Lake Powell Largemouth Bass (utah.gov)

From the last few reports out of Lake Powell by Wayne Gustaveson, it sounds like this year is going to be a stellar fishing year.  The stripers are up in both numbers and size and the largemouth bass are readying to spawn.  Both the largemouth and smallmouth bass are producing well and they are catching very nice fish.   If you have means to get to Lake Powell in the next 4-5 weeks don’t hesitate to go.  The fishing sounds unbelievable!

Lake Powell report: 2010 looks remarkable (via SL Tribune, Fishing Utah Blog)

Pacific black sea bass are a protected species and can’t be legally possessed.  Recently an Orange County angler hooked into a beauty from the Balboa pier which he ended up killing and it looks like he may find himself in trouble.  Video on this page doesn’t look very convincing that he tried to return it to the water quickly.  The case has been turned over to OC District Attorney.  It sounds like releasing one of these fish, however, requires more than just knowing how to remove a hook and apparently the air bladder somehow needs to be deflated as well.  Perhaps even if he had returned it more quickly it wouldn’t have survived anyway.  Hard to know, but it sure seems like he could have decided to cut the line about 15 minutes before he did.

These are clearly special fish.  Just look at historical photos such as this one posted on Shorpy.com, you can see why.  It looks like a giant largemouth bass.  Hard to imagine catching such a massive fish like this one.  Wow.

Many people know Lake Powell as a summer boating paradise, but most don’t know that it is also a paradise in the winter, but for fishing.  ”Roughin’ It Outdoors” is a locally produced outdoor themed TV show that has evolved over the years, but is always worth a watch.  I never miss a week.  Last Saturday night they featured striper fishing at Lake Powell with three good segments on the subject.  Looks like it would be a fun trip to take.Segment 1: Lake Powell WinterSegment 2: Lake Powell Winter StripersSegment 3: Fish Tech Fish Report: Lake Powell Stripers

During the recent Thanksgiving holiday my family and I visited my wife’s family in Arizona. My father-in-law is an avid fisherman specializing in bass of all kinds. We usually take his boat out at least once while during a visit. This year we went to Saguaro Lake in pursuit of Yellow Bass. Up until last year I had no idea that such a fish existed. They are small and resemble a White Bass, but have a yellowish tint to them. To catch these little guys you have to find a spot where hey are grouped and jig for them. They tend to be in about 20-40 feet of water and you can really only catch them if they are on the bottom. Suspended fish are too hard to catch. The secret jig we use is a 1 oz lead weight painted white with a faint pearly fleck and a treble hook attached to the bottom. Such a simple jig has turned an amazing variety of fish in my last two trips for yellow bass including a channel cat, a largemouth bass, two bluegill and of course lots of yellow bass. Here are photos from the last trip: Possibly the smallest ever yellow bass taken on a hook. Also you can see the jig here.Photos from 2008:This is a pretty standard … Continue Reading