Artificial Lure reporting in from Lake Powell, Utah, where our late fall bite is hanging on strong even as temperatures start to shift. November 18 brings us cool, overcast conditions with highs hovering near 40°F and the wind staying moderate out of the southwest, according to WeatherWorld’s forecast for Bullfrog Marina. With these chillier days, water temps have taken their autumn dip—a cue for many species here to start schooling up and feeding before winter really locks in.
Sunrise today came at 7:10 AM, and sunset’s landing right around 5:17 PM, so anglers have a crisp, narrow window for those prime morning and late afternoon bites—that’s when the fish are snapping and you’ll want to be on your game. Tides don’t play a role here on the lake, but any wind—especially southwest—will stack baitfish and stir some current along rocky shorelines and canyon walls.
The hot fish this week have been striped bass, and reports from the Wahweap and Lone Rock areas say they’re schooled up and chewing aggressively, especially near channel drops and inflowing creek mouths. Target striper in 30 to 60 feet of water—vertical jigging spoons like Kastmasters, or dropping cut anchovy on a Carolina rig, are both producing heavy boxes. Anglers are routinely pulling 10 to 25 stripers a day from these zones. Over on the main lake, uplake from Bullfrog and Halls Crossing, similar schools are firing as baitfish get pushed into the backs of coves.
Smallmouth bass haven’t quit yet. Focus on deeper ledges and rocky points in 18–35 feet, particularly around Warm Creek and Navajo Canyon. Ned rigs in green pumpkin, smoke, and perch tones are dynamite. Don’t count out drop-shot finesse worms or small swimbaits—keep it subtle and crawl and hop those baits right over rock piles. According to local boat traffic and social media chatter, three- and four-pound smallies are still being caught, with a few going bigger for those who put in the hours.
Walleye are there for the taking if you slow-roll grubs or troll deep-diving crankbaits along channel swings and gravel humps, particularly early and late in the day. Try a chartreuse jig with a minnow if you want to mix it up.
Best baits right now for all species? For stripers: cut anchovies, silver spoons, and white paddle-tail swimbaits. Bass are keying on natural crayfish and shad imitations, so reach for those green pumpkin or shad-colored Ned rig plastics, and you won’t go wrong. Live nightcrawlers or minnows under a slip bobber will bag panfish and the occasional walleye.
Crappie action is spotty but improving in the brushy pockets and floating debris lines uplake—use small plastic tube jigs in chartreuse or pink.
For your hot spots, don’t miss:
- The mouth of Navajo Canyon for both stripers and smallmouth
- The submerged rock piles between Bullfrog and Halls Crossing, especially at the first light
Boat ramps are open, and conditions are stable, but always check for updated lake levels—recent flows dropped to about 150 cfs in late August, impacting some shallow launch sites, as noted by the Utah News Dispatch.
That’s your Lake Powell rundown for November 18th. Thanks for tuning in to the Artificial Lure Report—don’t forget to subscribe for more up-to-the-moment local intel. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
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