Arizona fishing report: The Reel Deal
No doubt, the best bet this week may likely be rainbow trout. Our Community fishing vendor from Colorado was able to make it through the storms to stock the rest of the scheduled waters for today.
See a trout fishing report that includes waters we stocked this week with trout for the first time of the fall/winter season. (Update: Desert Breeze did not get stocked Friday because grounds were too soft for the stocking truck.)
This week’s storm may make fishing for bass and crappie a bit more difficult. Wait until a short period of calm and sunny weather. Soon, largemouth bass’ metabolism should slow, particularly when water temperatures drop into the low 50s. Winter crappie fishing can be excellent as these tasty speckled perch will begin to school in deeper waters over structure (they appear on sonar in a Christmas tree pattern.) Alamo Lake in western AZ can have some of the best holiday-time crappie fishing in the state.
All these fish, including flathead catfish, should be feeding heavily in preparation for winter conditions.
Don’t forget about fishing the Colorado River below Davis Dam. This stretch of the lower Colorado River in Bullhead City is excellent for trout fishing and can produce some big striped bass. Trout are being stocked monthly. Meal worms, nightcrawlers and PowerBait are effective baits for trout near the stocking sites.
The next new moon is Nov. 26, which means using submersible lights at night to attract fish such as striped bass and crappie will become increasingly more effective.
Catch of the Week
Send your fishing reports and photos to BFishing@azgfd.gov —
one will be selected for Catch of the Week
Lynx Lake
Brandon’s daughter caught the biggest rainbow trout of the day on Sunday, Nov. 17. “Fished the north shore , near the spillway,” Brandon said. “In a 2-hour period, I caught 5 trout, using rainbow & chartreuse Power Nuggets on a 1- to 2-foot leader.”
What’s been stocked this week
(“Catchable” sizes only; water temp in parenthesis if available)
Rainbow trout: “Core” Community waters (except for Desert Breeze, which did not get stocked Friday because grounds were too soft for the stocking truck.)
Upcoming Family Fishing Event
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”.
