Go out and catch something now
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Lake Powell is rising rapidly. If on a boat, make sure to readjust tie lines at least once a day for boats tied to shore. Don’t leave cars parked on low flat spots near the lake shore at Lone Rock or other camping areas where the lake could come up rapidly and cover the car while you are camping uplake. Once the equipment is safe, then you are free to enjoy the beauty and grandeur of Lake Powell.
Fishing will be great as the water temperature is still in the magical 64-degree zone. However, it will take a bit of investigation to find where fish are located. Bass and other shoreline dwellers will not move on shore as quickly as the lake comes up. Newly covered brush in shallow water may not yet be occupied as it takes fish a while to move into the new habitat. Instead look for old habitat that is 10 feet or more deep to find fish congregations. One technique that works well in rising water is to find a recently submerged island, or long point. Cast to the shallow part of the structure and then work the bait down deeper to find the fish holding depth. Once the depth is discovered, the next cast should go to the same spot without taking time to work from shallow to deep water. I predict that you will be more successful in catching larger fish by targeting 10-25 feet of water instead of casting in water that is less than 10 feet near shore.
Walleye may be the most likely fish to catch in these conditions, particularly in the northern lake. They prefer a flat bench near shore or a shallow ridge in open water. In either habitat, walleye will be near the edge of the drop off. Use a bottom bouncer with a worm harness trolled slowly along the ridge at 1 mph. Make sure the bouncer weight hits bottom often and can be felt so bottom contact is known. Trolling ‘banana lures,’ like Wally Divers, is very effective in the warming water conditions.
Troll across points where bottom contact is made and fish are caught as soon as the lure breaks free from bottom structure.
Here is a word of caution when using this shallow trolling technique where quagga mussels are found. Transitioning from shallow to deep water allows the trolling line to hit bottom slightly before the lure. Mussel shells are sharp and can cut the line before the lure hits the rocks.