June 23, 2010
Lake Elevation: 3638
Water Temp: 70-78
F
Slurps and Boils!
We will be talking about surface feeding by striped bass for the rest of the
summer. Here are some terms that will make it easier for you to understand
my reports. "Slurps" are
defined as surface feeding by stripers of all sizes on very small larval
shad. Tiny shad are poor swimmers. There is not much chance of them eluding
stripers that line up with open mouths and skim the surface sucking in shad
as they go. The scrimmage line
moves along at high speed (3-5 mph). Slurpers go down when the boat gets in
range but then resurface in random directions. If they come up near the boat
stripers are easier to catch. If they surface well out of range the boat
must be quickly repositioned to get in casting range again.
Psycho Fly - Wild Hare
Baits
"Boils" happen when all size stripers trap fast swimming juvenile and
adult shad at the surface and feed voraciously while shad are trapped within
the circular stationary striper
school. Boiling stripers consume large surface lures that can be cast for
long distances.
Slurping stripers can be fussy eaters
because their prey is so small. The feeding school can move in just about
any direction as larval shad are commonly found in most open water areas.
Fishing success in slurps requires
precision casting. A lure tossed into the scrimmage line will
spook the whole school or be ignored by fish looking straight ahead. But a
lure cast well in front of the first fish and worked back into the scrimmage
line will be seen and sometimes eaten. This morning slurpers would take full
size surface lures and crankbaits until 8 AM. Then we used finesse streamer
flies behind a casting bubble to deliver a small bait a very long way. This
method proved just as effective for stripers as it is for trout.
Stripers are now slurping intermittently throughout the day. This morning
slurps were seen from Wahweap Bay to Navajo Canyon to Padre Bay and beyond.
My guess is that stripers are slurping from Wahweap to Bullfrog and perhaps
as far uplake as Good Hope Bay. The upper lake beyond Good Hope is too muddy
for slurps. Slurps will last through the rest of June with boils beginning
in July. Stripers caught from slurps this morning weighed between 3 and 4
pounds.
Excellent fishing for big largemouth bass
exists in the tree line that is now mostly under water. Use heavy line with
weedless plastic baits worked right in the thickest brush for best results.
Smallmouth bass are found on rocky
structure in the main canyons and main channel. Smaller bass are shallow
while larger bass are at depths of 15-30 feet. Tube jigs, Carolina rigs and
drop shot baits fished along the breaking edge of fast falling sloping rock
are very effective.
Walleye continue to be
caught in the largest numbers seen since the 1980s. Trolling along brushy
treetops, crawling worm harnesses along the bottom and casting to muddy
coves morning and evening are all effective techniques.
Fishing success continues to be awesome. The only drawback/benefit now is
that the technique determines which species will be caught. It is possible
to pick which fish to catch by choosing a location and a technique to match
the target species.
