Photo by Jerry Puckett
Fish, RV In The Gateway To Canyon Country
Greetings from the sunny shores of Lake Powell! I don’t want to
spin too much of a yarn here, but in good conscience and since we’re
now brand-new best friends, I feel I must confess to withholding a
rather closely guarded secret.
Page, Ariz., and Lake Powell are a fisherman’s dream come true,
the gateway to Canyon Country, and a veritable RVers’ paradise (that
oughta get the Chamber and Tourism Board off my case).
Fish Of A Lifetime
Both Arizona Game & Fish and Utah Division of Wildlife agree
wholeheartedly on this subject — the fishing forecast for Lake
Powell is especially good this year for striped bass, smallmouth
bass, walleye, and largemouth bass. Both agencies suggest that you
start planning now to take full advantage of some great
spring-season fishing, but don’t forget to get a Lake Powell stamp
for your license!
Last year, the Salt Lake City-based team of brothers
Dan and Mike Porter made a late-spring trip to Powell. After
launching at Bullfrog, they headed south in keeping with their game
plan, which called for striper trolling in the lower basins.
After slow-cruising a couple of likely canyons, they eventually
made camp for the night in Dry Rock Creek Canyon.
Dawn the next morning saw the brothers trolling leaded line and
deep-diving crankbaits, and their early rise paid dividends – a
6-pounder on their first swing and a true monster on the second pass
of the morning. Dan was afraid he’d snagged his lure until he looked
at the depth finder – it was 113 feet deep!
The huge striper stayed down deep, bulldogging it, for about 20
minutes before coming up to make a run at the bow of the boat. Dan
madly reeled in slack line and then applied some serious pressure to
the fish, and the big striper rolled beside the boat.
Luckily, Mike was ready, slipped the net under the fish, reared
back, and WHANG — the net broke!
After a couple of anxious moments, they managed to hoist the
monster into the boat, but when they unhooked the beast, they
noticed one treble hook was completely gone, and the other was
hanging by one bare strand of split-ring wire. This fish story was
one coil of split-ring wire from never being told!
At Dangling Rope Marina, the trophy measured 42 inches long and
27 around, putting it in the 40-pound range. The duo made a hasty
decision — grab the cooler, out with the groceries, in with the
fish, and set a course for Page to get an official weight.
Wayne Gustaveson, Utah Division of Wildlife biologist met the group
at Wahweap and weighed the fish at Bashas' Grocery — 38.5 pounds.
The age-old rule of thumb is that trophy stripers weigh about 1
pound per inch of length — the Porter’s striper probably weighed 42
pounds before the spawn. The current lake record is 48 pounds —
theirs was a bit shy of that but a nice fish and a trophy to be
treasured.
By the way, total fishing time for the Porter’s two-day fishing
trip was 20 minutes! For updated Powell fishing info, do what the
Porter brothers did; visit Gustaveson’s Web site –
www.wayneswords.com
Gateway To Canyon Country
Like many others, I fell in love with Lake Powell Country as a
result of accepting a fishing trip invitation from a friend. At the
time, I was a New Mexico resident and had actually never heard of
Lake Powell, but that first trip set the hook into this country boy
for life.
I’ve spent nearly three decades now learning there is much more
to love about this country than a fish on the end of my line.
One of Lake Powell’s attractions has always been the area’s
proximity to so many cool things to see and do. There’s no better
way to take advantage of that fact than by going the RV route and
making Page, Ariz., your base of operations, whether for a couple of
days or a couple of weeks.
While in the Page area, you might consider a half-day tour boat
cruise to Rainbow Bridge National Monument, a guided dam tour of
Glen Canyon Dam and power- generating station, or even a half-day
smooth-water float trip down the breathtaking Colorado River. For
landlubbers, there are four-wheel-drive slot canyon and photography
tours, or golf at Lake Powell National, Page’s four-star-rated
championship course.
While in the area savvy RVers usually plan to make a couple of
day trips to nearby attractions using Page as their central hub.
Top-rated destinations include Grand Canyon North Rim (114 miles),
Grand Canyon South Rim (110), historic Lee’s Ferry and Lonely Dell
Ranch (43), Monument Valley (120), and Zion National Park (115).
Expand your circle a bit, and you can include Bryce Canyon (133)
and Canyon de Chelly (168) in your day trip discovery tour.
A Monument Valley day trip is a perfect example: Depart Page
after an early breakfast for a two-hour drive to Monument Valley and
a half-day four-wheel-drive tour. Top that off with a late lunch of
Navajo tacos at historic Goulding’s Trading Post there in Monument
Valley and a quick tour through their movie museum, which contains
memorabilia dating back to early westerns filmed there in the 1930s.
On your return trip, plan a stop at the World War II Navajo Code
Talkers exhibit and Navajo Cultural Center in Kayenta, Ariz.
Be warned: Day-tripping is an addictive behavior pattern – once
you start, you’ll soon be discovering even more suitable
destinations to add to your day-trip menu. Did I forget to mention
the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Kodachrome Basin,
the movie set at Paria, the condor viewing in the Vermillion Cliffs
Wilderness Area, and the Navajo National Monument? Oh well, see you
there!
Where To Camp
While much of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area’s
highway-accessible facilities are day-use only, RV and tent camping
visitors to Lake Powell in the Page/Wahweap area have several
options from which to choose.
Lone Rock Beach – Whether for day use or a two-week stay,
Lone Rock Beach offers awesome lake-side camping for tent campers
and self-contained RVers. Maintained restroom facilities are
available on-site.
Most of the beach directly adjacent to the paved entrance roadway
is safely accessible for motorhomes and vehicles pulling trailers.
Care should be exercised when venturing into sandy areas off the
normally traveled routes. (928) 608-6200
www.nps.gov/glca/index.htm
Wahweap Campground And RV Park – A brand-new lake-side
facility is now available in the Wahweap Marina area, offering full
hook-ups, onsite store, restrooms, showers, coin-op laundry and full
use of facilities including watercraft rentals, boat tours, dinner
cruises, restaurant, lounge, pizzeria, and gift shop at nearby Lake
Powell Resort (formerly Wahweap Lodge). (928) 645-1059
www.lakepowell.com/campgrounds.php
Page Lake Powell Campground – This is a full-service
campground that offers over 120 full hook-up sites, tent sites,
on-site store, dump station, propane, indoor pool, laundry and
showers. Located one mile from downtown Page and only seven miles
from the new Antelope Point Marina. (928) 645-3374
www.pagelakepowellcampground.com
For reservations or more info on visiting the Page-Lake Powell
area, contact the Page-Lake Powell Tourism Bureau: (928) 660-3405 or
visit
www.pagelakepowelltourism.com
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