I would almost rather catch a fisherman catching a fish on film, than catch a fish myself, on a rod. Captain Danny Woods and I spent MANY an hour this season gathering footage of some amazing Lake Powell fishing action. Striped bass boils, Large and Smallmouth bass spawn, pre/post spawn, slab Crappie, Walleye, Catfish, Golden Bonefish, Catfish and the amazing backdrop of Glen Canyon/Lake Powell provide the perfect medium for fun filled days. Our goal for the future is to provide you with seasonal videos that highlight all the fazes of fishing that Lake Powell has to offer and supply you with in depth information about our guides, boats, equipment, trips, techniques, and information that you may need for your Lake Powell adventure. Stay tuned for the next installment..... Sight fishing for Spring Largemouth/Smallmouth bass that I anticipate will be thoroughly entertaining. Until then I hope you enjoy the 2009 highlight reel.
When Lake Powell water temps get into the eighties and the run off from the Colorado River make the water rise the fish stop biting. Fishing Lake Powell in mid summer conditions can be frustrating to say the least and that's when I grab a fly rod and head down to the river to do some trout fishing. The tailwaters of Glen Canyon Dam are a 3 iron away from my back door and provide a blue ribbon trout fishery in some of the most awe inspiring country God has ever made. On this trip Kevin Campbell and I use three totally different techniques to catch fish: Wading the rock bars with a dry fly and a midge nymph dropper, Drifting a scud from a boat and spin fishing with an olive Marabou Jig. All three techniques hooked many fish in the 13 to 17 inch range. All footage was taken in one day.
Going uplake from the launch ramp there is a section of wakeless speed going through the Castle Rock Cut. Because we are already going slow and because our mindset as hard core fishermen has been that you have exactly zero percent chance of catching a fish if your lure is not in the water, we always slow troll some crankbaits through the "cut". This short clip is of my cousin/This Side of That Guide Service Apprentice landing a nice Lake Powell Striped Bass.
In mid-May 2010 my girlfriend Kristin Bloom and I loaded up the dogs and the camping - fishing gear and ran 70 miles uplake to the San Juan River Arm of Lake Powell. The San Juan is taylor made by God for fishermen, with so much good structure that the hard part is deciding where not to fish. The Largemouth and Smallmouth bass were spawning and actively defending nests and Kristin and I had a blast sight fishing for them. The spawn fishing was so good that I couldn't bring myself to put down my fishing rod and pick up the camera but I did manage to get some footage of us catching some small Crappie in the back of a brushy cove in Zahn Bay.
Shot from late June through August 2009, this full length video depicts one of the best Lake Powell boil seasons in recent memory. The action was absolutely stellar, making quality footage, readily available. Join This Side of That Guide Service as we take you on a ride through the seasonal phenomena known as The Boil. Stellar landscapes combined with lights out top water action make this video a must see.
Although we do not offer guided trips for trout on the fabulous Lee's Ferry stretch of the Colorado River/Glen Canyon Dam tailwaters, TST Guide Service gets down there quite often with our friend Kevin Campbell of Lake Powell Outfitters for fun. On one of the trips I came away with some nice Cicada dry fly video that I hope you enjoy here.
In July (or when the temp reaches 105 fahrenheit) the Cicada, a large iridescent, tree dwelling, buzzing beetle, hatches. Trout in turn, move up under the Tamarisk trees on the shoreline and hammer the hapless bugs that fall out. Drift fishing swift cut banks and casting HUGE #14 dries make the fly fishing low maintenance (read: perfect for beginners because you never have to worry about your back cast) and high reward (read: perfect for everybody because you get to watch a bunch of fish whack the business end of your fly line). There is nothing like watching a hungry rainbow trout torpedo out from the shadows and smack you bobber sized fly, engulfed by the 700 foot technicolor Navajo Sandstone Walls of Glen Canyon.
Antelope Slot Canyon on Lake Powell is a must see in the desert southwest. This video is an attempt to capture the grandeur that it provides. I have always wanted to write music to the video I capture and to take video that flows with the music that I write. This is a demo cut and is very raw as far as color and sound quality. I plan to dial it in later. The song is called More Sand Than Stone.
This is my first attempt at video production and I apologize for the pixelization. In the late spring/early summer striped bass push the larval Threadfin Shad around shallow bays and we cast small spoons at them. The "slurp" is more subtle than a "boil" and requires a very stealthy approach as well as a subtle presentation. Although the slurp is a tougher bite than the boil, it has it's advantages in that, there are very few folks on the water. I highly recommend booking a trip during this time of year with This Side of That Guide Service because you get the combination of targeting Largemouth and Smallmouth bass and Striped Bass as well as getting Lake Powell all to yourself.
When the dog days of summer come barkin' I like to head up north of Lake Powell into the Boulder Mountains to take in some fly fishing. On this video Kristin Bloom fishes North Creek, one of the many creeks/lakes that grace the area, for Brook, Rainbow and Cutthroat trout. The creek is loaded with fish and is devoid of fishing pressure. While the size of the fish aren't going to demand a trophy picture, the action makes for an entertaining day in the cooooool pines.
