Page 10 - Crappie NOW | July 2015

Canyon Crappie

big, beautiful black crappie. of water. The deepest water in Lake Powell at
I switched to a tiny hair jig, and it wasn’t long full pool is nearly 600 feet deep.
before I got in on the crappie-caching game. Lake Powell is an exceptionally popular
We ended up catching several crappie that recreational boating destination because of its
morning. Some by pitching up close. Others splendid scenery and proximity to the Grand
by casting to similar cover and swimming our Canyon. Many visitors rent houseboats, which
jigs. actually provides an outstanding option for

Lake Powell
The toughest thing about fishing Lake
Powell for me staying fully focused on the
business at hand. Impounding the Glenn
Canyon section of the Colorado River,
immediately upstream of Grand Canyon, Lake
Powell looks like what you might expect – like
the Grand Canyon filled 2/3 with water – and
if you’ve never been to Lake Powell, it looks
different from anywhere you’ve ever fished.
Canyon walls rise straight from the
water’s edge in many places, and rock
formations rise in the middle of nowhere,
often with hundreds of feet of water around
them. Every bend brings a fresh vista – each
different, but all magnificent. Dozens of narrow
side canyons feed the main rivers. Some are
cliff bound. Others wind between sandstone
domes.

The author with a Lake Powell crappie that
he caught by casting a hand-tied hair jig

toward tumbleweeds on a flat. The first step
to catching crappie in this lake is identifying

the areas that offer suitable water depths
based on current levels.

Lake Powell covers over more than fishing outings because you pick the area
160,000 acres and impounds more than 175 the lake where you want to focus efforts and
miles of the Colorado River. Other major position the boat in that area. Camping on the
tributaries include the San Juan and Escalante lakeshore is also popular.
rivers. The total shoreline stretches more than Although Lake Powell is very popular with
1,800 miles. The lake has been way below recreational boaters and anglers alike, anglers
full pool for many years because of extended
drought and downstream water needs that
often exceed inflow. Much of the lake is so
vertical, though, that it doesn’t look that odd
when it is 100 feet below full pool, and you’re
still apt to be riding over a few hundred feet

10 Crappie NOW July 2015