July 7, 2009
Lake Elevation: 3641
Water Temp: 77- 82 F

I was ready to give my full moon report and provide all the reasons for tough fishing results. Instead I went fishing this morning to see what it was really like. The lake is still rising, the morning was cool and the sunrise was awesome. It was a great day for fishing.


Fat stripers are boiling at Lake Powell.


As expected, at first light there were just a few individual stripers randomly dimpling the surface. A perfect cast at the same moment a fish hit the surface resulted in a hookup. Then the sun hit the water and I expected the slurps to quit. Surprisingly, instead of quitting the calm surface began to boil with many large striper schools spread over the width of the main channel. The chase was on.

From 6-8 AM boils were constant. We were either casting or cruising to the next school. The morning catch was 25 three-pound stripers. Most were caught on full size surface lures with Sammie's, Jumpin Minnows and Super Spook Jr. all working well. More good lures include Kastmaster spoons, rattletraps and bucktail jigs (1 ounce). All must be cast within 2 feet of the rapidly moving schooling stripers. Many different lures are working but the most important piece of information is to use a lure that is heavy and can be cast as far as possible. Long accurate casts are required.

Stripers are getting more aggressive. Now if the lure is thrown beyond the boiling school and worked back through feeding fish, the hookup rate is 50%. Boils are bigger and longer lasting than just a week ago.

Boils are common from Wahweap to Tapestry Wall. From Good Hope uplake is slow with perhaps too many shad and poor visibility. The common location is main channel. Do not look for boils in the backs of canyons.

In the south try the main channel from Antelope Point Marina to Warm Creek and Dangling Rope to mouth of San Juan. Further north boils are strong from Lake Canyon to Tapestry Wall.

The best time to see and catch fish from boils is 6-8 AM and 6-8 PM (MST).

Bass fishing has slowed but a few are still being caught. Walleye and catfish are near the bottom and not caught while chasing boils. Use bait for cats and trolling or casting to hook a stray walleye or bass.