Last update: 11/08/2024

Current fishing conditions for Lake Powell in Utah.

• Stripers are moving out of the main channels into the backs of canyons
• Also target the mouths of canyons for stripers
• Stripers are following shad to the shoreline near brush and structure
• Follow schools of shad to find feeding stripers
• Anglers are reporting best catch rates during early morning
• When there is surface action, top water lures and shallow running crankbaits are getting bites
• Kastmaster type spoons are ideal when cast into active boiling stripers

General Fishing Tips

General tips for fishing lake powel throughout the year for various fish species including stripers, bass, crappie, bluegill, sunfish, catfish and walleye.

Striped Bass

Striped bass, or “stripers”, are one of the more common fish at Lake Powell and what draw most anglers to fish this reservoir. Stripers can be caught from an anchored boat, from shore, or trolling.

In early spring stripers migrate from deeper waters to about 30 to 40 feet to spawn around rock piles, points, and reefs. Fishing along the bottom with cut anchovy, plastic tubes, or Rapala Shadraps is productive this time of year.

Mid to late spring, as waters warm, you’ll find stripers at depths anywhere from about 40 to 80 feet, many feeding near river inlets. A few springs hotspots you may want to try include the inlets to the Colorado, San Juan, and Dirty Devil rivers, along with the Escalantes arms. Next to the dam and at the Navajo Power Plant water pump you’re likely to find schools of spring stripers.

During mid summer it can be difficult to locate striped bass, especially on the south end of the lake. You’ll find most striper activity north of the San Juan confluence, but they can appear anywhere. If you’re going to be on the south end of the lake try fishing Navajo and Warm Creek, or head up to Rock Creek and Last Chance.

When stripers go deep during the heat of summer, they’re typically holding in the main channels at depths of 60 to 90 feet. The best technique for targeting stripers at this depth is to troll shad-colored crankbaits and spoons at about 3.5 to 4 miles per hour. To get your lures down deep you’ll need to use leaded line or some good downriggers. You can try jigging or bait fishing at these depths, but stripers don’t typically stay in one spot for very long so you’ll need to move around.

As water temperatures cool moving into fall, striped bass spend more time feeding on shad at the surface increasing your odds of hooking one. The key to finding striped bass is finding shad. Use your sonar to find schools of shad then troll diving crankbaits or spoons.

When stripers are feeding on schools of shad, they’ll often go into a feeding frenzy and form a “boil” at the surface. Moving into September early October you can expect to see striper boils pick up. If you’re lucky enough to come upon a boil, maneuver your boat in quickly and kill the engine to avoid disturbing the school. Run a few topwater lures through aggressively feed fish and you’ll get some good hookups.

As stripers feed, they’ll pursue fleeing shad down about 20 to 30 feet below the surface. If you’re able to get on top of them, drop a rattletrap type lure or lipless crankbait into the receding boil then reel it through the school. This is another way to get some strong hookups quickly.

Anglers report success targeting stripers along main channel walls near structure including rock piles and rockslides. Main channel stripers that typically remain in deeper water to stay cool often venture up to shallower water (20-25 feet) to pick off crayfish found on rocky structure.

Heavy spoons, bucktail jigs, plastic grubs and tubes (3 to 5 inches), anchovies, and sardines are your yearround go-to baits and lures. Chumming the water with anchovies will bring in and hold schools of striper.

Largemouth Bass

You can target Largemouth bass on Powell year-round, but as water temperatures dip below 50 degrees come winter they become less active and harder to catch.

During early spring (February-March), as waters warm, you’ll find Largemouth holding on rocky outcrops and short flats. Plastic creature baits, spinnerbaits, spider jigs, crayfish imitations, and live salamanders are your go-to presentations this time of year.

As waters continue to warm from April though May, Largemouth begin to accumulate around flats with submerged cover and vegetation, main channel pockets, and rocky outcrops in less than 15 feet of water to spawn. Add weedless plastic tubes and grub to your tackle box.

After spring spawn, bass tend to move from the shallows and scatter. During the heat of summer they can be more difficult to find. Fish the early mornings and later evenings using topwater lures and jerkbaits to catch bass while they’re actively feeding. A Carolina or split shot rig can increase your likelihood of getting a bite.

During the fall months, you’ll find bass near cover including submerged logs, weed piles, and brush. Flooded vegetation is always a sweet spot for targeting Largemouth bass if you can find it. Angler report success catch bass using spinner baits, crankbaits, soft plastics (e.g. Yamaoto senkos), and Chatter-baits with trailer that mimics a shad during the fall.

A lot of bass fry have been released into Lake Powell during recent years, so expect to catch smaller bass mixed in with some larger specimens.

Smallmouth Bass

Best chance of catching Smallmouth bass during later summer and early fall is fishing a curly tail grub, ned rig, or crayfish jig in about 30 to 40 feet of water. But Smallmouth can be found all the way up to the shoreline. Anglers report success fishing a drop shot rig using a soft plastic or bait.

Compared to Largemouth bass, Smallmouth prefer rocky structure over vegetation. Fishing a simple plastic grub on a ned rig or drop shot rig on rocky shelves, over dropoffs, or in submerged boulder fields is where you’re likely to get bites. Spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, spider jigs, soft plastics, and worms will also produce bites.

During late summer into early fall bass tend to feed more during the early dawn and late dusk hours of the day. Poppers and walking lures fished early morning or late evening is your best bet for maximizing your catch rate during the warmer months.

As temperatures cool during mid September into October, bass will start moving back into the shallows and actively feed throughout the day. Poppers and top-water lures such as the Strike King sexy dawn, Berkley Choppo, Heddon super spook, and Whopper Plopper are bass magnets. Catch rates during September and October are relatively high.

There are more Smallmouth bass on Lake Powell than Largemouth. Smallmouth bass are found in greater numbers on the upper half of the lake.

Crappie

Crappie in Lake Powell typically stick close to cover and flooded vegetation. In the absence of cover, you’ll find crappie near underwater ledges or drop-offs. Most of the flooded vegetation is in the back canyons and where you’ll find concentrations of crappie. Find shorelines with moderate slopes with flooded vegetation or use soner to find pockets of submerged vegetation.

For fishing submerged vegetation and cover, a slip bobber rig will allow you to adjust the depth of your presentation so your jig, or worm, is just within reach of suspending crappie while avoiding snagging up in the cover.

Miniature crankbaits, spinners, nightcrawlers, soft plastics, and feature jigs are a few of the best baits for targeting crappie on Powell.

Walleye

Few anglers arrive at Lake Powell solely to fish walleye. In fact, most walleye are caught by anglers fishing for stripers and bass.

The best walleye fishing on Powell takes place in early spring as walleye move in around rock flats, river inlets and the shallows to spawn. After spawning, they move back out to the main lake and congregate around rock piles and points.

During spring spawn, trolling crankbaits or bottom bouncers with a trailing spinner is a great way to cover water quickly and locate schools of walleye. After locating a school, casting crankbaits, soft plastics, or fishing jigs tipped with a soft plastic or nightcrawler will reel them in.

Trolling with deep diving crankbaits will product well into the warmer summer months. Walleye have a great sense of smell so tipping your presentation with a piece of nightcrawler or morsel of fresh bait is a good idea.

Walleye prefer low-light conditions and thrive in muddy waters and turbidity that obscures the light. Fishing during periods of low-light and in turbit waters will increase your likelihood of getting a bite.

When fishing a jig in muddy water, slowly crawl it along the bottom. Pause every few moments, but don’t hop it. Keeping your presentation on the bottom is key. Walleye will often hit your bait three for four times before committing. Walleye won’t hook themselves, so each time you sense a bite flick you wrist to attempt a hookset. If there’s no hookset, drag the bait another few inches and wait for another strike.

In the past, anglers have report decent walleye catch rates in the canyons from Good Hope Bay up through White Canyon to Hite.

Bluegill

You’ll find these tasty little morsels throughout Lake Powell. They’re easiest to target during the early spring and summer while they’re concentrated in the shallows. Target shallow flats with ample vegetation.

As waters warm moving into the summer months, bluegill will seek rocky structure and cover in slightly deeper waters. Bluegill can be caught fishing small jigs, spinners, nightcrawllers and flies. Flies work best during the spring when bluegill are concentrated in the shallows.

Catfish

Fishing for channel cats and bullheads is at its best during the summer and early fall. You’ll find catfish throughout Lake Powell. Bullhead catfish are less common than Channel cats, but are often caught descent numbers in the upper half of the lake.

Catfish are easiest to catch at night along shallows sandy flat. Fishing catfish at night is a leisurely activity and a lot of fun for the kids. Catfish fish can make surprisingly good table fare when properly prepped.

Best technique for targeting catfish in Lake Powell is to fish anchovies, table scraps or flavored fiber nugget bait on the bottom.

Northern Pike

Northern Pike are found in Lake Powell, but they’re rarely spotted south of Bullfrog Marina. They’re usually snagged by striper anglers when trolling crankbaits along rock piles and channel points.

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