Fishing Report: April 13, 2017

See “The Reel Deal” statewide summary

 

Central Waters

(Updated April 13; Editor Nick Walter, 623-236-7214)

LAKE PLEASANT – (Lake elevation 1,696 feet, 94 % full).

April 13 report from Barry Worman, moderator of the Arizona Striper Fishing Facebook page.

Time to strip the old line off the reels, get your lucky hat on, and get spring fishing!

The last month the striper bite as not been ideal and very inconsistent. The water temps really did not climb or maintain a warmer temperature for the month of March.  The water temp at Lake Pleasant is finally staying in the 64-67-degree range.

The females are full of fully developed eggs and the males are leaking.

The last week the bite has really improved. Whereas last month most anglers reported only catching and average of 3-7 fish  daily, that has now increased to 11-30 (or more)  fish during a trip.

Last month live shad seemed to be the only consistent method producing fish on a slow bite.  Lately anglers are reporting frozen anchovies, silver Kastmasters, plastic swimbaits, and top-water lures as producing good results.

I think the next 2-3 weeks will produce moderate-to-good fishing conditions for striper. Northern coves are still recommended for best results.

Anglers are catching fish in 20-48 feet of total water depth and still having success cast-netting shad in 4-8 feet of water.

Recommended swimbait colors would be sexy shad, white, smoking grey, money shot and baits with some chartreuse color in them. The night bite is slowly picking up and night fishing will become more popular moving into future months.  If using anchovies, don’t forget to chum.

Have fun and enjoy the great spring conditions!

ROOSEVELT LAKE — (2,124 feet, 69-percent full). Water temperatures high-60s to low-70s during afternoons.

April 13 report from Jim Goughnour of Rim Country Custom Rods:

Roosevelt Lake is beginning to look like the fishery it was a decade ago. The lake is nearly 70-percent full for the first time in 5 years and the shoreline growth is now underwater, which makes a huge positive impact for the fish. This submerged brush provides food, oxygen, cover and habitat for all species within the lake.  The Tonto Creek end of the lake, which gently tapers into the lake, is flooded well above the Indian Point ramp. Many coves throughout the lake and on the Salt River end also have lots of submerged brush.

Springtime brings many aggressive bass into shallow water. Experienced anglers are targeting post spawn bass with top water baits, spinner-baits, Fluke-baits and paddle-tail swimbaits. Bass will continue to spawn for at least another month, however, the water condition and fair weather during the past two full moon cycles created ideal spawning conditions. Many bass are also staging before the spawn so deeper running crank-baits, Roboworms, Texas rigged baits and jigs are also be reported as successful baits. The clarity of the water is good, so lighter-colored baits including white and pearl colors are excellent choices. The water temperature is in the high 60s and low 70-s — perfect for springtime bass fishing conditions.

If you’re a crappie angler, now is your time. The spawn at San Carlos has been underway for the past few weeks with excellent catch rates being reported. Two anglers can catch a limit of 50 crappie in just few hours of fishing. On Roosevelt Lake, the crappie spawn is just getting underway. The male crappie are in shallow areas of the lake and some female are beginning to move onto spawning flats. If you enjoy eating crappie, take what you will eat, otherwise, release them back so they can continue with the spawning process. Each crappie site is capable of producing over a million eggs so even a small survival rate will increase crappie numbers dramatically and sustain good crappie fishing conditions.

BARTLETT LAKE – Lake elevation is 1,796 feet, feet, 98 % full.

Bass fishing continues to pick up. Water clarity remains good. Many are are in 3-12 feet of water. Try throwing spinenrbaits (gold and silver blades), chatterbaits, brush hogs in watermelon or green pumpkin, and white spinnerbaits. See a short video from Fishing with Gary Senft of his on-the-water report from Sunday, April 9.

Bass are all phases of spawn.

Visibility is about 1 foot deep.

Don’t forget the Bartlett Lake Marina is now open. See www.bartlettlake.com or contact 480-221-0503 for more information.

COMMUNITY FISHING WATERS —  Channel catfish are back in core Community waters. See the stocking schedule through the summer.

Bass and sunfish have been stocked into “core” Community waters.

Also, Cortez Lake fish stockings have been postponed until further notice.  The Arizona Game and Fish Department and Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department have determined that a golden alga bloom caused the fish kill suffered in the lake over the past week.  Golden alga can release toxins that affect cold-blooded, gill-breathing organisms such as fish and clams.  The Arizona Department of Health Services has determined that human health is not affected by exposure to the toxins.  Common sense should be exercised by not picking up dead or dying fish for consumption.

SAGUARO LAKE – The lake is 1,524 feet (94-percent full).

Bass are spawning. Try Texas-rigged lizards. Drifting gizzard shad swimbaits have been some bass. Water should be clearing.

One angler had success night-fishing with a wacky-rigged 5-inch watermelon red flake Flick’m Shimmy worms, in 4 to 10 feet of water.

Yellow bass is an option if the largemouth bass are finicky. Try nightcrawlers on dropshot rigs.

CANYON LAKE – Lake level is 1,656 feet (96-percent full.)  The final rainbow trout stockings of the winter season took place a month ago. Fishing likely is pretty difficult – but Canyon is the land of lunkers when it comes to bass. For better numbers, try Bartlett or Saguaro.

A new fishing pier is under construction in the Boulder Creek Recreation Area. This pier serves as excellent structure for sunfish.

Some anglers have had success throwing dropshot Roboworms in morning dawn near cattails in 10-20 feet of water.

APACHE LAKE – Lake elevation is 1,912 feet (95-percent full).

Water temperature Wednesday was an average of 63 degrees and bass are spawning — most  are in less than 10 feet of water. Sight-fishing still is difficult as water clarity remains minimal.

Bass are in all phases of spawn so bring a variety of baits. Spinners have been successful with smallmouth bass. Crankbaits and jigs also have been effective.

Try reaction baits in the morning and during afternoons, jigs or dropshots. Not a bad time to drift along and throw crankbaits or spiinnerbaits.

Various jigs also can be effective – try crawdad imitations. Points, islands and rocky structures tend to hold the majority of largemouth bass – keep moving.

Walleye fishing could be decent at first and last light using nightcrawler rigs, or jigs tipped with a worm. Apache is also full of some really nice yellow bass. Try gold KastMasters or yellow/gold Rooster Tails.

HORSESHOE LAKE – Lake elevation is 2,014 feet (74-percent full).

When the lake is full, there are a lot of spawning fish.

LOWER SALT RIVER – On Thursday afternoon, the river was flowing at 17 cfs out of Stewart Mountain. Is being stocked with trout this week. No new reports of success.

Creeks below the Mogollon Rim
Tonto Creek, East Verde River and Canyon Creek were stocked with trout Friday, April 7.

Jim Goughnour of Rim COuntry Custom Rods said trout fishing in Rim Country streams is being called excellent. The water levels are slowing back to normal flows so fly angers are reporting dry flies as the go to bait. Haigler Creek is producing excellent fishing experiences for anglers of all skill levels.

 

Mogollon Rim and White Mountains

(Updated April 13, Editor Sally Petre 928-532-2307)

Recommended Waters to Fish

Spring fishing is here!  The Arizona Department of Transportation plans to open State Highways 261 and 273 on Thursday, April 13. ADOT is working to clear the last of the snow drifts off of the highways before opening. The roads were closed during winter months for public safety. Opening the state highways allows access to Big Lake and Crescent Lake.  Willow Springs, Woods Canyon, Scotts Reservoir, Show Low, Woodland and all the Greer lakes are all being stocked this week with rainbow trout!  Bass fishing is good in Show Low, Rainbow, and Fool Hollow Lakes.  Fishing is good at Becker Lake, Big Lake, Carnero Lake, and River Reservoir, Woods Canyon and Willow Springs lakes. Several lakes with good holdovers provide good fishing, including Becker Lake, Big Lake, Carnero Lake, Hulsey Lake, Woods Canyon and River Reservoir.

 

 

 

 

MOGOLLON RIM LAKES

*Forest Road 300 (Rim Road) to Bear Canyon Lake is still closed for the winter.  This road is closed at its junction with the Woods Canyon Lake Rd.  Woods Canyon is accessible! 

BEAR CANYON LAKE – Inaccessible.  Forest Road 300 (the Rim Road) is still closed for the winter as of April 10.

BLACK CANYON LAKE – Fishing is fair.  The lake is full and has a new boat ramp. Accessible on Forest Road 86.  Try PowerBait for carryover rainbows.  The water is turbid from snow melt runoff and lures/flies likely won’t work well until the water clears a little more.

CHEVELON LAKE – Fishing is fair for large, wild brown trout. Recent surveys showed few rainbow trout, but some large brown trout.  Forest Road 504 from the north is open, but access from the Rim Road is still closed.  The lake is full and has no ice.

WILLOW SPRINGS LAKE – Fishing is currently good/fair for carryover rainbow trout and tiger trout as well as freshly stocked rainbow trout.  The road to the boat ramp is now open and boats can be launched.

WOODS CANYON LAKE – Fishing is excellent/good. The 300 road is open to the Woods Canyon Lake turnoff.  Store and boat rentals are open!  Campgrounds won’t open until May. A recent survey found lots of rainbow and tiger trout winter carryovers averaging around 11-12 inches.  Rainbow trout will be stocked this week on top of these.  We saw full stringers before it was even stocked this week!  Fish are hungry and biting hooks!

 

PINETOP/SHOW LOW/ST. JOHNS LAKES

FOOL HOLLOW LAKE – Fishing is good for stocked (12”+) rainbow trout and bass! This was stocked last week.  Carryover rainbow trout are being caught. The lake is full for the first time in several years.  Fishing pier and platforms are accessible!  Northern pike are may still be in the shallow southern portion of the lake.  Large catfish were also found in the shallow southern portion during a recent fish population survey.  Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are staging to spawn and can be caught!

RAINBOW LAKE – Fishing is good for stocked (12”+) rainbow trout and bass!  This lake was stocked last week.  Lake is full and spilling.  The pike spawn is over and they are dispersing back throughout the lake, but can still be caught with shiny lures. Try your luck for largemouth bass.

SCOTT RESERVOIR – Fishing is good for stocked rainbow trout! This lake was stocked last week and this week!  The lake is full and spilling.

SHOW LOW LAKE – Fishing is good for stocked (12”+) rainbow trout and bass!  The lake will  be stocked this week!  An almost 7-pound smallmouth bass (almost state record) was caught this week!  The lake is nearly full and has no ice. Holdover rainbow trout, and lots of cutthroat trout, should be fishing well. The road over the dam is now open.  There is a new restroom and fish cleaning station that will be usable once the electricity is connected.  Additional facilities improvements at Show Low Lake will be coming soon.

WOODLAND LAKE – Fishing is fair.  Fish will be stocked this week, improving fishing!  The lake is full and spilling. No ice. Fishing dock is inaccessible.

PATTERSON PONDS – Fishing is good!  This is a community fishing water in St. John’s.  A regular fishing license or a community fishing license is required to fish here.  Channel catfish and sunfish were fishing good — they were stocked the last week in April.  The pond daily bag limits in community fishing waters (2 trout; 2 catfish; 5 sunfish) apply.

 

WHITE MOUNTAIN LAKES

* The Arizona Department of Transportation plans to open State Highways 261 and 273 on Thursday, April 13. ADOT is working to clear the last of the snow drifts off of the highways before opening. The roads were closed during winter months for public safety. Opening the state highways allows access to Big Lake and Crescent Lake.

BECKER LAKE – Fishing is good to excellent.  Becker Lake is open to catch-and-release only for trout, artificial fly and lure only; single barbless hooks only. No bait.  No trout may be kept.  Many large, thick rainbow trout are being caught on white semiseal leach with olive or gray tail, or red chironomids under a strike indicator.  Tiger trout are also being caught and an application for state catch-and-release record for tiger trout at Becker Lake was recently submitted.  The lake is full.

BIG LAKE – Fishing is good.  The lake is ice free.  ADOT plans to open State Highways 261 and 273 on Thursday, April 13. That would allow access to Big Lake. As of Wednesday, Highways 261 and 273 were still closed for the winter, but you can access the lake legally from Alpine.

CARNERO LAKE – Fishing is good.  The lake is ice free.  The route to the lake by way of Forest Road 117 is still blocked by a large snowdrift, but you can reach the lake by way of Forest Road 118.  Fish surveys have not yet been conducted, but winter surveys show that there should be no winterkill.  Tiger trout are being caught and an application for state catch-and-keep record for tiger trout recently submitted.  The lake is nearly full!

CLEAR CREEK RESERVOIR – Fishing is poor for trout, but fair for sunfish, bullheads, and bass.  No ice.

CONCHO LAKE – Fishing is good.  The lake was stocked in early March with trout!

CRESCENT LAKE – The lake is ice free, but is still inaccessible.   ADOT plans to open State Highways 261 and 273 on Thursday, April 13. That would allow access to Crescent. As of Wednesday, Highways 261 and 273 were still closed for the winter.  Winter surveys showed some areas under the ice with high pH levels and other areas with low oxygen, so there was a chance of a partial fish kill.  Fish population survey show good numbers on brook trout and nice healthy rainbow trout.  Once the roads open, fishing here should be fantastic!

GREER LAKES (River; Tunnel; Bunch) – Fishing is good at all three lakes.  They will be stocked this week!  Large holdover brown trout and rainbow trout are being caught in River and Tunnel.

HULSEY LAKE – Fishing is good for holdover and stocked rainbow trout. Fish will be stocked this week.  A recent fish survey found holdover rainbows up to 18 inches.  No ice. The road is open and accessible.

LEE VALLEY LAKE – Inaccessible and possibly ice covered. Few fish remain here, although we are not predicting a winterkill, since it was not stocked last year.  Highways 261 and 273 are still closed for the winter.

LUNA LAKE –Fishing is fair to good.  The lake is full and has no ice.  Rainbow trout of all sizes are being caught, including some large fish.

LYMAN LAKE – Lyman Lake State Park is open. Fishing is fair for bass, walleye, carp and catfish. Use corn or nightcrawlers for carp and catfish.  No ice.

NELSON RESERVOIR – Fishing is fair.  The lake is full and spilling.  No ice.  Holdover rainbow trout may have sores from a parasite called Lernaea, however they are safe to eat.  The lake will not be stocked until it stops spilling.

 

WHITE MOUNTAIN STREAMS

EAST FORK of the BLACK RIVER – Fishing is fair for wild brown trout.  Moderate flows from snow melt.  The East Fork is accessible from Alpine.

LITTLE COLORADO RIVER in GREER – Fishing is poor.  The stream is flowing high and turbid from snow melt.

SHOW LOW CREEK – Fishing is poor.  The road over the dam at Show Low Lake is now open, but the stream has not yet been stocked.

SILVER CREEK – Fishing is fair. A protozoan infection called “Ich” hit rainbow trout in Silver Creek in October, causing significant stress, some mortalities of trout, and poor fishing, however, that bout of infection has passed.  Fishing is good in the upper section, but poor to fair in the lower section where more of the mortalities occurred. Current regulations are catch-and-keep with bait and 6 trout daily limit apply. The upper section is closed to fishing.  Harvest of trout in the lower section during early April should be fair, but anglers should be aware that it will not be as great as it was last year.

SHEEPS CROSSING/LCR – Inaccessible.  Highway 273 is still closed for the winter.  Not stocked last year or this year.

 

Central Mountains

Updated April 6, Editor Chuck Benedict, 928-214-1244)

(There are recommended fishing waters. Those not listed either are considered poor or there have been no reports)

Williams area lakes

All of the lakes are full.  Since all of the lakes are full this year we don’t have enough trout to stock all of the lakes (if you don’t stock enough fish in a lake folks can’t catch them).  This year we are only planning on stocking Kaibab Lake and Dogtown Lake with Rainbow Trout.  As soon as the lakes stop spilling we will start stocking Kaibab and Dogtown.   We do plan on stocking Channel Catfish in City Reservoir in the late Spring, but we don’t have a date set.

Dogtown Lake

Dogtown Lake was stocked with 2,600 catchable (10 inch) yesterday for the first time this year.  The hatchery will also be stocking a load of smaller (6 inch) Rainbow Trout later this week.  These fish need to be moved from the hatchery to reduce crowding and allow other fish to grow up to size faster.  Dogtown is one of the few lakes in the region in the area that produces enough food to grow these smaller fish.

Fishing has been slow, but the few holdover fish being caught are nice size fish.

Kaibab Lake 

About 3,600 Rainbow Trout were stocked in Kaibab this week.  The lake is still muddy so fishing is probably slow.  I would try small silver or gold lures to try and catch the trout.

Flagstaff Area Lakes

Much like the Williams area lakes most of the lakes in the Flagstaff area are full and spilling.  Lower Lake Mary isn’t spilling, but it has more water in it than any year since 2010.  Again, just like in the Williams area, we don’t have enough fish to stock every lake this year so only a few lakes will be stocked in the Flagstaff area.  Ashurst Lake, Lower Lake Mary, and Frances Short Pond will be stocked with trout this year.

Ashurst Lake 

Ashurst  is full!  The road is open and the first load of 2,700 rainbow trout was stocked last week.  Another 2,600 were stocked on Monday.   The water in the lake is relatively clear so I would try fishing with lures for the fresh stockers.   With the low water level of the lake prior to the spring runoff I don’t think many fish survived the winter.

Frances Short Pond

Frances Short pond was stocked last week and will be stocked this week. Folks have been catching fish using flies and lures.  Some have also been caught garlic powerbait, baby bell cheese, corn or worms.    Stocked Monday.

Lower Lake Mary

Lower Lake Mary has had about 22,000 larger (10 + inch) Rainbow Trout stocked in the last couple of weeks along with about 8600 smaller (6-8 inch) Rainbow Trout.  The recent stocking of Rainbow Trout contained some really nice trout with one being measured at about 18 inches.    One angler reported that he and 2 friends recently caught 11 nice sized trout  on the backside of the lake using PowerBait.  Fishing was slow but the fish were really nice size.

Fishing was slow during last the weekend as the freshly stocked fish spread around the lake.  Another load of smaller rainbow trout (6 inch) will be stocked this week. My coworker caught and released 102 trout last Tuesday on flies with a size 12 bead head prince nymph and size 12 zebra midge working best.  Folks were also doing well on small lures.

Kinnikinick Lake

The road is closed.

Upper Lake Mary

A new state record Channel Catfish was caught on an anchovy 3/26.  The fish was 39.5 inches long and weighed 33.36 lbs.  The person who caught the fish also told us some of his friends have been catching some nice Northern Pike on anchovies.

Other Waters

Blueridge Reservoir (CC Cragin) will not be stocked this year.  We will be stocking Knoll Lake, Huffer Tank and Mormon Lodge Pond later on in the year.

Colorado River Waters

New Reports:

(There are recommended fishing waters. Those not listed either are considered poor or there have been no reports)

LYNX LAKE — Michael is enjoying the recently stocked Brown trout at Lynx Lake.  He caught all his trout on 1.5-inch crappie tubes on the Southern shore of the lake. He said they were great fighters for their size and he was averaging 4-6 hits on every cast!

WILLOW BEACH — Billy G. had another successful trip to Willow Beach with a 12-pound striper.  He caught six (mostly 2-3 pound stripers) on the day with the one big fish.  He was using the Bomber Long A trout pattern (see attached picture).

LAKE MOHAVE — Striper fishing has slowed, but by the dam shore fishing is producing some nice fish.  Anchovies are the bait of choice for these fish.

LAKE MEAD — Ed caught a nice smallmouth bass on using a tube bait.  These baits come in a variety of colors so you can mimic what the bass are feeding at the time. The bite is getting hotter on both Mead and Lake Mohave.  Jack caught a monster 48-pound, 13-ounce  striper in about 10 feet of water in the flats across from South Cove. He also caught another lunker on the fishing trip.

 

Lake Powell and Lees Ferry

LAKE POWELL —

“Bass fishing is hot”

Spring warming was delayed a bit with air temperature a bit cooler than predicted last week. With runoff roaring down the Colorado River, Lake Powell is rising rapidly and will soon top 3600 MSL.  Most bass and crappie have not spawned yet due to cool weather.  That is great news for the future bass fishery.  Both bass and crappie need brushy cover for newly hatched young fish to survive in big numbers. A later spawn and higher lake level will increase bass and crappie survival for future years.

See the full April 11 report from Wayne Gustaveson (www.wayneswords.com).

 

LEES FERRY – See the full March 21 fishing report from Lees Ferry Anglers.

 

Southwestern Waters

ALAMO LAKE – March 29 report from Mark Knapp at Alamo Lake State Park:

Once again you’rre not missing much out here as far as fishing goes.  The lake is still messed up, and looks like a milkshake.  A few bass are being caught flipping along the shorelines.  I would throw a brush hog or something like that.  We had a fairly large tournament here this last weekend and 14 pounds won it. That’s not great, but not bad either.  Crappie fishing is terrible.  Maybe one crappie being caught in a day. Even cat fishing has slowed way down. High winds and ca old front this week are not helping anything either. So, if were me I would hold off for another couple of weeks and see what happens. Both ramps are open.   That’s all I got. — Mark

LAKE HAVASU – A 5-pound redear sunfish was just caught. Typically anglers can catch big redear with nightcrawlers on dropshot rigs. See the Angler Reports.

Angler Nick S. reported: “Last week (week of April 1) I went to Havasu for three days and had a lot of success throwing a dropshot rig. We caught three and lost a bunch more, but all the fish seemed to be up shallow in kind of a pre-spawn phase. We did see some beds but it still seemed a little early for the bass to be spawning. The fish we did catch were on a dropshot rig, fishing a morning dawn Roboworm with a chartreuse tip. The fish you see below were all caught on the reef, right next to Sand Point Marina. The smallmouth was about a pound and a half, the smaller largemouth was 5.6 pounds and the big largemouth was every bit of eight. We had a great time fishing the river and I highly recommend anglers take the opportunity to fish there before it gets too hot. Happy fishing!

Send your reports to BFishing@azgfd.gov.

PARKER STRIP – No report.

YUMA AREA PONDS – Rod’s April 10 Angler Report from Sahurita Lake:

Good Evening, all,

I figured if I only had a few hours in the afternoon with the anticipated breeze I would go and visit Sahuarita Lake and do some casting and catching.  Hey the walking exercise was beneficial to me  too.  Lots of other anglers and families out there enjoying the wonderful AZ spring weather.  The temperature was mild and the slight breeze sometimes worked in getting the light lures out there.

I managed to catch four largemouth bass within the first hour of casting.  Bass number one was a welcome surprise after switching from casting a grub to a short 3-inch worm.  Bass number two was quite the gift.  After resetting the worm back on the hook from bass one, I tossed the bait back into the water and set the pole down while I put my pliers back into my backpack.  I happen to notice the rod tip was bouncing, so I set the backpack down and tended to bass number two.  A dead stick bass, a theme that worked most of the day.   Low and slow along the bottom was the ticket.

The attached photos are of bass number four.  This was quite the surprise as it hit shortly after making a long cast out towards mid-cove.  After the bait settled on the ground I only got one short drag before there was a thump on the line with rapidly growing tension.  As this was happening there was a family walking by with a young one that stepped near me to watch what was going on.  Oh gee, watch the where you sweep set!  This is not an issue when I’m on the water but on shore there are pedestrians about.  OH MY GOODNESS, the sweep set was met with a heavy load on the 4 lb mono and the drag slipping under the load.   Then things really got interesting as the fish was not happy with me.  Line peeled with the drag changing to a higher pitch based on the strength of the surge.  The family was joined by another and soon I had more than a dozen folks cheering me on.  The sound of the drag peeling was getting everyone excited to see just what was on the other end.

“Bring it in!  Oh that is a BIG ONE!  Don’t loose it!” —  all comments from the well wishers watching me working the large bass closer to shore. As we all got a good look at it, there were two large remaining surges.  Fortunately for me, Sahaurita Lake is a manmade lake with groomed edges and very few snags.  The hard part is there is more than 1.5 feet down to the water level so it is a big stoop to reach down for the large fish as I’m not going to try and host it on the light line.

The fish had another large gauge hook in the gullet, but it was too far in to do anything about so it broke someone else off before having a go at my small 3-inch imitation worm.  My small gauge hook was nicely positioned near the front roof of the mouth and lifted out easily as I crimped the barb to make things easier to deal with.  A couple of quick photos and the fish returned nicely to the deep dark water.

I apologize for the quality of the selfie but I was motivated to return the fish as soon as possible to the water so there was no real opportunity to setup a proper photo session.

The rest of the day was spent strolling about the lake perimeter picking up small bass here and there.  I did manage to tie into another large bass that appeared more than 2 pounds.  At least that was the impression I got as the fish cleared the water just before I could get a hold of it.  Hey, short distance release works too! Less slime on the finger.  A great spring afternoon of casting and catching.  It is a great time to get out there and enjoy.

Cheers,

Rod

COLORADO RIVER (between Picacho State Park and Imperial Dam, including backwaters and Martinez Lake) – No report.

MARTINEZ LAKE — No report. This tends to be one of the top early-bird bass lakes.

 

Southern Waters

New report:

ROSE CANYON LAKE – Andrew A. Fished sunrise to 11 a.m. before the lake closed due to the fire on Mt. Lemmon. Caught trout steadily the whole morning with trout-colored rooster tails. A friend and I took our limit. The lake is closed to vehicle access for the winter.  Anglers can still access the lake by foot.

(Updated Feb. 13; Editor Don Mitchell, 520-388-4451)

ARIVACA LAKE – Current lake level is 2.97 below the spillway.  Launching conditions are good.  No recent reports of success. Gasoline engines are restricted to 10 hp or less and boaters using gas motors are asked to be courteous and not create wake problems for others boaters.

CLUFF RANCH — The pond is 1.14 feet below the spillway with no reports of launching issues.  Trout stocking is ongoing.  The schedule can be found here. Anglers continue to report the fishing to be fair.  Visitors are reminded that it is illegal to obstruct the use of the boat ramp by anglers trying to launch the boats.  No parking, standing, sitting, swimming or fishing is allowed on the boat ramp.  For lake information call (928) 485-9430.

PATAGONIA — The lake is full and no reported launching problems. Trout stockings are ongoing.  Find the schedule here.  No recent reports of success.

PARKER CANYON — See a recent Angler Report. The lake is at 2.82 feet below the spillway and there are no problems with launching.  Trout stocking is ongoing.  For future stockings check the schedule here.  The bag limit on white amurs is one fish over 30 inches in length.  Anglers are asked to immediately release any smaller amurs that they may catch unharmed.  Anglers can also contact the Store at the lake for updates on fishing at (520) 455-5847.   Gasoline engines are restricted to 10 hp or less and boaters using gas motors are asked to be courteous and not create wake problems for others boaters.

PENA BLANCA – The lake is full and water quality problems have improved and trout stocking is underway finally.  The winter trout schedule can be found here. As the weather warms anglers are reminded of the recent change in the largemouth bass regulations at this lake.  For details of those changes please see the current fishing regulations here: 2017 Fishing Regulations. Additionally all mercury advisories against the eating of warmwater fish caught at Pena Blanca Lake remains in effect.  Future testing will determine if and when these advisories will be lifted. Gasoline engines are restricted to 10 hp or less and boaters using gas motors are asked to be courteous and not create wake problems for others boaters.

RIGGS FLAT LAKE – This lake is closed for the winter.

ROPER LAKE — The lake is full.  No recent reports have been received from this location.  Find the winter trout stocking schedule here.  For lake information contact Roper Lake State Park at (928) 428-6760.  Sunfish live or dead is not legal bait at this lake.