Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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With catfish stockings at all Phoenix and Tucson urban waters on hold during the summer months, fishing becomes more challenging, requiring anglers to be adaptable, patient and persistent. Plenty of wily catfish still lurk the depths of the lakes, especially larger lakes of more than 4 acres. Catfishing is fair for anglers using worms, stink baits, or shrimp fished on the bottom. Catfish can be caught throughout the day, but are most active when the sun goes down. Most catfish are from 14-18... Full story
The most recent catfish stocking at press time was the week of April 29 – May 4 at all Phoenix and Tucson area Urban waters. Cats from previous stockings have been biting very well on worms, stink baits, and hot dogs or shrimp fished on the bottom. Catfish have been active throughout the day with mornings and evenings best. Worms (night crawlers) have been the top bait for three Urban category Big Fish-of-the-Year entries, all in March. Robert Foy hauled in an 8.2-pound, 22-inch largemouth b... Full story
Governor Jan Brewer on May 7 signed into law Senate Bill 1223, a bill that allows the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to set future hunting and fishing license structure and fees directly through a streamlined, customer-focused process. The bill, which is supported by 24 sportsmen's organizations, gives the Game and Fish Department the ability to operate more like a business and react to changing market conditions and customer needs in a timely manner. It previously passed the Arizona House, 43-10, on April 15 and the Arizona Senate, 26-2, on... Full story
It’s that time of the year when Arizonans flock to their favorite outdoor places, and the continued warm, windy and dry conditions mean that fire and smoking restrictions will be in place throughout the state by the Memorial Day weekend. Public land managers are urging the public to be careful with fires and to know if the area they plan to visit is under fire restrictions. Know before you go! During these times of warmer weather and high winds, and before the start of the monsoons and lightning, most wildfires are human caused. Public land m... Full story
The Arizona State Parks Board authorized eight Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreation Fund projects totaling $778,563 at a recent 2013 Parks Board meeting. The statewide OHV Program uses funds from the state Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Fund and the federal Recreational Trails Program (motorized portion) to fund projects that meet the high priority needs identified in the 2010 State Trails Plan. The Arizona State Parks Board's volunteer advisory committees (Off-Highway Vehicle Advisory Group (OH... Full story
Catalina State Park in Tucson, Arizona will be celebrating its 30th anniversary on May 4, 2013. Arizona State Parks and the Friends of Catalina State Park are co-sponsoring a daylong celebration that will take place at the Park. The day's activities will commemorate the founding of the Park in May 1983. There will be guided hikes throughout the day starting at 7 a.m. Beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing until 4 p.m., there will be interpretative programs, live animal displays, informational... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is seeking to inform and educate the public about certain species that are “restricted live wildlife" which cannot be imported, exported, or possessed without a special license or lawful exception. The issue has arisen because of recent cases in the Tucson area involving possession of Gila monsters, among the most common restricted live wildlife. Other common species include skunks, hedgehogs, deer, Gambels quail, snapping turtles, clawed frogs, alligators, and piranhas. See http://www.az... Full story
March offers the best time of the year to fish your nearby park lakes for trout, sunfish, bass and catfish. Good fishing for trout will continue through March as all lakes receive their final winter stockings. Most trout are biting on Power Bait fished on the bottom, but worms and small jigs have worked well at times. The cool morning hours are the best times to target the trout. As waters warm up, try fishing for largemouth bass that are now moving closer to shore as they prepare to spawn and... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department has hosted its series of public forums to meet with constituents about developing the 2013 fall hunt recommendations for deer, bighorn sheep, turkey, javelina, buffalo, bear, mountain lion, and small game animals. The meetings were held in Yuma, Mesa, Pinetop, Flagstaff, Tucson and Kingman. Constituents interested in particular game management units within those regions had the opportunity to discuss management direction. The meetings allowed the department... Full story
Oracle State Park, Center for Environmental Education, will be open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 8am to 5pm through April 28. Spring activities will include the popular guided bird walks and hikes, tours of the historic Kannally ranch house, and environmental education school programs are offered weekdays by reservation. Environmental education programs for school children, first through sixth grades, are scheduled by reservation on weekdays at (520) 895-2425. Thousands of... Full story
Join us for the annual historic re-enactment of an Arizona Civil War skirmish, Battle of Picacho Pass, and the New Mexico battles of Glorieta and Val Verde at "Civil War in the Southwest" at Picacho Peak State Park. The three re-enactments will take place on Saturday, March 16 and Sunday, March 17, 2013. Activities will take place from 10am to 4pm both days but gates will open at 9:30am and no further entry is allowed after 3pm. Visitors travel from around the country to experience these... Full story
Grand Canyon, Ariz. - On January 15, 2013, at 10:30 am, the National Park Service will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Science and Resource Management building on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park across the street from Park Headquarters. Park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga and other special guests will dedicate the new state of the art facility which is on track to receive a Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED is a third party certification... Full story
The 2013 Arizona Fishing Regulations are now available at all seven Arizona Game and Fish Department offices and at fishing license dealers throughout the state. They are also posted online at www.azgfd.gov/fishing. “Arizona’s diverse fisheries offer great opportunities all year round,” said Acting Fisheries Chief Eric Swanson. “If getting outdoors, staying healthy and spending quality time with family and friends are among your 2013 resolutions, fishing is a great way to meet your goals, have f... Full story
The Arizona Game and Fish Department has announced that the online application service for Arizona’s 2013 elk and pronghorn antelope hunt draw is now available. Hunters who haven’t yet submitted an application for a hunt permit-tag now have the option of applying online by visiting https://az.gov/app/huntdraw/home.xhtml and scrolling down to the “Apply for a Draw” link. Antelope, Elk Hunt Draw Information The 2013 Pronghorn Antelope and Elk Hunt Draw Information Booklet is available online... Full story
Oracle State Park Center for Environmental Education will re-open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays beginning Feb. 2, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Spring activities will include the popular guided bird walks and hikes, tours of the historic Kannally ranch house, an astronomy night, nature-based workshops and Earth Day programs. Tours of the historic Kannally Ranch House will also resume weekly on Saturdays and Sunday starting Feb. 2 at 10 a.m. and offered again at 2 p.m. House tours are free with... Full story
Every Saturday — Wildlife Exhibit The Reptile/Wildlife Exhibit runs every Saturday from 9am - Noon, weather permitting. Volunteer Jim "the Snake Man" Cloer and his crew of volunteer assistants enchant visitors at the park trail head with a menagerie of reptiles, arachnids and animals who inhabit the Sonoran Desert. Meet at Main Trailhead parking area at Catalina State Park. Contact the Park for more information at (520) 628-5798. Sunday Hikes Register with Volunteer Gaston Meloche at (520) 6... Full story
Rainbow trout stockings are well underway and will continue all winter long at two-week intervals. Trout range in size from 11-12 inches in length, with some fish up to 16 inches. Fishing is good to excellent for anglers using scented dough baits (such as Power Bait), worms or corn on the bottom. Tip: Anglers using 2-4 pound test line are getting 2-3 times more bites than anglers using 8-12 pound line. Small spinners such as Roostertails and Panther Martins, or spoons such as Kastmasters and... Full story
November promises to provide excellent fishing at Urban Fishing Program lakes. The Phoenix and Tucson urban lakes have been loaded with catfish all fall with one last stocking in early November. Additionally, 15,000 bluegill were stocked. And, good news: The first trout delivery for the winter season began on Nov. 15 (see below for more information on the trout and bluegill stockings). Top baits for catfish are hot dogs, shrimp, and stink baits with fish biting throughout the day. Anglers are... Full story
A snowy egret with enormous white wings outspread, balances precariously on a tiny yellow branch. The image, captured by Bryan Keil of Scottsdale, Ariz., is the grand prize winner in this year’s wildlife photo contest. The contest, sponsored by the Arizona Game and Fish Department, attracted more than 400 entries from across Arizona and beyond. Winning images have been published in a full-size 2013 wildlife calendar in the November–December issue of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine. The oth... Full story
Fishing out of Wahweap is hot and cold. Fishing is super hot for the first hour of light in the morning. Toss a small profile surface lure like a Sammy or Sugoi splash toward the shoreline for fast action from smallmouth bass and juvenile striped bass. On one morning recently, one of the hottest spots was the Stateline ramp cove. A shad school moved under the courtesy dock at first light and was quickly surrounded by bass and stripers. Lures landing on the outer perimeter of the shad school... Full story
All lakes were stocked again with channel catfish the week of Oct. 1-6. Fishing for catfish is good to excellent now that the fall stockings have resumed. Mornings and evenings are the best times as catfish prefer to feed under dim or dark conditions. While the majority of stocked catfish are caught in the first five days of stocking, anglers are still catching cats one to two weeks later at a slower rate. Top baits for catfish have been stink baits, shrimp and worms fished on the bottom in the... Full story
TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is currently analyzing a recent trail camera photo of either a jaguar or an ocelot sighted southeast of Tucson. The photo includes only the tail and a small portion of a hind quarter of the animal, making positive identification more difficult. Game and Fish is now consulting with outside experts about the photo, taken Sept. 23 and submitted by a sportsman, to better identify the species. Reported By Hunters Four of the last five confirmed jag...
Oct. 19, 2012 PHOENIX - The Arizona Game and Fish Department will host a series of public meetings statewide in November to discuss proposed legislation to allow the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to establish hunting and fishing license structure directly through a streamlined, customer-focused process. The proposal would provide the commission more flexibility to change the license structure and license products to be responsive to customer needs and changing conditions. “Potential benefits... Full story
After what sometimes seems an interminable summer, Arizonans welcome autumn with great enthusiasm. They join others across the country in celebrating the colors that signal the freshness of fall. The vibrant aspens, maples and oaks of Arizona’s outdoors comprise a wonderful palette of color. Many have offered their opinions about the ideal times and places to view the kaleidoscope of colors, and here are some of the favorites — road trips that take you through the grandeur of a Southwestern fal... Full story
From AZGFD The online application service for Arizona’s spring 2013 hunt permit-tags issued through the drawing process for turkey, javelina, buffalo and bear is now available at https://phx.az.gov/app/huntdraw/home.xhtml. The online service allows payment with a credit card (VISA and Mastercard only). The cost of the hunt permit-tag won’t be charged unless the applicant is drawn. The online service works with the following browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome and Saf... Full story
