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
