PAGE, Ariz. — Things are good at Lake Powell, particularly right now for fish. Water levels are rising, food is plentiful, habitat is good, and numbers are controllable.

Which all translates into good fishing. And, consensus says, it is expected to get better with time.

It is, said Wayne Gustaveson, lake biologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, "the best year we've had, certainly in this decade, especially for largemouth and smallmouth. What we have is a building population."

Because food is so plentiful for all the lake's game fish, the catch rate may not be as high as might be expected. Fish are simply not hungry. But, as time passes and the food supply lessens and fish have less to choose from, they will be more anxious to take a hook.

The balance between fish, habitat, water levels and forage fish is always delicate at the lake. Rising lake levels mean better habitat, better habitat means more fish, more fish means more meals, more meals mean fewer forage fish ... and so the cycle continues.

The most important element in the cycle is food. And it has been a good year for shad — gizzard and threadfin — primary food sources for all game fish.

Once, the main food for all game fish was the threadfin shad. The problem there was that the limited menu meant when the population fell because of overeating, game fish starved.

Now, there are several fish on the dining menu, including threadfin, gizzard shad, crayfish, sunfish and, under certain conditions, even young-of-the-year stripers.

Gizzard shad were mistakenly planted in a lake connected to the San Juan River, which feeds into Lake Powell. Now, they've established themselves in Lake Powell and are providing an alternative food source for all the prey fish in the lake.

The second key element is the striped bass, the most voracious eaters.

"The population of big striped bass being caught two and three years previously are gone. We started a new population in 2008. We're on the up-slope of a population boom, which is always a good place to be," said Gustaveson.

Schools of striped bass this year are in the 3- to 4-pound range, with some getting up to 5. Catch rates are ranging anywhere between 10 and 30 fish a day for the patient angler.

Improved shoreline habitat, mainly underwater brush, has favored the largemouth this year. It's not uncommon to hook into a large 3- to 4-pound fish.

Crappie, which also rely on good shoreline habitat, are also showing up in increased numbers in brushy areas.

Fishing in the Escalante Arm this week on his annual spring fishing trip, Jim Maack of Wisconsin caught a 3 1/2-pound crappie, which set a new state record.