September 09, 2024
By Keith Marlor
When I was first invited on a trip to Lake Powell to test out Sea-Doo’s newest line of personal watercraft (PWC) designed for fishing, I believe my first thought was, “Where is Lake Powell?” I had heard the name plenty of times before, but there was no chance I could point it out on a map. Yet a few weeks later I was on a plane to the middle of the desert on what would turn out to be an angling adventure of a lifetime.
Landing in the Desert After landing in Phoenix, it was a scramble to find the connecting flight that would deliver me to the final destination of Page, Arizona. The only other people on the flight were the three other industry folks that would be joining me on this excursion. We were at the tail end of our short, bumpy flight from Phoenix to Page when I could see the towering mesa in front of us and a tiny runway placed perfectly in the center. I tightened my seatbelt in preparation for landing (after that landing I have an entirely new respect for pilots).
The airport in Page is a small, warehouse-sized building with one small area for TSA and two workers that check your luggage as well as retrieve it from the incoming flights. Being from New England, I’m used to humid summers, but the Arizona desert has its own brand of heat that hit me square between the eyes when I stepped out of the plane onto the tarmac. Your body can barely register this type of heat. You sweat without even realizing it because of how fast it evaporates.
We headed over to the Up Lake Adventures (ULA) headquarters to get familiar with the machines and the gear that we would be using. Bob Reed has owned and operated ULA since its inception and has the look of someone who has spent a lifetime chasing adventure. He told tales of 100-fish days, and striped bass blitzes so vast that they made the water look alive. His knowledge of Sea-Doo’s products was boundless, and his passion for sharing the lake that he calls home was infectious. We reviewed local regulations, purchased our fishing licenses, and went over safety protocol before wrapping up and heading to dinner. The excitement from the crew was palpable as we turned in early, in preparation for the pre-dawn wakeup call the next morning.
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Exploring the Last Frontier It’s 4:45 a.m. and the sun was cresting over the towering mesas as I turned the key on the Sea-Doo. The water was a bit cool to the touch, but I knew it was going to be my best friend as the desert heat steadily climbs past 100 degrees. No sooner had we pushed off the dock did a pack of hungry stripers start chasing helpless gizzard shad fry to the surface nearby. I had a feeling that I was going to like this place.
The water was glass calm as we began the 36-hour,125-mile round-trip journey, where it’s impossible to not be struck by the beauty and size of the lake. The plan was to cover 60 miles on day one, which would give me ample time learn the machine. Within the first hour, I was confident enough to open it up and test out how fast it could go, I topped out at a speed of 52 mph. With the ideal conditions we had, cruising at this speed felt fast of course, but at no point did I feel unsafe or the vessel unstable.
The monstrous cliffs that surround the lake were enough to make anyone feel small. Millions of year’s worth of sediment built up to create enormous collages of oranges and tans. It was no surprise that many motion pictures chose this location to film scenes of landing on Mars. I knew brief amount of time we’d be spending in this landscape wouldn’t be enough to take in all its beauty, but I did my best to take time in between fishing and riding to appreciate my surroundings.
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We rode 5- to 10-mile stints, stopping to take water breaks or to hear a story from Bob about his time exploring. The snack of choice was Old Trapper Beef Jerky since it helped replenish the salt we had been losing from sweating, and I drank more water than I ever have. Luckily, we had plenty of water stored on our support vessel, a Manitou pontoon boat that acted as our pack mule throughout the trip.
After a long day on the water under the southwestern sun, an evening spent relaxing at our lakeside campsite was much needed. As I ate my “Lake Powell Lasagna” and shared some fishing stories with my trip mates it was hard not have a smile on my face. We camped the old-fashioned way–a cot and a blanket under an endless ceiling of stars. It was lost on me that we’d spent all day exploring and fishing the lake on these futuristic vehicles and ended the day sleeping like the settlers of this place did. After a scorpion-free night under the desert stars, we woke up early and began our voyage back to the ramp fishing along the way.
Fishing on Lake Powell Lake Powell is a place that I never knew I needed to visit, let alone fish. The monstrous 186-mile-long lake that boasts nearly 2,000 miles of shoreline is nestled in the high desert on the Arizona/Utah border. While none of what I just said makes this place sound conducive to fishing, that assumption couldn’t be more wrong. The lake is truly one of the most impressive fisheries that I have experienced.
With crystal clear, mineral rich water that can go from 10 to 200-plus feet deep in a matter of yards, angling at Lake Powell presents a learning curve. Its bass fishery is one of a kind. In fact, it seems to have an incredibly high fish density–every point or rocky outcropping where you would assume fish to inhabit, there would be about five healthy, plump smallmouth ready to engulf your bait.
The presentations we used were simple, yet classic. Green pumpkin and root beer-colored Yamamoto Hula Grubs on ball head jigs were the meal of choice for bass. Due to the blazing summer heat the smallmouth were staying close to the bottom in about 30 feet of water off rocky points and ledges. The largemouth would be found in the reeds and heavy vegetation which would usually be located deeper inside the canyons. The retrieve was a simple steady jig or a slow consistent retrieve, either one would get your bait smoked.
Sea-Doo Fish Pro Trophy Admittedly, my experience with personal watercrafts prior to this trip was limited. But after the first few miles on the Sea-Doo Fish Pro Trophy model I came away thoroughly impressed.
So what’s it like fishing from a Sea-Doo? It’s very similar to fishing from a smaller skiff. While you might have to be a bit nimbler to position yourself in the direction you want to cast, angling on the PWCs was simple. The stability is incredible, so much so that it truly surprised me. I was standing in all sorts of positions to get a shot at fish and not once did I feel unbalanced or like the machine was going to tip. I even stood on the integrated cooler mounted on the back a few times to gain a better vantage point to spot cruising fish and it felt perfectly solid.
The amount of storage on Fish Pro Trophy allowed me to carry equipped with six rods with room to add more if needed. The Sea-Doo is fully customizable and allows you to pack enough for at least a week’s worth of fishing and camping . My favorite feature was a well thought out waterproof charging station in front of the handlebars where you can keep your phone and wallet dry in the roughest conditions. In fact, all the most impressive aspects of this rig were the little details that you could tell where designed with input from serious anglers.
The inclusion of Spot-Lock technology would round out the Fish Pro Trophy. While drifting wasn’t a huge problem in the morning with the perfect conditions we had, boat control was a challenge when the wind gusts picked up in the afternoon. I am no engineer, but I think the inclusion of this or even a version of a shallow-water anchor would take this already impressive vehicle to the next level.
Visiting Lake Powell I have been lucky to visit some truly incredible places throughout my life in the pursuit of fish, and Lake Powell has made its way near the top of that list. If you want to book a trip like this one check out Up Lake Adventures and Bob will make sure your taken care of.
Keith Marlor is the Social Media Manager for Outdoor Sportsman Group's fishing brands.
