URBAN LAKES - All urban lakes will be stocked with catfish
the week of May 26-31, with the exception of Water Ranch Lake in
Gilbert (see golden alga article below). Cool, favorable
weather last week helped to slow biological activity that elevates
lake pH levels. Biologists will continue to monitor lake
water quality every two weeks to ensure conditions are suitable
for catfish stockings. If pH levels exceed 9.5 or golden
alga blooms occur, biologists will not stock a lake and will instead
reroute the fish to other, nearby urban waters.
On Friday, May 24 anglers at Gilbert's Water Ranch Lake
began noticing odd behaviors in fish and a few dead ones. Catfish
were observed swimming slowly in the shallows oblivious to human
activity. The Town of Gilbert's lake management consultant
had the lake tested for golden alga and the results were positive. The
timing over the holiday weekend caused an unfortunate delay in
the algaecide treatment of the lake leading to higher fish mortalities. Water
Ranch Lake will be aggressively treated May 26-27 to control the
problem golden alga before it can take out more fish. Recent
water quality tests for conductivity and alkalinity showed that
Water Ranch Lake had higher values than most other lakes, making
it more susceptible to golden alga blooms and fish kills, but also
explaining why the golden alga problem here is worse than any of
the other five affected lakes. Biologists and lake managers
are working to put a stop to the reoccurring algae blooms and fish
kills, and are determined to win this battle. There will
be no catfish stockings the week of May 26-31, or until the golden
alga can be brought back under control and further tests are negative.
Fishing for catfish continues to be good
to excellent the week of stocking. The top bait
for the 14-20 inch channel catfish are stink baits fished on
the bottom. Other baits such as shrimp and worms have worked
well. Anglers are catching good numbers of sunfish on small
worms or mealworms. Cats have been biting best mid morning
and in the evenings. Recent stockings have included some
big catfish in the 3-5 pound range.
At Green Valley lakes (Payson) fishing is good
for trout with most fish biting bait such as worms or PowerBait. Bluegill,
crappie and bass are biting well on small jigs and worms fished
under a bobber at Green Valley.
Stocking updates:
Phoenix Area Lakes - May 16 stocked catfish. Next stocking, catfish
the week of May 26-31.
Tucson Area Lakes - May 16 stocked catfish. Next stocking, catfish
the week of May 26-31.
Green Valley Lakes (Payson) - May 9 stocked trout (double stocking,
last of season) No further trout stockings until mid October.
Where:alvord lake
When:05/19/08
Caught:3 catfish one was 6lbs.
Technique:i used stink bait
Comments:one broke my line before i could get him out of the water.
i caught the biggest ones there that evening. :)
Name:debbie ohl
Where:Water Ranch Lake
When:05/26/08
Caught:Nothing
Technique:A egg weight and a size 4 hook, fishing of the bottom
with hot dogs, around 7 to 9
Comments: I saw three dead catfish floating out there, never seen
that before. Thought maybe the algae is back. I would also like
to thank all the anglers who voted to keep the urban program at
Water Ranch.
Name:Alec Richardson
Where:desert breeze
When:05/17/08
Caught:catfish
Technique:hotdogs
Comments:Eli, my son, caught 9-pound l2-ounce catfish with 4-pound
test line.
Name:domingo salinas
Where:Desert Breeze Lake
When:05/24/08
Caught:Nothing
Technique:Night Crawlers, hot dogs, shrimp, dough bait
Comments: I am sure you dont want to hear from me again,
but here it is anyway, my fifth negative report from Desert Breeze.
I was there from 7:30 AM until 12:30 PM. There was an average
of at least 10 adult poles in the water since people came and
went. I did not see a single catfish caught. That is 50 man hours
of fishing with no positive results. One person did manage to
catch about ten sunfish in about two hours, but none were big
enough to keep (3-5 inches). Same old story for this lake this
year. I don't know what is going on, but fishing has been horrible.
Name:Bob Foy
Where:Lake Alvord
When:05/17/08
Caught:Catfish
Technique:I was using worms, anchovies and some chicken liver
stink bait. I threw the line out as far as I could throw and I
waited.
Comments: Again, this lake was part of my visit in the valley.
I fished for about 2 and half hours in the heat. Luckily there
was some shade around the lake. I did not get any hits on worms
or anchovies but the catfish loved the stink bait. They were very
fun to catch.
Name:Walter Sprengeler, Jr.
Where:Water Ranch
When:05/14/08
Caught:3 Channel Catfish
Technique:Charile Blood Bait. I put it on the bottom, using a half
size worm sinker.
Comments:Go to the south side and cast only about feet out.
Name:Zachary Waite
Where:Desert Breeze
When:05/14/08
Caught:2 Largemouth Bass
Technique:Drop shot rig with 4-inch Renegade junebug colored worm.
Comments:Caught one bass at 8:30am and the next bass at 9:00am.
Their lengths were 15 and 16 inches. Got tons of bites over underwater
rock structures. Bites stopped after 10am.
Name:Vincent Binarao
Where:Red Mountain
When:05/09/08
Caught:2 Catfish
Technique:I used baby shad with some stink bait on a treble hook.
Drop sinker
Comments:It was about 7:30 at night.
Name:BJ Johnson
Where:Water Ranch
When:05/11/08
Caught:Channel Catfish
Technique:Charile blood bait
Comments:They start biting at 6pm at the south end only about 20
feet out
Name:Zachary Waite
Where:Desert Breeze Pond
When:05/13/08
Caught:1 Largemouth Bass
Technique:Drop shot rig over rock structure. Used a 6-inch Renegade
June bug colored plastic worm.
Comments:The length of the largemouth was 17 inches. No scale to
weigh, only had a tape measure. Caught at 6:30am with rough winds
and cloudy sky. Here's a nice picture of myself holding the largemouth. http://tinyurl.com/43kakf
Name:Vincent Binarao
Where:Red Mountain Lake
When:05/03/08
Caught:Channel Catfish-2lb & 3lb
Technique:Worms on a bobber 12" down.
Comments:Took the nieces fishing and they had a blast. Couldnt
believe that we caught them.
Name:Brock Boring
TEMPE TOWN LAKE - Don't forget when fishing Tempe
Town Lake the east end of the lake is more productive and fish
near structure. In that lake that means the bridge abutments
or piers. I'm not saying that where all the fish are but
your chances are a little better there. A couple fishermen reported
catching bass on drop shots and spinners. Watch for the shad
boils.
Worms are enticing the catfish to bite. Another fisherman stopped
by in the evening for a half hour and caught two bass fishing from
shore using a green spinner bait.
One angler stopped by Tempe Town Lake for an hour one morning and
using corn on the bottom caught a rainbow trout and a channel catfish.
Angler report:
An angler caught a nice bass in a couple hours from shore on a
very windy day last week. He used a chatterbait with a
white skirt.
Where:Tempe Town Lake
When:05/17/08
Caught:Bass and Bluegills
Technique:I was using all sorts of methods for the bass but in
the end all I needed was a worm that was suspended about 5' from
a bobber.
Comments:I decided to leave my home of Flagstaff for the weekend
and head down south. It was my first time fishing in the lake.
I had a blast. I got to the lake at around 7 in the morning and
started catching fish. I caught 7 seven bass all of which were
post spawned and were over 16". I released them so that some other
fisherman could have as much fun as I did. I used the same technique
to catch the bluegills. I released all of those as they were too
small to keep.
Name:Walter Sprengeler, Jr.
Where:Tempe town lake
When:03/12/08
Caught:Largemouth bass
Technique:slow rolling 4 inch worms
Comments:red hot if you know the lake
Name:ron varney
Where: Tempe Town Lake
When: 04/24/08
Caught: 2 Trout, 3 bass, and a catfish
Technique: Rooster Tails, the Banjo mino, and some worms under
a bobber about 8 ft from bait
Name: austin kahn
Where: Tempe Town Lake
When: 04/17/08
Caught: Largemouth Bass
Technique: 3/8 oz. spinnerbait white/white trailer
Comments: Fished the lake three times this week with the same bait
and caught two one day and one the very next day. Good in town
lake
Name: Wayne Radtke
LAKE PLEASANT - Water elevation is 1,692 ft, which is 89-percent
full.
Senkos still seem to be the lure of choice in 7 to 15 feet of water
in and around cover.Anglers are hammering the stripers near the
tires using anchovies.
Courtesy the Hook Up Outfitters: http://www.thehookupoutfitters.com/ Pleasant:
The red hot striper fishing continues. Some signs of boiling
fish are starting to show, but the best action continues to be
in 55-70 feet of water on anchovies. Most of the fish are
in the 1-3 pound range, but there are bigger fish mixed in. Fish
are relating to channel bends and main lake reefs. Look for
sharp breaks, and the fish will be stacked. Largemouth fishing
has been hit-and-miss. There are still some fish spawning,
but most of the fish are locked in to a post spawn pattern. Bluegill
swim baits have accounted for some nice fish this week, but its
trophy hunting for one or two bites a day. One of our clients
caught a 7- and 9-pound bass on back-to-back casts on a swim bait
earlier this week. For numbers of fish, drop shot and split
shot techniques with 4-inch plastics off points in 20-30 feet is
the name of the game.
Important notice: DON’T MOVE A MUSSEL. With the discovery
of invasive quagga mussels in Lake Pleasant, proper cleaning of
all watercraft is critical to help prevent the spread of these
invaders (helps protect your boat as well). Please drain and
dry your livewell and bilge on land. Drain all the water you can
from your engine. Also, inspect your vessel and trailer, removing
any visible mussels, but also feel for any rough or gritty spots
on the hull. These may be young mussels that can be hard to see.
Angler reports:
Hi Rory,
We'll,
my dad and I went out fishing last Monday (Memorial Day) at Lake
Pleasant and boy was it a swell time. Dad almost landed
a 7-pound largemouth bass, which was really big but got off right
next to the boat.... We'll, this flat - head catfish below
weighted exaclty 18.5lbs... biggest freshwater fish I have ever
caught in my entire life! Took about 45 minutes to real
in. It was taken out of Lake Pleasant up near the northern
end of lake in between Castle Creek and Kolls Cove using an anchovie
on 6lb test line with an 8lb test tippet. Would have never
got him in with a 6lb tippet. Almost seems unreal huh?
I love fishing and have been going my entire life. Would love to
someday have a fishing guide service for people and please let
me know if there is anything I can do for Game and Fish since I
have always read these reports and long for the day my ade/pic
gets into the Game and Fish report. Sure felt like a famous
rockstar when I caught this guy, it was an unbelievable feeling
and fun fight! Best day on Lake Pleasant ever!
Aaron.
Where:Lake Pleasant - Humbug
When:05/17/08
Caught:10 Largemouth Bass and 2 small Crappies
Technique:Drop Shot, Senko (trick & sticking), and Small Yellow
and Black Jig.
Comments: Caught the Crappie around 5 a.m. and bass from 9 a.m.
up until I was off the water at noon. Usually I come to pleasant
and get 1-2 fish per visit, nice to see a change! All Bass and
crappie were released.
Name:D.N.
Where:Lake Pleasant - Humbug
When:05/24/08
Caught:11 Largemouth Bass, 3 White Bass (all were slot--released
all fish)
Technique:Drop Shot (Morning Dawn & Crawfish) also 5" Senko's
worked in deep cover the colors that worked for me where Watermelon
and Chartreuse Shad. I also managed to land a decent sized bass
off a white spinner bait.
Comments:All I have to say is that it was a great day to put the
boat on the water. We won't see another day like this until next
fall.
Name:D.N.
Where:Lake Pleasant - Agua Fria Arm
When:05/18/08
Caught:
8 1-3# Striper (released all but two fish)
Technique:Crankbaits & Anchovies
Comments:I wanted to visit Agua Fria one last time before they
closed it for the season. My last visit was not too successful,
this time made up for it though! All fish looked very healthy and
put up a heck of a fight!
Name:D.N.
Where:lake pleasant
When:05/27/07
Caught:A good Samaritan (and a bunch of others who weren't)
Technique:"boat dead in the water technique"
Comments:I had just purchased a new Triton bass boat first day
on the water and to top it off this is my first boat. Well to make
short story of this our boat was dead in the water with the ignition
key not turning at all no matter what we did. I tried to flag down
6 boaters and they just looked at me like I was some kind of virus,
one guy even looked at us and said "what do you want?" shook
his head and continued on his merry way! Finally some very nice
people from Salt Lake city came to help us. One of the gentleman
of the boat hopped on ours and tried to get her going and finally
did. Thank god for those wonderful people. I thought every boater
was suppose to help out one another in cases of emergency such
as this? Well I'll tell ya what I hope those same boaters who
turned their nose at us don't ever get into a jam such as ours
and be left feeling as though no one gave a hoot about a family
of five including two kids under 10. Thanks to those from salt
lake city we really appreciated the help.
Name:mike moreno
Where: Lake Pleasant
When:05/03/08
Caught:5 stripped bass
Technique: Anchovy with small split shot in 30 feet of water along
submerged ridge
Comments: My son and I fished from kayaks from 8PM to 1130Pm using
lights
Name: John W
Where: Lake Pleasant-Humbug
When:05/09/08
Caught: Striped Bass
Technique: Anchovies in 60ft of water.
Comments: Started fishing around 9pm, had out the lights around
11pm, we were surrounded by shad just circling the boat. We only
caught a few 1-2 pounders and 3 small ones. Fished until 5am. Guess
they were just not too hungry. I thought we would have caught more
for sure with al the baitfish around.
Name: Jeff
Where: Lake Pleasant
When:05/16/08
Caught:13 - Strippers (1.5Ibs to 7 Ibs), and 2- Channel cats (1st
7Ibs, 2nd 5Ibs)
Technique: For the strippers I just used cut up anchovies dropped
between 25 to 35 feet down in two cow cove. For the channels I
used chicken livers, and let them drift on the bottom.
Comments: The stripper bite was hot for the first hour to hour
and a half after the sun set. shortly after that I couldn't find
a heavy school again. As for the channels we only got a few bites
the whole night.
Name: Casey Harkey
Where: Lake Pleasant
When:05/11/08
Caught: largemouth
Technique: drop shotting w/ morning dawn Robo wormsComments:
started fishing at 5 pm by 7 pm we boated 8 bass. All fish were
caught in 10ft off main lake points.
Name: Jon Kay
Where: LAKE PLEASANT
When:05/10/08
Caught: 13 LARGE MOUTH BASS
Technique: DROP SHOT
Comments: ONE NICE ONE PUSHING OVER 7 LBS. HAVE PHOTO IF YOU LIKE.ALSO
CAUGHT 15 L.M.B.[SAME TECH.] ON 5/7/08
Name: JIM
Where: Lake Pleasant
When:05/11/08
Caught: stripers
Technique: using frozen anchovies and night crawlers
Comments: fished of the dam right in front of the big poles. we
fished from 8 pm to 3am and caught 18 stripers all very decent
Name: ART CARDENAS
Where: Lake Pleasant - Castle Creek
When:05/11/08
Caught:9 Striped Bass and 1 Channel Catfish
Technique: Frozen anchovies with a 2/0 hook and a split shot. Casted
lines between 20-30 feet off the shoreline. Had submerged lights
in the water.
Comments: Arrived at Lake Pleasant Saturday evening and fished
off the shoreline between 6pm-4am. Between 6pm-10pm caught 6 striped
bass. From 10pm-12am, caught nothing but a channel catfish. Between
12am-3am, bites came back and caught 3 more striped bass. After
3am, the bites completely stopped. The stripers were between 1-3lbs
and the catfish was only 1lb. The submerged lights attracted tons
of baitfish and saw schools of minnows chasing the lights when
pulled in.
Name: Vincent Binarao
ROOSEVELT LAKE - Lake Elevation is 2149 ft (98% full). Tonto
Creek runoff is at 36 cfs while inflow from the Salt River is at
780 cfs.
Anglers are catching largemouth in the main lake on points and
cuts in 2 to 18 feet of water. Drop shot technique was productive
for slot bass.
Where: Roosevelt
When:05/15/08
Caught: Bass and crappie
Technique: Bass on Rebel Crawfish med diver, red & black in
about 10 ft of water. Crappie on minnows anchored in 20 ft of water,
fished 10, 12 foot down in the Grape Vine area. The bite was very
soft so watch your line and jig slowly.
Comments: Lights brought in the zooplankton and minnows, and a
LOT of carp which messed things up. Very windy in P.M. the day
before, so no luck except one junior bass.
Name: TeddyJackEddy
Where: Roosevelt
When:05/16/08
Caught:10 large mouth bass
Technique: topwater morning and crankbaits afternoon no worm fish
top water in the evening
Comments: most fish were in the slot weight in one close to three
lbs/ water is high all normal spots way under water
Name: Glenn Peters
Where: Roosevelt Lake
When: 05/10/08
Caught:12 Largemouth
Technique:4" Zoom Fluke Shad Color, Storm Chug Bug, Heddon Zara
Spook...
Comments: Most of the bass were caught in the early morning hrs.
All bass caught were in the slot. Had lots of hits & misses
through out the day. Bite turned off in the afternoon for us. Then
@ dusk got on a fun topwater bite. Went 1 for 8 it was a blast;
get out there if u can. Clear water backs of coves flooded bushes.
Later
Name: Joel Illig
Where: Roosevelt/school house
When: 05/03/08
Caught: crappie/blue gill
Technique: trolling\ trolling (just a little faster than drifting)
using white and yellow colored jig.
Comments: Caught about 15 just before sundown. Gary; that was my
wife yelling. Wait till the bite is on. It is a continuous comical
roar! She loves catching but fishing is another story!
Name: brett
Where: Roosevelt
When:05/18/08
Caught:7 Large Mouth Bass - ! giant Crappie
Technique: All Chartreuse spinner baits with black specs. Gold
and Silver blades.
Comments: Any where that trees and bushes are sticking out of the
water. Launched at Cholla. Fished from 330pm till dark.
Name: Dan B
Where: Roosevelt
When:05/10/08
Caught: crappies, bass, catfish, white bass
Technique: under lights 30ft deep water caught fish at different
depths
Comments:20 crappies,8 largemouth,5channel cats 2whitebass all
crappies big
Name:Ernie Gallegos
Gary Wheeler: Fished at night with lights, caught about 60 crappies,
all good size. Minnows and white jigs .Caught a few over the slot
bass too. We caught a lot more, but we released everyone that wasn't
at least longer than your hand. We fished right across from School
House at the mouth of a cove in about 25feet of water. Only a couple
of other boats close by, we could hear a lady yelling every time
she'd catch fish, she yells a lot.
APACHE - Lake elevation is 1910 ft (96% full).
Game and Fish conducted some creels over the holiday weekend and
people were catching some of the stocked smallmouth bass and catfish.
Worm fishing seem to be catching fish more consistently than other
presentations. I imagine live minnows will work for you as well.
You can buy worms at Apache Lake but the live minnows need to be
picked up on the way to the lake.
Where:Apache Lake
When: 05/20/08
Caught:Channel Catfish
Technique:Nightcrawlers and shrimp
Comments:Caught this cat off the concrete wallopposite the marina.
Just dropped the line straight down from the wall and hauled in
an eight pound channel cat. What a surprise!
Name: James & Eric Springer
Where: Apache Lake
When: 03/31/08
Caught: flathead catfish
Technique: liver huge treble hook
Comments: this fish was a monster
Name: Josh
CANYON -- Lake elevation is 1657 ft, which is 95-percent full.
Good fishing at Canyon if you use worms. A couple fishermen
fished in the morning using worms and they caught 30 “good
sized” bluegills, 10 yellow bass, a couple small largemouth
bass and three channel catfish.
Angler reports:
Where: Canyon Lake
When: 05/04/08
Caught: Two 4 lb catfish
Technique: Jiggin with Westys and football Garlin jigs
Comments: Slow fishing only few bites in 6 hours fishing
Name: Kevin Hunter
SAGUARO -- Lake elevation 1526 feet at 95-percent full.
Game and Fish along with several volunteers from United Arizona
Anglers Foundation stocked 50,000 two inch largemouth bass at Saguaro
Lake. There were some delays in the fish delivery and only
half of our order was delivered (Gee - welcome to our world). Once
delivered, the fish had to soak in a 6-hour ‘bath’ to
receive a mark that enables biologists to differentiate stocked
fish from naturally reproduced fish in the system. From Saguaro
Lake the marked fish for Canyon and Apache lakes were offloaded
into separate stocking trucks. Despite the significant delay,
many volunteers still helped with the stocking at Saguaro and Canyon
lakes. We would like to give a big thank you to the volunteers
from United Arizona Anglers Foundation who made the stocking effort
a very smooth transaction - and our apologies for the delay.
This is a hot spot for large bluegill. Perfect
for youngsters fishing worms under a bobber. There are also plentiful
yellow bass, channel catfish galore, and plenty of yearling bass
to catch.
Where:SAGUARO
When:05/19/08
Caught:6 large mouths and 1 channel cat
Technique:Drop shotting and spinner baits
Comments:the bass were all about 10-12 inches and the cat was about
2lbs.
Name:kevin
Where:Saguaro
When:05/18/08
Caught:nothing
Technique:drop shoting with Robo-worms
Comments:We were fishing in one of the fishing docks and we only
saw someone that whole day catch only a decent size bluegill
Name:Sergio Rodriguez
Where: saguaro
When 05/14/08
Caught: bluegills
Technique: worms and spinners, drifting with the wind
Comments: fish kill noted by the dam across from the marina. Bluegills
around 2 doz, all 4" or less in size.
Name: teri
Where: Saguaro Lake, Butcher Jones Fishing Dock
When:05/10/08
Caught: Yellow Bass and Bluegill
Technique: KastMasters, spoons, spinners
Comments: Went out fishing for catfish, got 2 halfhearted nibbles,
so moved out to the dock and saw that another fisherman was using
gold KastMasters and catching yellow bass and bluegills. Lost my
gold KastMaster, they started hitting on the silver one. Lost the
silver one and they just kept hitting whatever I threw out there.
Kept 7 bass, caught and released over 20 all together.
Name: Kristin Purcell
Where: Saguaro
When: 04/27/08
Caught: Largemouth
Technique: Drop shot and crankbait
Comments: All fish were caught in 6-10' of water. Crankbait was
very effective in the windy conditions. We caught about 40 fish
in 7 hours. Biggest fish was 1 lb 2 oz. All were released
Name: Michael Rathgeber
Where: Saguaro
When: 04/27/08
Caught: Largemouth and Bluegill
Technique: Fished with worms, spinners and crankbaits.
Comments: My buddy Jason and I took our first fishing trip of the
season to Saguaro. A little windy but we caught 22 fish total in
2 1/2 hours (2 bass and 20 bluegills). Fished with worms and spinner
baits mostly. Bass weighed about 2 pounds each and the bluegills
were the size of a nerf football (fought like a crappie or small
bass). Great time and a start to a great season!
BARTLETT - Lake elevation is 1793 ft, which is 92 % full.
One of my favorite sources fished Bartlett on Memorial Day and
early water temperature was 70oF. The bite was hot in the
early morning using Rebel Crankbaits and Rapalas. The fish
were in shallow water and the anglers fished parallel to shore
with long casts bouncing the lure off rocks. He was also
getting strikes on a Carolina rigged beaver style plastic bait. Another
fisherman caught largemouth bass and sunfish on plastics and
jigs but no mention on where he was fishing.
Angler reports:
Jake wrote: We tried our luck last weekend with an overnight fishing
trip to Bartlett. Caught 20 bluegills, 5 catfish and one
3-pound bass. Bass was caught with a spinnerbait. Bluegills
and Cats were caught with worms and chicken liver. Tried
fishing for larger Cats at night with live bluegill. No
luck with the big Cats, the rise in water level from last year
changed things a bit. We'll try to figure out the big Cats
next trip. Overall a great time catching fish.
Where:Bartlett
When:05/22/08
Caught:Big Lip Bass LOL
Technique:Grubs, spinners, jigs, work the shoreline slowly
Comments:I caught 4 myself, and my two buddies I usually go with
caught 7 each. The weather was ROUGH. 1 other boat on the lake,
the waves got so bad we had to leave FAST
Name:John L Dowden
Where: Bartlett
When:05/17/08
Caught: catfish and bluegill
Technique: Hot dogs
Comments: bass very slow,,, looks like most suspended would not
bite
Name: Jim
Where: Bartlett Lake
When:05/17/08
Caught:25 30 largemouth bass
Technique: We used a combination of drop shot and X-Raps.
Comments: We caught most of the smaller males within 10' of the
bank and the larger females on the beds. The water was 70? with
the debris all up on the shore. We were there from 6:00 to 1:30
in the northern end.
Name: Steve and Bev Mueller
Where: Bartlett Lake
When:04/28/08
Caught: Bluegill
Technique: Bobbin & hook, with night crawlers
Comments: Family outing; our 10-year-old son's first time; he caught
34 bluegills (catch & release) from the bank at SB Cove between
10 a.m.-5p.m.
Name: Jimmie McElroy
HORSESHOE - Lake elevation is at 2,024 feet, which is 97-percent
full. They are releasing water at 125 cfs.
VERDE RIVER - Verde River flow at Tangle
is 124 cubic feet per second. Release from Bartlett Lake
is 750 cfs.
LOWER SALT RIVER (below Saguaro Lake) - Water
Users received rainbow trout last week and this week Blue Point
will be stocked. This is a great choice for wallet-conscious trout
anglers who want the thrill of catching fish without the agony
of escalating gas prices.
A good technique for spin anglers (ultra-light or lightweight
rods) is to use night crawlers with little or no weight cast slightly
upstream into the riffles. Let the current carry the bait downstream
to any deep pool or back eddy.
For small spinners (or casting spoons like small KastMasters),
cast perpendicular to the flowing current and maintain tension
on the spinner by slowly reeling in as the current sweeps the lure
downstream. Typically, once the spinner gets at least to a 45-
to 60-degree angler downstream from you, it will spin with increased
action, which can often cause a trout to hit.
Where:Lower Salt River - Water Users
When:05/24/08
Caught:11 Rainbow Trout
Technique:Fly Fishing - 7 on a beaded prince nymph, 1 on a red
San Juan worms, 3 on a home made olive green fly similar to a scud.
Comments:
Not much luck between 7-8:30 AM. Fish started biting around 8:30AM,
and really took off at about 9 AM. Area started getting packed
with tubers around 10 AM. All in all a good morning. - Eric Moody
Name:Eric Moody
Where:Lower Salt River
When:05/26/08
Caught:rainbow trout
Technique:fly rod...
Comments:fish were biting on everything I threw. Literally. I even
put on a piece of Styrofoam (just out of curiosity ) and caught
fish. Cast upstream and let it float down. Many thanks to the 2 …who
crowded my fishing hole. Then brought their 5 other buddies. You
have said it before, PLEASE USE COMMON COURTESY. thank you
Where: Lower Salt River
When:05/18/08
Caught: Two large mouth bass (~1lb, 0.5lb), one beer can
Technique: Larger fish was caught on a Berkeley Gulp Bat Wing Frog
(June-Bug color). Smaller fish on a floating Rapala minnow (gold
fish color).
Comments: Best to go with weedless sets due to increase in aquatic
vegetation over the last month. Best to avoid the major put-ins
and walk the banks looking for openings.
Name:Dr. Corey Devin Anderson
CREEKS -- With the windy and rainy days fly fishermen were either
not out fishing or just didn’t get a chance to make reports. Both
Arizona Fly Fishing and Desert Sportsman believe things will pick
up this week with the usual patterns mentioned below.
Haigler
Creek - Nymphs and leaches are a good bet.
Canyon Creek - Before the weather hit fly fishermen
were predominantly catching 6-8 inchers, but 13-15 inch rainbows
were being caught along with some 20+ inch browns. Try nymph
patterns, caddis, pheasant tails, hares ears and midges, mostly
in the mornings and evenings. Try dry fly action in the evening.
Christopher
Creek -- Desert Sportsman suggested using a dry dropper
with a nymph below, not just in Christopher but other streams as
well
Where: Christopher Creek
When:04/26/08
Caught:2 largemouth bass (15" each)
Technique: Yellow spinners
Comments: Not sure what largemouth bass are doing in Christopher
Creek, or who put them there, but there they were--probably a dozen
of them lurking in a small pool.
Name: Jake Poinier
Tonto Creek - Fly fishermen are reporting good fishing but
I have no details to give.
East Verde - No reports.
HORSETHIEF BASIN LAKE - Lake level is up, fishing
is okay.
Where: Horsethief Lake
When: 04/13/08
Caught: Largemouth Bass & Bluegills
Technique: Worms under a bobber
Comments: The lake has risen about 5 vertical feet, to just below
the spillway line on the east end of the dam. Large bluegills and
small largemouth bass can be seen along the entire shoreline. The
bluegills are very shallow and appear to be on the beds, protecting
/ spawning offspring. The bass are keeping a short distance from
the bluegills. Close enough to be looking for an easy meal, but
staying out of an aggressive bluegill's imaginary "don't get too
close" line. This place has made a dramatic improvement from the
same conditions last year at this time. Let's hope it stays
that way. The road past Crown King seems much rougher than last
time I came up here (and I was in a 4WD). Crown King had an impressive
amount of snow (for them) this winter and I wonder if this may
be the reason. Take it slow and very easy to avoid tearing up your
truck. I wouldn't recommend a low clearance vehicle. Watch out
for idiots, there were many of them all over the area, driving
way to fast for the conditions.
Name: Mike Parks
OTHER
WAYS TO GET THE FISHING REPORT:
Internet Home Page - www.azgfd.com
Recorded Public Call-In Line (602)
789-3701
