RIM
LAKES Most roads are now open and accessible. Contact the US Forest
Service’s Black Mesa Ranger District office at (928) 535-7300 for
up to date information about forest and road conditions.
CHEVELON LAKE - Fishing is fair. The lake is full.
All access roads are open.
Try lures such as spinners (Mepps, Panther Martin, and Rooster
Tail), and spoons such as Super Dupers, KastMasters, and Z-rays,
and flies such as peacock ladies, wooly worms and wooly buggers,
and semi-seal leeches.
This is a steep-sided canyon lake that is not shore angler friendly
and is best fished from a float tube, canoe or kayak. There is
hike-in lake with a steep, challenging trail.
The lake is open to artificial lure and fly only. Trout between
10 to 14 may not be possessed The lake is open to electric trolling
motors and /or up to 10 hp. gas motors.
BEAR CANYON LAKE - Fishing is fair to good. The
lake is full. The lake has been stocked with catchable size rainbow
trout. All Forest roads are open to the lake. There are also plenty
of larger hold-over trout.
Try worms, Power Bait, corn, and salmon eggs, lures such as spinners
(Mepps, Rooster Tail, and Panther Martin), Super Dupers, Z-Rays
and Rapalas, and flies such as peacock ladies, wooly worms, wooly
buggers, and small nymphs in black, brown or green. The lake is
open to electric trolling motors only. .
Angler report:
Rory:
Enjoyed the rainbow bite Saturday morning at Bear Canyon from my
float tube using
semi-seal leach with a glo-bug dropper. One was plump but only
about 12-13 inches. Maybe a holdover, maybe just
a plump stocker. The rest were stockers.
Thanks, Brian
BLACK CANYON LAKE - Fishing is fair to good. The lake was stocked
last week. All Forest roads are open to the lake. Try worms, Power
Bait, lures such as Z-Rays, Super Dupers, and spinners (Mepps,
Rooster Tail, and Panther Martin), and flies such as wooly worms,
wooly buggers, Peacock ladies, and small nymphs.
The lake is open to electric trolling motors only and/or up to
10 hp. gas motors.
BLUE RIDGE - Road is open. Full and overflowing.
Fishing is fair. It may be possible to catch some nice holdovers
here, but the lake is not very shore-angler friendly. This lake is
best fished from a small boat, kayak, canoe or float tube.
Angler report:
Steve: Hiked Kinder Crossing. Fished from Kinder
Crossing up towards Blue Ridge. Kept one fat feisty
wild 11 inch rainbow on ultralight spinning with 2 lb test. Full
tail and fins, pink flesh, stomach full of grasshopper and baby
crayfish. Large aggressive crayfish tried to steal it from stringer.
Some fingerlings in the larger pools. Road to trail head rutted
out worse than usual. Beautiful scenery, too few catchables for
this perennial. Maybe still not drought recovered. Could use some
Browns to eat out the crayfish infestation.
KNOLL LAKE - This lake is full and accessible and has been stocked.
Knoll is often good for early-season holdover trout, but don’t
expect great numbers.
Try worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, lures such as Z-Rays, Super
Dupers, and spinners (Mepps, Rooster Tail, and Panther Martin),
and flies such as wooly worms, wooly buggers, Peacock ladies, and
small nymphs.
WILLOW SPRINGS LAKE - Fishing is good, with many anglers catching
limits, especially those fishing from boats. The lake is full.
The lake was stocked last week with 2,734 rainbow trout but also
has plenty of larger holdover trout, plus smallmouth and largemouth
bass. There are even some crappies here.
Anglers are catching trout on worms. Try worms, Power Bait, lures
such as Z-Rays, spinners (Mepps, Rooster Tail, and Panther Martin),
and flies such as wooly worms, wooly buggers, and peacock ladies.
The lake is open to electric trolling motors and/or up to 10 hp
gas motors.
Hi Rory,
I fished solo
on this trip to Willow springs on May 13th, and what a great
trip it was !!!!!!! I boated 46 trout (mostly catch-and-release),
12 smallies, and 2 crappie. Trolling real slow with Rebel plugs/crankbaits
(dark colors). Arrived at first light, and it was non-stop action
!!!!! I met some real nice people on the lake. You have to LOVE
the Rim Lakes. Thanks again to all at AZ. Game & Fish !!!!!
Kevin Thompson
Rory;
Went out to Willow Springs Lake yesterday with the canoe, looking
for some of those nice holdovers!
Got my limit
of nice, long, fat rainbows in about 2 1/2 hours, using half
of a dilly worm behind baby cowbells. All were between 8" - 14".
Trolled them very, very slowly with the canoe. Also caught a
small guy on a small gold KastMaster tipped with a couple red
glittered salmon eggs.
Beautiful day out! Didn't get to see any Bald Eagles yet though.
Thanks!
-Tony Lopez
WOODS
CANYON LAKE - Fishing is good, with lots of anglers catching
limits. This lake was stocked last week and is scheduled to be
stocked again this coming week. Fishing is good for the stockers,
with some larger hold-over trout still be caught at times.
There is a small area (well signed) on the eastern end of the lake
is that closed due to nesting bald eagles. Please respect the closure
– it should not interfere with your fishing. This also means that
the nesting eagles are aggressively foraging for fish at Woods
Canyon and at nearby Willow Springs, so take along your binoculars,
it’s a treat. You might even see an exciting wildlife drama unfold
when a bald eagle tries to take a fish away from an osprey.
Try worms, Power Bait, salmon eggs, lures such as spinners (Mepps,
Panther Martin, and Rooster Tail), small spoons such as Super Dupers,
Z-Rays, and KastMasters, and flies such as peacock ladies, wooly
worms, small nymphs in black, brown or green. The lake is open
to electric trolling motors only.
Angler reports:
Tim C.: I went to Woods Canyon last Saturday for my first trout
fishing outing ever. I only had my first cast in the water for
3 minutes when I pulled out my first of two 10-inch Rainbow Trout.
The bites came slower as the day wore on but, I can’t wait to go
back!
Editor's note: Congratulations Tim. Welcome to the smiling
ranks of the fishing initiates.
Where: Woods canyon
When:05/01/09
Caught: Trout
Technique: Flies used: A Dave's hopper #8 was fishing from float
tube they also were hitting peacock ladies
Comments: Was up there for the weekend caught over 50 fish Saturday
and 12 Sunday the 12 I kept were in the 12-15 inch ranges two
of the fish had eggs. I cut the stomachs open and some had real
grasshoppers in them and some kind of green hard shell bugs
Name: Mike
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