Lees Ferry.

[NOTAGS]

Up here for the weekend fishing. I am shocked, water temp at launch was 63 degrees. At the base of the dam 61. Last year in July it was 58.  If Powell doesn’t start refilling soon, I fear The trout fishing will be gone,  you’ll be catching stripers  and suckers… if there’s enough water to navigate.     People are lounging in the water at their camps. I remember when it made your joints ache and your nuts disappear with a quick plunge to cool off  .   Fish numbers caught and seen on bars is way off too.   This drought is bad news for everything.

[Coach]

Man I too remember the old days at Lee's Ferry. My dad and I would go all the way up to the dam and drift down. Sometimes with our fly gear, but 2 & 3" rebels would catch them all day. We lugged a watermelon up there, kept it in the water and after dark, it was amazing. One of those places where in the sun and sand it was like an oven. The water was so cold you couldn't stay in it more than a couple seconds. Setting a cot right on the water's edge late afternoon was like heaven.

[WhtMtnHunter]

10 years ago there wasn't a single kayak upstream from the Ferry.  Now I think Lee's Ferry Angler's business is probably 90% running kayaks upstream all day long.  Hundreds of them.

Never can have a bad day there since it is so amazingly beautiful, but the fishing sucks!

[trphyhntr]

Surprised there’s not jet skis? 

[NOTAGS]

They used to be off limits  do to the safety factor.  Now kayakers and paddle boarders can fall in no problem. And as  stated above, it’s like a slalom course with the f ing  kayakers. I saw  three fishing guide boats today, and a dozen plus boats hauling kayak trash up river 

[trphyhntr]

That’s whack man. They should do something about that 

[Schmitty]

I was up there 2 weeks ago..  It was like a convection oven with 30 mph winds @ 107°.  Wet waded the entire time and never got cold.  There's no wonder why LFA doesn't update their fishing reports.  Caught a number of fish, but mostly all drinks.  SAD!  Especially compared to the first time I fished the Ferry as a 12 year old in 1987 when the average fish was 18" with a few over 24".

[HuntHarder]

so....., shitty fishing? Any bounties? 

[NOTAGS]

I  released $105 back into the river. Money won’t change my principles.  Some hippy we talked to had a stringer of about 12 rainbows alive, I told him of the limit and mandatory kill for keepers.  He thought they were browns and he was making bank…. Said he turned in over $2400 Worth in a four day weekend….. if USFW paid him for a head and guts without verifying  them being brown trout, well,  I guess I am not surprised.

[trphyhntr]

Classic 

[NOTAGS]

Water temp was up to 67 this weekend. Lees is going to be a bass fishery soon, between stripers and smallmouth now showing up in the river.

https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/trout-fishing-threatened-as-the-colorado-river-warms-up/75-ecd4a4f2-c1a2-4fad-8978-e394e97746da

[trphyhntr]

Dude caught a walleye the other day there and a ton of trout 

[trphyhntr]

When I went to the ferry the last time I could have swore they said average temp was like 48 all year I thought 

[CouesPursuit]

10 minutes ago, trphyhntr said:

Dude caught a walleye the other day there 

You're coming off the secret report list!! Lol

It was hands down the best trip I've ever had at Lees. Sorry the OP didn't experience it but those trout are feeling some competition and they were more active and healthy than any other time I've been there in 15 years. Didn't break 20" but caught several 18" and all classes below that. Interesting times for sure.

[trphyhntr]

I wasn’t gonna mention any names. But I told a lees ferry guide about that and he didn’t believe me lol