Rainbow trout stockings have started and will continue all winter long at two week intervals.  Trout range in size from 11-12 inches in length, with some recently stocked fish in the 14-18 inch range.  Fishing is good to excellent for anglers using scented dough baits (such as Power Bait), worms or small trout lures.  Small spinners such as Rooster Tails and Panther Martins, or spoons such as KastMasters and Super Dupers work well for trout in the early morning.

In addition to a good morning bite, some anglers have reported excellent fishing midday and late afternoon.  Patience is the key, as the trout bite sporadically throughout the day.  When the bite is on, anglers are catching limits in an hour.  Action for catfish, bass and bluegill is poor due to colder water temperatures that slow down the activity of these warm water species.  Trout fishing is good to excellent at Green Valley lakes in Payson with Power Bait, worms and small spinners working best.

Justin, a “Been Fishing” reporter at Cortez Lake caught trout 8 or 9 feet offshore with lime green Power Bait eggs and minnows under a bobber.  He caught a small catfish using a live minnow on the bottom by the aerator.  His words of advice are:” Let them bite till they hook themselves and use a hook not too small but not too big. Take the kids, they will have a blast.”

Orlando fished Desert Breeze and caught a rainbow trout using a Panther Martin lure.  He suggests letting the lure sink for three seconds followed by a slow retrieve.

TEMPE TOWN LAKE – Game and Fish is scheduled to stock 4,000 trout in Tempe Town Lake this week. Fishing should be good again this weekend. A low pressure system expected in the state this weekend might just turn on the trout fishing here.

Where:Tempe Town Lake
When:12/03/08
Caught:Trout and Largemouth
Technique:Pink (salmon scent) Power Bait w/ slide sinker, Rooster Tail inline spinner for the trout. Chatterbait and spinnerbait for largemouth.
Comments:3 stocker trout, south side, boat dock, west of Rural Road Bridge early morning. 2 largemouth bass (including 3 pounder), north side, east of Rural Rd Bridge by condos late morning / noon time.
Name:Bruce Nagata
Where:Tempe Town Lake
When:12/03/08
Caught:Trout
Technique:Power Bait (orange and green) fished on the bottom, slip sinker, 4 lb leader, #10 hook
Comments:I fished south side of the lake, next to Power Rd Bridge. Got my limit in about 30 minutes and left them biting. Guy next to me kept getting bit using corn as well. Most fish were average, small rainbows
Name:David Czupak
Game and Fish stocked 3,500 trout along with some incentive trout on Nov. 25 for the “Welcome back the Trout” celebration. Anglers were catching bluegill, green sunfish and yellow bass on worms fished both under a bobber and without a bobber at the fishing area west of the Marina.  A couple catfish were caught and quite a few carp were caught using corn fished on the bottom.

Trout can be readily caught using Power Bait on slip sinkers or under a bobber. Worms are always good bait for just about everything in the lake.  Some anglers have been catching limits using corn. Sometimes a bobber is the way to go for the trout other times they like to pluck the worms from a catfish rig.  Be flexible…they are.

Andrew, a Been Fishing reporter, caught a small largemouth and a channel catfish using worms under a bobber.  He had lots of bites but had difficulty hooking the fish.

Another Been Fishing reporter, Brandin, caught three bass, one bluegill another sunfish and two yellow bass.  He used a white swim bait for the bass and the rest were caught on a worm under a bobber.

Where: Tempe Town Lake
When: 12/03/08
Caught: Trout
Technique: Power Bait (orange and green) fished on the bottom, slip sinker, 4 lb leader, #10 hook
Comments: I fished south side of the lake, next to Power Rd Bridge. Got my limit in about 30 minutes and left them biting. Guy next to me kept getting bit using corn as well. Most fish were average, small rainbows David Czupak
Name:David Czupak

LAKE PLEASANT – Water elevation is 1,662 ft, which is 58-percent full. This is the state’s fishing hot spot.

Judging by ongoing angler reports, the striper bite is still doing well in the Agua Fria Arm of the lake and is okay in some of the northern coves.  Remember that the bald eagle nesting closure starts Dec. 15. However, even after the closure, the trick will be to graph and follow the submerged river channel – that is the underwater super highway for all fish.

Also, some anglers got into boils of stripers, whites and black bass in Humbug this past week. Humbug can also be a great place to see wintering shore birds such as snowy egrets. Two anglers reported seeing a osprey catch a fish so big it couldn’t get airborne with it.

We haven’t been getting tales from night anglers yet this season, but last year at this time anglers at night – including Christmas Eve — were catching lots of stripers either under lights or by graphing schools, chumming, and straight-lining anchovies with little or no weight; if you can catch shad, so much the better.

Angler reports:
An angler fished from noon to 5:30 p.m.  Shad were boiling in Humbug and this angler had about a good half hour of catching whites, stripers and largemouth bass.  One largemouth was about 3 pounds. The bite turned off when the sun dipped behind a hill.  Swim baits, crankbaits and spoons were all catching fish.

All is not lost if there are no boils though.  One angler does real well with the stripers jigging spoons off the bottom along cliffs and other structure.  Use your fish finder or it might be a long day.

Where:Lake Pleasant
When:12/04/08
Caught:1 largemouth bass & 1 striped bass
Technique:Trolling crankbait “fire tiger” Bomber
Comments:Thanks for leaving my comments about Bartlett Lake still up and posted! Your comments about the Aqua Fria is where I went to catch these fish as this is where you see them jumping and I haven’t seen that in any other part of the lake! This was a morning/afternoon fishing trip.
Name:Warren Risberg

Where: lake pleasant, castle creek
When: 11/28/08
Caught: striper
Technique: anchovy off shore
Comments: just caught the one stripper was there about 4 hrs before I caught it. 15″ 2lbs
Name: j phizzle

ROOSEVELT LAKE – Lake Elevation is 2143 ft (90% full).  Tonto Creek runoff is at 7 cfs while inflow from the Salt River is at 184 cfs.

With a low pressure system coming into the state this weekend, fishing Rosey might not be pleasant, but for those targeting smallmouth bass it might just be productive. Especially while the barometer is dropping.

Try crayfish-like baits, even crayfish-colored crankbaits you can bottom bounce. For this type of winter fishing when you want to fish the rockiest, windiest shoreline, fishing from shore might be a better option that angling from a boat.
Bob, a Been Fishing reporter, caught a nice 25 inch largemouth bass using a top water popper.

An experienced angler fished the Salt end from 8 am to 1 pm.  He and his buddy trolled and caught two bluegills then switched to throwing spoons and caught seven largemouth bass; one was over the slot the rest were slot fish.  They used ¼-ounce spoons in 22 to 24 feet of water.

Rainy weather didn’t stop another couple fishermen.  Once the rain abated a tad, they fished main points and cuts. Their method of choice was drop shotting plastic worms and imitation crayfish.  They must have had some good weed proof lures since they fished in the submerged trees and caught quite a few slot bass.  They also threw top water lures over the submerged trees.

APACHE – Lake elevation is 1,906 ft (91-percent full).

An angler caught a 14-inch largemouth bass using live worms between the marina and the main launch.  Worms seem to do well on this lake. Another angler caught some rainbow trout using a rooster tail spinner.

An angler caught a bunch of fish but he wouldn’t tell where he caught them.  Just as a reminder the marina area seems to be where the fish hang out.  Another few spots to try are Pine Cove, Horse Flat and the coves up against the Painted Cliffs for largemouth bass.  Drop shotting could work for you along the cliff walls and always check out the overhanging vegetation along the lake especially in the more shallow areas.

Tis the season for trout stocking and if trout isn’t your dinner fair, try 6- to 8-inch swim baits to nab the largemouth bass and whatever else is lurking down there.

An angler caught a 17-inch Rainbow trout close to Turtle Island. There is still good cat fishing reported near the marina and they like the worms. Carp fishing is always good in the coves. Cover a treble hook with corn, set your drag on low and get ready for a big carp.  They are fun to catch.
CANYON LAKE – Lake elevation is 1,658 feet, which is 96-percent full.
An angler fished from first light to about 12:30 and used 6 inch swim baits and had pretty good luck catching bass; one was a 3 pounder.  A white 4-inch grub hooked to a 1/16-ounce darter jig head worked well for some smaller bass.

Another angler fished about the same timeframe and caught 8 largemouth bass, 3 yellow bass and a smallmouth bass.  All were below 14 inches.  He stated deep reaction baits worked well for him.
SAGUARO LAKE – Lake elevation 1,526 feet at 94-percent full. This lake is scheduled to receive 1,500 feisty rainbow trout this week. Fishing ought to be terrific, especially if the expected low-pressure front materializes.

For you fly fishermen Butcher Jones is a good place to fish.  Look for rising trout in the water and throw simi-seal leeches, dry flies and wooly buggers. This info from AZ Fly Fishing.

Henry wrote that he caught four largemouth Bass; one on a Robo worm two on a spoon and one on a gig head followed by a worm close to the docks. He also caught 15 yellow bass on gig heads followed by a worm and caught a few bluegills.

Where:Saguaro Lake
When:11/28/08
Caught:rainbow trout and bass
Technique:worms on bottom
Comments:both on Butcher Jones Beach area
Name:andy
Where:Saguaro
When:12/04/08
Caught:Bass
Technique:Gold colored cranks are working again; drop shots are still reliable for numbers of smaller fish. Craw colored jigs work well too.
Comments:Water temp. is down to 62 and the lake is getting clear, schools of shad are still illusive. Getting bigger fish each trip. Practice catch and release. PLEASE
Name:CJ Greco

A group of three experienced anglers caught 63 fish.  The yellow bass were in 23 to 30 feet of water off the major points in the upper lake.  They used a ¼-ounce KastMaster in the blue and silver to get down to the fish in a hurry and it worked when they popped the lure off the bottom. Overall yellows were small but some were big enough to keep.

The bluegills were all less than 4 inches and the largemouth bass averaged about 11 inches.  Channel catfish were still biting and aggressive and they were between 20 and 28 inches.  The water temperature was 62 at the surface and good visibility.

One angler fished from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.  He noticed the fish were hugging the bottom.  Seven-inch Texas-rigged plastic worms and 6-inch plastic worms on drop shots worked the best.  The water is getting colder so a slow retrieve is a good technique to employ.  All fish were in water 25 feet deep or less.

CJ, a Been Fishing reporter, fished Saguaro again and caught largemouth bass using root beer colored grubs on a football jig head.  He noted the water temperature was 64 degrees and a bit murky.  Crankbait and drop shot didn’t work for him this time around.

This advice from an experienced Saguaro Lake fishermen – Please take heed.
“I saw a nice bass boat being towed out of the river by the sheriff’s boat last weekend. I tried to find out what happened. It sounded like he yelled back, “Lower unit.”

If you haven’t ever been way up in the river at Saguaro, you’ll come to a buoy by a bend that says something like “DANGEROUS UPSTREAM NO MARKERS AHEAD”. When you’re heading in, stay to the LEFT. When you’re coming back out, stay to the RIGHT. There are some really big reefs that you can’t see until you’re on em and they come almost out to the middle of the channel. The reason they’re not marked is because the current’s too strong to keep the buoys anchored. I’ve seen several boats wedged on those reefs and have seen several toasted lower units, so I thought I’d pass it along.”

Every now and then you hear of anglers catching some largemouth lunkers out of Saguaro, they are in there with the smaller 1-2 pound bass.  One angler caught a bass nearly 5 pounds on a jig tipped plastic worm, while fishing on a Saturday from 7:30 to 2 pm.

Another couple anglers used jigs and drop shots for a while.  They had good luck using 4-inch Robo Bold Bluegills and Robo worms.  The largemouth bass were in 15 feet of water off the main lake points.  It was a light bite.

BARTLETT LAKE – Lake elevation is 1,754 feet, which is 46-percent full.  Reservoir release is 100cfs.

Rory:
Here’s a picture of my boys (left), Benjamin (8yr) and Christopher (4yr) at Bartlett Lake with their proud catch of the day. We went the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I included the details on the 11-30-08 report but did not know how to add the photo.

Thanks,
Buck Yee

An angler caught largemouth bass on a spook in a couple coves in real shallow water. Worms on drop shot is another technique that worked for this angler using the color of the day morning dawn.  A little later in the afternoon the Texas rig bite and the drop shot bite was on for about two hours.

An angler caught a few largemouth bass on cranks on the south end.  On the north end dark jigs in shallow water worked well.  Imitation crayfish enticed some bites.  Spinnerbaits were sought by largemouth.  Fish seem to be taking lures on the drop or with a slow retrieve.  Another good fishing pointer is when the washes are running the smallmouth bass especially like to wait for dinner to come down the pike.  Largemouth will also come to the dinner bell.

Temperatures taken by one angler were 62 to 64 on the south end and 58 to 61 on the north end.

Warren fished Bartlett and caught five largemouth bass using a 4-inch drop shot Robo worm and a Texas-rigged 4-inch watermelon lizard.  He also used a white Zara Spook – a very good lure.   The best fishing was 9 to 11:30 a.m. in 15 feet of water or less close to shore.  He said the chartreuse colors did very well fishing the bottom since the water was a bit stained. Water temp was 67 degrees.  Thank you Warren for this Been Fishing report.

Where: Bartlett
When: 11/22/08
Caught: 8 Bass, 2 Catfish, 4 Bluegills
Technique: Safety pin spinnerbait with a gulp minnow and a Panther Martin spinner. Drew used the Gulp and Dad the P.M. The Gulp caught the largest and most fish. We fished from the shoreline. Bass weighed 0.5-2 lbs.

HORSESHOE LAKE — Lake elevation is at 1,951 feet, no pool.  They are releasing water at 150 cfs.

Where:Horseshoe Lake Road
When:12/05/08
Caught:nothing
Technique:N/A
Comments:Road Closed

VERDE RIVER — Flow at Tangle is 255 cubic feet per second.  Release from Bartlett Lake is 100 cfs.

LOWER SALT RIVER (below confluence with Verde River) – There were 1,575 trout stocked on Dec. 1 the Phon Du. Sutton and Granite Reef areas and the water temperature was 62F. With the low pressure system expected into the state this weekend, fishing could get good.

Try live night crawlers or grasshoppers with little or no weight cast into the riffles for rainbows. Cast slightly upstream and let the current carry your bait downstream, mending your line.

Lower Salt is good for fly fishing; throw semi-seal leeches, parachute Adams, dry flies, and wooly buggers — This info from AZ Fly Fishing.

Where:Lower Salt River just upstream from Granite Reef
When:12/05/08
Caught:7 Largemouth Bass
Technique:2 on a Panther Martin, 1 with a live night crawler and 4 on a spinnerbait.
Comments:Worked the Panther Martin across the channel with medium speed. The worm was about 14-16 inches below a bobber. Used a white spinnerbait and threw it across the river to the edge of the cattails. Worked it across the channel bumping it off the bottom. Most hits were within a few seconds of the lure hitting the water.
Name: Joe Freye
Where:Salt below Phon D. Sutton
When:12/04/08
Caught:Two carp and a bass
Technique:Night crawler on a weightless hook.
Comments:Fished Phon D. Sutton down about a mile. A little slow, but it’s always exciting to not know what you are going to reel in. We thought trout was going to be the winner, but it ended up being carp. Good times…
Name:Tyson
CREEKS — This info from Desert Sportsman.  The rim creeks are still fishing pretty well especially Canyon Creek and Tonto Creek.  Fishing is poor at first light but if you wait till the sun hits the water you might have better luck.  My contact suggests using a dry dropper rig with pheasant tails, prince nymphs copper Johns or any good looking wet fly.
* Haigler Creek – Fishing real well according to reports.
* Canyon Creek – Wet flies and nymph patterns
* Tonto Creek – Copper johns and pheasant tail nymphs
* Christopher Creek – No reports.
* East Verde – No reports
* Workman Creek – No reports.
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.