Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Spawning peaks for largemouths

Paula DelGiudice

Wednesday, May 2, 2001 | 11:45 a.m.

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

Fishing season is here and it's time to start planning some junkets to take advantage of some of the best fishing of the year. As outgoing chair of the board of the National Wildlife Federation, I was given a beautiful new fly rod, reel and fly tying vise and I hope to make good use of them soon.

There's a lot going on now with our fisheries resources. For those waters that have them, largemouth bass are on their beds. For Lake Mead, it's caused the fishing for largemouths to slow down. NDOW biologist Mike Burrell said this is the peak period for the spawn and the fish will be found in coves and remain there until the spawn concludes in late May or early June.

The striper spawn still continues in different stages depending on the water temperature. Fishing has been good in the Narrows above Cottonwood Cove on Mohave. Fishing for stripers on Lake Mead hasn't been that good lately. Lake Powell is another great spot to fish for stripers, crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass and channel catfish at this time of year. If you catch it when the weather is good but before school lets out, fishing just doesn't get much better.

According to Wayne Gustaveson, Department of Wildlife Resources Lake Powell project leader, the water temp at Powell is 55-65 degrees now. He reports large prespawn striper schools moving in and out during the day. The best spot is the power plant intake. He says the dam area is good but fishing space is limited. You can enjoy success by fishing the cliff walls in between the dam and the intake as they hold fish that travel between both sites.

When large, prespawn striper schools move in, the action is fast and furious for anglers. The active period for the fish is about three hours long depending on the whim of the stripers. This is one time of the year when Gustaveson recommends waiting for the schools to come by rather than going looking for them. He said inactive fish holding along the intake wall will hit a bait that is slowly descending between 45 and 60 feet, and usually on the first cast. He recommends moving along the wall, casting often, and the liberal use of chum.

Crappie will begin spawning this week at Lake Powell. Their numbers are not large, according to Gustaveson, but the next two weeks will be the best time to find them. Gustaveson recommends releasing the dark black males to protect the nests and provide more crappie for next year.

Other spots in Utah are beginning to warm up as the ice moves off the water. Kolob Reservoir is accessible from the south side. The rules there require artificial flies and lures and a two-trout limit of fish over 18 inches. The reservoir is not accessible from the north (Cedar Canyon) for a couple of more weeks.

The water at Newcastle Reservoir is open now but anglers report slow fishing conditions. The ice is off at Panguitch. Shore anglers are catching rainbows in the 12-13 inch range. The road through Cedar Breaks is closed so access is through Parowan Canyon or via the town of Panguitch. The recommendations are dark spinners from shore, or PowerBait and worms. Fly fishers should try dark buggers or leech patterns.

Adult mentors and members of the Las Vegas Fly Fishing Club will give the youngsters instruction. Membership information for the junior club will also be available. Most of the participants will camp at the David Deacon Campground on the management area. A parent or adult guardian must accompany children.

Information about the event and the club may be obtained by calling Ivy Santee at the Nevada Division of Wildlife at 486-5127, ext. 3503.

Children will learn what fish can be found in the park's main pond, how to bait and tackle selection, and how to cast. Following the clinic the children will be allowed to fish.

Advance registration is required for all participants. To register, call NDOW at 486-5127, ext. 3504.