Arizona Fishing Report: The Reel Deal
Winter’s not far away: Nighttime lows in the desert regions are forecast to drop to around 50 on Monday. Trout love the cold temps. And we’ll be stocking rainbows in waters near you through March. The Lower Salt River’s already been loaded. See the full winter trout stocking schedule.
Apache and Canyon lakes are scheduled to be stocked the first week of November. In the Prescott region, Fain, Goldwater, Yavapai, and Lynx lakes are loaded with trout. It’s a great time to touch up on those trout fishing skills before your next trip — check out a how-to article and see the stocking reports below.
Anglers might also be wise to hit Woods Canyon Lake, Willow Springs Lake, Bear Canyon Lake, Knoll Lake, Chevelon Canyon Lake (brown trout should be active) or Black Canyon Lake. In particular, trout fishing should be picking up at Big Lake, Luna Lake, Woods Canyon Lake, Willow Springs Lake, and Show Low Lake. In the Flagstaff/Williams region, Kaibab Lake and Lower Lake Mary are also still fishing well for trout.
At Woods Canyon Lake, the store is scheduled to open until Thursday, Oct. 31 — weather permitting.
Fishing should be excellent at Show Low Creek at the Show Low Bluff trailhead and Patterson Ponds, which were both stocked with rainbow trout this week.
Brown trout should be active at the Greer Lakes, Chevelon Lake, and the East Fork of the Black River.
Alamo Lake electrofishing; boat ramp update
Now an update from Alamo Lake: Arizona State Parks now plans to close the main boat ramp at Alamo Lake Nov. 30-mid Dec. Dates are subject to change. Cholla Ramp will remain open and is fully functional. State Parks had planned the closure for Nov. 1-25 to allow for dam repairs.
On Oct. 15-17 we conducted an electrofishing survey of Alamo Lake. See video from the first night. These annual surveys are performed to gather data on relative abundance, size, growth of fish, and to detect any large-scale changes in the fish population. All of the fish were collected, weighed, measured, and released unharmed.
Catch of the Week
Send your fishing reports and photos to BFishing@azgfd.gov —
one will be selected for Catch of the Week
Lake Powell
Tom H. with a 4.27-pound largemouth caught on Oct. 13 on a top-water lure at Lake Powell. “He was nice and fat, as were all the fish we caught that weekend,” Tom wrote. “I put him back in and will hopefully see him next year.”
What’s been stocked this week
(“Catchable” sizes only; water temp in parenthesis if available)
Rainbow trout: Patterson Ponds (51), Show Low Creek, Green Valley Lakes, Fain Lake (58), Yavapai Lakes (60), Riggs Flat Lake (57).
Thank you, anglers!
Arizona fishing opportunities wouldn’t be possible without the Sport Fish Restoration Program. It was created through the Dingell-Johnson Act of 1950 (Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act) and the Wallop-Breaux amendments of 1984. Through a federal excise tax paid by manufacturers on fishing gear and motorboat fuels, it provides grant funds for fishery conservation, boating access, and aquatic education.
Save time, buy online
Grab a license online (that helps conserve all species of wildlife, not to mention provides funding that goes back into fishing opportunities) and go “Fish AZ”.
