Lake Powell Fishing Report: Prime Time for Stripers & Bass

Good morning from Lake Powell, this is Artificial Lure with your fishing report for May 12, 2025. The weather today is mild and mostly clear, with light morning winds giving way to calm conditions later in the day. Sunrise was around 6:15 AM and sunset will be near 8:15 PM, offering plenty of daylight for some quality fishing time. Water temperatures in the lake are hovering in the mid-60s Fahrenheit, which is just right for active fish feeding behavior.

Fishing activity has been excellent lately, especially with striped bass and smallmouth bass making up the bulk of the catch. Recent reports from local anglers and guides indicate stripers are quite aggressive right now, likely feeding heavily on the abundant shad moving through the back canyons and U-shaped coves along the main channels. These areas are your best bet if you want to target stripers, as the fish tend to follow the shad into tighter spots where they can ambush their prey.

For lure selection, spoons in silver are proving especially effective for stripers, with gold and copper spoons also getting bites. Early morning topwater action has been notable, so having a topwater bait ready to go when you see boils or surface commotion can pay off. Deeper water tactics such as grubs in the 10 to 30-foot range and Ned rigs have been working great for bass. Soft plastics like Senkos, stick worms, and shaky heads rigged wacky or Texas style remain reliable options, particularly around submerged brush and rocky shelf areas where bass congregate.

Hot spots to consider today include the back canyons near Wahweap and the narrow slots east of Antelope Point. These spots offer a mix of shallow structure and deep-water shelves that hold both stripers and bass well. If you’re trolling, shallow diving crankbaits and tube jigs are producing good numbers, especially when working along drop-offs and points where baitfish like shad are plentiful.

No tidal movement to report since Lake Powell is a reservoir, but keep an eye on weather conditions as afternoon breezes sometimes pick up, affecting casting and lure presentation. Overall, the bite is steadily improving as spring progresses, and the variety of fish—from large stripers to smallmouth and largemouth bass, plus some crappie and sunfish—makes Lake Powell a fantastic place to be right now.

So get your rods ready, stock up on silver spoons, soft plastics, and grubs, and head out early to catch the best action. Lake Powell is firing on all cylinders this May, and there’s no shortage of hungry fish waiting for you on the water.

Tight lines out there,
Artificial Lure