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Northern Arizona Lakes

Arizona Game and Fish Department's Fishing Report

FISHING REPORT EDITOR: Rory Aikens, (602) 789-3214

August 24, 2010

Note: To submit your individual fishing report via e-mail, send it to BFishing@azgfd.gov.

WILLIAMS LAKES:

KAIBAB LAKE - Some nice largemouth bass were caught during our electrofishing surveys along with quite a few trout. The majority of the bass were in the 1 lb range with a few up to about 4 lbs. Quite a few bluegill were also caught. Crappie and bluegill fishing was good on flies, especially crayfish patterns.  A local angler reported catching a couple of 3 lb bass last week.

CATARACT LAKE - Stocked with catfish. Lots of nice size channel catfish and largemouth bass were caught during our electrofishing surveys. The biggest bass were in the 4-5 lb range and there were lots of catfish in the 3-5 lb range. 

CITY RESERVOIR - Stocked with catfish. One of our interns caught 2 catfish on flies over the weekend. 

DOGTOWN LAKE - Recently stocked. Fishing was fair to good on marshmallows.  A few large brown trout have been reported by lure anglers. We caught a lot of small crappie along with some nice size brown trout during our electro-fishing surveys.  

JD DAM - Road is open. 

RUSSELL TANK - Road is open but the lake is to shallow to stock.

SANTA FE - Lake is full. Stocked with catfish.

WHITEHORSE LAKE - Fishing for small crappie was excellent on flies. No reports from trout anglers. With warmer conditions this week, trout will likely go deep. Fish the bottom using Power Bait.

FLAGSTAFF LAKES:

LOWER LAKE MARY -  Runoff from recent storms have increased the water level in the lake.  Fishing slowed down during the week, but seemed to pick up on Sunday.  Rainbow trout are being caught about 150 yards up from the dam in boats on worms and flies.

UPPER LAKE MARY - Perch were being caught on the upper part of the lake near the weeds and near the dam on worms. Pike were being caught in the same areas on anchovies.  Catfish are starting to be caught on the upper end of the lake.  Crappie are being caught just above the narrows on micro-jigs.

There are no boat motor restrictions on this lake, but the Forest Service does have a fee area.

Angler report:

Went to Upper Lake Mary with a fishing buddy on 2 August. On the water for about 45 min and caught 3 Northern Pike; the first two were simultaneous strikes! We were trolling fairly fast and using Red-White Dardevle spoons and red-gold Super Dupers. This around noon. Then after dodging the rain came back around 4 p.m., returned to the original spot and caught 3 more Pike in about 45 min. Same lures and technique. Fish were very feisty and healthy, lots of meat!

Scott Townley, Gilbert

ASHURST LAKE -  There have been reports of large pike being caught up to 20 pounds by some lucky anglers, but generally, fishing is slow for pike and poor for rainbow trout.

We sampled the lake in mid April and caught mostly large (10+ Lbs) pike in our nets, only 1 trout was caught.  Some large pike and a few trout were bring caught. The folks were fishing the south end of the lake from shore.  Has been stocked with rainbow trout but we aren't getting reports of many anglers catching them. Let us know how you do a bfishing@azgfd.gov.

FRANCIS SHORT POND -  The pond was spilling from recent rains and has been pretty muddy. 

KINNIKINICK LAKE - Road is open. The few recent angler reports indicate that the fishing is slow. This lake is typically fairly good during summer because it is spring fed, so it is always worth a try. This time of year it is best fished via float tube, boat, canoe or kayak because the fish aren't likely to be in the shallows. There are some decent sized browns here.

MARSHALL LAKE -  No report. This small wetlands can be difficult to fish in summer due to aquatic vegetation.

LONG LAKE - We have no recent reports, but Long does have some larger northern pike and trout, but the bite can be sporadic.

SOLDIERS & SOLDIERS ANNEX - Road is open

STONEMAN LAKE - NO FISH.

VERDE VALLEY

BEAVER CREEK/WEST CLEAR CREEK - Fishing for trout is poor and can be decent for smallmouth bass in the pools. Try night crawlers for the trout and small crayfish-like lures on ultra lights for the smallmouth.

DEAD HORSE STATE PARK - Catfish were stocked the week of April 19 and June 12. Frozen anchovies or night crawlers should work best for them. Bass and bluegill are also active. If you would like your child to catch their first fish, bluegill can be easily caught with a No. 10 hook with a small pieces of worm under a bobber. These will not be large bluegill, but they can be a lot of fun for little ones to catch.

Trout stocking will resume in the fall. 

VERDE RIVER (throughout Verde Valley) - Bass fishing has been good using small spinners and curly tailed grubs. Both largemouth bass and smallmouth bass abound in the river between Clarkdale and Camp Verde. Look for some depth in pools with shady overhangs. Always check your regulations before fishing this area with live bait. Game and Fish Commission Rule requires anglers to only use live bait that has been caught in the river. No transporting of live baitfish or crayfish is allowed. 

OAK CREEK - Stocked weekly through the end of summer. Fishing was good for brown trout and rainbow trout.  Use flies for browns and bait for rainbows. 

PRESCOTT AREA

FAIN LAKE - Incentive Trout were stocked June 30th .  This is the last trout stocking until the fall.  Catfish and bluegill are your best bet as the water temperatures rise.  The bite will be fairly slow until trout stocking resumes.  Catfish and Bluegill were stocked last the week of June 12th. Anchovies are your best bet for the catfish.  Bluegill can be caught on worms or meal worms.

GOLDWATER LAKE - Trout are scheduled to be stocked this week, the week of Aug. 23.  In general, fishing has not been as good this year as it was the last few years. Often the trout are schooled in one area.  The anglers in that area are having great success, while the other anglers go fish-less.

The lake has been near full all year so trout may be using areas of the lake that require anglers to experiment more.  While typically in the summer months, water temperatures force trout into deeper areas, trout have been schooled in the backs of coves in the shallows for a few days after stocking. 

The sunfish and bass should be actively biting.  One angler reported catching two bass after fishing hard all day, but they were 2 - 6 lbs. 

Game and Fish has been trying to boost the some of the warm water species in Goldwater.  Bass and catfish have been stocked three times over the last three years.   The bass are being stocked to give a boost to a dwindling population in the lake and to reduce the excessive number of crayfish.  Please practice catch and release with the bass, while the population gets re-established.

Game and Fish Biologists surveyed Goldwater on Sept. 15, 2009 and found bass and catfish populations to be much improved over last year. The number of green sunfish was greatly reduced.  The bass had a successful spawn last year.   If you fish Goldwater and are having luck, please e-mail me at mchmiel@azgfd.gov so I can share your successes with others.

Granite Basin - The bass and bluegill are starting to bite, but it is still slow.   If you fish Granite Basin and are having luck, please e-mail me at mchmiel@azgfd.gov so I can share your successes with others.

LYNX LAKE - Brook trout were stocked the week of June 21. Rainbow Trout were last stocked, the week of June 14. This is the last scheduled trout stocking until the fall due to high water temperatures.  Catfish and Bluegill were stocked on June 12. Trout can be caught on power bait or corn, but are difficult to catch this time of year. There are a few select spots than can produce trout throughout the summer. Cut anchovies, night crawlers or hot dog are your best bet for catfish. Lynx can be difficult to fish, if you are not catching anything try moving to a new spot. There are some good spots on the north end of the lake that don’t get fished as heavily as the south end does. There is not enough oxygen for fish below 20-feet at Lynx.  So fish in 15-18 feet. 

Fingerling brook trout were stocked Sept. 17, 2009.

MINGUS LAKE - Trout were stocked last the week of June 14.  This will be the last scheduled stocking until September. The gate is open. The best bait is usually orange, pink, or white Power Bait, fished on the bottom with a treble hook and an egg sinker.  Fishing can be really good at times, because angler use is lower than other lakes in the area. This lake is more remote than the other Prescott area lakes and not very big.

Someone illegally stocked yellow bullhead into Mingus several years ago. These fish compete directly with the trout and keep growth rates very low.  If you witness anyone, anywhere, moving fish like bass, bluegill, catfish and stocking them, please report it to our Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-800-352-0700.  Illegal stockings cost YOU money!

WATSON - The shallow areas are weeded in, but the deeper side of the lake is fishable. Both Bass and catfish should be active at dusk and dawn. Large numbers of small crappie are in Watson, but I have not heard about people catching them.

Game and Fish Biologists surveyed Watson last fall and found the bass, sunfish, and bullhead to be plentiful.  Crappies were also doing well.  Look for the crappie fishing to pick up in a year or two. If you fish Watson and are having luck, please e-mail me at mchmiel@azgfd.gov so I can share your successes with others.

WILLOW CREEK RESERVOIR - The fishing is difficult with all the submerged aquatic vegetation.  There is some limited shore access at the boat launch, but fishing from a boat would be very difficult.


If you fish Willow and are having luck, please e-mail me at mchmiel@azgfd.gov so I can share your successes with others.

OTHER WAYS TO GET THE FISHING REPORT:
Internet Home Page www.azgfd.com
Recorded Public Call-In Line (602) 789-3701

 

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