WILLIAMS LAKES:

KAIBAB LAKE— Campground area is open. Fishing was fair-good on powerbait and worms. Stocked last week.

CATARACT LAKE — Campgrounds are open. According to the few anglers I talked to fishing is good.Stocked last week.

CITY RESERVOIR— Road is open.

DOGTOWN LAKE —. Campground area is open. Stocked last week.

JD DAM — Road is open.

RUSSEL TANK - Has been stocked.

SANTA FE — Lake is full. According to the few anglers I talked to fishing is good.

WHITEHORSE LAKE — No report from anglers. Campgrounds are open. Scheduled to be stocked this week.

FLAGSTAFF LAKES:

LOWER LAKE MARY — Fishing is good for trout.  This lake was stocked liberally in late winter, but stocking has ceased for this year. Those stocked rainbows are not fat and feisty.

Fly anglers have been doing well in the evenings on dark colored surface flies.
This is a very shallow lake and water quality will deteriorate rapidly once summer conditions prevail, so fish it now.

R. Jenkins: My wife and I fished at Lower Lake Mary Saturday, May 9, and had no problems catching our limits, plus we were able to teach a couple kids fishing there how to catch the fish. They ended up with more fish than their parents.

Fishing 2-pound test line with the bait about 30 inches under a bobber got me limits within 20 minutes of arrival.  My wife fishes 4-pound test and the fish do not take it nearly as much.  She switched to 2-pound test to finish off her limit.  Fishing anything heavier than 4-pound test is a waste of time there.  The fishing is wide open with the right bait but night crawlers, Power Bait and corn is not it.

LOWER LAKE MARY — Has been stocked. Stocking for the year is done. Fly fishermen were catching large numbers of trout in the evenings on large dark colored surface flys.

UPPER LAKE MARY — The lake is full.

Hey Rory, Upper Lake Mary is on Fire

6/6/2009 From a boat Mike and I got an early start in an attempt to beat the wind advisory forecast for the area. Morning on the water is a special time. Everything worked in our favor as the first of many voracious Pike were caught and released. One highpoint of the day came when a super-sized Northern crushed a silver and black floating Rapala stick bait cast to shore. The Pike hit the lure with such vigor that I guessed the fish would have attacked nearly any lure thrown near it. This fish was bigger and stronger than any other I have landed so far this year. The fight was on. The Northern ripped off line in powerful runs revealing surprising speed. My tackle was up to the battle and the big fish tired surrendering to the net. The Pike at first glance looked as long as a yardstick and surely weighed 10 pounds or more. No question, this was the nicest Northern so far this season. We snapped a few pics and had her back in the water in just a few short minutes. The successful boating of the Pike epitomizes what has become an amazing season at Upper Lake Mary. Quantity and quality are possible at this fishery. Lots of fellow fishermen took advantage of the “free fishing day” despite the wind and cool temps — Jeff Bierer

Robert Bonnewell: 05-25-09 – Fished from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m.  Caught 15 northern pike all on silver spinners.  Caught one nice 6.2 pounder.  Big ones are starting to bite.

Mike Bright: My dad Gary, son Levi, daughter Ella and me were fishing Upper Lake Mary at dusk on May 15 and the morning of May 16 by the dam from shore.  We caught 1 largemouth bass, 4 Yellow Perch, 1 crappie, and 6 Northern Pike.  We used silver KastMasters for the Pike and worms with bobbers for the other fish. It was the best fishing I have had at that Lake and a beautiful mini trip out of the valley of heat.

Where: Upper Lake Mary
When: 05/25/09
Caught:one small northern
Technique: Rapala jerkbait
Comments:people were catching them on just about everything here just had to find the right spot I guess
Name: Andrew Althaus

Dennis Stuhr: Fished from 1600 until dark again for Northerns 5/08/09. Caught a dozen little Northerns & 1 small Perch.  Largest Northern was 17″ long. An Osprey had pretty good luck plucking fish at the shore line. Did not see anybody else catch a single fish except for the Osprey.

ASHURST LAKE — The lake is full. Fishing was fair on worms fished below a bobber. Scheduled to be stocked this week.

FRANCIS SHORT POND – Fishing was fair on hotdogs for catfish and worms or salmon eggs for trout. Stocked last week with trout and catfish.

KINNIKINICK LAKE — Road is open. A 2lb brown trout was caught on a worm recently. Stocked last week.

MARSHALL LAKE — Road is open and the lake has been stocked. Stocking for the year is done. Fishing was fair on powerbait or midge patterns

OAK CREEK — Fishing is good for rainbows fair for brown trout. There are a large number of cicadas emerging around the creek. Fly anglers using cicada patterns are doing well and anglers catching live cicadas for bait are catching brown trout. Scheduled to be stocked this week.

LONG LAKE — Lake is open. Water level is good. Has been stocked.

SOLDIERS & SOLDIERS ANNEX — Lakes are open. No report.

BEAVER CREEK — No report. Has been Stocked

WEST CLEAR CREEK — No report. Has been stocked

STONEMAN LAKE — NO FISH.

BLUE RIDGE — The lake has been stocked. Anglers reported catching a few fish on lures and cowbells. There are a large number of logs floating in the lake so be careful while boating.

KNOLL LAKE —Road is Open. According to a report on the fishing blog an angler did well on just about anything using a clear casting bubble near shore. Scheduled to be stocked this week.

Verde Valley

DEAD HORSE STATE PARK – Fishing in general has been okay. Bass and Bluegill are moving around. Most of the bluegill are small, but still fun for kids to catch. Bass are biting on spinnerbaits. Catfish will be stocked in time for free fishing day on June 13th.

VERDE RIVER (throughout Verde Valley) –The catfish bite should be picking up now.

Prescott Area

FAIN LAKE — Trout were stocked last week, the week of June 1; 1,325 rainbow are stocked twice a month. The final trout stocking for the summer is next week, the week of June 15. Trout fishing is best immediately following the stocking. For trout try using spinners or bright colored Power Bait. Anglers had limited success over memorial day weekend.

Catfish will be stocked prior to free fishing day on June 13.

GOLDWATER LAKE — Trout were stocked last week. Power Bait usually works well for trout. If that does not work, you may want to try using KastMasters. Look for the trout to be most active in the early morning and late afternoon, but they can be caught all day. Trout are scheduled to be stocked again the week of June 22nd.

Catfish will be stocked prior to free fishing day on June 13th.

Catfish and bass were stocked the week of Sept. 15. Game and Fish biologists weighed a 22-pound channel catfish that was caught at Goldwater in March. On July 11, a 26-pound catfish was caught on a hotdog and an 11-pound catfish was caught since then.

Game and Fish Biologists surveyed Goldwater on Sept. 16, 2008 and found the trout and sunfish plentiful. While the number of catfish was low, the quality was exceptional. One 19lbs and a 14lbs catfish was sampled and released. No bass were sampled this year. If you fish Goldwater and are having luck, please e-mail me at mchmiel@azgfd.gov so I can share your successes with others.

Granite Basin –Bluegill and bass are plentiful in this lake. The aquatic vegetation has not been bad this year making fishing this lake easier than normal. The bluegill have been biting well, but most are small. Some anglers have reported catching limited numbers of bluegill that were close to a ½ pound. Bass are also biting, but not as good as the bluegill. If you fish Granite Basin and are having luck, please e-mail me at mchmiel@azgfd.gov so I can share your successes with others.

LYNX LAKE — Rainbow trout were last stocked the week of May 11, as well as 1,600 brook trout. The brookies were about 3 to the pound. Have not heard if people are catching those brook trout. Trout are scheduled to be stocked again next week, the week of June 15. If you are not having success fishing in one spot, then try walking the shore and throwing a small spinner. Fishing for trout is best following the stockings. The bite drops off within a week, but they can still be caught if you work at it. Don’t be afraid to try different spots in the lake.

Catfish are scheduled to be stocked prior to free fishing day on June 13th. Try using night crawlers anchovies or hot dogs to catch them.

MINGUS LAKE – Trout were stocked week of June 1. The gate is open. The best bait is usually orange, pink, or white Power Bait, fished on the bottom with a treble hook and an egg sinker. Anglers often have success with flies and spinners as well. Trout are scheduled to be stocked again next week, the week of June 15th. The fishing picked up immediately following the stocking.

Someone illegally stocked yellow bullhead into Mingus several years ago. These fish compete directly with the trout and keep growth rates very low. If you witness anyone, anywhere, moving fish like bass, bluegill, catfish and stocking them, please report it to our Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-800-352-0700. Illegal stockings cost YOU money!

WATSON – The fishing at Watson has been slow. As the water begins to warm look for the warm water species to become more active. Crappies are found in low numbers. Bullheads are easily caught using a small piece of worm.

Game and Fish Biologists surveyed Watson last fall and found the bass,  sunfish, and bullhead to be plentiful.  Crappies were also doing well.  Look for the crappie fishing to pick up in a year or two. If you fish Watson and are having luck, please e-mail me at mchmiel@azgfd.gov so I can share your successes with others.

WILLOW CREEK RESERVOIR – Fishing has been slow.  Bass, bluegill, and bullhead are plentiful.  Most of the bluegills are on the small side, but the bullheads are thick.  The bass should be spawning by now.  If you fish Willow and are having luck, please e-mail me at mchmiel@azgfd.gov so I can share your successes with others.