I have been to Lake Powell a few times, twice in the dead of summer, and other times in the fall. Lake Powell is known for a phenomenon called the striper boil, which is when the baitfish (shad) become very abundant near the surface of the lake, and the striped bass literally whip themselves into a frenzy at the surface feeding on the shad. The first time I went to the lake, we looked for boils, but didn’t really know a thing about them, and we were neither driving our own boat nor prepared to fish a boil even if we saw one (which we didn’t). This year I finally got back to the lake at a time when boils were reportedly happening regularly in and around Halls Bay, and one morning my husband went out early on the boat without me and found a few boils. After catching a few fish on his own, no small feat to me, he came back and got me.
Now I have fished a bit in my lifetime, but I am just barely above an intermediate fisherwoman I would say. I don’t think I have ever caught a fish on a topwater lure, and I am not the greatest caster in the world. Fortunately, in a true boil, this is not terribly important. I was using a shad-imitating lure that my husband had chosen, and I think I missed the boil completely with my first cast. Hurriedly I reeled that sucker back in and threw it again. This time, I hit the right spot, and within seconds I had a feisty little striper on my line.
Again, I’m not super experienced at this. Stripers fight more than most of the fish I am used to catching, and they are a lot bigger as well. So you reel and pull, trying to get the fish closer to the boat, trying to keep the line tight. But when a striper (even a tired striper) gets close to the boat, he will renew his fight. I did have one striper spit out the lure right at the boat. But this one juked and jived, but stayed on my line. Patience, make sure the drag is set just right, tire him out a little more. I finally got him right up by the boat and my hubby was able to snag him in the net. It was so much fun. What a delight to just cruise the calm lake, looking for boils. It was almost like shooting tied frogs in a barrel. I can’t wait to go back and do it again.