Hello all,
So in about 5 days, I will be putting in on an 18 day trip through the grand canyon. I have been trying to find info on the fishery that exists in lake mead, lake powell, and on the Colorado its self through the canyon, but i havn't been able to find much...
I absolutly plan on fishing as much as I can while floating and I know there is a 1 mile section where the 'Little Colorado' flows into the Colorado that is closed to all fishing for Hump-back Chub breeding. (I fully plan on fishing the snot out of the water immeaditly before and after the restricted section )
So, in short, I'm wondering if anyone out there has ever fished the grand canyon or if anyone knows a little bit about the ecology under the depths of the mighty Colorado!!
Hi Dan,
Don't know first hand but I know several folk that have fished for striper and wiper bass in Lake Mead. They're mostly very deep and often out of reach for fly gear, but in the evenings they come up and cruise the beaches. Supposedly goes from dead to berserk very quickly.
Sounds like a great trip! I've always wanted to do the raft tour through the canyon. The outfitter didn't have any advise?
excellent!
I'd love to get some striper fishing in while in the area...
I live in Gunnison, Colorado right now and i am leaving for Denver to pick a few folks who are running the river with me, then on the 20th, we are all heading to flagstaff, AZ. I havn't had a chance to speak with the outfitters in depth yet, ( we are running a totally private trip so no outfitters involved!) but i absolutly plan on visiting every fly shop i find south of the AZ state line.
I've heard that there are BIG rainbow populations in the grand canyon which is a little different than the browns i've been used to fishing for in the Gunnison and Taylor Rivers here in Gunnison County.
I remember seeing pics of fish from the Canyon and they were beasts, it may have been in National Geographic. I had quite a few friends in NM who hiked it or rafted it but never fished. I will see if I can dig up any info.
You should catch some fish, you might not. The area around Lee's ferry (the put in) has some pretty good trout fishing, but even a little rain causes the Paria river to blow out. That turns the Colorado below there into mud and makes fishing pointless. The Paria is about a mile below the put in. However, the scenery makes up for the lack of fish.
If the water conditions are OK you should find lots of rainbows, some carp, maybe a striper near the lake.
I'm Back!
The trip was a huge success. The whitewater was mind-boggling, and the fishing was very good. I only fished 3 days out of the entire trip though
From lee's ferry north to Glen Canyon Dam is supposed to be the best rainbow fishing in Arizona; and it really was great! I didn't lay into anything too big but it's always good to rip lips in new places.
About 3 days into the trip i fished a small unmarked tributary and I caught 2 Apache trout! they really are a beautiful species and I've since heard that the Colorado is one of the only places you can find them in good numbers.
Finally, towards the end of the trip, about 90 miles up-stream of lake Mead, I caught a couple small mouth bass!
I had no idea that bass would swim that far upstream. Also, the water is very very cold, (due to being dam released, it's about 60 degrees F for the 1st 100 miles or so.) Unfortunatly I had no luck with Humpback Chub or Stripers but it was a hell of a trip. I highly reccomend taking a trip down the Grand Canyon if anyone gets a chance.
and remember, no one goes there to primarily fish, they go to raft and drink beer
Cheers
~Dan
I took the 8 day raft trip and had terrific rainbow fishing above the little Colorado River. I caught and released so many, I gave everyone on my float a chance to play a fish I had hooked. It was great fishing. Below the Little Colorado the Colorado turns turbid and the fishing died.
THIS is a fabulous trip that everyone should do if you get the chance.
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke- thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming ‘wow, what a ride.’” Hunter S. Thompson, Journalist
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Sounds like a pretty amazing place. Put up a picture or two!