Stockings Continue In Urban Lakes

Fishing for trout continues to be good to excellent at all Urban Fishing Program waters. Lakes are being stocked every two weeks.

Anglers using scented dough baits (such as Power Bait), worms fished near the bottom, or small trout lures have been successful. Power Bait in white and rainbow colors have been appealing to the trout.

For lure anglers, try spinners such as Rooster Tails and Panther Martins, or spoons such as Super Dupers. Mix up your lure retrieve to cover shallow and deep zones of the lakes.

Fly fishermen are doing well with copper johns, Simi seal leaches and zebra midges retrieved very slowly.

With cold lake temperatures, the bite for catfish, bass and bluegill is slow.

Trout fishing is consistently good to excellent at Green Valley lakes in Payson with Power Bait, Super Dupers and Kastmasters working best. More trout were stocked the week of Feb. 6-11.

All Urban Fishing Program waters in Phoenix, Tucson and Payson areas were stocked with trout the week of Feb. 6-11. The urban program lakes were previously stocked with trout on Jan. 28.

Riverview Lake Revamp

Riverview Lake getting overhaul as part of new Cubs Stadium Project. This popular lake will close temporarily while lake is expanded and improved.

Is it possible to hit two home runs simultaneously? Not only is the City of Mesa building the exciting new Cubs stadium and spring training facility, but at the same time the ever popular Riverview Lake urban fishery nearby will be extensively improved and enlarged.

Beginning April 2, the 4-acre Riverview Lake is scheduled to be fenced off and closed to the public for more than a year while this urban fishery undergoes a major transformation. However, prior to the renovation, which requires the lake to be drained, there will be a fish salvage effort coordinated between the City of Mesa and the Arizona Game And Fish Department.

Eventually, the old lake will be filled in and a new, larger lake with enhanced underwater habitat for fish and amenities for anglers will be constructed.

Home Runs For Mesa

“Cubs baseball and urban fishing — these are definitely home runs for Mesa” said Eric Swanson, Urban Fishing Program manager for the AZ Game and Fish Department.

The stadium and lake project are projected to be open to the public in time for the 2014 spring training season. Updates for the project and artist renderings, including various images of the new fishing lake, are available on the City of Mesa’s Web site at http://www.mesaaz.gov/bettermesa/cubs.

The final stocking of rainbow trout into the old Riverview Lake is scheduled for the week of March 5-10. No catfish or bluegill stockings will occur in March of this year.

Swanson suggested that Riverview anglers can find excellent urban fishing opportunities nearby, within 10-15 minutes, at Chaparral Lake, Kiwanis Lake, Evelyn Hallman Pond, Papago Ponds, or Red Mountain Lake.

Keep an eye out for future updates regarding when Riverview Lake will reopen for anglers.

Trout Stockings On Saturday?

Many anglers and park visitors were surprised to see rainbow trout delivered to all 21 Urban Fishing Program (UFP) lakes on Saturday, Jan. 28.

A primary goal of the Urban Fishing Program is to provide recreational fishing for everyone, including not just regular urban anglers, but also anglers who may only be able to fish on weekends.

Many families, children and park users were able to witness the Saturday stockings first-hand as large numbers of trout were placed into the lakes. Folks got to see what a stocking truck looks like, how lake water is carefully tested, and how the trout dart off in all directions when released into their new urban homes.

The Urban Fishing Program has a 96 percent “on time” stocking delivery success of getting fish into the lakes during the scheduled stocking week, so anglers can rest assured the fish will be coming — even if it is on the last day of the week.