Powell is Hurtin'

[TubeDude]

[blue][size 1]Anybody who has visited Lake Powell this year has seen how low it is getting. It is at it's lowest point in over 30 years. One of the Phoenix area cartoonists summed up the problem with this cartoon:[/size][/blue]


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[hedgesd]

Nice cartoon but they forgot the greedy Southern water users who are sucking it dry.
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The experts say the low water is great for the fishing, size, and forage. At least this is what I have read.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][blue][size 1]Yeah, there are usually short term benefits when a lake is either drawn down or shrinks because of lack of water. The whole food chain is concentrated into smaller areas and becomes more accessible to fishermen. The long term problem that results is that when more fish are harvested...or die of increased predation among themselves...the fewer there will be to go after when the lake fills again.[/size][/blue]

[#0000ff][size 1]I have long believed in the old fisherman's saying that 90 percent of the fish are usually in only 10 percent of the water. In a lake the size of Lake Powell that usually means that you need to know the lake pretty well to avoid just going out and "washing lures". Our current low water levels have inproved the odds, at least for the time being.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]One of the long term benefits is that the prolonged period of being out of water has allowed weeds and small trees to start growing along some shorelines. This will help provide more cover for the young of all species when the lake rises again. So, hopefully, the lake will get healthy quickly when there is more water.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]I have read that some "experts" predict that Lake Powell cannot sustain more than three more years of drought, until it is empty. Not a good thought, but records from the Anasazi ruins and in the annual rings of old trees show that our current drought is mild compared to some that lasted 30 to 50 years in ancient times.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]We can all hope that the tree huggers don't get their wish and that Powell is not totally drained. [/size][/#0000ff]
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[Gumbo]

Lake Powell has received so much false, negative publicity lately that it's borderline rediculous. Also, realize that Lake Powell is a lake unlike any other in the state. It's also quite unique from other Colorado River reservoirs. I don't think the low water has 'concentrated' the fish. Rather, it has made accessible much of the nutrients previously locked in the deeper water. This in turn has boosted the available food for the shad, slingshotting their groth which has enabled the stripers to grow more than two years before winter killing. And/or the reduction in stripers from angling pressure. And/or it's just another boom cycle for the shad. Those interested in hearing all the info straight from the horse's mouth can go to [url "http://www.wayneswords.com"]www.wayneswords.com[/url].

Also, the stripers reproduce so prolifically in Lake Powell that the number of stripers really isn't the issue--the issue is if there is are enough shad to feed the masses once the stripers grow to the point that they need meat to sustain their growth. That's why all anglers are still encouraged to keep all stripers they catch--to help keep the pred/prey ratio in-check, since the shad have been in short numbers for the last too many years.

The weeds will increase the mortality of largemouth bass and crappie fry. In won't really affect the smallmouth bass which thrive in the rocks (which are plentiful in Powell and which is why the current limit on SMB is 20, to help keep their population in-check). Nor will it directly affect the stripers, other than providing cover for shad fry.

As for Lake Powell being empty in 3 years, there are a lot of 'experts' saying a lot of conflicting things, making it hard to know what and whom to believe. But I tend to ignore most newspaper reporter articles since they tend to sensationalize the facts which they interpret from the experts and twist into their own versions of the truth.

I'm not knocking you, Tdude. I just want to soften the negativity and say hey, it ain't all bad news. The lake is actually in good shape, though it may look and fish a little differently. There are many advantages to the low water. And this year will be one of the best fishing years for, some say, 30 years!

Long live Lake Powell!!

[polokid]

I have never been to Powell before, and if this keeps up I may never get to see it. But alot of places are going to look like that cartoon if we dont get slammed one of these soon winters. But off that winter subject it is summer time, (well almost) []
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[TubeDude]

[cool][blue][size 1]Ah, the voice of reason. I suspect that the naysayers really don't have a good read on what is going on, from a fishing standpoint. I do not take your comments as anything but what they are...another viewpoint from the reality side of things.[/size][/blue]

[#0000ff][size 1]I have not spent much time on Powell the past few years, but did fish it a lot in the late 70s and early eighties. Had some monster days on all species. Used to be bodacious crappie and largemouth fishing. Then the walleye and striper biomass grew astronomically, as did the smallmouths. Tough for one mother (Mrs. Powell) to support so many hungry mouths, especially with the shad going through their up and down cycles.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]It is encouraging to see the healthy girth on the fish currently coming out of the lake. I have had too many trips when the stripers were all "hammer handles" and barely wiggled when you reeled them to the boat. More fun and better eating when you get some meat on the fillets.[/size][/#0000ff]
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[Kayote]

Gumbo,

I'm curious as to why you think weeds would increase the mortality of largemouth and crappie fry. Seems the added cover would provide a safer haven for juviniles to hide from predators. Also, do you really think largemouth recruitment is a problem?. Bass tend to reproduce well everywhere in Utah. It's just a matter of having enough to eat to make it to a desirable size.

Hey Tuber,

Washing lures. Hehehe, I like that. May I use it? LMAO.

Good Fishing, Kayote
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[TubeDude]

[cool][blue][size 1]Hey Hey, Special K. I'm a sharing kinda guy. Considering that ain't one of my originals, and I borrowed it from somebody else, feel free to adapt it wherever needed. Hope you don't need to use it often.[/size][/blue]

[#0000ff][size 1]I also had the question on the suggested detriment of weeds to largemouth. Heck, the only lakes I have ever seen that had good largemouth spawn survival were the ones with lots of shoreline cover for the hatchlings. [/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]Down here in Arizona the lakes draw down in the summer and we get a bumper crop of cockle burrs on the exposed mud shoreline. When the water rises again in the winter those drowned weeds make ideal spawning beds for crappies and good protection for the young of all species. It's almost a given that if you are bringing in the burrs you are fishing where the crappies are in early spring.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]Of course the bass spawn on cleaner gravel bottoms, but the fry quickly gravitate to cover, or end up as the main course on some bigger fish's menu.[/size][/#0000ff]
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[Shrimpboy]

I'm thinking that Gumbo mixed up the definition of mortality. I'm guessing he meant to say that it will decrease the mortality of those fish. That would make the most sense.
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[fish4fish]

my only question is this, the wain water realese for the lake is the dam right, so when/if the water level ever gets lower then where the water enters the chutes to turn the turbine, how would it really loose enough to drain the lake when it gets that low, theres not another big water realease on the thing is there.
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[fishinfan]

I'm not an expert by any means, but I'm pretty sure that the water that runs the turbines is taken at or near the bottom of the dam. That means that if the water ever did get low enough to stop running through, you would barely have a river, much less a lake. Anyway, just my two cents. Interesting subject though, great posts.

Fishinfan
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[fish4fish]

i went on the tour last year and i cant remember the numbers but is seems that the water enters the dam and then drops a good deal of feet so it can pick up some speed to turn them big turbines, ill have to take a look but it seems like the water enters at a level of hundreds feet from the bottom.
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[Gumbo]

Kayote, TDude, Shrimpboy, So you think the gumbo simmered a little too long? Or that maybe my roux is rancid? Or that maybe... okay, that's enough of that.

I confess, I knew I had read that LMB and crappie populations increase when weeds are present, which now only happens when the water level has been low for long enough to let weeds grow on the bank. Then when the water comes back up the weeds are flooded and LMB and crappie populations will increase. But to get all the facts straight I went right to the source...

[blue]Wayne Gustaveson>> LMB and crappie have the same character flaw. During the first 2-3 weeks of life when these brush loving fish are threatened by danger they look up and swim for cover in brush. If no brush exists then they are vulnerable to predation. If they find a bush with lots of interstitial spaces they survive.

SMB and green sunfish are just the opposite. At the same life stage when threatened they swim down and hide in rocks. Therefore they do much better in Powell. Filling reservoir conditions will tip that balance back toward lmb and crappie.[/blue]

Also, realize that in Powell (in prior years), the prey (shad) was in short supply. So there were a lot of hungry mouths to feed. So anything was fair game, especially fry with no place to hide.

TDude, remember Powell in the early years when it seemed like huge LMB were being pulled out of there every day on water dogs? When a reservoir fills it is nutrient rich, much like Jordanelle is now with flooded brush everywhere. But once all that flooded brush and timber is consumed by the water, you have a much more sterile lake. And the only chance Powell has for underwater weeds is, as I mentioned above, when a shoreline full of weeds is flooded. And after big wind storms look for areas where tumble weeds pile up in the lake. The bass fishing is usually excellent right there (because such structure is so limited).

Sorry to wax Tube Dudish and write a book []. But Powell is a different lake than most.

[TubeDude]

[cool][blue][size 1]Hey, G-man, I resemble that remark.[/size][/blue]

[#0000ff][size 1]I do indeed remember the days of many LMBs. And, I remember fishing for crappies under the rafts of tumbleweeds in the backs of coves. You could pull in quietly and see a jillion eyes looking back up at you from the hordes of shaded crappies. What's more, you could take a lot of big crappies on spinnerbaits and crankbaits being dragged for basses.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]Your point was well made on predators eating anything at hand when pickins are slim. One of my better color patterns on hardbaits, on some waters, has been the "baby bass" color.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]Are we havin' fun yet?[/size][/#0000ff]
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[Gumbo]

The outlet tubes on the Glen Canyon dam are at 3374'. That's over 200' above the Colorado River bed. I don't know how much lake would still exist, or how much--if any--of that 200' is silt (it should settle out in the upper lake). I'd guess the lake would still be pretty large compared to other lakes in the state. All we can do is speculate and hope for the best.

[Kayote]

"My roux is rancid". Too funny. It's right up there with "washing lures". Endless entertainment I say. LMAO

Good Laughing, Kayote
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[Fishry]

I just got back from a 3.5 day trip to Lake Powell. I stayed in the Bullfrog area. I for one was not impressed with the fishing this year (by Lake Powell standards). It was the poorest fishing I have seen in five consecutive years visiting Lake Powell in the month of May. Not just quantity, but size. We fished HARD for the striped bass and did manage to catch them, but have never had to work so hard for them. The people that we talked with (at the Halls and Bullfrog marinas, the gas stations in the area, the fish cleaning station, and the fuel dock) had not heard of anyone doing well for stripers this year. We were unable to find any fish in schools large enough and/or concentrated enough to jig or anchovy fish for. We had sucess trolling using a GPS to mark and track the schools as they moved. We fished from Knowles Canyon to Halls Canyon. We only caught stripers in Bullfrog Bay and the back of Halls. The stripers in Bullfrog only averaged about 10 to 14 inches with a few larger ones. The ones in Halls were bigger, but we had to troll through a forest of submerged trees to get at them. It was a good way to 'use up' some of my older lures. The weather and the camping was great. Don't get me wrong, I was just a little dissappointed after all the hype about how great the fishing was going to be this year. It really was the worst fishing I have seen in the last five years. That said, here are trip results:

101 fish total, 10 Walleyes, 4 Catfish, 4 Smallmouths, the remainder Stripers. 33 fish on Sunday evening and Monday, 41 on Tuesday, and 27 on Wednesday.

The fish pictures posted are of my best fishing buddy, fish picture model, and wife.
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