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Arizona |
October 21, 2009
Rory's Tips:
Quick update: For those of you who are up early on Wednesday, Oct. 21, look skyward for meteors from Halley's Comet just before dawn. There may be other mornings offering increased meteor activity, but NASA says Wednesday morning is best.
Cooler nights are back, which means water temperatures in the lakes should be dropping. Some warmwater lakes may soon experience turnover -- when the upper stratum of water turns colder than the lower stratum, and they will change places, sometimes with dramatic results. The event does not always disrupt fishing, but other times the bite turns off like a light switch.
So get your fishing in now.
It sounds like one of the hot spots right now is Saguaro Lake for a mixed bag of fish, including lots of fesity bass in the 1-pound range and hordes of yellow bass that love gold KastMasters and yellowish spinners. I had an angler send me pictures of desert bighorn sheep that blessed his fishing expedition there (see the Saguaro Lake write-up).
Also try Roosevelt, Bartlett and Havasu. Check out the recent survey on Apache -- it might be an autumn dark horse (not bad quail country either). Alamo got blasted with a storm on Tuesday, which may be its autumn swan song, or it could turn on again by this weekend. Anglers report seeing lots of rabbits along the road there, and you might even see some quail.Bartlett has turned on for crappie -- check the "crappie report" in the fishing news below.
Still hearing good reports from most high country lakes. The brown trout and brook trout should be staging for the spawn. Putting some salmon eggs on the hook of any lure your use might be a good tactic. Cutthroat trout will also feed aggressively. This is the time of year when you can also catch large rainbows (with firm pink flesh). This is also a great time to catch some larger brookies. Crescent would be my first choice, but Big Lake can also get you some nice cuts as well.
Don't forget that tree-squirrel season and waterfowl seasons are both underway in the high country. Take along the trusty .22 and your favorite scatter gun. I saw lots of waterfowl hunters in the White Mountains on the opening weekend.
On Tuesday, the department stocked trout in Green Valley Lake in Payson (it's an urban program lake), plus Fain Lake near Prescott, Oak Creek (should be good colors), Beaver Creek, West Clear Creek and Patagonia Lake.
Also during the first week of November, the winter trout stockings will really kick into high gear with stockings at Deadhorse, the Lower Salt, Parker Canyon, and Patagonia. So once you put away those Halloween masks, be sure to spool up new line on the fishing reels.
There is probably one more week or so of good fishing at Lake Powell. I might even get a chance to go and update the photo library for the collaborative fishing guide book the depaprtment has planned with Arizona Highways magazine. The guide is 98-percent certain but there are still a couple of hoops to jump through. I'll keep you posted.
Another good place to hit right now is Lees Ferry -- this is a world-class fishery where you can experience solitude on most of the best gravel bars.
Keep in mind they have started stocking trout along Casino Row in the Bullhead City area of the Colorado River. They also stock trout at Willow Beach, where you might also see some desert bighorn sheep.
Last but certainly not least is Fossil Creek for catch-and-release, single barbless hooks for native chub (only a four-mile stretch of the creek). I will try to make it there this week and check out the fall colors. This travertine creek is special. Be sure to take along a camera. It's a long, dusty and bumpy road to get there, but the visual rewards are superb.
Don't miss out on the great autumn fishing experiences. Maybe I'll see you out there.
Fishing News
Crappie Report: Good News from Barlett
Since my last report I’ve heard real good news from Bartlett. Several anglers have reported good numbers of Crappie been caught up river trolling crankbaits and grubs. Plus much to my surprises many small Crappie under 10” are being caught. This is very good news as for the past few years we have worried that Bartlett Crappie may not be spawning. The only catch is that SRP in drawing the lake down for dam inspections/ repairs and the water level is dropping fast. Because of this the bite has started to slow down a little so the time to try Bartlett is now. And be careful up river as there may be hazards that are not marked yet.
This past week Roosevelt has shown signs that the fall/ winter patterns are really getting going. Art Chamberlin of C&C Guide Service caught 18 nice slabs on the Tonto end the other day and a few anglers have done well on the Salt end as well. Many avid Rosey Crappie anglers believe that the time is right for the bite to explode. As the weather cools off it’s a great time for a weekend camping trip to Rosey. Cholla and Windy Hill are my favorite spots to camp.
I haven’t heard any reports from Alamo or San Carlos this week. However, Alamo has always been a great place to catch big AZ slabs in the winter. Plus the camp sites there are very nice. San Carlos is at about 3% and can be dangerous to launch and navigate, so be careful.
If you need any help with tips or tackle you can find me at Bass Pro Shops in Mesa Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm in the fishing department.
Bill (Piscolli) Eveland
BPS/ AZCADespite Economy, Tackle & Fishing License Sales Up 8 Percent
Sales increase mirrors recreational fishing's heyday in the 1960s and 1970s
ALEXANDRIA, VA (Oct. 20, 2009) - The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) and the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) today announced the publication of a quarterly fishing license sales index to track trends that have an impact on the industry and the entire recreational fishing community.
"Not since the 1970s have we seen a single-year increase in fishing license sales like we've seen so far in 2009," said ASA President and CEO Mike Nussman. "Understanding how the needle moves in terms of sport-fishing participation is important not just for the sport-fishing industry, but for the entire outdoor recreation community. This new license metric will provide everyone with important sales and participation information."
"Our recent research shows that fishing is the number one gateway activity for introducing children and their families to the outdoors," said RBFF President and CEO Frank Peterson. "We believe that national campaigns such as Take Me Fishing™ and state-based sport-fishing marketing and direct mail are also having a positive effect."
As of Sept. 1, 2009, state fish and wildlife agencies reported a 7.7 percent positive change in the number of licenses sold year-to-date compared to the same months last year (January - July 2009 vs. January - July 2008). The same states also saw a seven percent increase in the number of licenses sold in July 2009 compared with July 2008.
According to Southwick Associates, the firm analyzing the data, fishing license sales increased at a faster rate in the first quarter of 2009 compared to the second quarter. Increases of 20 percent or more were common in the first quarter. However, a larger volume of sales occurred in the second quarter – the peak period for license sales nationally – and had a greater effect on the year-to-date sales trend than first quarter license sales. After standardizing the July index to contain the same states as previous months, license sales increased nearly a full percentage point over May and June sales. In general, more fishing licenses are sold during the second quarter (April, May, June) than any other time of the year.
"Reasons for the 2009 license sales increases range from a slow economy, which may allow people more time to engage in outdoor activities, to recreational fishing being a lower cost alternative to other forms of recreation," said Peterson.
"When the index moves by just a tenth of a point, 40,000 anglers have entered or quit sport-fishing. Considering the typical angler spends $176 a year on just fishing tackle alone, and contributes over $40 annually to conservation via license dollars and excise taxes, a small change in the index represents big changes on the ground," said Nussman.