Arizona Community Fishing Bulletin

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 only time we provide the exact day.

On Monday, Nov. 16 we will stock Green Valley, Red Mountain, Water Ranch, Evelyn Hallman, Papago, Steele Indian School, Encanto, Alvord, Desert West, Cortez, Pioneer, Rio Vista, and Surprise.

On Wednesday, Nov. 18, we will stock all four Tucson area waters (Lakeside, Kennedy, Sahuarita, and Silverbell), Copper Sky, Veterans Oasis, Desert Breeze, Kiwanis, Riverview, and Chaparral.

Be sure to purchase a fishing license online -- they're good for 365 days from the date of purchase and a Youth Combo Hunt/Fish License is just $5! A resident General Fishing License is $37 and a resident Community Fishing License is $24.

Tempe Town Lake Project Update

Due to a Tempe Town Lake dam replacement project, the annual Welcome Back the Trout to Tempe Town Lake event will not take place.

Recently a story surfaced in the local news that the Department had lifted all fishing regulations at Tempe Town Lake, and that anglers were free to take whatever they wanted. As partners in this endeavor, we want to ensure anglers have fact.

First, the Department has agreed to cease all fish stockings in Tempe Town Lake until the project has been completed, and the lake has been refilled.

Second, the Department has NOT lifted all fishing regulations for Tempe Town Lake, but we are evaluating options that could include a proposed rule change. We will have more discussions with the city of Tempe to determine what can be done before the next Commission meeting in December so that anglers can maximize harvest of sportfish prior to the lake drawdown.

We will provide further guidance to anglers in this bulletin once that has been decided.

View the Community Fishing Bulletin on our web site.