Hunting Blog Fishing Blog Wildlife Blog AZGFD on Twitter Search: BUY LICENSES | BIG GAME DRAW | eNEWS | CALENDAR | VIDEOS | HUNTING | FISHING | WILDLIFE VIEWING | CONSERVATION | BOATING | SHOOTING | OHV | SITE MAP | EMPLOYMENT Feb. 19, 2010 Rory's Tip Related information ● Rory's Tip ● Read the Full Fishing With a nice week or so of warmer weather and the days getting longer, our desert Report impoundments had a chance to warm up – especially those with lots of suspended nutrients due to tempestuous runoff. Report editors Even with another moderate storm coming this weekend, we should be on the leading edge of some pre-spawn activity for bass at places like Alamo, Saguaro, Havasu and Martinez (lower Colorado River backwater near Yuma) . Rory Aikens (623) 236- 7214 I haven’t heard much from anglers at Pleasant, but the striped bass must be in the spawning mode my now up anyplace with inflows, such as the Agua Fria Arm, Humbug, Pinetop Region - Richard Castle Creek and the intakes near the dam. Dreyer The luxurious green-up in the deserts is also resulting in good insect reproduction, which is (928) 367-4281 another food source in the aquatic as well as the terrestrial system (can you say quail without smiling). Flagstaff Region - Chuck ● Fishing Locations Map Life is good in the lowlands and this is going to be a long-remembered spring. Benedict ● Weekly Fishing Report (928) 774-5045 For the high Blog country, I Kingman Region - Andy ● Weekly Fishing Report received RSS Feed Clark some (928) 692-7700 photos from ● Lake Levels the Forest ● Stocking Schedule Yuma Region - Vacant Service ● Where to Fish (928) 342-4051 (snow cat ● Urban Fishing time) that Tucson Region - Don have me ● Sign up for AZGFD Mitchell grinning eNews (520) 388-4451 from ear-to- ear in Mesa Region - Diana anticipation. Rogers Check out the Big (480) 324-3544 Lake Store. Wow. Yep, User photos that big Submit your own photos white expanse in front of the store is the lake, or at least, where the lake will be found once the deep snow melts. Snow was measured at five to six feet on the flats and drifted in places up to 10 feet deep – awesome. Vancouver, eat your heart out. The great snow is in Arizona this year! I don’t think Big Lake has filled since the early 90s. It sure stands a chance of filling and Sign up to receive free spilling this year. news by e-mail! The Arizona Game and Fish I’m jazzed. Department offers a The pictures remind me of the 80s when some of us crazies living in Pinetop would do ice- number of free electronic fishing trips to Big Lake via snowmobile in winter. One year, someone had to go back to newsletters to keep you town and bring out snow shovels so we could even reach the ice. updated with information Bartlett about hunting, fishing, I am just itching to get up there. Ironically, all that snow may mean a longer wait for the wildlife viewing, archery/ roads to open. For high country trout afficionados, that’s almost like Santa Claus saying Christmas is coming late this year, but the number of presents under the tree will be shooting sports, off- tripled. highway vehicle recreation, boating If you could buy trout futures on the market, our whole economy might turn around. recreation, department Okay, back to reality and today’s fishing opportunities. activities, commission news, rules and By the way, there are high country trout fishing opportunities at Silver Creek, Becker Lake regulations, public events, and Fool Hollow. and more. If you are We had Channel 12 out at Rio Vista Park signing up for the first in Phoneix last week for a fishing feature. time, visit www.azgfd.gov/ Syleste Rodriguez was a delight – her signup.If you are already Mogollon Rim Trout grandfather used to take her fishing. Hey, when it comes to introducing kids signed up but wish to fishing, granddads rule!! Go help those subscribe to any of our youngsters catch some memories. It’s other newsletters or one of the best gifts us gray hairs can update your e-mail give the upcoming generations. address information, visit our “edit user profile” The time to get out fishing is while the barometer is dropping as the storm page. approaches the state – say Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. My top The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits choice is actually Lake Pleasant for discrimination on the basis of stripers and largemouth bass, but race, color, sex, national Havasu could be fantastic if the winds don’t blast across the Mohave Desert. origin, age, or disability in its programs and activities. If Another choice might be Apache Lake for yellow bass and largemouth bass – the anyone believes that they smallmouth bass are still on the comeback trail there. have been discriminated against in any of the AGFD’s Roosevelt Lake can turn on for smallmouth bass, but it’s tough to tell with some much programs or activities, turbidity from runoff. including employment For all you trout anglers, try the Lower Salt River. Don’t forget Lees Ferry – the wild trout practices, they may file a are in the spawning mode. It’s something all anglers should experience, even if you are a complaint with the Director's Office, 5000 W. Carefree bass addict. Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086- One of my favorite lakes in the state is being stocked with fesity rainbows this week – 5000, (602) 942-3000, or with Goldwater Lake in the Bradshaw Mountains above Prescott (take Senator Highway toward the Fish and Wildlife Service, Groom Creek). I always expect to seen Andy and Opie walking down the lane whistling “The 4040 N. Fairfax Dr. Ste. 130, Fishing Song.” Goldwater is small, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in sheer Arlington, VA 22203. Persons character – it holds the state record for hybrid sunfish. with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation or Also, Dead Horse Ranch near Cottonwood is being stocked this week. This is a great time to this document in an go catch some fish there, and maybe take the Verde Canyon Train or visit the Tuzigoot alternative format by Indian Ruins. The Verde River is also being stocked this week. contacting the Director's Office as listed above. Right now there is a sliver of a waxing moon. The full moon is Feb. 28. If late winter storms don’t change the action, we will probably see the leading edge of the bass spawn with this MANAGE YOUR ACCOUNT: coming full moon, although you shouldn’t expect large numbers of spawners until sometime ● Change your E-mail in March or even early May. Inflows can also change the equation, especially at places like address or subscriptions. Roosevelt, Bartlett and Alamo. ● Unsubscribe from all lists. Winter is waning and each day is almost two minutes longer than the one before. Spring is just around the corner. Lakes are filling and spilling. Green up is underway. Wildflowers will be blooming any time (desert mairgolds and brittle brush blooms are already dressing up the desert). Don’t let a little rain deter you – get out and enjoy the bounty nature is bestowing on our deserts and mounains this year. Have a great time, and maybe I’ll see you out there. Fishing News News pages from history: Arizona Sentinel March 30, 1878 Salmon for the Colorado “Stocking the Colorado River with fish is a matter that is now receiving some attention. At present there is but one variety of the “ Colorado salmon,” though it appears to have no pecularities in common with the noble fish. It grows to great size, 30 pounds not being an uncommon weight. Its fleash is tolerably free from small bones and, during the winter months, reasonably firm. The other varieties are small, bony and of muddy flavor. The temperature of the water is an important consideration in selecting the proper varieites of fish for stocking the Colorado. To determine this fact, the railroad company are cuasing daily record to be made of the temperature of the river, and these observations will be continued throughout the summer.” (Game and Fish Note: the Colorado salmon mentioned are now called the Colorado pikeminnow, which is the largest minnow in the world and can grow up to 100 pounds. Pikeminnows are endangered big river fish) Arizona Sentinel April 6, 1878 ( Yuma) “Catfish and eels ought to thrive in the Colorado River. They abound in the Mississippi, whose waters are quite warm, and must as muddy, as those of our stream – the U.S. Fish Commissionerso ought to experiment a little out this way. We believe they will.” Bill's Crappie Report Sorry it’s been a while since my last report but honestly there hasn’t been much to talk about. The big storms a few weeks ago brought in a ton of new water which makes it tough to find and catch Crappie. With all the rain we've had our Crappie Lakes in AZ have come way up. There's more rain to come and a lot of snow in the high country to melt this spring. All the new water brings well needed nutrients and new cover for the fish to hide and spawn in. This should also spark off an incredible shad spawn this summer. Also, it looks like for now anyway, San Carlos has been saved from being emptied and massive fish kills. But it also brings in tons of debris which makes fishing and navigation very tough.