Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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Tip Of The Week All active duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces stationed in Arizona, along with their spouses, may purchase resident hunting and fishing licenses. The Reel Deal Grab a license online, 24/7 (and help conserve all species of wildlife). There are only a few weeks left before winter conditions prevail in the high country, so if you're looking for scents of pine, scenes of eagles and tight lines from trout, go now. The trout bite is hot at spots such as Dogtown, Kinnikinick,... Full story
Publisher's Note: We at Arizona Boating & Watersports / Western Outdoor Times would like to congratulate Don McDowell. His hard work, perseverance, and dedication to preserving our wildlife has been acknowledged by his being awarded the AZGF Commission Advocate Of The Year (Federal). McDowell has worked tirelessly for many years to preserve our outdoor heritage. He is a valuable asset to the State of Arizona and the country as well. We hope that those who are responsible for making decisions... Full story
The trout have made their annual Thanksgiving comeback to Tempe Town Lake. The City of Tempe and Arizona Game and Fish Department hosted the annual Welcome Back the Trout Celebration Tuesday, Nov. 25 at the SRP Tempe Town Lake Marina. Families and community members were invited to come down and watch as thousands of rainbow trout from the Department's Page Springs Hatchery are released into Town Lake. "'Welcome Back the Trout' is an annual tradition in Tempe that the city is proud to present... Full story
Popular recreation sites on the Tonto National Forest near Phoenix are either opening for the season, or closing for the season, depending on the location. The Mesquite and Horseshoe campgrounds and Fisherman's Point (also known as Catfish Point) re-opened for the winter on Oct.1. These three areas are on the Cave Creek Ranger District near Horseshoe Lake. They are popular camping spots for fisherman. On the Mesa Ranger District, seasonal reductions in services at some developed recreation sites... Full story
Channel catfish are being stocked by the thousands of pounds through the fall. Time to pick a lethal bait. These all have a strong scent of some sort, some are even tasty to humans - and all have a long record of catching catfish in Arizona's community waters. Here, then, are the Arizona Game and Fish Department's top-5 best baits to catch these channel catfish: 5. Marshmallows Mallows. Mmm, marshmallows. Can you blame catfish for wanting to chomp one of these sweet, beautiful, poofy globs?... Full story
Tip Of The Week For our desert lakes, predatory fish activity will be building toward a fall-time frenzy. Bass in particular will feed heavily to prepare for winter conditions. For anglers, that means now is the best time to hook into actively feeding bass. The Reel Deal The first hints of fall means fishing is about to bust loose. Nights are getting noticeably cooler, putting bass in the mood to chase reaction baits and trigger some of the best high-country trout fishing of the year. Remember:... Full story
When a tagged walleye is caught, take a picture of the fish and then a closeup of the tag number. Contact me with the tag number at 928 645 2392. Send a fishing report indicating how and where the fish was caught. You will then receive a prize donated by Sportsmans Warehouse, Fish Tech Outfitters, Stix Market, or Berkley. Other Fish Biting As Well Other fish are biting as well. Bait fishing continues to provide lots of stripers for anglers using anchovies along steep canyon walls. One... Full story
Tip Of The Week For those athletic anglers looking for lots of exercise, good fishing, and no crowds, try Chevelon Lake. This steep-sided canyon lake is not shore-angler friendly, so float tubes, canoes or kayaks are almost a must. The hike-in is knee-challenging on the way down and the long hike back up the steep trail will take your breath away in more ways than one. For aging anglers who are out of shape, avoid this lake; it's a cardiac special. New fishing regulations on Chevelon Creek... Full story
Angler Mike Wallace is shown with his flathead cat out of Lake Pleasant. Although he and friends were targeting larger fish (40 pounds or larger), Wallace says that they love catching cats any size. After five runs and three hook-ups, the fishermen landed two.... Full story
Tip Of The Week From the fishing log: Around this time last year, and in similar water temperatures, the smallmouth bass bite was hot on the Parker Strip section of the Colorado River. Anglers had success on nightcrawlers and assorted soft baits. Worms were also working well for the large hybrid redears known to occupy this stretch of river. Keeping a fishing log - recording dates, times, moon phases, what bait worked (or did not work) for what species and at what water depth/temperature, etc.... Full story
Tip Of The Week At Lake Havasu, a.k.a. Arizona's West Coast, anglers can have banner days on the bedding smallmouth bass. Crappie and largemouth bass will follow with their egg protecting endeavors. (Did I say, "crappie"? Yep, and it looks like Alamo Lake is ripe to be targeted for this great-tasting fish. Just get some good advice from an area tackle shop – if you need it -- and mean business.) The Reel Deal Most bass are in pre-spawn mode in most of the desert lakes. Before recent storms, some... Full story
Bill Luke Bass Days is "Making Bass Fishing Great Again!" The 18th annual event at Pleasant Harbor RV Resort and Marina is handing out over $50,000 in cash prizes over the course of the three-days bass fishing tournament. The bass fishing tournament has six daily hourly weigh-ins; every hour first place pays $300, second through tenth place pay $100. Top Overall Big Bass this year wins $10,000! The Biggest Bass of The Day, each day, will win $2,000. And, Bill Luke will pay a $1,000 cash award... Full story
The Reel Deel Bass Action Look for the bass action to get even better at some our pristine lakes in the desert. Apache, Canyon and Saguaro all have been stocked with rainbow trout throughout the winter, so throwing some trout-imitation swim baits can produce some trophy bass. With an onset of warmer-than-average temperatures, more bass have ventured into shallower waters in a pre-spawn mode (certainly at Roosevelt and likely Saguaro, too) and are willing to chase crankbaits, spinnerbaits and cha... Full story
Tip Alamo Lake can be a crappie hot spot this time of the year. Heavy rains might delay the great winter crappie bite, but it bodes well for the lake's productivity. Catfishing can still be excellent. These voracious channel catfish at Alamo routinely feed on shad. Try live minnows on the bottom or drop-shot style just off the bottom. The Reel Deal Water temperatures across the state have dropped to their winter standards, and rain and snow has slowed or stalled driving in the high country. Be... Full story
Tip Of The Week Silver Creek near Show Low is a spring creek that comes out of the ground at a constant temperature and does not freeze in the winter. Catch-and-release fishing for big rainbow trout with artificial lure and flies, with single barbless hooks, will continue through the winter. The Reel Deal Fishing, hunting, football, campfires, and possible "cast-n-blast" adventures (it's quail season!) - this is our cool wave of fall perfection. It also signals the return of trout to our... Full story
My last fish report expressed the hope that stripers would start boiling again, but to my dismay, no boils have been reported this week. Unforgettable boil action has occurred in August, September, and early October but each of these episodes has been interrupted by quiet periods when stripers stay deep despite a high abundance of forage. When boiling stripers do splash on top in big groups, it is easy to find and then catch them with surface lures. I hope that happens soon but, while waiting,... Full story
The Mesquite and Horseshoe campgrounds and Fisherman's Point (also known as Catfish Point) re-opened for the winter early last month. These three areas are near Horseshoe Lake and are popular camping spots for fisherman. These sites accept the Tonto Pass, or annual pass. There are no trash collection services at these sites. If you pack it in, you need to pack it out. Stay limit is 14 days. Horseshoe Lake is a reservoir that was formed by the Horseshoe Dam on the Verde River. This lake is locate... Full story
Cooler temperatures have finally come back, which means it's time to switch to trout stocking. The week of Nov. 2 included our final catfish stockings for the season. We will resume stocking catfish next March. Our first trout stocking into core waters is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 16. See the schedule. Due to some necessary scheduling changes with the vendors, we'll be stocking some of the core waters on Monday, and the rest of the waters on Wednesday. The first stocking of the season is the on... Full story
The fall sports season has begun with college and professional football kicking off. Not to be outdone, husky professional-size striped bass in Lake Powell are lining up to compete against the smaller-but-more-numerous underdog shad population. Shad are huddling in the backs of the canyons hoping to come up with a playbook that will allow them to survive another day. Stripers are on the open water side of the scrimmage line waiting for the shad to venture out in the open where they become fair... Full story
Tip Of The Week Two "old reliable" summer high-country lakes are Kinnickinick and Ashurst lakes near Flagstaff. Kinnickinick Lake is spring-fed, but it is best fished from float tube, canoe or kayak this time of year. Ashurst may not provide the most scenic high-country escape, but it can be one of the more productive ones. It also has some pike (please catch-and-keep all you can to help this fishery). The Reel Deal Hot desert nights are made for bottom dwellers - catfish and carp. Relax on the... Full story
We know the weather has been hot, but it's time to make fishing hot again in the Community waters. Our first catfish of the season will be coming the third week of September. Get the fishing poles ready, and check out the Sept-Oct. CFP stocking schedule. New community water coming to Casa Grande After months of working through required paperwork, we are on track to finalize an agreement with the City of Casa Grande to add Dave White Regional Park Pond to the Community Fishing Program. The park... Full story
What a great day spent learning about striped bass behavior, attitudes, and preferences. It was time well spent. We headed out from Wahweap as the sky began to glow in the east. We made it to the mouth of Navajo before sunrise in hopes of seeing the slurping stripers encountered there previously. I am not good at waiting, so we trolled while hoping for the first slurps to appear. That went well as we caught a 3-pound striper trolling a Lucky Craft Bevy Shad at 4 mph. As that fish was undergoing... Full story
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, in association with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, has issued a fish consumption advisory recommending that people limit consumption of channel catfish and largemouth bass caught from Bartlett Lake in Maricopa County. ADEQ is issuing this advisory because recent fish tissue samples from Bartlett Lake contained elevated levels of mercury. ADEQ recommends that adults limit consumption of channel catfish and largemouth bass to 2.4 ounces... Full story
OLYMPIA – State fishery managers are seeking public comments on proposed sportfishing rules for the freshwater areas of Puget Sound and the Washington coast. As part of that effort, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has scheduled four meetings to discuss rules proposed for the 2016 season with the public. All but one of the proposals is specific to the rivers and lakes of the Puget Sound and coastal regions. The exception is a proposal for the lower Columbia River that was h... Full story
The final stocking of the season is done until September, but Arizona Game & Fish made it a big one. Please enjoy a safe and fun summer with your families. Here's the last load sheet for the season (a total of 27,300 pounds of catfish): • Tucson area -- Lakeside Lake 1,500 (pounds); Kennedy Lake 2,000; Silverbell Lake 2,500; Sahuarita Lake 2,000 • Maricopa area -- Copper Sky Lake 1,500 • Phoenix area -- Veterans Oasis Lake 1,000; Desert Breeze Lake 1,000; Kiwanis Lake 1,000; Red Mountain Lake 1,... Full story
