Striper boils wax and wane with moon phase, weather and lake location. Boils in the northern lake were very quick this past week making it difficult to catch fish.  Boils midlake were staying up longer and sporting larger fish.  Just when a pattern develops in one location some one finds a boil of big fish where none were working the day before.

Boiling fish in the main channel near Navajo Canyon has just about played out. My horizons were broadened this morning as I searched further uplake to gather information for this report. My reward was driving through 4 miles of boiling stripers. Padre Bay was alive with stripers from buoy 20 – 25.  Action ranged from individual stripers splashing 50 yards apart to tight boils of hundreds of fish in tight formation. Stripers were not shy and stayed up on top beginning at dawn until at least 8 AM. They were willing to hit any lure thrown in their direction. I chose to go with a full size Jumpin’ Minnow with the front hook removed.  It is much easier and safer to unhook fish with this set up.  Average striper size was two pounds with larger and smaller fish randomly thrown into the mix.

If you are waiting for just the right time to chase stripers in the southern lake, this weekend would be a great time to do it. Expect to find boils anywhere from Wahweap to Rainbow Bridge with the center of the action being in Padre Bay. 

In the northern lake the center of the action may be Annies Canyon.  At all points the main channel seems to hold more shad and stripers than the backs of the canyons. Cruise the channel morning and evening to find significant boils. Morning fishing may be better than evening now because the evening boil is sometimes blown away when afternoon thundershowers come through at prime time.

Bass fishing has slowed again.  To find bass locate a shad school and throw surface lures, medium running crank baits or soft plastic swim baits. All game fish are keying off shad schools now and will be near shad in the main channel.

Catfising is good on sandy beaches.

Night fishing is fair. Fish in very deep water with a green light for best results. The best place to fish is on the steep wall where stripers were last seen boiling before the sun went down.  Use dead shad for bait.  Catch them with a dipnet as they circle the light.