This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Powell fishing report.
We don’t worry about tides out here in canyon country, but we do care about light and weather. Around the main lake, sunrise is right around 7:20 a.m. with sunset near 5:10 p.m., giving us a short winter window. Early and late are still your best bets, with a solid mid‑day bump when the sun warms the rock walls.
Weather across the lake is classic early winter desert: chilly at first light, climbing into the 40s to low 50s with mostly clear skies and light winds. Bundle up for the run, but you’ll be peeling layers once that sun hits the coves.
Recent reports from local marinas and anglers around Wahweap and Bullfrog have striper schools still active but roaming deeper—30 to 60 feet over main channels and major cuts. Vertical jigging has put good numbers in the boat: it’s been common to see a couple of anglers box 20–40 eater‑size stripers on a half‑day when they stay on the graph and keep moving.
Smallmouth bass are quieter but still very catchable. Think winter: slower presentations along chunk rock, bluff ends, and broken ledges in 15–35 feet. Expect smaller numbers but better quality. A handful of walleye are coming as by‑catch dragging worms or small swimbaits along the bottom in the same depth range, especially close to first and last light.
Best lures right now:
- For stripers:
• One‑ounce silver or white jigging spoons
• White or pearl soft‑plastic swimbaits on 1/2‑ to 3/4‑ounce heads
• Heavy Kastmaster‑style blades when wind chops the surface
- For smallmouth and walleye:
• Green pumpkin or brown tube jigs, 3–4 inch, on 1/4‑ to 3/8‑ounce heads
• Ned rigs in natural colors
• Slow‑rolled 3‑inch paddle‑tails in shad or smoke
Best bait:
- Cut anchovies are still king for stripers. Drop them straight down to the marks, keep a steady trickle of small chunks going, and let the school build under the boat.
- Nightcrawlers on a bottom‑bouncer or simple sliding sinker rig will pick off walleye and the occasional smallmouth on flats adjacent to deeper water.
Two local hot spots to consider:
- **Wahweap to Antelope area:** Work main‑lake points, the mouth of Antelope Canyon, and channel bends where you see big arcs stacked mid‑column. Great for spooning and anchovy rigs.
- **Bullfrog/Halls Crossing:** Focus on the backs of major canyons and long tapering points—Good Hope and the Bullfrog/Halls channel edges have been solid when you follow the shad.
Electronics matter now. Idle until you mark bait and game fish, then fish vertically instead of just beating the bank. Short strikes are common in the cold, so downsize, slow down, and let the fish load the rod before you swing.
That’s your Lake Powell update from Artificial Lure.
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