URBAN LAKES –  The fall catfish stocking season is over and we are gearing up for the switch to trout in the Phoenix and Tucson Urban waters.  Winter trout stocking season is scheduled to begin Thursday, Nov. 13.  Trout ranging from 10-12 inches will be stocked at two-week intervals throughout the winter. More than 100,000 trout from Colorado have been ordered for delivery to Urban waters during the four-month stocking season.

Green Valley Lakes trout stocking already began on Oct. 17 and will continue every other week for the next seven months.  The first stocking at Green Valley included some 3- to 4-pound beauties.

Chase fished Red Mountain Park and caught 10 small largemouth bass and one small bluegill using a small shiny blue jig, bounced across the substrate near the stocking ramp.

Sunfish were stocked and they are fun to catch for all ages and will bite all day long.  Try using small pieces of worms or mealworms on small hooks fished under a bobber.  Daily bag limits for sunfish are 10 fish per person at Urban Lakes and 5 fish per day at Urban Ponds.

Largemouth bass (6-9 inches) will be stocked at the Urban Lakes and Ponds in the next five weeks.

Fishing for catfish at the Urban Lakes is good to excellent in the mornings and evenings.  It’s been reported pretty dismal during the daytime.  Use shrimp, stink bait and hot dogs for the best results.  Sunfish and bass are biting well in the early mornings as they seek to fatten up for the winter.

If you don’t have a 2008 Urban fishing license they will be 50-percent off through Dec. 31.

Where:Veterans Oasis Lake - City of Chandler
When:11/01/08
Caught:14 Catfish
Technique:Hotdogs and Stink Bait off the bottom.
Comments:Went in the early morning, arrived at 6am, fished with Family until 8:30 when we ran out of bait. Hotdogs were HOT, they would barly hit the bottom and the cats would hit the line!
Name:TBD

Where:Red Mountain Park
When:11/01/08
Caught:10 Juvenile bass
Technique:Small Shiny blue jig, bounced acrosss the stocking ramp at the south east end of the lake
Comments:Small bluegill caught as well

LAKE PLEASANT - Water elevation is 1,652 feet, which is 49-percent full.
Anglers are catching stripers and largemouth bass using a variety of techniques and lures.  Drop shot is producing as well as crankbait, spinner bait and swim baits.
According to a Been Fishing report from the Arizona Game and Fish Website an angler caught eight stripers from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. by trolling 2 mph in 35 to 40 feet of water using a 4-inch shad pearl.

Andrew also did well on Pleasant; he caught five largemouth bass on Zara Spooks around 10 a.m.  Some other fishermen also caught some 3- to 4-pound stripers on worms.

Some other anglers fished close to sundown up the Aqua Fria and they caught a few stripers during a 25-minute shad boil.  Stripers are also hitting Rat-L-Traps in the afternoon in the Aqua Fria arm.

Stripers have moved more into the northern coves, especially the Agua Fria Arm of the lake. Go armed with topwater lures, lipless crankbaits and casting spoons (KastMasters work great). If you can net some live shad (there are huge schools roaming about), they make superb bait either straight-lined or slow trolled. Frozen anchovies can work especially well for roving schools of stripers patrolling the submerged creek channels. Don’t forget to chum.

Angler report from Ron Swierski: 8-10:30 a.m. trolling at 40 feet with 4-inch shad pearl or chart at 2 mph caught 14 stripers for 19 pounds.

Where:lk pleasant
When:11/03/08
Caught:7 stripers for 11lbs 4oz
Technique:trolling at 35-40ft 2mph with 4in grubs or shad color pearl or chart
Name:ron and linda suncity west

Where:pleasant
When:11/01/08
Caught:9 strippers
Technique:Anchovy pieces at 40′ South of Castle Creek in 74′ areas
Comments:
Fished from 0600 - 1000. Metered a lot of bait activity from 30-50′ and anchored on it. Bite started about 0700. Fish were 1-3 lbs and very aggressive, fun on light tackle.
Name:J. Morrison

Where: pleasant
When: 10/26/08
Caught: 29 Stripers, 1 Cat
Technique: Cutthe head and tail off of anchovies and use for chum. use body pieces at 40′ in 60 to 70 feet of water on a 1.0 hook. The fish hook themselves.
Comments: Fished South of Castle Creek from 0600 - 1100. Bite lasts about 2-3 hours but it’s fun. All fish were 2-4lbs
Name: J. Morrison

Where: lake pleasant
When: 10/25/08
Caught: stripers
Technique: anchovies from shore at the north end of the lake
Comments: we caught 10 stripers the 2 days we were there,but the bite was sporadic so bring your patience.the biggest we caught was about 3 pounds and th rest averaged 1.5 pounds.
Name: brian davis

ROOSEVELT LAKE - Lake Elevation is 2,142 ft (89-percent full).  Tonto Creek runoff is at 1 cfs, while inflow from the Salt River is at 254 cfs.

Some good reports coming out of the Tonto end.  A couple anglers caught eight crappies, three largemouth bass below 13 inches, and three bluegills trolling at various depths.

We sampled Roosevelt and caught a whole lot of large bass throughout the lake as well as a good crop of little ones.  There was some lunker crappies as well as some small ones.  We caught a plethora of gizzard shad, some reaching 12 to 13 inches.  The catfish population looks to be good, and with the gizzard shad the flathead fishing might just blossom.

APACHE - Lake elevation is 1905 ft (91-percent full). Anglers are reporting good fishing for channel cats and flatheads around the marina and in the isolated coves.  The murky coves also have some good carp fishing.  Use dough bait or corn on treble hooks.  One angler caught a 19-inch largemouth but his lips are sealed as far as the location and lure

We are seeing a few more fishermen at Apache.  Anglers reported catching channel catfish around the marina, Hackberry Cove and Goat Ledge; large carp are in the coves (use corn); yellow bass are hanging out on the points where the substrate levels off, and someone caught a 12-inch walleye, no details on the location of the walleye.

KastMasters and silver spinners are attracting the yellow bass and sunfish.  Try using Robo worms around the overhanging vegetation for largemouth bass and try areas with boulders and big cobbles for the smallmouth bass.

This lake is also in prime Gambel’s quail country, so it is a great spot for a cast-and-blast camp out.

Department biologists surveyed Apache Lake and the best place to catch walleye is above Burn Corral on the points.  We caught a few nice ones.  We also caught quite a few catfish at both ends of the lake in coves.  Largemouth bass seemed to be dispersed pretty evenly although some anglers said Burnt Corral was a good place to nab them, using plastic worms and jigs.

CANYON LAKE – Lake elevation is 1,658 ft, which is 97-percent full.
Some good reports coming from the Boulder Recreation Area for largemouth bass and bluegill.  Try spinner baits, KastMasters, and plastic worms bounced off the bottom.

Canyon Lake is home to lots of real nice 2-3 pound bass.  Water temps are around 66 F and visibility is about 4-5 feet.  Anglers are catching them with jerk baits and Texas-rigged plastic worms.  They are hanging on the shallow ledges by deep water.
Game and Fish sampled the lake and lots of very large bass are hanging around the Boulder Recreation area.  Bluegills are congregating in the coves and will take small spinners and KastMasters.

Don’t forget about the fishing habitat that was installed at Beaver Landing, Teddy Bear and Mormon Flat.  One knowledgeable angler suggests throwing jerkbaits or spinner baits along the banks around Tortilla Bay at the drop-offs.  T-rigs and drop shutting plastic worms are producing results.

Where:canyon lake
When:10/12/08
Caught:7 Largemouth Bass
Technique:Silver and blue Rat-L-Trap and 4″ Senkos
Comments:Good to see Canyon coming back. Latched a 4 lb, 2 lb, and 1.5 lb. The rest were small but fun. All fish released.
Name:Bud Russman
SAGUARO LAKE – Lake elevation 1,524 feet at 91-percent full. This is a great place to catch lots of small largemouth bass, yellow bass and catfish.
The Been Fishing reports are producing some good information.  One angler had lots of bites and caught quite a few largemouth bass using Rapala X-Rap and Green Worm Drop Shot right off the fishing docks at Butcher Jones.
Another angler reports catching between 20 and 30 bass using small plastic worms and grubs fished very slow in 20 feet of water.  He mentioned that crankbaits are not working right now.

Where:Saguaro Lake
When:10/29/08
Caught:8 nice size Bluegill
Technique:Piece of worm on small hook 4ft bellow bobber.
Comments:The Lake’s water is clearing up looking good. Things were slow untill about 11:30 am. The fish must have known it was lunch time. Lot’s of fun, great weather, what more can you ask for? Bigger fish.
Name:Pat Brady
Where:Saguaro Lake
When:10/22/08
Caught:Large Mouth Bass
Technique:Rapala X-Rap (7 to 14 ft dive) Green Worm Drop Shot
Comments:Lots of bites. All catches seem to be right around a pound off the fishing docks.
Name:robert

Where:Saguaro
When:10/30/08
Caught:Bass
Technique:Small plastic worms and grubs fished very slow in twenty feet of water. We caught between twenty and thiry nice fish.
Comments:Crank baits are useless now.
Name:CJ Greco

BARTLETT LAKE – Lake elevation is 1,767 ft, which is 59-percent full.  Reservoir release is 950 cfs.

Water temperatures are reported between 68 and 75 degrees. The water is dropping fast so some islands and reefs may not be marked yet, so be careful out there.
Good fishing reports emanating from Bartlett.  One angler stated the crankbait bite was on. Another angler said largemouth bass were hitting the creature baits flipped into overhanging vegetation. This angler also said cranks and t-rigged lizards were enticing the bite as well.

Another angler fished from 8 a.m. to noon and caught 12 crappies on John Deer jigs.
Earl submitted a Been Fishing report and he caught several bass including a 5 pounder using a jointed Rapala.  He also hooked two catfish at night using live bluegills and both catfish broke the line. They must have been big catfish.

Don’t forget Bartlett is a very good catfish lake; shore and boat fishermen both do very well.  Use chicken liver, worms or any kind of leftovers you might have that will stay on your hook. Channel catfish are taking jigs and spinnerbaits as well. For flatheads try some live bait in the upper end of the lake by ship rock at night. They like the full moon.

Try fishing under the no wake line by the Jojoba Boat Ramp in 5-8 feet of water.  Look for the submerged yellow pipe; the bass like to hang out there.  Last year at this time the fish were being caught in the west end of the lake in the mornings and on the east end of the lake in the evenings.
Where:Bartlett
When:10/08/08
Caught:bass
Technique:crankbaits
Comments:fast retrieve caught and released 9 bass, 2-pound average
Name:Bud Tutrone
Where: Bartlett Lake
When:10/06/08
Caught: largemouth and 1bluegill
Technique: white 1/4 oz. spinner, silver and blue Rat-L-Traps, and a 8 ft diver bomber green
Comments: great day we fish the Yellow Cliffs and the Bartlett Flats; our best fish came off the inside of main channel points
Name: josh

HORSESHOE LAKE - Lake elevation is at 1,954 feet, no pool. This is barely more than a wide spot in the river. They are releasing water at 150 cfs. An angler fished the below Horseshoe and caught eight channel catfish using worms in small pools.
VERDE RIVER - Verde River flow at Tangle is 203 cubic feet per second.  Release from Bartlett Lake is 950 cfs.

SALT RIVER - Salt River into Roosevelt is 280 cfs, and Salt River Canyon is 503 cfs.  They are releasing 8 cfs out of Stewart Mountain dam from Saguaro.  .

LOWER SALT RIVER (below Saguaro Lake) – Trout are scheduled for stocking this week. Try live night crawlers or grasshoppers with little or no weight cast into the riffles for rainbows.

CREEKS – The creeks below the Mogollon Rim are not currently being stocked, but it is still possible to find trout in the deeper pools for those willing to invest the time and fun to find them. Brown trout are starting to spawn and terrestrials like hoppers are still producing.

Anglers are also using copper johns, small flies, pheasant tailed flashbacks, Simi Seal leeches, and zug bugs.

Haigler Creek – Use small dry flies

Canyon Creek – Midge patterns

Tonto Creek – Midge patterns

Christopher Creek – No recent reports, but try live night crawlers on light line.

East Verde – One angler reported good fishing for larger trout in the deeper pools.

Workman Creek – No reports, but terrestrials should still work well.

HORSETHEIF BASIN LAKE – Probably not worth driving to just for fishing, but it might be worth a visit if you are prowling the Bradshaw Mountains and want to wet a line for some small sunfish or bass.