Lake Mead 5-29 to 6-1

[Ambassadorhawg]

Just got off our yearly houseboat trip to Lake Mead. The lake is down another 10 feet from this time last year. The resort manager said that the lake will continue to drop this year and next and then Lake Powell will release a massive amount of water which will raise the lake level at Mead substantially (yeah, RIGHT!).

Anyway, between "Acey-duecy" and "Up the river/down the river" card games, I fished a little. As usual, the catfish were everywhere. It was dumb fishing for Channels that were 2-3 pounds.

Almost no Bluegill around and I saw no Striper boils whatsoever this year which is a first. I did see a boat that was slow trolling anchovies behind teasers. They said that they had been doing well lately trolling mid water over 60-180 feet. They had a good stringer hanging over the side, too. I did get one incidental Striper at our houseboat on bacon while waiting for a catfish bite.

Lots of little SMB's and very few LMB's, but big, were on the prowl. Looks like the SMB's had a great spawn this Spring, babies everywhere!

Sorry. no pics this time. I think you've all seen it before anyway.

[ghetto dad]

lol....bacon....nice

Great report man..but who cares WE NEED PICS brother!!!!

GD

[Ambassadorhawg]

Steve, bacon stays on the hook better than anything I have ever tried. In fact, I had to toss the hook afterward cuz I simply could not clean it off! Our galley man was giving me the evil eye when I reached into the fridge to steal a piece of what was supposed to be for our next morning's breakfast! Hee hee

Oh, I have pics, beleive me! If you want to see some beer bonging and sensored puking pics, I'll post 'em but this is a fishing site, right??? We were mostly beer fishing this trip, as usual....

[ghetto dad]

Steve, bacon stays on the hook better than anything I have ever tried. In fact, I had to toss the hook afterward cuz I simply could not clean it off! Our galley man was giving me the evil eye when I reached into the fridge to steal a piece of what was supposed to be for our next morning's breakfast! Hee hee

Oh, I have pics, beleive me! If you want to see some beer bonging and sensored puking pics, I'll post 'em but this is a fishing site, right??? We were mostly beer fishing this trip, as usual....

wth??? THANKS FOR THE INVITE!!! lol

GD

[sktruth]

Can i ask where you launched out of and where you went? My family has a houseboat planned through sevencrown. Were launching out of echo bay and we'll probably go south just past temple bar. Were going in July for 7 days. Is the water still incredibly clear? I haven't been there in probably in 6-7 years when it was at full pool. Do you have to be extremely carefull out there with the low water or was in not so bad? I'm worried about submerged rocks etc...
Thanks for the reply in advance.

[smokinflies]

lol....bacon....nice

Great report man..but who cares WE NEED PICS brother!!!!

GD

yup where are the pics?

[Ambassadorhawg]

Can i ask where you launched out of and where you went? My family has a houseboat planned through sevencrown. Were launching out of echo bay and we'll probably go south just past temple bar. Were going in July for 7 days. Is the water still incredibly clear? I haven't been there in probably in 6-7 years when it was at full pool. Do you have to be extremely carefull out there with the low water or was in not so bad? I'm worried about submerged rocks etc...
Thanks for the reply in advance.

The lake is over 100' below full pool. Most of the coves are gone and it looks a bit sad. We launched out of Echo Bay and used Seven Crown Resorts housboat. This was our 18th straight year with Seven Crowns.

Yes! You need to be extremely careful not to hit submerged reefs. There are reefs barely submerged or just just above the water even out in the middle of the lake! When traveling through the main channel, stay right in the middle and you should be fine.

Boating from Echo to Temple bar is a loooooong ride. At least 20 miles, I beleive. Why go so far? The coves down there are probably also high and dry. During orientation, the resort dock manager will show you on their map where you can safely stake your boat. Most of the boats have been updated now. We always keep it close to port, not more than a few miles away in case we have anemergency or needs supplies. like ice.

The water clarity is absolutely the best I have EVER seen it there. I think the Quagga and Zebra mussels are making it even clearer. I could see in PERFECT detail down to over 20 feet and we could see bottom in over 40 feet!!!!

[Ambassadorhawg]

yup where are the pics?

The only pics I've got of this trip are of use catching beers with our mouths, a carefully tuned skill that we have practiced for the majority of our lives....

[sktruth]

thanks for the reply. This year will be my 7th trip but i took three years off. I know temple bar is a long way but i find it more beautifull. We are taking my little fishing boat and we'll probably be traveling to and from temple bar to the houseboat for ice etc. The water was clear last time i was there, but like i said it's been a couple of years. Thanks for the update on the water clarity. I think you just made up my mind to rent some tanks and take sume scuba gear with me. Thanks again for the response.