The following information was received from the Arizona Game and Fish Department Aug. 15:
Recommended waters to fish: Big Lake and Crescent Lake are open, accessible by both Hwy 273 and Hwy 261, and should be great fishing. Sheeps Crossing, Greer and Silver Creek are the only streams being stocked weekly. A number of large rainbow trout (up to two pounds) will be stocked soon into Fool Hollow Lake and Show Low Lake. These large trout tend to be more catchable than a regular 9" stocker, plus they are way more fun to catch. Willow Springs Lake and Woods Canyon Lake continue to be the best producing lakes on the Rim; however, Bear Canyon Lake is also good.
Mogollon Rim waters
All Rim Lakes are accessible.
BEAR CANYON LAKE - Fishing is fair to good. The lake was stocked last week with 782 rainbow trout.
BLACK CANYON LAKE - Fishing for stocked trout is fair to good. Some bass are also being caught. The lake level is very low, approximately eight feet down, and launching a boat may be difficult.
CHEVELON LAKE - Fishing is fair to good. This lake is a hike-in fishery. The steep sides of this lake make it difficult for shore anglers to gain access, except the upper end has relatively good shoreline for fishing. This lake is best fished from a float tube, canoe or kayak, but you have to carry them in, and more importantly, pack them back out the steep trail. The lake is open to lures and flies only, and trout 10-14 inches may not be possessed. The daily and possession limit is six trout.
WILLOW SPRINGS LAKE - Fishing is fair to good. The lake will be stocked this week with 4,500 rainbow trout. Trolling with lures, flies, or bait with cowbells has been successful. This lake also has largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and crappie. There are no limits on these illegally-introduced warmwater fish. Please catch and keep all you can.
WOODS CANYON LAKE - Fishing is fair to good. The lake will be stocked this week with 4,374 rainbow trout. Trolling with lures, flies or bait with cowbells has been successful. The store is open and boat rentals are available.
White Mountain waters
Additional portions of the Apache National Forest were recently opened to public access, with the majority of the Springerville and Alpine Ranger Districts now open to access (all of the Clifton, Lakeside and Black Mesa Ranger Districts are open to access). Select areas of the Springerville and Alpine Districts are still closed for safety reasons due to the Wallow Fire and associated hazard trees and flooding. Highways 273 and 261 are open to Big, Crescent and Lee Valley Lakes. The Greer lakes, Nelson Reservoir, Luna Lake, Carnero Lake and Sheeps Crossing are open. Additional roads south of Big Lake opened recently, including Forest Roads 24, 25, portions of 26, 68, 72 and others. For specific information on Forest Closures, contact the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests or check their website.
BECKER LAKE - Fishing is fair. Water temperatures are high, so fish early in the morning for best success. The fish will be deep, so try fishing small midges in 10-12 feet of water in early morning. Becker is catch-and-release only, with artificial lures and flies only with single hook.
BIG LAKE - Fishing is good. Anglers are often catching limits of trout in an hour or two, especially at first light. The best fishing is from a boat, especially trolling cowbells or a Rebel crickhopper. The store is open and boat rentals are available. Anglers are catching trout in 10-15 feet of water.
CARNERO LAKE - Fishing is fair to good. The lake is open, but the water level is low and weedy. The boat launching area is very low and weedy. Float tubers and kayakers are putting in about 50-100 yards to the north of the boat ramp area. The best approach is in a canoe or boat with oars to cruise over the weeds, then flip a fly into pockets of open water, even small areas. The lake is open to artificial lures and flies only, barbless hooks, and a two-trout bag and possession limit.
CLEAR CREEK RESERVOIR - Fishing is poor for trout and bass, fair for catfish. The lake is muddy due to thunderstorms last week.
CONCHO LAKE - Fishing is poor. Water levels are extremely low and the lake is covered with weeds.
CRESCENT LAKE - Fishing is good. Reports of large trout being caught have come in recently, including a 4.5-pound rainbow trout and fat brook trout. Anglers should fish off deep rocky shoreline areas. The store is closed.
FOOL HOLLOW LAKE - Fishing is fair to good. The lake will be stocked this week with 1,730 rainbow trout. Additional large trout (up to two pounds) will be stocked soon. Camping is available at this State Recreation Area. Anglers have been catching trout, smallmouth and largemouth bass, walleyes, crappies, sunfish and channel catfish.
GREER LAKES - Fishing is poor to fair. All three lakes are very low due to heavy irrigation use in early
summer. Launching boats is difficult. The boat ramps at River and Bunch Reservoirs are not usable. Tunnel Reservoir is very low and only small boats or float tubes can be used. Fishing is poor at River Reservoir due to ash and debris runoff from the Little Colorado River, fair at Bunch, and poor at Tunnel. Benny Creek and Hoyer Campgrounds are open.
HULSEY LAKE - The lake is now open, but fishing is poor. The lake had been drained immediately following the Wallow Fire to help reduce expected flooding off Escudilla Mountain.
LEE VALLEY LAKE - Fishing is poor for Apache trout and Arctic grayling due to high pH levels. The lake is low (5.5 feet down) and launching a boat will be difficult. Use only small boats or float tubes. Lee Valley is open to artificial lures and flies only, with a two-trout limit. Winn Campground is open.
LUNA LAKE - Fishing is poor following a small fish kill in mid-July due to low oxygen levels. The lake level is low (~ 5 feet down). The Luna Lake Campground is open.
LYMAN LAKE - Lyman Lake State Park is open. Fishing is good for catfish and carp, and fair for bass. Camping is available.
NELSON RESERVOIR - Fishing is poor for trout. The lake has experienced a major fish kill due to low oxygen levels that resulted from an algae bloom crash. Dissolved oxygen levels are lowest (~ 2 ppm) near the dam, but surprisingly highest in the shallow upper end. Large sunfish can still be caught in the upper end.
RAINBOW LAKE - Fishing is poor to fair. Bullheads are being caught on worms off the fishing pier. Sunfish and small bass are active along the shorelines. The weeds have been thinned throughout much of the lake by the weed harvester and an herbicide treatment in early July, but are still fairly thick in the upper end.
SCOTT RESERVOIR - Fishing is fair. The lake level is low; use caution when launching boats.
SHOW LOW LAKE - Fishing is fair to good. Show Low Lake was stocked last week with 4,325 rainbow trout, and will be stocked soon with large rainbow trout (up to two pounds). The store and campground are open, and boat rentals are available.
WOODLAND LAKE - Fishing is poor for trout and fair for bass. The lake is very low and weedy. A spot of open water is located at the end of the fishing pier. Largemouth bass are being caught on lures and flies early in the morning and late in the evening.
White Mountain streams
EAST FORK OF THE BLACK RIVER - The East Fork Black River is now open, but only by foot. Forest Road
276 is closed to vehicle use, and the only vehicle access is at the Forest Road 24 bridge at Buffalo Crossing. However, fishing is poor due to ash flows and likely fish kills. Use caution when entering open areas within the Wallow Fire due to flooding, hazard trees and other dangers. The campgrounds and Forest Road 276 will remain closed, and will not be stocked for the rest of the year.
WEST FORK OF THE BLACK RIVER - The West Fork Campground and some middle portions of the West Fork are still closed to the public. The remainder of the stream has been opened. Fishing for wild Apache trout is fair in the upper reach above Forest Road 116 where there was no impact from the Wallow Fire. This section is catch-and-release only with artificial lures and flies. The lower reaches near Forest Roads 25 and 68 are open, but fishing is likely poor due to ash flows and likely fish kills. The campground and Forest Road 68A will remain closed, and will not be stocked for the rest of the year.
BLACK RIVER - Much of the river was recently opened to public access, except for a portion from Bear Creek downstream to Fish Creek due to hazards remaining from the Wallow Fire. Vehicle access is open at Wildcat Crossing on Forest Road 25. However, fishing is likely poor in the Black River due to ash flows and likely fish kills. There is no trout stocking program in this river.
LITTLE COLORADO RIVER IN GREER - Fishing is fair. The stream was stocked last week in front of the Rendezvous Restaurant. Stream conditions change weekly due to monsoon weather patterns, and the stream may or may not be stocked. The Government Spring area at the end of the Greer Road is open to walk in use, but the road is closed to vehicles.
LCR at SHEEPS CROSSING - Fishing is good. The stream was stocked above the bridge last week with 600 Apache trout, and will be stocked again this week. The entire West Fork LCR is now open to the public, both upstream and downstream of the bridge.
SILVER CREEK - Fishing is good to excellent. The stream was stocked with 3,500 Apache trout last week, and will be stocked this week with 1,700 Apache trout.
Fort Apache Reservation waters
A valid White Mountain Apache Tribal permit is required for all outdoor activities including fishing on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation and can be obtained at different permit vendors on and off the reservation. Fireworks possession and use are STRICTLY prohibited on the reservation. Visit the web site www.wmatoutdoors.org or call the WMAT Wildlife and Outdoor Recreation Division at (928) 338-4385 for the latest fishing report, regulations, fire restriction information, permit or permit vendor information. The following information was received from WMAT WORD Aug. 1:
A-1 LAKE - Fishing is good. Try baits like nightcrawlers, Powerbait or corn. Try spinners such as Panther Martins, Mepp's and Rooster Tails or spoons like Z-Rays.
BIG BEAR LAKE - Fishing is fair. Try baits such as nightcrawlers or Powerbait either off the top or bottom. Try spinners like Rooster Tails or silver Z-Rays.
BOG TANK - Fishing is good. Try nightcrawlers or Powerbait either off the top or bottom. Try lures like Rooster Tails or spinners like Kastmasters. State Route 260 is open. No camping.
BOOTLEG LAKE - Fishing is fair. Try baits like nightcrawlers or salmon eggs. With the warmer weather, try soft baits like worms and spinner baits for largemouth bass; try stinkbaits for channel catfish.
CHRISTMAS TREE LAKE - Reserve your spot by calling Hon-Dah Ski and Outdoor Sport toll free 1-877-226-4868.
COOLEY LAKE - Fishing is good. Try baits like nightcrawlers, Powerbait or lures like Panther Martins. Try crankbaits and swimbaits in weeds for largemouth bass; try stinkbaits or chicken livers for channel catfish.
DRIFT FENCE LAKE - Fishing is good. Try Powerbait or nightcrawlers, spinners or spoons. You can access Drift Fence on Az SR 273/FR 116 or Indian Routes 55 and 70.
EARL PARK LAKE - Fishing is good. Earl Park Lake permit required, including for tribal members. Fly-fishing, catch-and-release only. Baits, lures and egg patterns are prohibited.
HAWLEY LAKE - Fishing is good. Try baits such as nightcrawlers, rainbow Powerbait or corn off the bottom. Try lures like spoons or spinners. Lake facilities are available. Boat rentals, cabins, store, restaurant and RV hookups are available.
HORSESHOE LAKE - Fishing is good. Try nightcrawlers and Powerbait, or salmon eggs, or lures like spinners or spoons. Boat anglers are doing well with bait and flies.
LITTLE BEAR LAKE - Fishing is good. Try baits like nightcrawlers, corn or rainbow Powerbait off the bottom. Try lures like Pistol Pete's, Kastmasters or Mepp's spinners. Try wet flies.
PACHETA LAKE - Fishing is good. Lake is catch-and-release only, with articial flies and single barbless hooks. No bait fishing allowed. Try midges and C'mids. Pacheta is accessible on Az SR 273/FR 116 or Indian Routes 55 and 70.
RESERVATION LAKE - Fishing is good. Try Powerbait, nightcrawlers or marshmallows. Try lures such as spinners or spoons. You can access Reservation Lake on Az SR 273/FR 116 or Indian Routes 55 and 70. Store is open - cabins and boat rentals are available.
SUNRISE LAKE - Fishing is good. Boat anglers are doing well with bait, lures and flies. Try baits like nightcrawlers, Powerbait, salmon eggs and lures such as Z-Rays or flies such as Wooly Buggers. Best early in the day before it gets too windy.
STREAMS - Fishing is good. Try baits like nightcrawlers or salmon eggs inpools and lures like Rooster Tails or Mepp's spinners or spoons like Kastmasters or Mepp's Black Fury.
BLACK AND SALT RIVERS - Closed due to potentially dangerous flooding.
TONTO LAKE (Tribal members only) - Fishing is good. Try Powerbait or nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, spinners or spoons. Tribal members can pick up their annual fishing license, with proof of tribal enrollment, at the Whiteriver Game and Fish office.
The following information was received from the Arizona Game and Fish Department Aug. 17:
Creeks below Mogollon Rim
HAIGLER CREEK - Haigler Creek is stocked weekly with rainbow trout near the campgrounds. These fish can be easily taken using bait, spinners and a variety of flies. The upper hike in section (from Fisherman's Point) has good numbers of wild rainbows and some large wild browns. Try attractor patterns and small beadhead nymphs like hares ear, copper john and prince nymphs.
CANYON CREEK - The upstream portion of Canyon Creek (above OW Bridge) is stocked weekly with rainbow trout and you can keep 4 trout of any size. Bait, spinners and flies are very effective for the rainbows. The lower section below OW Bridge contains primarily wild brown trout and is catch-and-release only using artificial flies and lures. Please obey these regulations.
This time of year terrestrials can provide some good action. Try using a grasshopper or cicada pattern and dropping a small beadhead nymph off of it. Don't be afraid to fish for the larger browns after dark. Try using wolly buggers, muddler minnows or even a floating mouse pattern. Fishing can be slow but you might be rewarded with a large brown trout.
TONTO CREEK - Upper Tonto Creek (above Hwy 260) is stocked weekly with rainbow trout. Try the usual stuff. There are good numbers of wild rainbow and brown trout downstream of Bear Flat. The hiking is strenuous and you should be prepared to swim if you plan to fish very far below Bear Flat.
Although there is a mercury consumption advisory for Tonto Creek, it does not affect the portion of the creek where people trout fish, nor is there any issue with eating trout caught there.
CHRISTOPHER CREEK - Stocked weekly with rainbow trout. The section of stream near the See Canyon trail head contains a nice mix of stocked rainbow trout and wild browns. This is a really nice section of stream to fish. Try your typical trout arsenal.
Central Arizona waters
SALT RIVER - Salt River into Roosevelt is 201 cfs, and Salt River Canyon is 194 cfs. They are releasing 1,625 cfs out of Stewart Mountain Dam from Saguaro.
ROOSEVELT LAKE - Lake Elevation is 2,130 ft (76 percent full). Tonto Creek runoff is 0 cfs while inflow from the Salt River is at 201 cfs. The nights are getting longer and cooler, so look for action to pick up during the day, especially at first and last light. We should be seeing the leading edge of the fall topwater bite right now. An angler fished from 7:30 to 11 p.m. and caught 7 nice bass mid lake in the vicinity of Windy Hill. Two were over 16 inches. They were all caught on plastics around 30 feet of water. The bite was real soft. An angler did real well using buzzbait in the morning landing a couple 3-pound largemouth bass and a couple more between 13 and 16 inches. Once it was warm and the clouds burned off, a ½-ounce shakey head rigged red Power Worm enticed four largemouth along a rocky bank that had a nice slope to it. He finished till about 2 p.m.
APACHE - Lake elevation is 1,909 feet (95 percent full). This lake has been producing well all summer, especially for largemouth bass. With the nights getting longer and cooler, expect the topwater action to start picking up here during the daytime.
An angler fished for about 3.5 hours from 5 to 8:30 p.m. He threw shad color 5-inch Senkos that resulted in boating three smallmouth bass, three fat largemouth bass and one walleye. Water temps were about 88 degrees and water clarity was 3 feet.
One fisherman caught 12 largemouth and three smallmouth bass on various colored Robo Worms on dropshot along the banks. Average size was about a pound. Largest was 2 pounds. He noted a spawn was successful this year as he caught two youngsters. He also caught something big but it straightened the hook and the fish got away.
CANYON - Lake elevation is 1,658 ft, which is 96 percent full. An angler on a fishing tube fished early morning at Boulder and caught four largemouth bass on topwater. Bite shut down in after 7:30 or so. Jig bite was real slow later on. Another angler had the same luck. Topwater worked well in the morning but the bite fell off and he only caught one two pound bass after 7:30 a.m.
With the nights getting longer and cooler, expect the topwater action to continue picking up.
SAGUARO - Lake elevation 1,525 feet at 93 percent full. Daytime topwater action is picking up, but it's still a little crazy with recreational boaters on the weekends. However, if you can fish during the weekdays, this is a good choice, especially for a mixed bag of largemouth bass, yellow bass, bluegill and channel catfish.
Fishing at night under lights should continue getter better and better as we move toward a new moon. Should be a quarter moon this weekend, so watch the moon rise and set times. A group of 3 anglers caught 2 small bass and a yellow bass in about 4 hours of fishing. No details on what they used.
Colorado River waters
LAKE POWELL - By: Wayne Gustaveson Aug. 10. Lake Elevation: 3,660. Water Temperature 78-83 F
The strict division between good fishing uplake and bad fishing downlake remains in place.
The best fishing spots from last week include the main channel from Buoy 92-98 and the backs of the canyons near Hite.
Shad are present in the relatively clear water of the channel where they have abundant plankton to eat. Stripers find shad schools feeding near the surface and drive them to the surface where shad are disadvantaged and can be consumed more efficiently.
Shad size is still small which equates to stripers eating in quick bites followed by a dive into deep water and then a return to the surface some distance away. This is frustrating to anglers if stripers only come up once. The key to catching them is to be in casting range when they resurface the second or third time. If they come up in range catching success is high. If they only surface once then be prepared for more chasing than catching.
Near Hite, water clarity in the channel is murkier than that in the canyons. So look in White, Farleys and Trachyte Canyons to find cooperative stripers. The same rules apply. If they resurface in the same area catching prevails, if not the cooler remains empty.
Shad and stripers exhibit different feeding behavior each day. Some days they are very aggressive and stay up for long periods. But normally there is a daily timing pattern. Right now the pattern is better, stronger, higher quality boils in the evening hours. In the hot spots near Bullfrog anglers are catching up to 25 stripers in the morning and then 50 or more in the evening. There may be a mid day boil but reports are random and non repeatable. If only fishing one time period, evening is the time to choose.
Fishing for all species out of Wahweap is challenging. Lockjaw is common although both smallmouth and largemouth bass are caught on main outside points as fish wait for a shad school to swim by. Fishing will improve in the south soon, as the lake is now slowly declining and bass will be able to find a home range where they can hang out their shingle and spend some time. The rapid rise in lake elevation has covered so much inviting brush that largemouth are scattered over a very wide area. Anglers are reporting finding largemouth schools and catching a ton of fish only to go back the next day and find none. Fishing will remain hit-or-miss for the next week or two and then improve dramatically. Look for great fishing lakewide in September as shad and sport fish numbers are high.
Remote locations of the San Juan, Escalante and Hite will be the first areas to show improved fishing. Right now the best bet is to go to Bullfrog or Hite and chase evening boils. I really wish that was closer for me and I live at Lake Powell. I will keep watching and impatiently waiting so I can let you know as soon as fishing on the south end improves.
LEES FERRY - by Lees Ferry Anglers, Terry Gunn, Friday, July 29.
The cicadas have mostly stopped singing and some fish will still eat a dry fly although sporadically.
This was not a banner cicada year; every year is different and the hatch was not very strong this year.
The most important recent news is the warming river water. The river began to warm in early June and the river water temperature has been steadily increasing on a weekly basis. The normal river temperature is a chilly 48-degrees, the current river temperature is between 55 and 57 degrees. Current projections call for it to max out at between 59 and 61 degrees which is almost wet wading water.
This is not the first time that we have experienced warming water; the last episode was in 2005 when our water temps increase into the mid 60's, but that was due to extremely low reservoir conditions in Lake Powell.
The current warming trend is due to the extreme high flows entering the lake and the mixing effect of these flows on the thermocline in the lake. The extreme high releases from the dam also helps to mix the water up. I think that this is all good for the fish and the aquatic food base as 48 degree water is a bit colder than trout prefer. The fish are all in gorgeous condition and growing rapidly. Every customer is commenting on how the fish are the strongest that they have ever encountered.
The heavy nymph fishing continues to be productive and consistent. I'm using a very long leader (14-feet from the indicator to the AAA split shot), with a San Juan worm and a size #14 ginger scud. We have been drifting the riffles and runs that we would usually wade. This style of fishing is especially productive and consistent in the higher water.
The trout continue to eat midges in certain areas of the river and your best bet is to fish a double midge rig on a long leader with a split shot. Assorted zebra midges are the ticket and the larger sizes work best. I have been surprised at the intensity of the midge hatches in the higher water, I usually associate prolific midge hatches to lower flow releases but that has not been the case.
Streamer fishing has also been very productive most days. I have been using a 25-feet heavy sink-tip and a bead head or cone head olive woolly bugger. There have been days when it is almost a fish every cast!
The current water flow from Glen Canyon Dam is 25,000-cfs, 24 hours a day.
Lake Powell has peaked for the year and is about 39-ft from being full. This is the highest that the lake has been in more than a decade. The high flows bode well for the river and fishing; every "fishing boom" period at Lees Ferry has been preceded by extended high water flows exactly like the one we are seeing right now; it is all about nutrient transfer, food production, oxygenation, and movement of food.
Expect high flows to continue for several months and if there is a good snow pack next year expect to see them again. This is all about filling lake Mead which is still at critically low levels despite the high flows. Current flow projections are calling for a reduction in water releases for September and October to 14,000 cfs; the fishing should really be on fire with these lower flows so plan to be here.
Walk in
Report by: Scott Sargent
The walk-in area has been receiving great reviews the last couple of days. I have been trying dries, mostly cicadas and anything else easily visible on the water with a dropper in the early mornings and late evenings to much success, but I have been mostly nymphing. Zebra and Laser midges have been very productive. Surprisingly, Glo-Bugs have been very effective as well. Midges, Glo-Bugs, San Juan Worms, and dries under the right circumstances have all been working well in the Walk-In. Streamers, like woolly buggers in olive have also been a little different setup for me, but has been seen to be productive.
As for location, the entire walk-in, anywhere, has been fishing well. Remember that techniques vary depending on the location. Vary your split shot and flies to receive the most optimum results.
Come to our Fly Shop if you need any flies, or local knowledge and know-how of the river. We're located 9 miles past the Navajo Bridge in route to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Spin Fishing
Spin fishing is good! It's all about bouncing glo bugs off the bottom. You can also try fishing with gold KastMasters or black and gold Panther Martins. I have heard many success stories with these two lures.