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Show Warm water drawing fish into shore early May is the month to fish fish will swim away from reservoirs in shore, leaving fewer fish for Utah this year, especially if shoreline anglers to catch. As water levels drop during the you like fishing from shore. The drought has lowered summer, however, shoreline the water level at many of anglers can still enjoy great these waters, said Tom fishing at some of the smaller Pettengill, sports fisheries cowaters, if they ordinator for the Division of time their fishing right. Wildlife Resources. That has There will be a period when caused the water temperature the deeper water will be cool along shore to warm to the enough that the fish will be point that trout are already feeding actively and the dropcoming into shore to feed. ping water level will concentrate them into a smaller Pettengill defines a water as any water space, he said. Once the water level drops between 4,500 and 6,500 feet levto a certain point, the water in elevation. When water els are closer to normal, water becomes so warm that there temperatures in the shallow, isnt much oxygen left for the shoreline areas are still fairly fish. This stresses the fish and cool in early and mid-Mathey stop their active feeding. Trout slow their feeding when That may not be the case this year. Dont wait, Pettengill the water temperature reaches 65 to 70 degrees. By the time said. Get out and fish now. In addition to trout, wrarm-init reaches the 70s, trout are water along shore also very stressed and they won't draws in perch, bass, walleyes eat much, he said. The same and other warm water fish earthing happens to walleyes, smallmouth bass, perch and lier than normal this year. Pettengill says afternoons many other warm water fish, and evenings are the best when the water temperature times to fish right now, when hits about 80 degrees. When water temperatures the water along shore has warmed to its best feeding climb later in the summer, temperature for fish. As it gets Pettengill encourages anglers warmer in May, early morn- to climb higher in elevation to ings will be best. As May fish. One of the keys to fishing during a drought is movprogresses, water will cool during the night and by morning ing higher in elevation as it will be the perfect tempera- water temperatures warm. Good fishing is always availture for fish to feed in. As water temperatures able, its a matter of fishing the climb in June, trout and other right spot at the right time. mid-elevatio- n mid-elevatio- mid-elevati- n on y. g THE SAN JUAN RECORD Wednesday, April 30, 2003 Southeast Utah fishing report ABAJO MOUNTAINS: DWR Conservation Officer Randall Scheetz reports that fishing for rainbow trout was only fair this past week at 3 Blanding Reservoir. Fishing was slow at Recap- ture Reservoir. Some North- ern pike are being caught from shore with Red Devil Spinners. Foy Reservoir is Fishing for rainbow and brook trout has been good with bait and nymphs. Trout at Foy are skinny and weak and will not take spinners yet. KENS LAKE: Kens Lake is receiving a lot of fishing pressure on warm days. Conservation Officer Ed Meyers reports that success for rainbow trout has been fair to good. Meyers says shoreline anglers sing rainbow PowerBait and boaters trolling with Rapalas are having the best luck. Fly fishermen may want to try a red and green sparkle leech pattern. The best time to fish is early and late in the day. Mid-dasuccess is poor. The lake has been recently stocked. In 2003, fishing is prohibited from a boat with a gas engine. LAKE POWELL: Wayne Gustaveson, DWR Lake Powell project leader, provides the following report: The lake elevation is 3,605 M.S.L. and the water temperaice-fre- e. y ture is Unsettled spring weather 54-6- 2 F 2005. Crappie are a bonus fish needing special care now. Striped bass still have not made the move to the main channel in the lower lake. They linger in the backs of canyons around shad schools. Shad imitating crank baits are still the most effective lures. Casting and trolling is the most effective technique. Best canyons are Warm Creek, Last Chance, Rock Creek and Bullfrog Bay. Troll near the haystack rocks west of Stanton Creek and in the back of Bullfrog Bay for steady stripers. poised to begin spawning. Day length is ideal but water temperature is lagging. That means the very next warm spell will put the biggest bass on the nests. Then if the warm period continues the mid sized and small bass will spawn. Stable warming for an extended time could result in all bass spawning within days of each other. When this happens, fishing is incredible, bass at every bush and rock. It is more likely that a warm Stripers are located in a place within a canyon rather than in any one specific canyon. Shad are lingering in day will be followed by a cool one. Then some bass will spawn while others wait. This is the normal spring pattern. Bedding fish are evenly spread through time for the next six brush growing around the shore is flooded and crappie numbers can increase'. That off-color- where water at depth Striper fishing is good in murky water from Hite downstream to the point where water clears somewhere around Good Hope Bay. In the San Juan the good zone is from Spencers Camp down to the mouth of Piute Canyon. The mouth of Piute Canyon was particularly hot for small- mouth, stripers and walleye. Walleye catch is picking up especially in the murky water near the inflows of the Colorado and San Juan rivers. Use soft plastic grubs tipped with a half night crawler for walleye and smallmouth bass. GOLF TOURNAMENT Yfe&ii w TEAM SIGN-U- P Golf Team Names: PROCEEDS WILL BE USED TOWARD THE PURCHASE OF NEW EQUIPMENT . . .. ' ' " Private DonadonsAre Always Welcomed! $250 per 1 $(H per individual member team Limited to first 40 teams For more information, call Deana Dalton or Laurie Schafer at San Juan 435-587-21- .Cash .Check ( )nh IAII ) t nt ranee lees will hold place1 16 ed is 15-3- 0 feet. In main channel inflow areas shad may be in any canyon, cove, or channel. SAN JUAN HEALTH SERVICES DISTRICT ANNUAL it: Page 13 will not happen until 2004 or has a dramatic effect on bass fishing. Smallmouth bass are weeks. We know that bass will begin to spawn within the next week but we dont know how many. Weather will determine how good the bass fishing is. Crappie fishing will peak this coming week. There are not many crappie. They will be found in small brushy pockets usually near the backs of canyons. There are more crappie near the inflows than in open water. Remember the creel limit is only 10 crappie. We need to preserve' this population in the short term until - I lea It h Services District |