Fish Stockings: All 20 of the Phoenix and Tucson area Urban Fishing Program lakes are scheduled for stockings of 1 to 3 pound catfish the week of June 22-27.  This delivery completes the spring stocking season.  Fish stockings will resume in mid-September.

SPRING CATFISH STOCKING SEASON ENDS WEEK OF JUNE 22-27
This last week of June is the final delivery of eight every-other-week spring catfish stockings.  Warming lake temperatures and air temperatures make it impractical to haul live fish into Arizona’s Urban Lakes and Ponds.  There are no scheduled fish stockings for July, August, and the first half of September.  Catfish stockings will resume this fall in mid-September when lake and air temperatures cool enough to safely transport fish across the hot desert and into the Urban waters.  Anglers can still fish for catfish, bass and bluegill at Urban waters throughout the summer, but the action is generally slower.

WHITE AMURS STOCKED INTO PHOENIX AREA LAKES
Several Urban Lakes and Ponds will be receiving white amurs along with the regular catfish delivery the week of June 22-27.  These aquatic ‘cows’ will spend the summer grazing on the weeds just beginning to grow in many of the lakes in the Maricopa County area.  White amurs, also known as grass carp, can be distinguished from the common carp by two specific features:  amurs have a short dorsal fin while the common carp has a long dorsal fin that runs nearly the entire length of its back, and amurs lack the barbells around the mouth that the common carp has on each side of the upper jaw.  This is important to note because while there is no bag limit on the common carp, there is a limit of only one amur per day at Urban Lakes and Ponds and the amur must be longer than 30 inches in length.  Anglers are asked to release unharmed any amurs under 30 inches.

URBAN FISHING REPORT
Fishing for catfish continues to be good to excellent the week of stocking.  Now that warmer air and lake temperatures have arrived, the best catfish action is during low light or nighttime conditions.  Anglers are having luck using stink baits or shrimp fished on the bottom.  Sunfish continue to bite well on small worms fished under a bobber.  The June 22-27 catfish stocking will be the final fish delivery of the spring stocking season.  After that, catfish stockings will not resume until late September.  At Green Valley lakes (Payson) most of the trout have been caught out, but anglers are enjoying great action on bluegill, crappie and bass.  Try small jigs and worms fished under a bobber at Green Valley.