Arizona State Fishing Reports

There is a full moon this week.

The predatory fish will likely feed all night, so don't expect lots of first light surface boils (although it can still happen). Typically, the good daytime bite will come in late morning, around 9-10 a.m., following a moon bright summer's night. Also keep in mind that black-colored topwater lures, including buzzbaits, can sometimes get you dramatic action at night if you can find active predatory fish from bass to pike.

Hearing reports of topwater action picking up at most bass lakes. Some stalwart anglers are finding topwater frenzies off-and-on throughout the day at places like Pleasant, Roosevelt, Barlett, Mead, and Havasu. Use you binoculars. Also watch for feeding bird activity.

No doubt other lakes are experiencing similar activity levels. Topwater stick baits, poppers, torpedoes and even buzzbaits can all be effective at times. Slightly subsurface lures, such as jerkbaits, can sometimes provide excellent action. Also try wide-wobble crankbaits or for stripers, lip-less crankbaits that sink.

Arizona Game and Fish

Be sure to have a rod rigged with a flutter-down lure to toss in when a bass hits but misses your topwater lure. Senkos, curly-tailed jigs, and spoons are all good bets. A friend of mine throws in-line spinners and lets them drop and flutter-down like a spoon -- whatever floats your imagination and gets you hits.

The larger drop-bellied lunker bass will often hold well below the surface melees and feed on leftover shad body parts slithering down the water column. These big boys know how to maximize protein intake and minmize calorie output (like watching Sunday football at a Sports Bar with nachos and hot wings).

Largemouth bass are also actively feeding on bluegills and dragonflies. I once used a dragon-fly imitation fly tied by a friend with a bluegill swim bait trailer to catch a bunch of lunkers at Patagonia along the tule line. One toad snapped my line by hitting the bluegill after I had caught a smaller bass on the fly. It was awesome but sad at the same time (lost my only dragon fly imitation).

So for all you fly anglers, dragon fly flies (sound refreshingly redundant) this time of year can really produce some terrific bass action. Look for areas where there is dense shoreline vegegation, especually bulrushes, cattails and the like that provide bass places to hide in ambush.

Another treat this time of year is topwater frogs. Once again, tules help, but I have taken bass on frogs in open water that is 50 feet deep after seeing a bass slurp some shad at the top. However, it's best to work the shoreline, especially along tules or over grass beds.

John Galbraith of Galbraith's Tackle Store in Havasu said the secret is pitching the frog into the vegetation and then plopping it into the water to best mimic the action of a real frog. He proved it in action along where the Bill Williams River enters Havasu. It was a hoot. Thanks for the tutorial John! I have had a lot of fun fishing Arivaca with frogs (and rats) in past years. If weed beds are a problem, make them work for you by using topwater frogs rigged weedless. There are lots of them on the market. Should work for fly anglers as well.

I suspect that those mountain lakes with bass, or brown trout, might be worthwhile places to try the smaller topwater frogs. I am itching to try them at Fool Hollow, Willow Springs, or Reservation Lake. They might even get you some big pike at Upper Lake Mary, Ashurst or Long Lake. Let me know the results of you try them (raikens@azgfd.gov).

When the monsoons storms are hitting, or better yet, building up, trout fishing (and catching) can be tremendous in our mountain lakes. Use small spinners, cranibaits, casting lures such as Z-rays, or anything else that allows you to work the top of the water column.

Following such storms, trout will often go deep and the bite can be tough or even nonexistent. With all the wildflowers and mushrooms generated thanks to monsoon rains, if the the bite slackens or disappears, put away you pole and get out the camera, or just go enjoy the lush mountain meadows. Look for elk rubs on trees -- many bull elk are still rubbing off their itchy velvet.

By the way, if you run across blue grouse, let me know where. I have a couple of folks who are itching to hunt blue grouse once the season opens in September and I haven't had a chance to get up there and scout. Grouse and fly-fishing streams can be a lingering dream in the White Mountains. That's one of the images my mind conjures up with stuck in summer traffic on our freeways.

Believe it or not, the days are getting shorter, the nights longer, the lakes will gradually cool down and the fish will get more and more active as we head into Autumn. Also keep in mind this should be a terrific year for young, fat squirrels. Starting planning your squirrel-and-trout autumn expedition now. It's great for kids, and those who want to feel young again (if Ponce de Leon had only known).

Don't ignore Lees Ferry, although most do this time of year. The fishing for wild rainbow trout is tremendous, there are lots of large line-stripping 'bows to catch, and you'll mostly have this world-class fishery to yourself. Fly anglers, think nymphs. Spin anglers, try in-line spinners and my secret -- small colorful bassin' crankbaits in pink, orange and bright chartreuse. These are now the stocker trout most people catch in the popular mountain lakes, but wild-grown big rainbows full of fight that will run in the swift current and thrill you will a tail dance or two, or three.

Then to make your trip complete, slip upstream to Lake Powell and go after stripers, smallmouth and largemouth bass on topaters lures, and delectable walleye on jigs along shadowed cliff faces and in deep rock wall fractures. It's another world-class angling experience that only attracts dozens of anglers for a lake what can easily handle thousdands, with plenty of elbow exploring room to spare.

I am heading back to the Colorado River this week to gather pictures and experiences from Blythe to Yuma for our fishing guide book we are doing with Arizona Highways magazine, so I should be able to give you some first-hand reports for next week's report (or maybe sooner).

By the way, if you don't have a boat but would like to get on the water to fish, consider a kayak. Here's a link for some interesting information http://www.kayakfishingtales.com/. I am not endorsing anything, just providing you a way to get some info.

Visited the Colorado River below Blythe this week on a quest to get quality photos for our fishing book with Arizona Highways magazine. Few boats, no anglers, and this stretch gets little recreational pressure. Yet places like the A-10 backwater hold lots of superb fishing opportunities. If you are looking to escape the crowds and experience something different, go fish this area of the river -- you'll likely finds lots of dumb bass (those that have never seen a lure before).

If I had to choose the one great spot to fish this week, I would head back to the Parker Strip for smallmouth bass on topwater lures and chartreuse-colored Yamamoto curly tails on jig heads. Of all the spots I was privileged to fish recently while collecting photographs and fishing tales, that excited me the most. There are also lots of docks and other man-made structures for flippin', pitchin' and skippin'. Next time I am taking my big box of Gizits, they skip nearly as good as flat rocks zipped across the surface by veteran rock-skippping youngsters.

PS: Don't forget that the early dove season opens Sept. 1 and for the first time in a couple of decades, it is all-day shooting here in Arizona again.

Be sure to get you migratory bird stamp. With all the good monsoons, it's shaping up to be a good year for dove, especially for those of us who like to hunt the birds dispersed into the desert. Also, use the dove hunt to pre-scout desert water holes for quail.

We also have a juniors only hunt on the first weekend (Sept. 4-5) at the Robbins Butte Wildlife Area near Buckeye. Be sure to get your youngsters out. Get the youngsters out. It's a great time. I loved it when one little out shot her older brothers and with a gleam in her eye said, "This was more fun than Disneyland."

That was the first youth dove hunt at Robbins Butte. That little girl is probably old enough to have children of her own now. I hope she is passing on the fun legacy as well.

Time Out for Records (Note: This article was courtesy the Fishing Wire, thank you Jim Shepherd)

If you needed a little encouragement to get out and go fishing this weekend, here's some inspiration-the potential world records submitted to the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) for certification.

Guided by her uncle while fishing out of Key West, Fla., USA, on June 3, smallfry angler Brielle Bennett of Cinnaminson, N.J., landed an African pompano (Alectis ciliaris) weighing 5.7 kg (12 lb 9 oz) to qualify for the female-smallfry record. The uncle Brian Bennett said Brielle needed eight minutes to land her potential record catch after the fish hit her live pinfish. The current IGFA record in the junior division is vacant.

While flyfishing the Ur River in Mongolia on June 7, Marles H. Frankman of Golden Valley, Minn., USA, guided by Ganpurev Enebish, landed a 21.55 kg (47 lb 8 oz) taimen (Hucho taimen). The exciting fish took 30 minutes to land after hitting Mrs. Frankman's Dairiki streamer fly to qualify her for the 8 kg (16 lb) tippet record. Frankman released the fish after documenting and photographing it. The current IGFA record is 12.7 kg (28 lb 0 oz) pulled from Mongolia's Eg River in 2001.

Miami, Fla., USA angler Xavier Casal guided by Rafael Moran, landed the potential men's 37 kg (80 lb) line class record for broomtail grouper (Mycteroperca xenarcha) on June 6, while fishing Isla Santa Clara, Ecuador. Casal's grouper weighed 23.13 kg (51 lb 0 oz) and took 18 minutes to land after the fish hit Casal's Rapala X-Rap 30 lure. The current IGFA record is vacant.

IGFA Representative Peter F. Binaski of Costa Mesa, Calif., USA, guided by Valentin Giusto, landed a beautiful dorado (Salminus brasiliensis) on July 1, while fishing Bolivia's Pluma River, to qualify for the 3 kg (6 lb) tippet record. After taking Binaski's fly and a 15 minute fight, Binaski's dorado weighed in at 7.48 kg (16 lb 8 oz). The current IGFA record is 2.84 kg (6 lb 4 oz) held by IGFA Lifetime Achievement Award recpient Capt. Jay Wright Jr., of Hollywood, Fla. from Argentina's Uruguay River near LaZona two years ago. Binaski released the fish after documenting its vitals such as weight and length and photographs of the bright and colorful fish.

Arizona Game and Fish

World traveler and multi-record holder Stan Nabozny of The Woodlands, Texas, USA, guided by Andy Nicholson, landed a 3.03 kg (6 lb 11 oz) barbel (Barbus barbus) on June 24, while fishing out of Holme Lacy, United Kingdom. Nabozny landed the fish in five minutes, after it hit his marine halibut pellet, to qualify for the 10 kg (20 lb) line class record. The current IGFA record is 2.21 kg (4 lb 14 oz) set by Nabozny last year in the same waters. Nabozny released the fish following documentation and photos.

Hilton Head, S.C. USA Captain Brian Vaughn of Hilton Head Island, SC, USA was guiding clients off his home town on July 9 when he took some time to cast a fly and landed a sizeable tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis) to qualify for the men's 10 kg (20 lb) tippet record. Vaughn's fish weighed 7.6 kg (16 lb 8 oz), and was landed in six minutes on a Lefty's Deceiver fly. The current IGFA record is 7.42 kg (16 lb 6 oz) is 15 years old and was recorded in Barra del Colorado, Costa Rica. (Photo: tripletail - 36133)

Trolling a Rapala X-Rap lure behind his jet ski out of Umkomaas, South Africa on May 23, Craig Oliver of Pinetown, South Africa, caught a talang queenfish (Scomberoides commersonianus) and two potential IGFA World Records. Oliver's catch weighed 17.9 kg (39 lb 7 oz) and took him 15 minutes to land. His fish qualifies for both the all-tackle record and the men's 24 kg (50 lb) line class records. The current IGFA All-Tackle record is 16.5 kg (36 lb 6 oz) recorded in Karachi, Pakistan and the line class is 14.5 kg (31 lb 15 oz) from Mozambique, South Africa.

And finally, word that California's Steve Wozniak (yes, that Steve Wozniak a/k/a The Woz) is getting closer to his milestone of catching and documenting 1000 different species of fish across the globe. Reports from the country of Norway state the IGFA world traveling member is close to reaching his mark with about five species to go.

Get out there and go fishing- take a child or someone new to angling along as well.

They'll thank you for it.

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