Head west for a truly unique fishing experience
If you’re looking for a fishing adventure that’s a little different from the Carolina woods and waters, you’ll find just what you’re looking for at Lake Powell, a deep, clear lake that straddles the border of Arizona and Utah.
Teeming with numerous species of gamefish, including largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, stripers and walleye, as well as bluegills and crappie, this lake has a lot to offer. And if you’d like to make this the true trip of a lifetime, a multi-day trip with camping along the shoreline is in order.
Bob Reed with Up Lake Adventures (435-772-5616) offers such trips, complete with every bit of gear needed, as well as advice and instruction that will have you catching numerous species of fish with a variety of tactics.
“Lake Powell is truly an angler’s paradise,” said Reed, who gave up traveling anywhere else in the world once he began exploring this lake in earnest.
Fishing with Up Lake Adventures is truly a unique experience, for many reasons. To start with, they fish from Sea Doo PWCs. It’s no secret that anglers and PWC riders have fairly contentious relationships. But these PWCs are made specifically for fishing.
“We’ve got two models, the Sea Doo FishPro, and the Sea Doo Explorer Pro. Both are made and outfitted specifically for fishing and exploring,” said Reed. “And while many anglers are initially skeptical, they quickly realize these craft are perfect for fishing.”
It’s loaded with fish
Reed has pinpointed numerous locations that hold fish. And he said countless other places are just as productive throughout the lake. He’s quick to point out his favorite spots throughout a day of fishing. And many of his clients also find fish on their own.
During warm weather, he said the bigger fish are typically in deep water. His Sea Doos are equipped with depth finders, making it easy for anglers to locate bait balls, as well as the fish themselves. And camping along the shoreline offers anglers instant access at first light, when he said many fish, especially stripers, will abandon the deep water and school on the surface in small coves, slurping at baitfish like shad.
“In the early morning hours, keeping a close eye on the surface, you’ll spot subtle slurping action from the stripers. You can get there quickly with the Sea Doos. You want to shut your machine down as soon as you’re within casting range, then cast a spoon, a topwater plug, or just about anything, and begin retrieving it immediately,” he said.
Reed said these fish are actively feeding, so a steady retrieve is all it takes to draw strikes.
“Make sure you cast in the direction the baitfish are moving, so that your lure lands in front of the lead stripers. If you cast into the middle of the school, those stripers will simply scatter,” he said.
Once anglers have hooked a couple of stripers from a school, the fish will often leave the surface for deeper water.
“When they do that, keep casting, but allow your lure to sink, then begin working it back in. Those fish are going down, but they’ll still bite,” he said.
As the day warms up, the surface activity generally dies down. But Reed said anglers should always be prepared for that slurping activity, because sometimes, the stripers will do it throughout the day.
Anglers can also find schools of stripers deep with their electronics. Jigging a spoon is a deadly technique in these situations.
“Drop your spoon to the depth of the fish, then jig it back up, pausing and letting it drop throughout your retrieve,” he said. “Sometimes you can drop it all the way to the bottom and begin working it back up before you get bit. Other times, they’ll bite it before it ever makes it to the bottom.”
When it comes to largemouth and smallmouth, they are scattered throughout the lake. Anglers will find plenty of them in the coves and fingers off of the main lake in water that ranges anywhere from a few feet deep to dozens of feet deep.
“When you find rock piles or submerged wooden structure, or submerged weeds, largemouth and smallmouth are likely in the area. Hula skirted jigs are deadly here, and single-tail grubs on jigheads work well too,” said Reed.
Keep it simple
One mistake many anglers make here is that they bring too much fishing gear.
“I have all you need in a tackle kit that is mounted on each of our Sea Doos,” he said. “It’s basically a few jigheads, a few worm hooks, a few bullet weights, along with some spoons, a few topwater plugs, and a few crankbaits that run at a variety of depths.”
The crankbaits are perfect for another of Reed’s techniques for catching fish here.
“Each Sea Doo has a rod holder mounted beside the handlebars, and they are angled perfectly for trolling. These machines also have a trolling feature, which allows you to set your desired speed,” he said.
He recommends anglers choose a crankbait that will dive to their desired depth, let out about 125 feet of line, place the rod in the rod holder, then set your trolling speed. When a fish bites, shut the Sea Doo off, take the rod out of the rod holder, and fight the fish.
“Mainly, you’ll catch stripers this way, but on some days, walleye, smallmouth and largemouth will also hit these lures. Trolling allows you to cover a lot of water, and doing so will be sure to give numerous fish a chance at your lure,” he said.
When camping out, Reed said anglers don’t need a tent during warm weather. He doesn’t even recommend sleeping bags.
“We use Helinox cots, which pack down very compactly, but open up to a very comfortable size. We put a pad on the cot, two sheets, and a blanket. It’s truly all you need. Sleeping bags are too hot during summer,” he said.
Sleeping this way allows anglers to take in some of the best stargazing they’re likely to ever see.
“The night sky is beautiful here. We don’t have any light pollution, no houses on the shore. The stars at night are simply amazing. A trip here is worth it just for that,” he said. “Of course, the fishing is a great bonus.”
Fishing with a Sea Doo
Fishing from a Sea Doo is definitely a unique experience. These craft allow anglers to reach out-of-the-way places, quickly, that they simply could not get to in a conventional boat. Bob Reed and his clients often cover 20 miles or more in a day of fishing.
And the Sea Doos aren’t just run-of-the-mill PWCs that have rod holders screwed on. They’ve got beefed up bodies, built-in coolers that double as standing platforms, grab handles all around. When an angler is ready to cool off, they can jump in, then easily climb back aboard thanks to the folding ladder bar at the rear of each machine.
In addition to the rod holders that are placed for trolling, other rod holders keep additional fishing rods secure and at the ready on the back of the craft, attached to the coolers. Tackle storage is in a bag on one side of the craft, and other attachment points allow anglers to carry all sorts of essentials, like pliers, fishing nets, anchors, etc.
Opening the hood of these machines exposes a massive storage bin, capable of holding 25 gallons worth of gear. Bluetooth speakers pair up with your phone or tablet, so you can play your favorite tunes or podcasts.
And aside from the cooler on the rear of each machine, these craft still have plenty of room to attach waterproof bags for carrying all the gear you’ll need for multiple nights of camping.
The Explorer series of Sea Doos have windshields, which helps cut down on wind noise and makes the ride smoother and less tiresome. Anglers can fold them out of the way when they aren’t needed.
A seat extension bar is included on the FishPro models, allowing anglers to raise a small portion of the watercraft’s seat. This allows anglers to sit higher and spin around, just like on a conventional fishing boat.
“We can get into some of the narrowest canyons with these, then park them all together, climb all over them to get onto shore where we can fish and explore, and not worry about them getting beat up. This is what these craft are built for. We have taken them into places that you can not get to any other way, including to the most remote place in the continental U.S.,” said Reed.
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