Note:  Northern Pike have been illegally stocked in Francis Short.  If you catch a Northern Pike at Francis Short Pond please REMOVE IT FROM THE POND.

WILLIAMS AREA LAKES:
CATARACT LAKE — Campground is open.  Some larger catfish are being caught on worms and Power Bait. Fly-fishing for crappie was excellent. Stocked with catfish.

CITY RESERVOIR —Road is open. Lake is full. Stocked with catfish.

DOGTOWN LAKE — Stocked with 3,600 rainbow trout last week. Campground area is open. Lots of folks are catching crayfish. Some browns are being caught on lures.

JD DAM — Road is open.

KAIBAB LAKE — Scheduled to be stocked this week, so fishing should be good. Campground area is open.  Try Pistol Petes for crappie and worms for catfish and trout.   Some larger catfish are being caught on worms and Power Bait.

RUSSEL TANK - Has been stocked

SANTA FE — Lake is full.  Anglers are catching trout and yellow perch.  Stocked with catfish
WHITEHORSE LAKE — Stocked with 4,500 rainbow trout this week. No report from anglers.  Campground area is open.

FLAGSTAFF AREA LAKES:
LOWER LAKE MARY — Almost no water.

UPPER LAKE MARY — The lake is full.  Some kike are being caught on anchovies.  This is a good time of year to go after light-sensitive walleye at dusk or right at sunrise.

ASHURST LAKE — The lake is full, the road is open. Stocked two weeks ago with 3,600 rainbow trout. Some trout anglers have been catching huge walleye.

FRANCIS SHORT POND – A fish kill has occurred caused by a die-off of an algal bloom which reduced oxygen levels in the water. Some fish survived the kill, but fishing will be tough until the lake gets stocked after water quality improves.

KINNIKINICK LAKE — Stocked last week with 3,600 rainbow trout. Some large brown trout and one large Rainbow were stocked in the lake.

MARSHALL LAKE — Road Open.

LONG LAKE COMPLEX (includes Soldiers and Soldiers Annex) —  Water level is good.  Long Lake has been stocked.

STONEMAN LAKE — NO FISH.

VERDE VALLEY WATERS
DEAD HORSE STATE PARK – Fishing in general has been fair.  Try using small plastic jigs, plastic worms, or small spinnerbaits near deeper cover for bass.  Catfish were last stocked June 9th.  The catfish bite has been fair in the evening.   Some angler’s are having limited success in the day.  Catfish are scheduled to be stocked the week of Sept. 15.
Bluegills are very abundant, but most are small.  This is a great opportunity to teach kids how to fish.  Try using a No. 12 hook with a small piece of worm under a bobber and you should have success.  While the crappie numbers are up a little, most are small.  Look for the crappie fishing to be good late this year or next year.

VERDE RIVER (throughout Verde Valley) –Channel catfish action has been fair in the Verde Valley. Most success on catfish is by using night crawlers and chicken liver after dusk.  Look for the bass to be biting early morning and in the evening.

PRESCOTT AREA LAKES

FAIN LAKE — Trout are scheduled to be stocked this week, the week of Sept. 15.  Look for the fishing to really pick up. Catfish and sunfish were stocked the week of June 23.  Try using night crawlers for the catfish. The sunfish will bite on meal worms or small worms.  Panther Martins are working well for the sunfish.  For trout try using spinners or bright colored Power Bait.  Fain lake was stocked with brook trout on Feb. 25.

GOLDWATER LAKE — Catfish are scheduled to be stocked the week of Sept. 15. Trout were stocked the week of Sept. 8.  You may want to try using KastMasters.  If that does not work, try worms or Power Bait.  Early in the morning and in the evening the bite may be better. Some days the fishing seems to be better than other days as well.

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.  While the number of catfish is low, the quality is exceptional.  Bluegills were stocked Feb 25.

Game and Fish Biologists surveyed Goldwater during the middle of May 2007 and found the trout and sunfish plentiful. While the number of catfish and bass was low, the quality was exceptional. One 16-pound catfish was sampled and released. The bass averaged about 3.5 pounds. 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. Try floating a worm on a bobber to catch the bluegills.  This may result in some bass being caught as well.  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 — Trout were last stocked the week of Sept. 1.  The trout fishing picked up a little following the stocking.  While the water remains a little warm you may want to fish on the bottom.  Most anglers are having success on worms. Avoid going over 20 feet deep.  Some anglers may be having success with spinners early in the morning.  Some of the brook trout that were stocked in February are still showing up.  Try using chartreuse Power Bait on the bottom for these pretty little fish.  Catfish were stocked June 9 and again on June 25.  Try using night crawlers or hot dogs for the catfish.

Game and Fish Biologists installed PVC fish structures on Jan. 3.  These structures should protect small fishes from predation.  Some 7-inch brook trout were in February and 5-inchers in September. Game and Fish stocked catfish the week of June 4. There were 200 pounds of bluegill stocked on March 29. Game and Fish biologists surveyed Lynx in May and found that the brook trout stocked in September 2006 were still present.

Where:Lynx Lake
When:09/13/08
Caught:Nothing
Technique:chartruese Power Bait
Comments:We were fishing for trout using Power Bait. My husband also fished for catfish using worms. We didn’t get one bite in the three hours we were there. No one else was having any luck either.
Name:
Susan Gregory

MINGUS LAKE – Mingus is scheduled to be stocked with trout this week, the week of Sept. 15.   The best bait has been white Power Bait, fished on the bottom with a treble hook and an egg sinker. Fishermen using night crawlers under a bobber are also having some.

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 - Bass, Bluegill and catfish are common in this lake. Crappies are found in low numbers. Bullheads are easily caught using a small piece of worm.  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 - Bass, bluegill, and bullhead are plentiful.  Most of the bluegills are on the small side, but the bullhead are thick.  If you fish Willow and are having luck, please e-mail me at mchmiel@azgfd.gov so I can share your successes with others.