Fall Fishing Forecast: Southeast
Editor’s note: This is the third of five regional Fall Fishing Forecasts. This week, check back each weekday for forecasts from the Central and Colorado River waters.
Trout stockings at Parker Canyon Lake will begin in October — a month earlier than other lakes in the area.
Arivaca Lake
Fishing Rating: GOOD
As the fishing enters into the fall time, anglers can expect water temperatures to begin to cool and fish to become more active throughout the day. While early mornings and late evenings are still going to be the most productive times, anglers should find fish active throughout the day. Arivaca can be tough to fish if you’re not accustomed to the aquatic vegetation that grows thick at this lake. Plastics and rubber worms are a good choice this time of year. Whatever bait you choose make sure it’s weedless to combat the thick aquatic vegetation. Bass anglers that focus their search along the edges of the weedline and in the various “holes” in the thick vegetation tend to be the most successful.
Both the bluegill sunfish and redear sunfish populations are in good shape and anglers should see a rise in their activity as well as water temperatures begin to cool off. Fly fishing is a popular approach for anglers hunting for good-sized sunfish this time of year. Live worms and mealworms can also be productive.
Cluff Ranch Pond:
Fishing Rating: FAIR
Trout stockings will begin in November. Various baits and lures will catch trout, such as: Powerbait, salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, mealworms, and corn. Lures proven to work include: small spinners (size 0-1), spoons and even small jigs tipped with various plastics imitating worms, minnows or creatures. A good rule of thumb for all fish is having a variety of baits/lures in different sizes and colors, placing it in different depths and retrieving it a different speeds. Continue to change until you find a combination that works. Fishing early in the morning or late in the evening generally will lead to more success.
Anglers searching for warm water species should still find plenty of action as temperatures cool. Largemouth bass can be caught using nightcrawlers or several types of artificial baits and methods. Using lures is a good way to cover a lot of water in a short time, allowing you to locate the depths and locations that are holding fish. Try crankbaits, jerkbaits, swimbaits and jigs/hooks tipped with various plastics and methods like drop shot, Carolina or Texas rigs. Colors and lure shapes that look similar to a sunfish may work as that’s what the bass feed on.
Black crappie and sunfish can be caught using pieces of nightcrawler, mealworms or small plastics. If you’re using a bobber, remember to only use one large enough to float your weight and hook. Often too large of bobbers are used and fish feel the resistance of the large bobber and steal your bait without you ever knowing.
Dankworth Pond:
Fishing Rating: FAIR
Rainbow trout stocking will begin in November. Various baits and lures will catch trout, such as: PowerBait, salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, mealworms, and corn. Lures proven to work include: small spinners (size 0-1), spoons and even small jigs tipped with various plastics imitating worms, minnows or creatures. A good rule of thumb for all fish is having a variety of baits/lures in different sizes and colors, placing it in different depths and retrieving it at different speeds. Continue to change until you find a combination that works.
Bluegill can be caught using pieces of nightcrawler, mealworms or small plastics. If you’re using a bobber, remember to only use one large enough to float your weight and hook. Often too large of bobbers are used and fish feel the resistance of the large bobber and steal your bait without you ever knowing.
Channel catfish may also be a target and success will pick up as the water warms through spring. The standard method is to fish on the bottom using bait. Try using a “slip” sinker instead of one fixed to the line. The “slip” sinker functions like a fixed weight except the line is able to pass through the weight with little resistance, which should equal better success at hooking the fish. To use this method, start with the slip sinker, barrel swivel and a short 1-2’ leader to a hook. Baits vary widely but several nightcrawlers on one hook, chicken liver or prepared stink baits are excellent choices.
Frye Mesa Reservoir:
Fishing Rating: SLOW
Frye Mesa Reservoir presents a unique opportunity to catch a native Gila trout. The reservoir receives fish from Mora National Fish Hatchery and is one of only three places in Arizona to catch this rare species. Gila trout can be caught with similar methods used for rainbow trout. Fly fishing with nymphs or wet/dry flies is productive. If using a spin casting reel, small spoons and spinners as wells as PowerBait or worms can work. The small reservoir did receive a load of catchable sized Gila trout over the summer along with a load of smaller Gila trout so there are fish available to be caught. The road to the reservoir is rough and a higher clearance all-wheel drive vehicle is recommended.
Parker Canyon Lake
Fishing Rating: FAIR
As the fishing enters into the fall, anglers can expect water temperatures to begin to cool but the action can still be hot. Trout stockings will begin in October at this lake which is a month earlier than other lakes in the area. Various baits and lures will catch trout, such as: PowerBait, salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, mealworms, and corn. Lures proven to work include: small spinners (size 0-1), spoons and even small jigs tipped with various plastics imitating worms, minnows or creatures. A good rule of thumb for all fish is having a variety of baits/lures in different sizes and colors, placing it in different depths and retrieving it at different speeds. Continue to change until you find a combination that works.
Sunfish will continue to be active much of September but expect that fishing will slow as cooler water temperatures drive fish into deeper water. Live worms and mealworms fished with light tackle are an angler’s best option. Vary the depth you fish at until you find where the fish are hanging out.
Channel Catfish are still active and actively feeding even though water temperature are cooling off. Anglers using prepared catfishing baits, chicken livers and frozen shrimp.
Patagonia Lake
Fishing Rating: GOOD
During this time anglers can still expect to find largemouth bass in shallow water near the shore. During electrofishing surveys a majority of the largemouth bass sampled are caught in close proximity to the breaks in the cattails. Cattail Point heading into Ash Canyon can also be very productive. Plastic and or rubber baits are the lure of choice during this time. The bluegill and redear sunfish populations are outstanding. Anglers fishing with live worms and mealworms can expect to find success along the shoreline and the breaks in the cattails.
Fishing for flathead catfish can be very exciting during this time of the year. Anglers should fish rocky portions of the shoreline and along the edges of deep drop offs. Flathead catfish prefer live bait and anglers can use sunfish species caught at the lake can be used as live bait.
Pena Blanca Lake
Fishing Rating: GOOD
Cooler temperatures mean better fishing with fish remaining active throughout the day. Warm water species such as largemouth bass and bluegill sunfish can still be found in the shallows actively feeding well in the month of October. However, expect fishing to slow down as water temperatures begin to really cool and fish move towards deeper water in November. Techniques for sunfish should focus on live worms and mealworms with light tackle. Largemouth bass anglers should turn to crankbaits around submerged habitat. Channel catfish can still be caught as well as temperatures cool and anglers using prepared stink baits, frozen shrimp or anchovies should find success.
Riggs Flat Lake:
Fishing Rating: POOR
This lake is closed to fishing during the fall and winter and there is no public access available. Look for the lake to open again in April of next year.
Roper Lake:
Fishing Rating: FAIR
As temperatures cool, anglers can expect warmwater fish species to become more active throughout the entire day and not just early mornings and late evenings. Largemouth bass, bluegill and redear sunfish can still be found in the shallows and will still be actively feeding as water temperatures cool. Target crappie with light everything! Light line, a small hook and bobber tipped with a mealworm or nightcrawler can work, otherwise small jigs tipped with various plastics moved slowly will trigger bites. Bass up to 20’ inches have also shown up in surveys throughout the years and can be targeted using crankbaits, jerkbaits, swimbaits and jigs/hooks tipped with various plastics and methods like drop shot, Carolina or Texas rigs. A classic worm and bobber can work also. Trout stockings will begin in early November.
Rose Canyon Lake
Fishing Rating: GOOD
Fall brings an end to the rainbow trout stockings at this lake but that doesn’t mean the end of good fishing. Anglers willing to try techniques beyond bait fishing can find plenty of trout still in the lake. Fly fishing with floating flies and small Kastmasters, spoons and spinners are the best bet during this time of year. As a reminder, the end of September will bring the final stocking of the season, and the gate allowing vehicle access will close. Anglers can still fish at the lake but they will have to hike in from the Mount Lemmon Highway.
