Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 124
When bass go deep, like they do in winter and summer, it takes a combination of the right lure and the right technique to catch the big ones. Football head jigs dressed up in skirts and grubs are ideal lures for these deep-water hawgs. A jig has all the features that tempt fish and make them eat – the profile is relatively small, but bulky enough to look like a decent meal, and the legs and skirt wave around even when the lure is not moving, so the lure constantly sends out signals that a b... Full story
At the U.S. Open about several years ago, Arizona Nitro pro Kevin Finley found a Storm Arashi crankbait in the goodie bag he received at tournament HQ. Later, he went fishing at Lake Pleasant with a buddy, Taj White, and told him, "you tie on whatever you think I should throw – I've got a tournament coming at Pleasant." Taj absolutely smashed them with the Arashi. That's how he found out about the Arashi, and now he says it's the best crankbait he's ever used. Never Lost One Finley says he's n... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has confirmed golden algae toxin blooms as the cause of recent fish kills at both Saguaro and Canyon lakes. When golden algae is the cause of a fish kill at one of the Salt River chain lakes (Saguaro, Canyon and Apache), varying degrees of fish kills are typically observed at all three of the lakes. AZGFD staff recently collected water-quality samples at both Saguaro and Canyon, which confirmed golden algae as the cause of the fish kills. At Saguaro... Full story
"Swimbait" is a broad term – it can mean anything from a grub to a 15-inch trout imitation. They are distinct from crankbaits in design and usually in material – swimbaits tend to be made of softer stuff than crankbaits, but they are all designed to imitate some kind of baitfish. Spring is the perfect time to get acquainted with these baits if you aren't already a fan, so here are some tips to help you improve your swimbait techniques. D-Shad And Fluke Baits These little baits are all the rag... Full story
The late Aaron Martens, Rick Clunn, Gary Dobyns, and Eddie Johns are four of the most consistently successful anglers I've ever known, but their prowess isn't due just to natural ability, although that does play a part. Aaron was known as a finesse fisherman. People used to say that Rick Clunn was the Zen master of fishing. Gary Dobyns is known as a power fisherman. You may not know Eddie Johns, but if you lived anywhere near him, you'd be familiar with his name. He dominates the tournaments in... Full story
Don McDowell Outdoors is hosted by Don McDowell with a slew of guests from politicians, members of the AZ Game & Fish, avid hunters and anglers and so many more! Each Sunday you can be sure to hear great insight into current events both around the country and locally as well as the perfect guides for the current state of hunting, fishing, and conservation. Meet Don McDowell Don McDowell, Arizona native, is an avid outdoorsman and has been an active bass pro fisherman for over 22 years and in... Full story
The legend is that an angler eating lunch on the lake accidently dropped a spoon overboard. As he watched the silver spoon drift downward, sun glinting off the handle and bowl, he saw a fish dart out and try to eat it.A typical angler, this guy was inventive and always looking for a new bait, so he went home, sawed some spoons up, and put hooks and a place to tie the line on them. Voila! A new killer lure is born! Large Variety Today's spoons are usually store-bought. Some of the spoons are just... Full story
Jerry Tate of JT's Arizona Hunting and Fishing specializes in fishing Lake Pleasant.He's on the water several days a week, and has a handful of good friends who also spend tons of time on Pleasant. Between them, they always seem to know exactly where and how to fish for any species in the lake. Action Is Fast And Furious "The great thing about fishing for white bass and stripers is that once you find them, the action is fast and furious," Tate says. This kind of fishing is perfect for kids, beca... Full story
It was cold, but the fishing was hot. By Margie Anderson We went out with Dave Prothe under the worst conditions. Roosevelt was the lowest I've ever seen it, and it was cold out. The water was dirty and there was a tournament going on. Prothe, however, seemed cheerful and optimistic. And with good reason, too -- the first fish he caught (before the sun was even over the horizon) was a largemouth that weighed at least four and a half pounds. This Is The Time "This is the time of year that the wat... Full story
A crankbait can easily evolve into one of your favorite go-to techniques any time of year. Crankbaits = 'Idiot Baits'? Crankbaits are sometimes called "idiot baits" because people have the idea that there is nothing to them but casting and winding. True, you can catch fish on a plug even if that is all you do, but if you take the time to figure out just which bait and retrieve to use a crankbait can easily evolve into one of your favorite go-to techniques any time of year. Wobble, Wobble... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has introduced a new option that allows fishing and hunting license holders to have their licenses automatically renewed upon expiration. The feature is currently only available for the following licenses: Resident Hunt, Resident Fish, Resident Hunt/Fish Combo, Nonresident Fish, Nonresident Hunt/Fish Combo. To opt-in for license auto-renewal, customers must have an AZGFD portal account. Customers who have an existing portal account should use that... Full story
Early in February it can seem like the fish are on strike," says local resident and ournament angler Debbie Blanchard, "but before long the big smallmouth start to move in and you can catch a lot of really big fish." The smallmouth begin to spawn when the water reaches about 58 degrees, and they spawn deeper than largemouth do. Easy To Spot Debbie looks for beds in at least ten feet of water. They're easy to spot, she says, because smallmouth nests are as much as three times as big as... Full story
Lake Powell Report (6/23/21) Lake Powell is dropping. Inflowing water today is 10,000 Acre Feet less than outflow. The parched Southwest really needs Monsoon rain to fall this summer. Be careful when traveling on the lake. Stay in the middle of the main channel to ensure a safe trip. Stripers Still Hitting Bait Stripers are still hitting bait in the normal spots like Buoy 25 Cove and Wall, Rincon, and Moki Canyon. On my weekly fishing trip, we saw fewer slurping stripers in the channel between... Full story
[At press time] the falling lake level is slowing down slightly, but there is still more water going out than coming in. The daily water temperature now varies between 62-68 F. This is the spawning trigger for bass in Lake Powell. Expect to find male bass building and guarding nests over the length of the lake. Check The Ledges In Side Canyons Bass fishing for both largemouth and smallmouth bass is at the springtime peak. With the crazy low water levels, expect to find bass on or under ledges in...
The weather is still acting like a lion instead of a lamb. At press time, winds are still blowing this week. Check the weather report while planning a trip. There is usually a calm day or two each week. Fishing on a calm day instead of a windy day often produces more fish and more happy anglers. (Check the weather at the bottom of the home page on Wayneswords.net). Lake level is still going down. The Castle Rock Cut is closed. Bullfrog Main ramp is closed. Launching is still possible at the... Full story
Mark Kile was the guy to watch at any local tournament a few years back. We were lucky enough to go out with him several times at his home lake, Roosevelt, and he just flat knows how to catch them. This time of year, Kile would be catching forty-plus bass in half a day at Roosevelt, usually with at least one kicker over five pounds. "The fish are moving into the shallows," he'd say, "and some of them are spawning." Kile says that throwing a worm in a channel three to five feet deep will often... Full story
The legend is that an angler eating lunch on the lake accidently dropped a spoon overboard. As he watched the silver spoon drift downward, sun glinting off the handle and bowl, he saw a fish dart out and try to eat it. A typical angler, this guy was inventive and always looking for a new bait, so he went home, sawed up some spoons, and put hooks and a place to tie the line on them. Voila! A new killer lure is born! All Designed To Do Same Thing Today's spoons are usually store-bought, and they... Full story
AZGFD’s Canyon Creek Hatchery will provide some trout for the department's Community Fishing Program waters this winter. The current drought conditions have caused reduced spring water flows at the hatchery, making it difficult to maintain the quality water flow needed to support the large number of fish in its raceways. Utilizing some of the fish for winter stockings in community waters will reduce numbers of trout at the hatchery and help ensure the fish there have adequate water to grow a... Full story
Years go by and fishermen change, but the bass sure don't. We went fishing at Roosevelt one November many years ago with an AllStar Bass angler named Dave Prothe, and he schooled us on spinnerbaits and crankbaits in cold weather. Baits To Start We started out with spinnerbaits and crankbaits on a rocky bank where the channel swings in close to shore – in the Tonto end across from Cholla on the edge of Goose Flats. The boat was sitting in just three feet of water. Dave says that when the water s... Full story
Water temperature at Wahweap Marina has dropped below 70 F in the early mornings. It has been a long, hot summer, but the intense heat is finally departing. Daytime air temperature is still in the 80's but next week drops into the 70s. The long-awaited Fall season is late, but very welcome now that it is finally coming. Hopefully, fish will respond positively to the cooling water. This past week they were a bit lethargic. The best time to catch stripers and bass was from 8-10 a.m. Then it... Full story
Bass Pro Brett Hite has won over $1.6 million fishing tournaments. We got to go out with him on Bartlett a couple of years ago, and he gave us some great fall fishing tips. He's a cool guy. Keep It Basic Brett says keep it basic in the fall. He likes topwater, jigs, and drop shot rigs for the most part this time of year. He took us into the river at Bartlett and fished rocky banks that pretty much no one else fished, targeting banks on the deeper side of the river channel where it swings close... Full story
The warm blanket of water was ripped off the surface by an unprecedented cold blast from the north. At press time, daily air temperature has been in the 100s, with low air temperature in the 80s. The water temperature has been holding in the 80s but is now 76 and may be lower tomorrow. How will fish respond to the quick cold front? Stripers In the past week, stripers have been feeding on the surface at dawn and dusk. They were not dependable each day but when it was about time to give up, they... Full story
We began the weekly fish-sampling trip with a quick run to Warm Creek before the sun cleared the horizon. Last week we found quick boils and caught stripers on surface lures and spoons. This week was a bust with no fish on top and no fish showing up on the graph. That was what I expected so we headed uplake. We scanned the surface as we ran directly into the rising sun. Leaping stripers are often backlit while heading east in early morning light, making them easier to see. Still no fish showed... Full story
Lake Powell water temperature in the morning remains at 72F. It will get warmer but now the wind is still mixing the warm surface layers with cool deep layers of water. The lake remains very busy with lots of boats over the length of the lake. Get to the launch ramp early to head out for a morning fishing trip. Run Uplake I followed that advice recently and headed out to Warm Creek to test fishing success. We trolled for stripers but did not catch any. Then we switched to bass lures. We caught... Full story
Lake Powell is now back to normal and open for fishing, recreating and camping 24 hours per day. Smallmouth Bass fishing has been incredible with a consistent catch of 40 fish or better each day. Most anglers are pounding the shoreline from 5-30 feet deep with plastic baits including Ned rigs, plastic grubs, Maniac Cutter bugs, and various crankbaits. Many have enjoyed topwater fishing in the early morning and evening in coves and the backs of canyons. Lake Powell bass seem happy to have anglers... Full story
