Lake Powell 4-7 thru 4-9

[theangler]

[size 2][left]I headed out to Lake Powell to tag along on Rich (BearLakeMack) and a friend and coworker of his Ron's striper trip. My first time fishing Powell, what an awesome trip!!![/left]

I left Colorado on Thursday and ran into many problems getting to Powell, first MapQuest was wrong, then I bought a McNealy map and it was wrong (it is missing a great shortcut freeway the 98 west also, which I used on the way home). If all that wasn't enough Wolf Creek Pass was closed so I had to double back and drop down into New Mexico. To make a long story long it turned a 9 hour drive into 13+ hours.

The way the trip started I was expecting a Typhoon when i got to page Arizona and the Wahweep Campground to meet up with Rich and Ron. Not the case! The weather was unbelievable, the fishing, companionship, and conditions were awesome! It was an amazing trip and you can't ask for two better guys to fish with!

First Day:
We got a bit of a late start because of the time I got in (1:30am) it wasn't possible to hook up that night. So we hooked up in the morning and hit the water. Rich and Ron got there the day before and got on the fish at the dam so we left Wahweep Marina and headed to the Dam. We started out tying off to the Styrofoam barricade and fished inside the barricade and towards the mouth of the lagoon that leads to the dam. We were throwing a variety of colored Mister Twister 3" jigs with a piece of anchovy. After about 20 casts the spot proved to be a bit slow so we moved out about 200 yards and started working the area to the wall. Ron hooked up immediately on the first cast on an Orange jig, so we I switched to Orange and I think Rich stayed with green (both colors were working). We put a decent amount of fish in the boat before lunch. Mostly caught close to the wall in anywhere between 15 and 25 feet of water.


After lunch the dam was crowded and had slowed down a bit so we headed to Buoy 1. Buoy 1 produced fish between the buoy and the shore using the same bait.


Thank you Ron and Rich for the AWESOME FISH TACO'S we had for dinner that night!


Second Day:
Fishing was closed out in the morning. No one seemed to be catching fish and we only boated 2 fish between fishing the dam and buoy one. We tried trolling J.P Rigs at 20 and 27 feet, mixing up our spots, a couple of different jigs, and nothing seemed to be working. Ron did land a nice smallmouth.


After lunch we moved off Buoy 1 and in to the cove and it was on. We found them sitting on a ledge deep around 30 to 60 feet with the same set up.


We put 43 fish on the boat, released a bunch.


Although we didn't land any big striper the 1 to 6 pounders were on fire! Rich and Ron make a mean fish taco and again, you can't find two better guys to fish with. Thanks again guys!

For more pictures from the trip check out [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/photos/showgallery.php/cat/531"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/...wgallery.php/cat/531[/url][/size]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Absolutely disgusting. PETA is going to make you their poster child.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Fun, ain't it?[/#0000ff]
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[theangler]

LOL, As all we have to do is let those PETA people try Rich and Ron's fish tacos and they'll be converted. We mixed up another batch on Easter and these taco's are awesome!

I only have 2 packs of fish left and wish we had stayed to fish 1 more day. Those stripers are tasty and they don't appear to be on any endangered species list at powell!!!![]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]No doubt about it. Powell stripers are the perfect fish. Big, plentiful, fun to catch and great on the plate. Even better that there are no limits. The only downside is the long trip and the expense (gas, bait, etc.).[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There's a good chance we can replenish your stash of fillets after the wiper whingding. They are striper hybrids and every bit as good in tacos.[/#0000ff]
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[theangler]

Hello Pat,
That sounds great!

I am looking forward to some great fishing, fun, fillets, and friends at the Wiper Tourney!!!!
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Yeah...four F's. Fishing, Fun, Friends and Fillets. Throw in some foolishness, frivolity and festivities and we got somethin' goin' on.[/#0000ff]
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[theangler]

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[Mead_Stripers]

Hey Mike,

That's a great story. I usually try to fish Mead 3-4 times a year. I love it there. I catch a ton of stripers out of Temple Bar. I've heard really great stories about Powell, and am thinking about checking it out. Aside from the great fishing at Powell, what's the scenery like there? Is more scenic than Mead? The water at Temple Bar is pretty clear and blue....how is it at Powell? What's the weather like there? Are the campgrounds in good condition?

I would appreciate any comments you have about my questions. I'm just trying to see if it's worthwhile to try Powell even though it would be a considerably longer drive for me. I'm coming from Los Angeles. Thanks again for the great story and pics.

Best regards,

Paul
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