Striper boils are happening in many areas at Lake Powell right now, creating an exciting fishing opportunity that will probably last 2-3 more weeks. As the boils fade, stripers will still be caught trolling and smallmouth bass fishing will become better and better.

I fished Aug 20 & 21 and found boils at sunset and sunrise in the mount of West Canyon and at 8:30 am in the main channel at about mile marker 15.5.

In general the upper lake has better fishing and bigger fish. The area above Bullfrog and the San Juan
Arm are ideal destinations. Also in general, boils are more common at first and last light. But, as I found, they can happen anywhere at any time.

I occasionally hear reports from folks who go to Powell and never find a boil. That can happen to the best of us. But, often, people arrive after the early morning action is over and leave before the evening boils begin. First and last light are key.

It is hard to navigate Powell when it is dark and so how to I position myself to be in likely spots at first and last light. My strategy is to camp in the area I want to fish. I really enjoy camping on the beach in a distant canyon – away from the crowds.

As the sun sets fire to the sky, boat traffic stops and an incredible calm settles over the lake. It is wonderful.

When fishing the boils, I like to use silver Kastmaster lures or something similar. They are heavy and easy to cast. And then have only one treble hook. When you catch a fish on a Rapala-like lure that has two treble hooks the un-hooking process is more difficult and time consuming. When you have an active boil going you want to keep casting as much as possible.

I find that lure color is not critical. Anything that remotely resembles a shad will do. Silver, gray and black are all productive.

If you want to learn to fish Powell, study the information on this website: www.wayneswords.com.