week. Fish are fat after chowing-down all summer on a surplus supply of shad. There is plenty of forage. Living is easy. All this adds up to tough fishing for sportsmen when fish get a blast of full moon-itis. But the moon is now in the last quarter.

Striper boils are now defined as 3 fish splashing within 50 yards of each other. They can be caught if the surface lure is presented on time before the splash ring goes away. Splashing fish may be either bass or stripers. They are all lazily eating shad on the surface. The surface action may last for two bites but fish are up and gone in a flash.

The best way to catch them is to drop spoons in the vicinity of the splash rings. The best depth for spooning is 40 feet. When a school is graphed on bottom, drop the lure until it touches and then jig in short strokes. If the school is suspended, drop the lure below the school and then speed reel through the fish. Pause when above the fish and drop the lure back through the fish zone. This technique will catch more stripers than any other right now.

The only really good time of day right now is evening. As the moon darkens, mornings will get progressively better. The twilight periods are far superior to any other time of day for fishing success.

There are fish to be caught in these conditions. My best technique today was to find a long rocky point covered with tamarisk trees. Follow the point out until treetops are just barely visible under water. Fish shad and bluegill crankbaits and plastics where bottom depth is 20-30 feet. A Storm Wild-eye swimbait was the best lure today. Let it swim through the tree tops and drop along the edges to find bass lurking in the trees. Bass fishing really saved the day when stripers were not ready to go for us.

At Bullfrog there were a few striper boils (3 fish) in the early morning in Hansen Creek, Lake Canyon and Halls Creek. Spooning near the boils produced a few stripers. The only really good spooning spot found was at the tire breakwater guarding Bullfrog Main Ramp which produced some 30 fish catches early in the week.

Water temperature is cooling and the moon is getting darker. Fishing will be back to normal with a good fishing success rate as the moon gets dark at month end.

Visit wayneswords.com for more information.


LEES FERRY - Report by: Ted Welling, Lees Ferry Anglers:

Fishing is good! Fly selection is simple too. San Juan worms, in red and wine or burgundy and natural along with zebra midges, brassies and of course the famous dry and dropper. The back eddies are loaded with trout sipping midges. Just about any riffle with a drop off is producing fish. And if you like to drift, a sink tip line and a wooly bugger is sure to pick up a few fish for you. You might even want to drift the longer deeper runs with a worm and a midge trailer. I am kind-of at a loss for words every one I talk with is just as pleased as they can be. My guess is that it will remain this way for a while, 4 to 6 weeks at least. So what are you waiting for?

Walk in: I will leave this report as is until I hear something new:The walk-in section is fishing very well these days. The boulder field is producing fish. The big rock area is producing fish as well, and even down at the confluence area. These fish are focused on San Juan worms for the most part. But they will take midges and dries too. It’s all in the presentation. If you are new to this section stop by the shop and we can fill you in on all the latest skinny. This weather is wonderful, don’t miss out.


LAKE MEAD - Lake Mead water levels have held steady, the elevation is currently at around 1,105 feet above msl. Nighttime striper fishing has been really good again. Anglers using artificial lights were catching as many 13- to 18-inch stripers as they wanted to clean. Catfishing under lights was also very productive using anchovies. Artificial lights won’t be as effective this week with the full moon.

Launching conditions at South Cove have remained nearly the same for the last two months. The new concrete ramp the National Park Service just completed is one lane with buoys 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.

Important notice: With the recent 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 fishing for small stripers has been pretty good. Try using cut anchovies at night. The lake level has remained pretty steady and is running at 641 feet above msl. The stripers seen in the fall were fat and full of shad, with schools of shad being chased by striped bass. No sign of shad this year so far. If you can find schools of shad, try trolling a small crankbait.

Angler report
Where: Lake Mohave
When: 09/19/08
Caught: Striper 4-8lbs
Technique: anchovies
Comments: Striper pretty consistent between Katherine’s and Davis. Hit a school at daybreak; three just over 7 pounds 4 between 3 and 5 pounds in two hours. Fishing was dead after that. Been getting one or two a day between sunset and dark. I only fish a couple hours a day. Got pics.
Name: D lavin



Biologists from both Arizona Game and Fish Department and Nevada Division of Wildlife have continued to install fish habitat in both Carp Cove and Box Cove. 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 recent 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/.


TOPOCK MARSH - Water level is up, but still be careful while launching. The fishing has been pretty slow. A few bass are being caught, but overall slow.

Game and Fish biologists surveyed the Marsh starting on the week of Jan. 15. The largemouth bass population was observed to be very healthy, as well as channel catfish. Crappie were also present, but in smaller numbers.

You can access the marsh by boat at 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.

Important notice: With the recent 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/.


WILLOW BEACH - Trout are stocked every Friday. Fishing was a bit spotty for those fishing from the shoreline with about half the anglers having success. Most of the success has been coming from or around the new pier. Try using green Power Worms, or salmon eggs. Anglers report the fishing being best before 7:30 a.m. The striper fishing has been picking up. Reports of stipers 5-plus-pounds are common.

Important notice: With the recent 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 azgfd.gov or visit http://100thmeridian.org/.


COLORADO RIVER BELOW DAVIS DAM - The striper bite has picked up a little. One angler reported catching a 40-inch striper. Trout were last stocked on March 24-25. Trout stocking will resume around the end of October.

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 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 recent 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/.

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