Red Canyon/Blue Notch, Lake Powell June 7-10

[TopH2O]

My wife and I made a trip to the upper end of the lake recently. We launched at Bullfrog and decided to try uplake even though the off-color water was evident in Bullfrog Bay. We motored up to a favorite camping spot adjacent to Castle Butte near Red Canyon. The water was very turbid and visibility was less than one foot. Once we had the camp set up I took the boat and headed over to Blue Notch and Red Canyon.

The water was somewhat clearer once we got off the main channel. Most of the smaller side coves in Blue Notch and Red Canyon had visibility of about three to four feet. I fished with a variety of lures but did best by far when I was using a spinner/jig combo in silver and white. The small spinner bait is like a beetle spin or safety pin spinner. I used the spinner bait in combination with a 1/4 oz. white curly tail jig. The added flash was just the ticket in the green water of Red Canyon. I caught a surprising number of walleye, over 30 all told during the trip. Most of the limit we kept were in the 16 to 19 inch range and were in very good condition. I caught five walleye that were about 11 inches long and they were released to grow larger for next season.
The same spinner/jig combo produced quite a few nice smallmouth and several largemouth bass. I was also able to pick up some very nice crappie while using the same lure. The crappie were holding in small coves in about 12 to 18 feet of water. The walleye seemed to be on the prowl for food and I caught several in very shallow water. The breezy conditions produced some muddy edges to the points and drop offs. The walleye were using the muddy water to ambush smaller fish in the shallows. Some of the best action was on the wind-swept points with some brush sticking up above the water. The rapidly rising lake didn't seem to bother the walleye. I think I caught fewer bass because they haven't adjusted to the quickly rising lake as fast as the walleye have.
One benefit of the dirty water is that very few people were in the Red Canyon area. There were a couple of other fishermen and a few rec boaters, but we had very few distractions in the way of jet skis and the power squadrons.
I caught some fish on Rapala X-raps and green/brown tube jigs but the silver spinner jig combo was clearly the best option for the limited visibility in the upper lake.

Here's the catch for Thursday afternoon. I can't think of any better ingredients for a fish fry! Notice that I have cut the throats on the fish to bleed them prior to cleaning. It makes for a cleaner fillet and a lot less mess in the boat.

Here's a close up of the spinner jig combo that produced the best results in the murky water.

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[Crimson]

Nice report on a successful Powell trip! We used to camp in tents on Powell when I was younger, and they were some of the most memorable trips I've had there. I like the shade cover you have over your camp.

I'm jealous of all the Walleye you were able to catch. Looks like some great fish dinners were had.

Thanks for sharing.
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[TopH2O]

We enjoy camping on the lake whenever we can both get some time off. The shade we use is a 10x20 tarp and we just secure a portion of it to the tent and then stake out the other corners with some old tent poles and guy lines. My wife is very sensitive to the sun and the shade gives her a place to do her school work and read.

The walleye fishing was as good as I have ever experienced at Lake Powell. Two years ago during the fall gill netting with Wayne and crew we saw lots of small walleye in the Blue Notch area. Those same fish are now 16 to 20 inches and ready to provide great fishing.

Mike
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