Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Now is time for fishing excursions

Paula DelGiudice

Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2001 | 10:35 a.m.

Paula DelGiudice's outdoors notebook appears Wednesday. Reach her at desertdenizens@aol.com.

As the last throes of summer and its unbearable heat descends upon us for the last time this year (we hope), the last three-day weekend of the season also looms. This is the perfect time to try an out-of-town fishing experience.

Utah offers a myriad of experiences that ought to be better than watching the black top soften. Many of the fishing holes in Utah are going through the summer doldrums also -- water temperatures are high, water levels are low, fish are sluggish. However, there are some good reports coming out of some spots in Utah, so the news isn't all bad.

If you're interested in an adventure, you might try any of the 400 fishable waters in high Uinta Mountain lakes on the Wyoming/Utah border west of Vernal, Utah. The lakes and streams of the high Uintas have been producing good to excellent fishing recently. There are many resources available on the Internet to help you plan your trip, including U.S. Forest Service maps and information.

Some desert rats just can't stand to leave the desert. If that sounds like you, maybe you'll want to try fishing at Lake Powell on the Utah/Arizona border. Late summer isn't my favorite time of year to fish Powell, but there are some interesting things happening to the fishery.

The striper boils are occurring less frequently recently due to heavy pressure and declining shad populations, according to Wayne Gustaveson, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Lake Powell project leader. Gustaveson reports that anglers will need luck finding stripers on top, but should try early in the morning at the back of the canyons adjoining Padre Bay, at Castle Creek on the San Juan arm, and at Trachyte, Farleys and North Wash in the Hite area.

Because shad numbers are down, anchovies have been enticing the stripers to bite.

The DWR recommends that anglers keep all stripers they catch at Lake Powell because some are declining in condition. Anglers are encouraged to fillet those that are in good shape and dispose of those fish that are too "skinny" to fillet at cleaning stations.

Gustaveson said bass fishing is good with a "mojo" rig (a fixed thread-like singer 12 inches above a four-inch series Yamamoto 9S BabySenko Shiner (color 905). The mojo rig uses a 1/0 thin Gamakatsu EWG hook to give a flighty, wavering movement to the stick-like Senko bait.

Gustaveson encourages anglers to check his web site at www.wayneswords.com for more rigging information and up-to-date fishing information on the conditions at Lake Powell.

The fishing has been good at Navajo Lake for small rainbows and brook trout. Anglers are fly fishing for brooks in the evenings imitating the hatches of caddis and midges that are hatching.

Other fishing spots that are reporting fair to slow conditions are Paragonah Reservoir, Panguitch Reservoir, 20 miles southwest of Panguitch; Gunlock Reservoir, 16 miles northwest of St. George; Kolob Reservoir, and Enterprise Lake, seven miles west of Enterprise.

Many anglers head to Panguitch Reservoir from Las Vegas to fish. Reports indicate that shore fishing now is pretty tough, and boaters are having to work for their share of small trout.

At Kolob, the fishing has generally been slow. A few trout are being caught on Woolly Buggers fished on a sinking line. Anglers are fishing the Woolly Buggers "slow and deep." Small nymph patterns are also working. Action on dry flies is possible early or late in the day as the fishing is expected to pick up once the water cools.

The water level at Gunlock is down about 10 feet and the water temperature is in the 70s. The fishing has been slow for bass and small crappie, bluegill and catfish. The fishing has been better for catfish recently and some large catfish have been taken.

"We are closing this ramp because of the safety hazard it presents to all vessels,' said Gary Warshefski, assistant superintendent of the National Recreation Area.