Jun 28, 2007 Right as I was getting ready to post and send this report, I got a big fish news flash from our Flagstaff office: a trout angler at Ashurst Lake near Flagstaff was fishing with a worm on 4-pound test and got a huge surprise – Tim Kendrick from Wittman caught a 31.55-pound northern pike. WOW! What’s more, the huge pike was just short of the standing state record, but will likely be this year’s annual record. The standing state record was also caught at Ashurst by a trout angler. Ronald Needs of Flagstaff landed a 32-pound 5.6-ounce pike measuring 49 inches on Nov. 5, 2004. As one biologist put it, Wittman’s monster pike contender this week was “two trout short” of being a new state record. By the way, trout were stocked in Ashurst last week and will be again this week. Wittman said he had pretty good success catching trout before the encounter of the monster pike kind. With a full moon on Saturday, this is an excellent time to enjoy a night out on your favorite lake, but don’t expect those submersible lights to help much when it comes to attracting plankton, bait fish and hungry predators. It’s tough to out-compete Luna in full bloom. In fact, you can expect to see a cool optical effect of the moon appearing huge as it rises above the horizon this weekend. Try slowly drift fishing live minnows, shad, or night crawlers or working drop shots. Personally, I still favor the trusty old Texas- and Carolina-rigged worms and lizards at night. Whatever your choice, think dark. It seems counter intuitive, but darker lures actually stand out better at night – they create a better silhouette for the predators to attack. Adding scent to your bait makes a lot of olfactory sense. Largemouth bass and other predators might be visual feeders, but they can be attracted to their prey by scent (just like sharks) and vibration (sound). For all of you Lake Pleasant fans, anchovies are working great; some anglers are catching 50 to 100 fish in a single night. Use scent and chumming to attract stripers rather than your lights. This is a productive time to fish the tire lines near the marina or over any submerged creek channel in the northern coves – those channels are fish freeways at night. I hear from my pal Margie Anderson that the action on small bass at Bartlett is terrific. Think small: topwater lures, curly tail grubs or crankbaits. The bass are mostly chasing small young-of-the-year shad, so downsize your bait, line and pole. With the thermometer throbbing well past the triple-digit mark, heading to the high cool pines is almost irresistible. Personally, I am heading for the White Mountains and will take my own advice and visit Big Lake for all the trout species (except browns), plus the East and West Forks of the Black River for our favorite Apache trout, and a few secret fishing holes as well. I don’t tell where they are, but I do mention those secret spots in my article for the July-August edition of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine. If you like fishing, kids, mountains and/or the history of fishing, you might just enjoy the article. At the very least, the supporting fine artwork is worth the price of admission. One of my favorite little lakes is being stocked with trout this week: Goldwater Lake near Prescott. I always expect to see Andy and Opie walking down the lane whistling “The Fishin’ Hole.” It’s a jewel, especially if you are taking youngsters fishing. Take along some mealworms: this lake holds the record for hybrid sunfish. They are a ball under a bobber. This is the last catfish stocking of the season in the Urban Program Lakes for Phoenix and Tucson, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to catfish fish in them this summer. It’s just too doggone hot to bring fish all the way here from Arkansas. Speaking of catfish, one angler left a message (sorry, you said your name too fast for me to decipher) saying that during two nights of fishing at Lake Pleasant, he and a buddy caught more than 150 pounds of catfish, mostly channels, while fishing from shore, but also hooked into a couple of dozen nuisance bass (mostly stripers) as well using chicken livers, anchovies and their secret bait – cheese filled hot dogs. That’s enough fish to invite your whole neighborhood to a fish fry. Go catch some big memories. Maybe I’ll see you out there. CENTRAL ARIZONA TEMPE TOWN LAKE – Bass fishing is good for largemouth bass, catfish, bluegills and yellow bass. Plastics and crankbaits worked around the ledges and docks are working especially well during the early morning and right before dark. Channel catfish averaging 1 to 2 pounds will bite stink baits, hot dogs and shrimp. Carp fishing is excellent using corn and dough bait. Remember no gas motors are allowed (trolling motors are) and you must have a boating permit, which can be obtained at the Town Lake operations center. Another angler who gave his name as Jeff used lights in 40 feet of water while fishing anchovies and minnows to catch more than 80 fish, mostly stripers, adding, “Non-stop action all night . . .We could not keep two poles in the water. Great fishing.” Bass fishing is remains very good to excellent. There is a superb topwater bite at first and last light for stripers, whites and largemouth. Bass, especially stripers and white bass, are chasing huge boils of tiny shad. Small KastMasters on lightweight rods or ultra lights can produce excellent result. Also try small in-line spinners, with silver and white the two best colors. A tiny Blue Fox might work very well. Also expect topwater action off-and-on throughout the day, mostly for largemouth bass, but stripers can be found chasing shad too. Another productive way to catch the bass is drop-shotting in 10-20 feet of water in the mouths of coves and off points. This is a transition time: the night fishing is now a little better than the daytime action, especially for stripers using anchovies (yes, you can chum it is legal in Arizona). Striper fishing is picking up near the marina tires at night under lights. If you can, catch live shad and use for bait. Anchovies, minnows and ¼-ounce jigs with a 2-inch pearl white curly tail grub will also work. There have been reports of crappies averaging a pound and a half biting in the back of Humbug and Coles at night under lights on minnows 15-18 feet down. The nighttime bite might be a little better than the daytime one, but right now, either will work. The best action is at first and last light. Using drop shots is by far the most popular strategy, but small crankbaits, topwater lures, Texas-rigged worms and even Carolina rigs can all work. With the full moon this weekend, don’t count on your submersible lights attracting lots of crappie. But if you find crappie during the day, return to those spots at night. This is a great time to load up on the plentiful bluegills in the shallows. Trying using a bobber with night crawlers. Catfishing is great right now, night or day for channels and at night for the huge flatheads. Try shrimp or hot dogs in the mouths of coves for the channels and live bluegills or small carp for the flatheads. Try fishing in 20-40 feet of water and gear up! Common carp are biting corn and dough baits along any shoreline and in coves right now. Note: anglers are reminded of the slot bass size limit that remains in effect at Roosevelt. Bass between 13 to 16 inches must be released immediately. Also those bass below 13 inches and above 16 inches that are kept can only be gutted with the head and tail attached so the legal length can be determined. All other fish such as crappie, catfish and bluegill harvested from the lake must have a piece of skin attached to the fillets so species can be determined. ADEQ discovered and captured three gizzard shad in the lake in January. This is the first positive confirmation of this species in the lake. APACHE - Lake is 90-percent full. We have received recent reports that bluegill, crappie and largemouth bass are being caught on and around the newly placed habitat areas (some are marked with buoys). Others are also doing well around Dinosaur Island for yellow bass using KastMasters in 40 feet of water. Catfish and carp fishing should be picking up. In a recent survey yellow bass were abundant and world-class size. Carp and catfish are also doing well. Walleye in the 12-15 inch range are also plentiful. We electro-shocked last week to get a feel for the bass population. This is the best spring method for catching bass. During the survey we were pleasantly surprised to find lots of young-of the-year largemouth as well as a good mix of one and two year old bass. Bottom line is the largemouth population is starting to recover nicely. Smallmouth bass were not found during the survey. There is a certified scale at the marina boathouse. Michael Sellers used night crawlers on a Carolina rig and caught four 5-pound catfish and six cats weighing 1 to 2 pounds fishing from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Carp and catfishing is goods. This is also the time of year to catch lunker largemouths at night, but haven’t been hearing much lately from bass anglers. Dave Goedecke didn’t catch a thing in three days of fishing. Another angler reports catching 20 channel catfish at night in the 5- to 10-pound range at night. Bass fishing has been very slow. Ten boats were checked last week. Those fishing for bass all got skunked. Two boats fishing for channel catfish did very well using shrimp near the no wake buoy in front of the river channel. There is a certified scale at the marina to get an official weight and still release your catch. Two witnesses are needed for the weight to be official. VERDE RIVER –The stretch of river below the dam to the Needle Rock area holds some nice bass and catfish. Remember that no baitfish can be transported into this part of the river (above Horseshoe). For further information concerning regulations, call the Arizona Game and Fish Department at (480) 324-3544. This morning flow was 82 cfs at Tangle Creek station above Horseshoe Lake. CREEKS- An angler who simply gave his name as Gene and his wife fished Christopher Creek and caught a daily limit in less that two hours using crawdad tails fished under a bobber. Canyon Creek has been stocked recently and is a good bet for rainbows and browns. Christopher, Tonto, Haigler, East Verde and Workman creeks also have been recently stocked with rainbow trout. Use in-line spinners such as Rooster Tails, Panther Martins or live bait such as hoppers, mealworms, night crawlers, Power Bait or salmon eggs. Horsethief Basin Lake- This lake can be found up in the Bradshaw Mountains near Crown King. The lake sits in the pines and is good for a canoe or cartopper. There are also improved campsites near the lake. During a recent survey, lots of largemouth bass averaging a pound and redear sunfish nice pan size were observed. Redears love meal worms and night crawlers. LAKE POWELL – By Wayne Gustaveson. By Wayne Gustaveson. Lake elevation: 3,611. Water temp: 75-80 F. The lake continues to rise slowly. The main impact of maximum elevation is floating driftwood. Much new wood was deposited in the lake last October during the big flood. That wood and debris was stranded when the lake declined over winter. With rising water, wood is floating again and will continue to be a nuisance until the lake begins its decline in July. Fortunately, wood does not prevent travel to any location. Just be careful to slow down near debris to protect your boat prop. Fishing is super for slurpers. Stripers from 8 inches to 3 pounds are found chasing tiny shad on the surface on most calm days. Wispy little surface riffles point to schools of feeding stripers that are very catchable while they are looking up. They go down quickly when a boat gets close but pop up a short distance away within a few minutes. It's great fun and an exciting way to catch abundant juvenile stripers that are so good to eat. The technique is to cast small heavy lures over or in front of the leading fish in the slurp. Lures include KastMaster, Wally lure, CC spoons, small plastic grubs on heavy jig heads, or small surface lures (walkers and poppers). Retrieve the lure in the upper 3 feet of water while slurpers are on the surface. After they go down, follow them with a spoon to catch some while waiting for them to resurface. Slurps are found from Padre Bay to Hite. The premier location is Good Hope Bay now that the water has cleared enough for stripers to see larval shad. Access Good Hope from Bullfrog/Halls and watch for slurps anywhere along the way. The better choice for adventuresome folks is to use the primitive launch at the old Hite Marina site. Make a short (but slow near driftwood) run downstream for good fishing. Bigger stripers are schooled up along the breaking edge of the main channel. They can be caught with anchovy bait but need lots of chumming when fishing slows down. Schools were found last week near the Good Hope Bay floating restroom at buoy 119, Moki Canyon and Moki Wall, Rincon north of floating restroom near buoy 77, mouth of 50-Mile Canyon in Escalante, Rock Creek, in front of beach guarding mouth of Friendship Cove, points above islands in Navajo Canyon, power plant intake and the dam. Striper activity on top tends to get all fish in the mood to eat. Walleye are still active near tumbleweed and tamarisk brush any place striper slurps are found. Bass and bluegill will feed near stripers on the same food. Just go down to the bottom with big plastic grubs to find quality large and smallmouth bass. If the bass bite is off with regular plastic try scented baits like Yum and Gulp for a change of pace. Of course trolling the edge of brush in 12-20 feet of water is sure way to catch bass. Use a shallow running plug like a bevy shad for bass and walleye. Use a deep diver like a Thunderstick for stripers. The catch has dropped off because fishing trips are shorter. Average catch now is about 30 fish per boat. That is a slow day by Powell standards but still good enough to warrant a rating of hot fishing. And that's not just about the weather! Fishing Tip: Plastic grubs are notorious for loosening up or coming off after the first bite. Use a jig head with a flat surface for the grub to rest against. Place a drop of super glue between the plastic and the lead head flat surface to protect the bait and extend the life many times over. LEES FERRY – Whirling disease has been detected in the rainbow trout population here. Please take the following steps. Although the above precautions will remove most spores from your gear, you may want to consider the following if fishing in heavily infected waters: 1) Rinse, then thoroughly dry your boots, waders and other fishing equipment. This is generally sufficient to kill the TAM stage of the parasite. LAKE MEAD - Fishing has been good. This is a good time to find largemouth bass and bluegill in the backs of coves, especially at first light. Catfish have been biting all day on anchovies. The striper bite is good also. Try slow-trolling a small crankbait during the day. With a full moon this week, stripers could be very active at night but don’t expect your submersible lights to out compete Ms. Luna. The ramp is open at South Cove, but it is a gravel ramp. The lake elevation is now 1,112, and continues to drop at nearly one foot per week. Important notice: With the recent discovery of invasive quagga mussels in Mead, Mohave and Havasu, proper cleaning of all watercraft is critical to help prevent the spread of these invaders. Please drain and dry your livewell and bilge on land. Drain all the water you can from your engine. Also, inspect your vessel and trailer, removing any visible mussels, but also feel for any rough or gritty spots on the hull. These may be young mussels that can be hard to see. For more information, go to the Arizona Game and Fish Department's web pages at azgfd.gov or visit http://100thmeridian.org/. LAKE MOHAVE - The striper bite has been slow to fair. Anchovies are the most popular bait for stripers, but if you want to try something different, use shrimp or squid. Davis Dam has plenty of shoreline for numerous anglers to enjoy the fishing. Cabinsite and Telephone Cove also provide plenty of shoreline fishing access. Arizona Game and Fish Biologists surveyed Lake Mohave recently and observed the largemouth bass to average about 2.5 pounds. Channel catfish and striped bass were also plentiful. Also, there is a wheelchair accessible fishing pier just south of the main launch ramp at Katherine's Landing. Important notice: With the recent discovery of invasive quagga mussels in Mead, Mohave and Havasu, proper cleaning of all watercraft is critical to help prevent the spread of these invaders. Please drain and dry your livewell and bilge on land. Drain all the water you can from your engine. Also, inspect your vessel and trailer, removing any visible mussels, but also feel for any rough or gritty spots on the hull. These may be young mussels that can be hard to see. For more information, go to the Arizona Game and Fish Department's web pages at azgfd.gov or visit http://100thmeridian.org/. WILLOW BEACH Important notice: With the recent discovery of invasive quagga mussels in Mead, Mohave and Havasu, proper cleaning of all watercraft is critical to help prevent the spread of these invaders. Please drain and dry your livewell and bilge on land. Drain all the water you can from your engine. Also, inspect your vessel and trailer, removing any visible mussels, but also feel for any rough or gritty spots on the hull. These may be young mussels that can be hard to see. For more information, go to the Arizona Game and Fish Department's web pages at azgfd.gov or visit http://100thmeridian.org/. Trout are stocked every Friday. The fishing for trout has been good from shore immediately following the stocking. Big stripers are caught on a semi-regular basis. TOPOCK MARSH - Catfish have been excellent. They are back in the cattails. Try using mackerel, anchovies, or worms in the early morning or night. Bass fishing has been fair in the early morning and evening. The bass are starting to move out of the cattails and into the wood. There is a bit of a top water bite in the evening. Water temperature is around 81ºF. Game and fish biologist sampled lots of largemouth bass the middle of January throughout the marsh. The bass numbers were great and the crappie and catfish populations looked really good as well. You can access the marsh by boat at North Dike, Catfish Paradise, and Five-Mile Landing. All three also provide plenty of area for shoreline fishing too. For more information on the marsh, contact the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge at (760) 326-3853 or go to http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/arizona/havasu/index.html. Important notice: With the recent discovery of invasive quagga mussels in Mead, Mohave and Havasu, proper cleaning of all watercraft is critical to help prevent the spread of these invaders. Please drain and dry your livewell and bilge on land. Drain all the water you can from your engine. Also, inspect your vessel and trailer, removing any visible mussels, but also feel for any rough or gritty spots on the hull. These may be young mussels that can be hard to see. For more information, go to the Arizona Game and Fish Department's web pages at azgfd.gov or visit http://100thmeridian.org/. For more information, go to the Arizona Game and Fish Department's web pages at azgfd.gov or visit http://100thmeridian.org/. No new report. Fishing for striped bass has been fair around the Needles area. Rainbow trout were last stocked by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on March 28 and 29. Stocking will resume in the fall. The fish were stocked in two locations; Davis Camp and near The Riverside. Water levels on the river fluctuate, so be careful. You can check the Bureau of Reclamation Web site for flow predictions http://www.usbr.gov/lc/riverops.html/ before you go. Largemouth bass can be consistently caught all day long. Early morning topwater bites are being caught on small baits such as the 3- and 4-inch R2S Bubble Poppers in chartreuse, shad or ghost minnow. These fish tend to hold to the tulle lines at the back of the sheltered coves, under the docks, and boats in the marinas. The best bait to use for this presentation is a 4- or 5-inch Senko or R2S Quiver 130 with rattles. These are soft plastic stick baits impregnated with salt and fish attracting scents. The best colors are white pearl, cinnamon pearl, or watermelon white laminate. Try slinging or skipping the bait across the water using an open-faced spinning reel rigging the bait Wacky style with a o-ring Rigging Tool and fishing them under the docks, boats, and at the edges of tulles. PARKER STRIP -- Water levels are up and should be staying up for the near future. Try soft baits for bass. Redears typically will hit on small grubs or night crawlers. Catfish are picking up too. Cut anchovies will work for channel cats or stripers if you are up river in the swifter currents. ALAMO – Report courtesy Mark Knapp, Alamo Lake State Park. Well folks, after a learning experience about blue moons, which basically means second full moon to occur in a single calendar month, I'm happy to say that fishing remains good. Anglers are reporting an excellent topwater bite starting about 4:30 a.m. and lasting till around six. Some nice sized bass are being caught during this time. Try throwing a buzzbait, Zara Spook, or torpedo right up into the brush. Once the topwater bite slows down and you are still into training wheels, go to spinnerbaits or crankbaits; It was pointed out to me, and should be noted that crank baits are working pretty good. The secret is to slow the crank bait way down. I personally don't like the darn things and go directly to plastics. Don't get me wrong, I’ve caught a lot of fish using them, but at the same time, I’ve had to remove a lot of hooks from my fingers, arms, legs, and head from bad hook sets , bad fishing partners, and just plain stupidity. Anyway, red flaked brush hogs and 6-inch motor oil colored worms are working well. Bass are being caught in 2 to 20 feet of water right now. Once again, try to find the pattern and you’re good to go. As I look out the window, I am reminded that we have winds starting everyday around 1 p.m. and usually die off about dark. Crappie fishing is pretty good. Anglers are reporting catching 20 to 50 a night up by the dam. The bite has been starting right at dark and goes till around midnight. Minnows and crappie lights are way to go. The office is open 8 till 5 Monday through Wednesday, and stays open till 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Cat fishing is still good. Stink bait and shrimp work well out here. Shore fishing is decent. The lake side of Cholla Ramp has been producing some 5 to 10 pound channel cats. Once again, hike it in hike it out. The lake level is at 1,114 with releases of 40 cfs. Both ramps work good. The temp has been hitting 106 out here, so remember to drink lots of fluids; sun block and bug spray are a must. Spring Outlook: Alamo Lake will be the hot spot for largemouth bass, crappie and channel catfish. Next choice would be Lake Havasu for striped bass. Also try Lake Havasu and the Parker Strip for smallmouth bass or the Colorado River below Walter’s Camp for flathead catfish. If you need any additional information, don't hesitate to contact the Yuma Regional office at (928) 341-4051. Lake Havasu & Topock Gorge: Largemouth bass, as well as smallmouth bass are expected to be good to excellent this spring. The size will range from 13 inches and up with an occasional fish greater than 5 pounds. Striped bass will continue to be excellent for small fish (12-18 inches) with occasional fish over 8 pounds. The lake is also full of smaller striper that will make it challenging to catch the larger fish. Channel catfish as well as bluegill and redear sunfish will be good to excellent. Flathead catfish fishing should be fair at the lower end of the lake (Bill Williams River Arm) through the spring. Sizes of flathead catfish can reach as high as 40 pounds. When fishing for them select the interior points in the coves and the areas where artificial structure has been placed. The warmer weather causes the bite to increase making crankbaits and topwater lures a good choice. Also, spinnerbaits, jigs, cut fish, and live shad should work depending on the species you are looking for. Take precautions to make sure your boat and equipment is clean before leaving the water to make sure you don’t spread quagga mussels to other water by accident. Colorado River (Parker Strip Area): It is expected to be good to excellent for smallmouth bass with fish over two pounds this spring. In addition, redear sunfish should also be good to excellent in the pound-plus sizes. Channel and flathead catfish are always fair to good in this section of the Colorado River. Take precautions to make sure your boat and equipment is clean before leaving the water to make sure you don’t spread quagga mussels to other water by accident. Colorado River (between Palo Verde Diversion Dam and Walter's Camp): This area should be fair for both smallmouth bass (in the channel) up river from the I-10 Bridge and largemouth bass (in the backwaters) throughout the entire area. Channel and flathead catfish are always fair to good in this section of the Colorado River. Most flathead catfish will be in the 2- to 5-pound range with an occasional fish over 40 pounds. The time for fishing for both species of catfish will be late spring throughout the summer. When fishing for catfish, the hotter the weather the better the fishing. This section of the Colorado River all the way down to Yuma is where the invasive species known as giant salvinia are located and possibly quagga mussels. If using a boat, make sure the boat, live wells, engines, and trailer is clean before leaving the area. The last thing that we want to have happen is the movement of invasive species to other waters. Colorado River (between Walter's Camp and Picacho State Park): This section of the Colorado River is relatively remote and can only be accessed by boat from either end. Fishing is expected to be good to excellent for flathead catfish with sizes over 40 pounds. The best time will be late spring and on into the summer (the hotter the better). The various backwaters will be good for largemouth bass and other sunfish (bluegill and redear). Other species available in the main river are smallmouth bass, channel catfish, and striped bass. This section of the Colorado River all the way down to Yuma is where the invasive species known as giant salvinia are located and possibly quagga mussels. If using a boat make sure the boat, live wells, engines, and trailer is clean before leaving the area. The last thing that we want to have happen is the movement of invasive species to other waters. This area is expected to be good to excellent for largemouth bass, channel catfish, and flathead catfish. Bass and channel catfish in excess of 5 pounds are present along with flathead catfish as large as 40 pounds. Bluegills are also present in the various backwaters and an occasional striped bass will be caught in the main river channel. This section of the Colorado River all the way down to Yuma is where the invasive species known as giant salvinia are located and possibly quagga mussels. If using a boat make sure the boat, live wells, engines, and trailer is clean before leaving the area. The last thing that we want to have happen is the movement of invasive species to other waters. Colorado River (between Laguna and Morelos dams): This area will be good for largemouth bass and flathead catfish. Bass in excess of 5 pounds are common and flathead catfish over 20 pounds are a good bet. In this area, river access depends on water releases. Shallow draft boats work best. The lower end has had some dredging work done so larger boats are okay there. This section of the Colorado River all the way down to Yuma is where the invasive species known as giant salvinia are located and possibly quagga mussels. If using a boat, make sure the boat, live wells, engines, and trailer is clean before leaving the area. The last thing that we want to have happen is the movement of invasive species to other waters. With the increase in border issues and illegal activity on the lower end of this area, it is a good idea to the area from Pilot Knob to Morelos Dam. NORTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS Note: Northern Pike have been illegally stocked in Francis Short. If you catch a Northern Pike at Francis Short Pond please remove it from the pond. Channel Catfish were stocked into Stone Dam, Santa Fe, City and Kaibab Lakes last week. Remember that the catfish limit on Stone dam, Santa Fe and City Lakes is four catfish per day. The trout limit on City Reservoir is also four trout. WILLIAMS LAKES: CATARACT LAKE — Campground is open. Fishing is good on yellow or white Power Bait or lures. CITY RESERVOIR — Open. The last catfish stocking of the spring/summer season is scheduled the week of June 25-30. Just like the other eight catfish stockings this spring, there will be over 7,000 catfish delivered into Urban Fishing Program waters in the Phoenix and Tucson areas. With the high temperatures of summer here, it becomes impractical to continue to haul live fish into Arizona’s Urban lakes. No fish stockings will be scheduled during July, August and the first half of September. Fall catfish stockings will resume the week of September 17-22. Anglers can still fish for catfish, bass and bluegill at Urban waters throughout the summer, but the action is generally slower. JD DAM — Anglers are catching brown trout fly-fishing. Lake is 60-percent full. RUSSEL TANK - Stocked SANTA FE — Lake is full. Fishing is good on yellow or white Power Bait or lures. WHITEHORSE LAKE — No report from anglers. Campground is open. Because of low water levels the lake will not be stocked anymore this year. FLAGSTAFF LAKES: LOWER LAKE MARY —The Lake is extremely low. No fish, the lake suffered a winter kill due to low lake levels. At current conditions, lake will not be stocked this year. UPPER LAKE MARY — The lake is 17-percent full. ASHURST LAKE — A trout angler fishing with a worm on 4-pound test and got a huge surprise – Tim Kendrick from Wittman caught a 31.55-pound northern pike, which was just shy of the state record. The standing state record was also caught at Ashurst by a trout angler, Ronald Needs of Flagstaff, who landed a 32-pound 5.6-ounce pike measuring 49 inches on Nov. 5, 2004. Fishing is good on worms fished about 3 feet below a bobber. Stocked last week and will be stocked again this coming week. FRANCIS SHORT POND – Open, trout were being caught on green or yellow Power Bait fished on the bottom. Catfish were also being caught on night crawlers and hot dogs. KINNIKINICK LAKE — Lake is open. MARSHALL LAKE — Low water Small trout are being caught on flies. A few larger hold-over fish are being caught. No longer stockable. OAK CREEK — Fishing is slow. A few small rainbow trout are being caught on flies. Stocked last week. LONG LAKE — Lake is open. Hold-over trout were caught last week. SOLDIERS & SOLDIERS ANNEX — Lake is open. No report. BEAVER CREEK — No report. WEST CLEAR CREEK — No report. STONEMAN LAKE — NO FISH. MINGUS LAKE – No new report- Mingus Lake was stocked last the week of April 30. As a result of the very low water levels trout stocking will be suspended following this stocking. The Forest Service gate is open. The water levels are down very low and the water is turbid. Try bright-colored Power Bait, salmon eggs, or various spinners. DEAD HORSE STATE PARK – Game and Fish stocked catfish the week of June 4, so look for the catfish fishing to be good. Several largemouth bass, up to two pounds, have been caught on in-line spinners, plastic grubs, and small crankbaits. The bluegill fishing has been good using a salmon egg or small worm on a small bait hook below a bobber. The bluegills are plentiful in both the middle and lower lagoons, so between trout and catfish stockings try your luck with the bluegill. Dead Horse State Park employees and Game and Fish biologists placed 40-plus Christmas trees in the lower lagoon as fish habitat on Jan. 16. Fish should begin to congregate near these trees within days. VERDE RIVER (throughout Verde Valley) –Trout were last stocked March 19. For largemouth and smallmouth bass, try plastic grubs and small spinnerbaits. Catfish should be biting as well. There are some huge flatheads in some of the deeper pools. LYNX LAKE — Trout were stocked last week (June 11). This is the last scheduled stocking until September due to water temperature. Rainbow trout fishing has been good immediately following the stocking, then quickly dropping off. Some of the brook trout stocked last September and October are continuing to be caught, but they are on the small side. Game and Fish stocked catfish the week of June 4, so look for the catfish fishing to be good. There were 200 pounds of bluegill were stocked on March 29. These fish were hand-sized and should be easily caught. Try using worms or mealworms on a bobber. Small spinners may work as well. Game and Fish Biologists surveyed Lynx last week and found that the brook trout stocked last year were still present. FAIN LAKE — Game and Fish stocked catfish the week of June 4, so look for the catfish fishing to be good. Anchovies, chicken livers, or night crawlers should work well. Rainbow trout were stocked the week of June 11. This was the last trout stocking until September. There were 150 pounds of bluegill were stocked on March 29. These fish were hand-sized and should be easily caught. Try using worms or mealworms on a bobber. Small spinners may work as well. GOLDWATER LAKE—Trout were stocked last week (June 18) and are scheduled to be stocked again next week (week of July 2). The fishing following the stocking has been fair. Water temperature still looks good. Some anglers have reported catching the fish off the bottom on power bait. You may try using spinners and jigs in the early morning and switch to worms and rainbow Power Bait on the bottom as the temperature goes up. Avoid fishing in water over 30 feet deep. Game and Fish Biologists surveyed Goldwater during the middle of May and found the trout and sunfish plentiful. While the number of catfish and bass was low, the quality was exceptional. One 16-pound catfish was sampled and released. The bass averaged about 3.5 pounds. On March 29, 400 pounds of bluegill were stocked. These fish were hand-sized and should be easily caught. Try using worms or mealworms on a bobber. Small spinners may work as well. If you fish Goldwater and are having luck, please e-mail me at mchmiel@azgfd.gov so I can share your successes with others. MOGOLLON RIM Note: Fire restrictions are in effect from Forest Road 224, near McNary to the Mogollon Rim area. Campfires are allowed only in designated campgrounds. No campfires, smoking or wood cutting are allowed on other areas of the Sitgreaves National Forest., smoking or wood cutting are allowed on other areas of the Sitgreaves National Forest. CHEVELON CANYON LAKE — Fishing is fair. Chevelon Lake is open to artificial lure and fly only, with a six-trout bag and possession limit. Trout between 10 and 14 inches may not be possessed and any trout kept outside this slot must be killed immediately and retained as part of the bag limit. Try lures such as spinners, Z-rays, Super Dupers, and Rapalas, and flies such as wooly worms or buggers, semi-seal leeches, peacock ladies, prince nymphs, and zug bugs. Some fly-fishermen are catching trout on dry flies. Try dry flies such as Adams, Parachute Adams, Humpies, and Royal Wulff. Chevelon Lake is a remote hike in lake with difficult access. The lake is open to 10 hp gas motors. BEAR CANYON LAKE — Randy Fix and his son caught-and-released 52 trout from their float tubes fishing from 7-9:30 a.m., adding, “It was the best in years.” Fishing is fair. Try worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, lures such as spinners, Z-rays, Super Dupers, and Rapalas, and flies such as wooly worms or buggers, semi-seal leeches, peacock ladies, prince nymphs, and zug bugs. If trout are taking insects on the surface try dry flies such as Adams, Parachute Adams, and midge patterns. The lake is open to electric trolling motors only. Bear Canyon Lake is a steep hike in lake with moderate (north side and south side trail) to difficult (west side trail) access. BLACK CANYON LAKE — The boat ramp is low so use caution when launching a boat. Fishing is fair. Try worms, meal worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, lures such as spinners, Super Dupers, Z-rays, KastMasters, crankbaits, and Rapalas, and flies such as peacock ladies, wooly worms or wooly buggers, prince nymphs and zug bugs. The lake is open to electric motors only. Try fishing with worms off rocky areas for bass and sunfish. BLUE RIDGE — Fishing from a boat was fair using silver spinners and spoons. Shore fishing was slow. KNOLL LAKE — Lots of good reports from anglers using everything from Power Bait and worms to small spinners and spoons. Fly anglers are also doing well. WILLOW SPRINGS LAKE — Guy Phillips caught his limit of rainbows using worms under a bobber, adding that some anglers need to learn angling courtesy and not cast across the lines of others. The boat ramp is accessible. The lake will be stocked with catchable size rainbow trout this week and every week through September. Fishing is fair to good. Try worms, meal worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, lures such as spinners, Super Dupers, Z-rays, KastMasters, and Rapalas, and flies such as wooly worms or wooly buggers, black or brown semi-seal leeches, peacock ladies, prince nymphs, and zug bugs. The lake is open to 10 hp gas motors. WOODS CANYON LAKE — Fishing is fair to good. The lake will be stocked with catchable size rainbow trout this week and every week through September. Try worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, lures such as spinners, Super Dupers, Z-Rays, and Rapalas, and flies such as peacock ladies, prince nymphs, zug bugs, wooly worms or wooly buggers. Try trolling cowbells or lures with worms. The lake is open to electric trolling motors only. The store is open and boat rentals are available. Note: Fire restrictions may go into effect this week for the Apache National Forest. State Highway 261 is open to Big Lake and Crescent Lake, as well as most interior forest roads. State Highway 273 on the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest is undergoing reconstruction and realignment and the following closures are in effect. State Highway 273 from the Forest and Fort Apache Indian Reservation boundary to the junction of Forest Road 554 (Winn Campground Road) is closed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and will remain closed until the project is complete. The southern closure of State Highway 273 from Forest Road 554 junction to Crescent Lake went into effect June 11. This section of road will be closed each week beginning Mondays at 6 a.m. through Thursdays at 6 p.m. Access to Lee Valley Reservoir, Gabaldon Campground, and East Baldy Trailhead will only be open on 4th of July, and Labor Day, and Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. BECKER LAKE — Tommie Rasmussen caught trout on flies, adding that having artificial lures only with barbless hooks is a good idea, but apparently many anglers aren’t aware of the regulations; he saw lots of bait fishermen there. The boat ramp is accessible. Fishing is fair. Try lures such as spinners, Super Dupers, and Z-rays, flies such as woolly worms and woolly buggers, peacock ladies, prince nymphs, zug bugs, dragonfly imitations, midge imitations, and brown Montana stone nymphs. The lake is open to artificial lure and fly with barbless hooks only, with a two trout bag and possession limit. No bait fishing is allowed. The lake is open to 10 hp. motors. BIG LAKE — Chris Woodard caught 10 rainbow trout in the 10-17 inch range on an ultralight rigged with nigh crawlers and Power Bait while fishing from his boat in 20 feet of water. Fishing is fair to good. Try worms, meal worms, Power Bait, salmon eggs, lures such as spinners, Super Dupers, Z-rays, KastMasters, Rapalas, and flies such as wooly worms or wooly buggers, peacock ladies, prince nymphs, zug bugs, and brown Montana stone nymphs. Boat anglers may want to try trolling worms on lures, flies or behind cowbells. The lake is open to 10 hp motors. During the hot summer months, try fishing early in the morning and late in the day. ACCESS: State Highway 261 is open from Eager. State Highway 273 will be closed throughout the year for road construction. State Highway 273 from Crescent Lake to Winn Campground will be closed each week from Mondays at 6 a.m. through Thursdays at 6 p.m. Access to Lee Valley Lake, Gabaldon Campground, and East Baldy Trailhead will only be open on Fridays, Saturdays. And Sundays, and holidays. Winn Campground will only be open on 4th of July, Labor Day, and Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The boat ramps are low, but still usable. CARNERO LAKE — Fishing is fair. Try small spinners, jigs and spoons, and flies such as wooly worms, peacock ladies, prince nymphs, zug bugs, and small brown, black or green nymphs. Carnero is open to artificial lure and fly only with barbless hooks and a two-trout limit. No bait fishing is allowed. This lake doesn’t have a boat ramp, so most float tubers launch at the fence line. The weeds along the shoreline have begun to grow back but there is still a narrow channel open out to open water. As summer progresses weeds will become a problem. The lake is open to electric motors only. CLEAR CREEK RESERVOIR — Fishing is fair. Try worms, meal worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, lures (spinners, Z-rays, and spoons, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and Rapalas), and flies (wooly worms or wooly buggers, zug bugs, prince nymphs, and peacock ladies). The northeast boat ramps are usable but the middle boat ramp is steep and has soft sand. There is also an old concrete dam structure across from the middle boat ramp so use caution when motoring on the lake. There are no motor restrictions on the lake when using larger watercraft. Clear Creek Reservoir has largemouth bass, sunfish, black bullheads, and channel catfish. CONCHO LAKE— The lake is weedy. The boat ramp is accessible. Fishing is fair. Try worms, meal worms, Power Bait, salmon eggs, and lures such as spinners, spoons, Super Dupers, Z-rays, and flies such as wooly worms and wooly buggers, prince nymphs, zug bugs, and hares ear nymphs. The lake is open to 10 hp. motors. CRESCENT LAKE — Fishing is fair to good. The lake is approximately 4 feet low. The boat ramps are low but accessible except the north boat ramp, which is very low and muddy. Try worms, meal worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, lures such as spinners, Super Dupers, Z-rays, and flies such as peacock ladies, wooly worms and wooly buggers, prince nymphs, zug bugs, brown Montana stone nymphs. ACCESS: Highway 261 is open from Eager. Highway 273 will be closed for the year for road construction. State Highway 273 from Crescent Lake to Winn Campground is closed from 6 a.m. Mondays through 6 p.m. Thursdays, but will be open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and Holidays. Winn Campground will only be open on 4th of July, and Labor Day, and Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The lake is open to electric trolling motors only. The store is closed. GREER LAKES — An angler who gave his name as Brandon caught rainbow trout using worms and a bobber, adding that he saw a 25-inch brown in the lowering water. All reservoirs are low. Tunnel and River Reservoir boat ramps are not usable. Bunch Reservoir’s boat ramp is usable but low. Please use caution when launching a boat. Fishing is fair. Try worms, meal worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, lures such as spinners and spoons, and flies such as wooly worms and wooly buggers, peacock ladies, and small nymphs. Bunch and Tunnel Reservoirs are open to electric trolling motors only. River Reservoir is open to 10 hp. motors. HULSEY LAKE — Fishing is fair. Try worms, meal worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, lures such as small spinners and spoons, and flies such as woolly worms, peacock ladies, prince nymphs, and zug bugs. During the summertime, weed growth is present along the shoreline areas. LEE VALLEY RESERVOIR — Lee Valley Reservoir is low, so use caution when launching a boat. The lake was stocked with catchable size Apache trout during May and early June. A few small grayling still remain in the lake, but it doesn’t look like they grew much from last year. The lake is open to artificial lure and fly only, with a minimum size limit of 12 inches, and a limit of two trout. Try lures such as small spinners and spoons, and flies such as wooly worms, peacock ladies, prince nymphs, zug bugs, hares ear nymphs, pheasant tail nymphs and other small black, brown or green colored nymphs. The lake is open to electric trolling motors only. Access: State Highway 273 from Sunrise Lake to Winn Campground is closed for the year for road construction. State Highway 273 from Crescent Lake to Winn Campground is open 7 days a week from 6 a.m. Mondays through 6 p.m. Thursdays, but will be open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and Holidays. Winn Campground will only be open on 4th of July, and Labor Day, and Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. This section of the road is in poor condition (many parts of the road have potholes) and is experiencing use by heavy equipment. Drive with caution. LUNA LAKE — Fishing is fair. Try worms, meal worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, lures such as spinners, small spoons, Z-rays, or flies such as wooly worms or wooly buggers, prince nymphs, zug bugs, and other small nymphs in brown, green or black. The lake is open to 10 hp motors. LYMAN LAKE —The left boat ramp is accessible. Fishing is fair. Some anglers have been catching channel catfish on worms and prepared baits. Try worms, meal worms, and catfish prepared baits. The Lyman Lake Recreation Area is managed by Lyman Lake State Park and camping is available. There are also some new cabins for rent. There is a fish consumption advisory here. Consult the fishing regulations or contact the Arizona Game and Fish Regional office in Pinetop for more information. The lake has no motor restrictions. NELSON RESERVOIR — Statewide angling regulations started on April 1 and the daily bag and possession limit is six trout. The lake is about 2 feet low. The boat ramp at the dam is recommended, as the ramp at the upper end is still too shallow. Fishing is good. Try worms, meal worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, lures such as spinners and Z-rays, flies such as wooly worms or wooly buggers, peacock ladies, prince nymphs, zug bugs, and other small brown, green, or black nymphs. The lake is open to 10 hp motors. SCOTT'S RESERVOIR — The water is slightly murky. The lake will be stocked with catchable size rainbow trout this week. Fishing is fair to good. Anglers are catching trout and channel catfish on worms. Bass are being caught on lures such as spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and spinners. One northern pike was caught during spring gill net surveys. Please report anybody that is moving fish from one location to another. It is illegal to stock any fish in public or private waters without a proper stocking permit. This illegal activity spoils angling opportunities for most other anglers. Try worms, meal worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, lures such as spinners, Z-rays, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and Rapalas, and flies such as wooly worms or wooly buggers, brown Montana stone nymphs, peacock ladies, prince nymphs, and zug bugs. The lake is open to electric motors only. SHOW LOW LAKE — The lake is nearly full, down only 4 feet. The lake will be stocked with catchable size rainbow trout this week. Fishing is fair to good. Try worms, salmon eggs, mealworms, Power Bait, lures such as spinners, Z-rays, ¼-ounce lead head jigs (chartreuse green, and brown, or gray with silver specks), Rapalas, and flies such as wooly worms and wooly buggers, peacock ladies, prince nymphs, and semi seal leeches for trout. Anglers have been catching trout trolling cowbells and worms and with Rapalas. Shore anglers are catching 13-14 inch rainbow trout on green Power Bait and night crawlers. Walleyes and smallmouth bass are being caught by anglers trolling Rapalas and casting jigs along rocky shoreline areas early in the morning. The lake is open to 10 hp. motors. The store is open. Boat rentals are available. WOODLAND LAKE — The lake is down about 4 feet. The water is clear. Weeds are present along shoreline areas. Fishing is fair. The lake is experiencing high pH levels (9.8 on June 25). Fish early in the morning when water temperatures and pH are low. Try worms, salmon eggs, meal worms, Power Bait, lures such as spinners, Z-rays, small spoons, and Rapalas, and flies such as wooly worms and wooly buggers, prince nymphs, zug bugs, and other small nymphs. Anglers have been catching rainbow trout off the fishing pier on night crawlers. Woodland Lake is a city park with picnic tables, Veranda’s, restrooms, volleyball and softball courts, hiking trails, boat ramp, and a fishing pier. The lake is open to electric motors only. WHITE MOUNTAIN STREAMS: WEST FORK OF BLACK RIVER – All access roads are open. The stream will be stocked with catchable size Apache trout this week and every week through mid-September. Try worms, meal worms, and salmon eggs, lures such as small spinners and spoons, and flies such as wooly worms, peacock ladies, prince nymphs, zug bugs, and small black, brown or green nymphs. Stream flows are low. EAST FORK OF BLACK RIVER – All access roads are open. The stream will be stocked with catchable size apache trout this week and every week through mid-September. Try worms, meal worms, and salmon eggs, lures such as small spinners and spoons, and flies such as wooly worms, peacock ladies, prince nymphs, zug bugs, and small black, brown or green nymphs. Stream flows are low. SHEEPS CROSSING – Not accessible. Highway 273 is closed for the year due to road construction. LITTLE COLORADO RIVER – GREER – All access roads are open. The stream will be stocked with catchable size Apache trout this week and every week through mid-September. Try worms, meal worms, and salmon eggs, small lures such as spinners and spoons, and flies such as wooly worms, peacock ladies, prince nymphs, zug bugs, and small black, brown or green nymphs. Stream flows are low. SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA RIGGS FLAT — The road to the lake is open. High pH levels have already begun at this lake and trout stocking has been suspended for the time being. Hopefully summer rains will alleviate this problem and we can begin stocking once the pH levels come down. There are still plenty of fish in the lake however. CLUFF RANCH — Fishing for warmwater species is fair with a few reports of largemouth bass being caught. Recent surveys show good numbers of crappie. For lake information call (928) 485-9430. ROPER LAKE — Fishing for all warmwater species is fair with early morning being the best opportunity. For lake information call (928) 428-6760. DANKWORTH POND — No reports on success. For lake information call (928) 428-6760. FRYE MESA RESERVIOR – The fishing remains good at this small reservoir. The road to Frye Mesa is in fair condition and is currently passable with a two-wheel drive vehicle. Use caution because the road is steep and narrow in places. KEARNY LAKES — This lake remains fishless due to golden algae. PENA BLANCA – The water levels continue to drop. Yosh Packard fished from a float tube and caught bluegills, adding, “I had a hard time just launching my tube. Touch fishing for anything other than small bluegills.” There is also a build up of sediment around the boat ramp. Use caution when launching your boat. It will be difficult to near impossible to launch some of the larger bass boats. Anglers should be advised that there is a large drop-off opposite the cattails on the boat ramp. Anglers should be very cautious and not let their trailers get off this side of the ramp. Use caution when launching your boat. PATAGONIA — Fishing for largemouth continues to be good for anglers working reaction baits along the cattails. Flathead catfish continue to be caught using small bluegills as bait. The lake remains in good condition with no problems launching boats at either ramp. PARKER CANYON — The water level is at near capacity. Water clarity is improving. Fishing is fair with trout being caught in deeper water using power bait and worms. A number of 1 to 1 ½ lb. largemouth’s are being caught on night crawlers and lures. Some nice bluegills continue to be caught on night crawlers and meal worms. PICACHO RESERVOIR — No Report. ROSE CANYON LAKE — David Schwindenhammer used worms to catch 19 trout on one outing but on another, only caught eight. Anglers are reporting limits of fish. Water temperatures have reached levels which have forced the Department to suspend trout stockings at this time. Once the monsoon season begins and water temperatures cool, trout stocking will continue.
URBAN LAKES – The last catfish stocking of the spring/summer season is scheduled the week of June 25-30. Just like the other eight catfish stockings this spring, there will be more than 7,000 catfish delivered into Urban Fishing Program waters. With the high temperatures of summer here, it becomes impractical to continue to haul live fish into Arizona’s urban lakes. No fish stockings will be scheduled during July, August and the first half of September. Mark your calendars: fall catfish stockings will resume the week of Sept. 17-22. Anglers can still fish for catfish, bass and bluegill at Urban waters throughout the summer, but the action is generally slower.
LAKE PLEASANT – Randy Griego and his wife fished with anchovies and minnows to catch 46 striped bass, including a 9-pound, 29-inch one, and his wife caught a 4-pound, 19-inch largemouth bass on a minnow on one night, then caught 82 fish using minnows, anchovies and shrimp, including three catfish. “Best luck we ever had. Fished Coles both times.”
ROOSEVELT LAKE – This lake is still providing some of the best angling action in the West.
Will Umberger said he caught lots of largemouth, including three monsters over four pounds each, using 4-icnh pumpkinseed-colored grubs while working the rocky shoreline on the east side of the lake.
CANYON - Lake is 95-percent full at 1,659 feet. Kevin Kennedy caught channel catfish while drifting night crawlers, adding that he wasn’t fishing for cats but couldn’t avoid them. “Amazing! Two bighorn sheep came down and drank in the early AM in boulder area down by the cliffs. Coolest thing ever!!”
SAGUARO - Lake level is 1,522 feet (92-percent full).
Jacob Carbajal caught 20 catfish fishing the shallow flats using cut mackerel from 2-6 a.m. and the fish ranged from 6 to 12 pounds.
BARTLETT – Lake level is at 1,750 feet (41 -percent full) Horseshoe reservoir will be emptied over the next two weeks and Bartlett is projected to rise 4 feet. Good news here. All warm-water sport-fish species are doing well. During a recent survey crappie representing 5 year classes were found. Big crappie are almost 3 pounds! Crappie are being caught in about 15-20 feet on minnows over structure. Night fishing near the Yellow Cliffs is the best way to catch crappies and bass right now Kalin 1/16-ounce black/blue/chartreuse jigs, but overall, crappie fishing is good on the east side coves. An angler reported a 70 fish day last week. Bass fishing is fantastic. We had some of the highest catch rates many of us biologists have ever seen electro-fishing last week. We caught and netted over 60 largemouth bass in 250 meters of shoreline at one site. Bass averaged 1- 2/12 pounds. We found largemouth bass of this size all over the lake. Crawdad imitations and worming rigs (drop shots and Texas-rigs) are producing. Catfishing is picking up. We found quite a few flathead catfish in the 10-20 pound range up lake where the Verde comes in. They will take live sunfish, carp or waterdogs. Remember the live bait most come from the lake itself (excluding minnows, water dogs or worms) not transported from another body of water!
HORSESHOE – Lake is empty but the road is open. No reports on fishing. Catfish Point below the dam should be good for flatheads as well as channel catfish at this time. If you can cross the Verde at the low water crossing and get above Horseshoe Lake a mixture of channel cats, smallmouth and largemouth bass should be found in the river itself. This is a great area to fish if accessible. I have had no reports from the area yet this spring.
LOWER SALT RIVER (below Saguaro Lake) – Trout have been stocked ago at Water Users and Blue Point Bridge. Power Bait, inline spinners and corn will work. Largemouth bass fishing can be good using crankbaits in back eddies and near brush.
COLORADO RIVER NORTHWEST
A small plastic bait should be placed on a jighead with a short shank
While a long shank jig head (top) is necessary for a full size tube jig or skirted 5-inch plastic grub.
* Never transport live fish from one water body to another (this is illegal in Arizona).
* Dispose of fish entrails and skeletal parts properly. Never discard fish parts in or near streams or rivers. Do not discard fish parts in a kitchen disposal. Whirling disease spores can survive most wastewater treatment systems. Instead, discard in dry waste that would go to a landfill.
* Rinse all mud and debris from equipment and wading gear, and drain water from boats before leaving an infected drainage. This is good practice for preventing transfer of other aquatic hitchhikers as well.
2) Chlorine (regular household bleach) is a very effective disinfectant, and one of the few that can kill all stages of the parasite if used at the proper concentration. However, chlorine is a very strong chemical and can harm your equipment with prolonged exposure, so make sure you rinse the chlorine off your waders and other equipment after you disinfect, and dry in the shade.
3) To kill the TAM stage, use 1 part chlorine to 32 parts water. It must stay in contact for about 10 minutes to assure disinfection.
4) To kill the mature myxospore that may be found in the mud from an infected stream is much more difficult and hard on equipment, such as 50% solution (1 part chlorine to 1 part water) - dip waders into a solution of the bleach or wipe or spray it on or 10% solution (1 part chlorine to 9 parts water) and soak your equipment for 10 minutes.
5) Quaternary ammonium compounds are also effective in killing both parasite stages. These disinfectants are commercially available for disinfecting fishing equipment (Bright Water TM) or for the pet/veterinary trade (Roccal-D TM, Parvosol TM).
6) Equally effective is water heated to nearly boiling (200°F) poured over your gear and allowed to cool.
Report courtesy Lees Ferry Anglers by: Ted Welling
Today’s Fly Fishing: Fishing was very good today; weekend flows are lower that lets us wade a little bit in the morning up until around 11 a.m. or so. After the water came up and wading became too difficult, we started fishing from the boat and guess what? The cicadas are starting buzz and the fish are starting to key in on them. Probably another week or two and it will be full on!
Walk In: Walk in is fishing good early in the morning on week ends in particular, when the flows are lower. A big dry fly as the indicator and a long dropper. And then down a little lower at the beach fishing can be very good when the water hits a certain level. At times you can see a couple dozen trout at a time sipping midges on the surface. This is when you want to shorten up the dropper to about a foot or so and use a tiny little fly # 22 to #24 .
Gene Thomas said, “We have been fishing at Lees Ferry several times each year since 1997. On June 19 and 20, 2007, we had the two best fishing days we’ve experienced in all those years. On each day we enjoyed hooking over 40 fish. The smallest was 16?!! There were several 20-inch fish and many 19-, 18-, and 17-inch ones. Every single fish was fat and very strong. They were the healthiest looking trout I remember seeing anywhere at any time. With the high, fast water each fish was a real challenge to turn around and to land. Many times the fish won. From our viewpoint, your recent river reports have understated the quality of the fishing in the river. My right arm is still tired!!”
COLORADO RIVER BELOW DAVIS DAM - Important notice: With the recent discovery of invasive quagga mussels in Mead, Mohave and Havasu, proper cleaning of all watercraft is critical to help prevent the spread of these invaders. Please drain and dry your livewell and bilge on land. Drain all the water you can from your engine. Also, inspect your vessel and trailer, removing any visible mussels, but also feel for any rough or gritty spots on the hull. These may be young mussels that can be hard to see.
SOUTHWESTERN ARIZONA
LAKE HAVASU – Striper fishing good during early morning hours near drop-offs, by shallow reefs, and flats where stripers move shallow to feed on crawfish. Try topwater lures such as R2S Bubble Walkers, Vixens, and shallow-running Pointer 128s in chartreuse, shad, or bone; white colors are working best. Later in the day, anchovies that are trolled or still fished in 30 to 55 feet of water are producing some quality fish over 4 pounds. Whipple Bay, Piccadilly Point, and North of Winsor launch ramp have all been productive areas for catching stripers.
Regional Hot Spots:
Colorado River (between Picacho State Park and Imperial Dam):
WILLIAMS LAKES:
KAIBAB LAKE — Campground area is open. Main parking lot and boat launch open. Fishing was good.
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DOGTOWN LAKE —Lake level is down Campground area is open. Fishing is good on yellow or white Power Bait or lures. Some Browns are being caught on lures.
NORTHEASTERN ARIZONA (White Mountains)
FOOL HOLLOW LAKE — The lake level is down about 2 feet. All boat ramps are accessible. Fishing has been fair. Anglers have been catching trout, bass, sunfish, walleyes, and channel catfish. Try worms, meal worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, lures such as spinners, Super Dupers, Mister Twister worms (chartreuse green, brown or gray with silver specks) on ¼-ounce lead head jigs, crankbaits, and Rapalas, and flies such as peacock ladies, wooly worms and wooly buggers and semi-seal leeches. Fish near structure such as rocks, trees, weed beds, and fishing piers. Fool Hollow State Park has excellent camping facilities. Anglers wishing to fish the lake for free must use the southwest side boat ramp and parking area. A fee is charged for use of the other facilities including the east side boat ramp. The lake is open to 10 hp. Motors.
RAINBOW LAKE — The lake will be stocked with catchable size rainbow trout this week. Fishing is good. Try worms, meal worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, lures such as spinners, Z-rays, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and Rapalas, and flies such as wooly worms or wooly buggers, semi-seal leeches, peacock ladies, prince nymphs, zug bugs, and brown Montana stone nymphs. Northern pike are being caught on spinnerbaits, Rapalas, and big spinners. Anglers have been catching largemouth bass on Rapalas and crankbaits. Trout, bass, bullheads, and channel catfish have been caught on worms off the fishing pier. We are encouraging anglers to keep all northern pike that are caught. Northern pike are not desirable in Rainbow Lake because they eat stocked rainbow trout and small bass and we want them removed. The lake is open to 10 hp. motors.
SILVER CREEK — The stream will be stocked with catchable size Apache trout this week and fishing is good. Silver Creek on the Arizona Game and Fish Department property is open to statewide angling regulations, including bait fishing and six-trout bag and possession limit (from April 1 through Sept. 30). The upper section (big fence boundary) is closed to fishing. Try small lures such as Mepps, Rooster Tail, and Panther Martin spinners. Fish upstream or downstream. Fly-fishing anglers may want to try peacock ladies, beadhead black or green wooly buggers, prince nymphs, zug bugs, bead head nymphs, mayfly and caddis fly nymph imitations, and shrimp patterns. Fish your flies upstream and dead drift them downstream or cast your fly downstream and retrieve the fly slowly upstream. Try small dry flies such as Adams, parachute Adams, midge imitations, and caddis fly patterns is sizes #16 or #18 or # 20. Night crawlers, Power Bait, and mealworms work well.
URBAN LAKES – The last catfish stocking of the spring/summer season is scheduled the week of June 25-30. With the high temperatures of summer here, it becomes impractical to continue to haul live fish into Arizona’s urban lakes. No fish stockings will be scheduled during July, August and the first half of September. Mark your calendars: fall catfish stockings will resume the week of Sept. 17-22. Anglers can still fish for catfish, bass and bluegill at Urban waters throughout the summer, but the action is generally slower.
ARIVACA — The water levels continue to drop. Nonetheless, you should be able to launch most boats. The Department was unable to launch its weed cutting boat due to the lower water levels. The algae bloom is over. The fishing continues to be good to excellent. Remember, powerboats on Arivaca Lake are restricted to the use of a single electric motor only, and all bass must be immediately released back to the water. The mercury advisory for all fish is still in effect. Also, be aware of the boating regulations, specifically those pertaining to personal flotation devices. If you are not in compliance, you are subject to receiving a citation.
The Department was unable to launch its weed cutting boat due to the low water levels. The bass fishing remains fairly good with a few fish reported in the 6 pound range. Though the quality of bass in Pena Blanca Lake is similar to Arivaca Lake, the bass fishing in Pena Blanca Lake is more challenging due to the clarity of the water. The black crappies have made a comeback at this lake. This is the first time since the fish kill of several years ago that crappie are being caught in significant numbers. There have also been reports of crappie in the 11-12 inch size being caught. Remember, powerboats on Pena Blanca Lake are restricted to the use of a single electric motor only. The mercury advisory for all warm water fish is in effect. Bass less than 13 inches long must be immediately released. The daily bag limit for bass is 4. Also, be advised that Pena Blanca is not an urban lake; therefore an Urban fishing license is invalid to fish at this lake. Users of power boats must also remember the requirement to have personal flotation devices in good condition for all occupants of the boat. The water levels are starting to drop. There is a sediment build-up around the boat ramp that makes access difficult.
