# Deer hunt 2020: Lake Powell



## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

October 16 - 18.

Deer hunt 2020. Is there a better place to be, than on Powell?










We had the boats loaded and launched from Bullfrog right at sunlight on Friday the 16th. After a pleasant boat ride to 4 Mile canyon we found a nice spot and setup our camp.










Once camp was sufficiently set, we headed out to search for some stripers. For the next two days we were able to find stripers trolling out in the main channel between Trachyte, White, and 2 Mile. We could consistently find stripers in water from 25' to 12'. Those 24" stripers are simply awesome fighters!

The best cranks on this trip were Norman's that were getting down between 12'-15'. Once we would hook a fish trolling, we would then start spooning, which provided numerous other fish too.

The only boils we saw on Friday and Saturday were those 6" stripers - and there were a lot of those on Friday! But no sign of bigger fish boiling. Shad are everywhere. Water temps were from 68F - 70F.














































We also found ourselves a rock pile in 40' of water that came up to 5'. A nice school of crappie were hanging out on it. We took our fair share of crappie - Mardi is a crappie killer!! We found some bluegill and green sunfish, and a couple bass all hanging on that pile of rocks.





































That evening provided all the catfish one could ever have wanted. We're seeing bigger cats the last few years than ever in the past.



















Sunday morning we decided to head out for one more morning fish prior to returning to Bullfrog. On the way to our trolling area we noticed a boil on the southern shoreline (opposite from Trachyte). We headed straight to the boil with both boats. The boil was moving quickly - a bunch of splashes here, then over there, then behind, then back over there. The stripers were actively feeding all over in the bay. We immediately started dropping spoons, casting cranks, and top water - and started catching fish. We caught more fish in the next hour of fishing than the previous day, maybe the previous two combined! Doubles? Triples? Heck, sextuples!! What a riot! We even spooned up a nice channel cat in the midst of the chaos!










We had a great trip with beautiful weather and fantastic fishing! I can't wait to head back down and do it again!


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## TOgden (Sep 10, 2007)

Wow that looks like a lot of fun.

I'm not sure which one looks better, Richard or the big catfish.:smile:

Lake Powell is beautiful in the fall, not many people, very little wind, and hungry fish.

Thanks for sharing the great pictures and report.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

TOgden said:


> I'm not sure which one looks better, Richard or the big catfish.:smile:


We considered throwing him back and keeping the catfish!


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Looks like an awesome trip! Congrats!


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## Steve G (Nov 29, 2016)

That is a really nice grade of stripers.


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

Looks like y'all had a great time down there. I'm heading down on Friday for 5 days of bass fishing and houseboat living. We will bivouac in the Good Hope Bay area. Should be a great end to the fishing season for me. Then its full steam ahead into duck season until the hard deck forms. Life is good.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

... I've never caught or even fished for Stripers. Worth the effort to try and learn? I guess Willard would be the closest water to try. IDK what kind of time investment it takes to get proficient in catching them reliably.

But... very pretty day, looks like a great trip.

-DallanC


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## turkinator (May 25, 2008)

Awsome trip! I'd love to get a boat I can use on Powell. It's one of my favorite places, but I haven't been there in a long time. Thanks for posting!


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

DallanC said:


> ... I've never caught or even fished for Stripers. Worth the effort to try and learn?
> ... IDK what kind of time investment it takes to get proficient in catching them reliably.
> 
> -DallanC


The gear required to catch them is simple:
A. crankbaits for trolling (12 - 20' depths)
B. jigging spoons for when you find a school, typically found by trolling
C. top water plugs for when you find a boil. Not necessary, just more fun than casting a crank or a spoon.

That's all you need for fishing gear.

The hard part is the boat sufficient for Lake Powell. Sure, you can get away with something as simple as a kayak -- but your range is limited. I guess if you haul your kayak down to White Canyon or Blue Notch, then you wouldn't have to worry too much about range.

to be honest, catching stripers can be fairly easy. And, they fight as well as any sport fish found in Utah.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Awesome trip! Doesn't get any better than that! 8)

As promised, here are a few pics from my deer hunt. Alas, we hunted fairly hard and I never got to chase the CRC's. 

Pic. 1; 20 minute stop in Kingston canyon to see if there was anything there.  

Pic. 2; A bunch of these at the OC. This was what my hunting buddy was mostly set up to do. Happy to report the fish were in nice shape although the fishing was not fast. 

Pic 3; Snuck off to Black Canyon on Sunday afternoon. Let's just say I now see the light, although the balky camera took a picture that made me look fat. |-O-| The hunting buddy wasn't set up for AFL fishing so I went it alone and only for a relatively short time. Definitely need to explore that more.

Pic 4-6; On the way out on Kingston to extend my vacation a little longer.


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

I love Black Canyon, Kingston Canyon, and OC....but, don't overlook Marysvale Canyon and Circleville Canyon. Both can be really fun!


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

wyoming2utah said:


> I love Black Canyon, Kingston Canyon, and OC....but, don't overlook Marysvale Canyon and Circleville Canyon. Both can be really fun!


Did you get to go to Powell? Also, do you guys have general deer tags still?


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

I did go to Powell. I am the only one with a tag; I'm in the second year of the DH program. I harvested last year and am trying to be really selective this year. I have been out with the wife the past few nights, but she harvested last night which means I will hit the hills again this weekend to try and find something bigger.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

wyoming2utah said:


> I am the only one with a tag; I'm in the second year of the DH program. I harvested last year and am trying to be really selective this year. I have been out with the wife the past few nights, but she harvested last night which means I will hit the hills again this weekend to try and find something bigger.


Boulder, Monroe, or other? If it's Boulder, I can report back on a couple spots your brother and I talked about previously. However, large bucks weren't too available for us, so it may not help much. Lots of little guys though.


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

Boulder. Where have you been hunting?


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

wyoming2utah said:


> Boulder. Where have you been hunting?


I'll send over a PM in a little while. I'm at work right now.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Catherder said:


> As promised, here are a few pics from my deer hunt.


This just became my favorite thread!

Looks like you found a good one!


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## hondodawg (Mar 13, 2013)

Looks like an memorable trip! My Powell trips have dropped off since we sold the boat. But looks like I need to give up on the south side and fish up north. Is the Lavender shad still the best bait on the Norman’s? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

hondodawg said:


> ...looks like I need to give up on the south side and fish up north.


There is no question that the fish north of Bullfrog are better quality fish than what you find to the south, with the exception maybe being the San Juan and Escalante canyons.

The reason is simple. The Colorado River provides both additional nutrients as well as cover (stained, muddy water) for bait fish and game fish alike. This means the general health of the fish is just plain better than the fish in the southern half of the lake where the water is clear.

This can easily be seen by visiting the cleaning station at Bullfrog and looking at fish caught from north of Bullfrog vs. those south of Bullfrog. It can be very eye-opening to see this.



hondodawg said:


> Is the Lavender shad still the best bait on the Norman's?


I was using a lavender Norman, and it was working well. However, I was getting outfished by by a Chartreuse and a tropical. Walley Divers were also working -- my brother was using a gawd awful looking "clown" diver....:noidea:


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