A Journey to Lake Powell
As we did the final prepping for our journey to Lake Powell, the weather was one of the things we had been keeping an eye on. Cold fronts pushing through the northern part of Colorado were what interested us most. The Denver broadcasters were saying that it would stay north of the I-70 corridor so we thought we were in the clear. The rain we had overnight and into the morning had moved on and it turned out to be a pretty nice afternoon. We loaded up the rest of the coolers into the trailer and did the double check to see if we were forgetting anything. It was now a little before 6pm, one more stop for fuel and a fresh drink for the road and were on our way. As we reached the west side of Denver the wind was picking up and the clouds in the mountains were not what the broadcasters had said would happen. As we reached Idaho Springs we were in a heavy snowfall and traffic was reacting to the changing weather. The snow stayed with us and made travel slow all through the mountains till we reached Glenwood Springs then it turned to rain. Grand Junction was the next stop as we needed more fuel and though we would stop for the night to get some sleep before traveling the next 200 or so miles to Bull Frog Marina. We pulled into a Walmart parking lot and went to set up the beds in the camper and noticed we had forgotten the sleeping bags in the basement of the house. Good thing Walmart stays open all night. We went in and found some cheap sleeping bags for $15 apiece, used their facilities and made our way to the truck.
The next morning we awakened to an absolutely beautiful day, sun shining, slight breeze and hardly any traffic to deal with. We grabbed a bite to eat and headed out on the road again. As we drive the last miles of I-70 out of Colorado the scenery begins to change immensely as the trees are fewer and the desert scenery begins to envelope all things in every direction. Growing up in northeastern Colorado and being around trees and green fields, the desert landscape is not a place I find much beauty in. As we reach Green River, Utah we know we are getting closer to reaching our destination. Now the mind begins to start thinking of all the things needed to do when we do get to the camping area, so that we can get the boat in the water and be able to catch some fish. The last 50-80 miles have got to be the worst for any journey. By now the mind and body are so anxious to get out and do something you can hardly sit still, and the road just seems to be getting longer instead of shorter. As we encroach upon the next hill and see the park pay booth we both give a big sigh, “were there”. We pay for our entrance into the park and talk to the attendants getting information about the lake and the fishing report, we are entranced by the beauty of the young gal that was in training. Now I think to myself, the desert does have something beautiful to offer the eye.
We dropped the boat off at a large parking lot by the gate and set out for Stanton Creek camping area to look for a place to set camp and have the boat on shore near us. We found a great place and I made a joking response to my companion as I stuck a twig in the ground and said that “our flag was up and we have claimed this site”. Being a Thursday we didn’t have much to worry about someone else getting there and setting up before we were able to get back to the boat, get it launched and head back to the site we had claimed.
With the campsite set up and the boat ready for fishing we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed out on the water. The wind had picked up some and made the water a bit choppy, but not to bad. Being late in the day by the time we got set up and on the water we decided to keep close to camp and not go to the finger canyons we were told there were reports of fish being caught. We pulled over along Moki Wall and put out trolling rigs. We passed a few other fishermen and asked how the fishing was and that we were just getting there and wanted to know the secrets to getting the big ones. The reports from them were not good, seems the cold fronts had also passed through here too and the fishing had really been slow now. As we made our way into Moki Canyon the wind was really beginning to pick up, and not wanting to get caught out on the big water in high winds, we decided to head back for camp. Upon arriving back at camp after a very rough ride across the lake, we discovered that the wind had its way with our campsite too. The awning we put up was down and tables and chairs were not where we had placed them before leaving. We managed to get a dinner made and eat after securing things down better. The wind continued thru the night and into the next morning making it another late day start for the fishing. While waiting we had talked with some of the neighboring camps and found that Hansen Creek had been pretty good for a couple that had been there Thursday before the wind came in. They had caught many small bass but still no reports of Stripers being caught. We were able to get the boat out around 3pm that day and headed directly for Hansen Creek. After getting there and letting out our lines it wasn’t but 20 minutes till my partner had the first fish. It turned out to be a bass as we thought it would be, and not big enough to keep but it was a fish. We caught several more bass and one stripers that night before going back to camp. The next day we were able to get an early start on the lake but didn’t catch anything till late in the day, but it paid off nicer than the day before as we caught several Walleye all keep-able sizes. As we were now ending our short couple days of our trip, that night we picked up the things we could to ready for our departure the next afternoon. We started out really early the next morning in hopes that the walleye would still be hitting. That was not the case as we were skunked and had to go home with what we had caught in the previous days. All in all we had a very good trip, we had a safe drive to and from and came home with about 15lbs of fish fillets. I enjoyed my first visit to Lake Powell and will probably be planning to go again, only the next time with a few more days to stay.
About the Author
The most enjoyment from Life is spending time with what I Love most, Family, Friends, God, and the best of Mother Nature.
Daniel Harman
LureMeFishing.com
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