Prime catch: Lake Powell reservoir rebounds from drought

LAKE POWELL — The first fish caught was a striped bass, roughly 2 pounds, which is small in comparison to fish caught a year ago. The next five stripers looked and weighed the same.

An hour later — in the back of a small cove in Rock Creek Bay — a smaller, almost black fish took a small jig. It was a crappie. Crappie, once bountiful, have been a rare catch in recent years. Then came a second and a third ... and a 10th crappie.

"The larger crappie population this year is drought-related. The fluctuating water level allowed for good sunlight penetration on the flats, which allowed aquatic weed beds to grow. These weed beds are favorite habitat for largemouth, crappie and bluegill. Those populations are very healthy this year," said Wayne Gustaveson, lake biologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

"These flats become a nursery area for small fish to hide and survive. The increases this year are pretty dramatic. That's what makes this lake so exciting, it's constantly changing."

Last year the striped bass were large, upwards of 6 and 7 pounds in many cases, but lean. The large- and smallmouth bass were healthy, the crappie few in numbers and the walleye as elusive as ever.

This year the striped bass are smaller, between 2 and 3 pounds, but fat and healthy. The larger fish are missing. The large- and smallmouth bass are as plentiful as last year, there is a much larger crappie population and the walleye are as elusive as ever. Most fishermen consider walleye a bonus fish.

The overpopulation of larger striped bass in the lake last year died off over the winter. The main food base of the larger fish, threadfin shad, had a poor spawn. The smaller stripers can live on plankton, which is a plentiful food source.

"The stripers are regrouping and starting over. They won't grow any larger, not over the 2 to 3 pounds, not until we get a good shad crop. If that happens this year, then the stripers will get larger. If not until next year, then they'll maintain their current body size living on plankton," he explained.

It is a delicate balancing act between shad and most of the game fish in Lake Powell. When the shad numbers drop, however, large- and smallmouth bass are able to switch over to crawfish and the smaller fish like bluegill and sunfish. Striped bass are not as adaptable.

If the lake comes up this spring as expected, it will flood vegetation currently growing on the banks and offer more protection and growing opportunities for the brush-loving fish like largemouth, bluegill and crappie.