North Central Region
April 17th, 2008
| North Central Region |
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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 LAKES: Where:Kaibab
CITY RESERVOIR — Road is open. Lake is full. DOGTOWN LAKE — Picnic area, main parking lot and boat launch are open for day use only. No Report Some browns are being caught on lures. Scheduled to be stocked the week of April 14. Where:Dogtown and White Horse RUSSEL TANK - Scheduled to be stocked. SANTA FE — Lake is full. Where:Santa Fe Lake, Williams WHITEHORSE LAKE — After having low lake levels the past couple of fishing seasons, this lake is now full and has been stocked with 2,500 trout and the water temperature was 59 F. Campground is closed. Lake is open for walk in fishing. FLAGSTAFF LAKES: LOWER LAKE MARY — A total of 28,000 trout have been stocked into the lake fishing is fair to good depending on the wind. Angler report Where:Lower lake Marry UPPER LAKE MARY — The lake is full and spilling down the overflow. Some anglers have reported catching huge northern pike on frozen anchovies fished with little or no weight on steel leaders. Angler reports: Where:Upper Lake Mary Where:Ashurst Lake KINNIKINICK LAKE — No reports. MARSHALL LAKE — Scheduled to be stocked this week. No reports. Angler report: LONG LAKE — Lake is open. Water level is good. Lake has been stocked with 4,300 trout. Some nice fish are being caught near the ditch. SOLDIERS & SOLDIERS ANNEX — Lakes are open. No report. BEAVER CREEK — Has been stocked with 900 rainbow trout and the water temperature was 53 degrees. No reports. Where:Beaver Creek STONEMAN LAKE — NO FISH. MINGUS LAKE –Trout were stocked last on the week of Oct 15. Stocking should resume early in May. Try bright-colored Power Bait like chartreuse, salmon eggs, or various spinners. The gate is closed until the spring, but you can walk in and fish. 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. Illegal stockings cost YOU money! DEAD HORSE STATE PARK – Fishing has been hit-and-miss. While some anglers are doing well, others are not as successful. One angler was having success on artificial flies. You might also try using KastMaster, worms, or Power Bait. Trout were last stocked the week of April 1; this was the last scheduled stocking for the year. The largemouth bass are starting to get active, so you may want to try throwing some plastics. Catfish were stocked the week of Sept. 24, for Verde River Days festivities. Several largemouth bass, including a 10-plus pounder were caught last summer in the middle lagoon. In-line spinners, plastic grubs, and small crankbaits have been the ticket. The bluegill fishing has been good using a salmon egg or small worm on a small bait hook below a bobber. The bluegills are plentiful in both the middle and lower lagoons, so between trout and catfish stockings try your luck with the bluegill. VERDE RIVER (throughout Verde Valley) – Trout were last stocked the week of March 17. This was the final stocking for the year. Look for the catfish bite to pick up in May. On Saturday March 8 Camp Verde Parks and Recreation and Arizona Game and Fish provided a fishing clinic at the white bridge. While success was limited, all participants seemed to enjoy themselves. LYNX LAKE — Rainbow trout are scheduled to be stocked this week (April 14). The fishing should improve following this stocking. Some 7-inch brook trout were stocked the week of Feb 25. Game and Fish Biologists installed PVC fish structures on Jan. 3. These structures should protect small fishes from predation. Brook trout were stocked in September. The brooks were in the 5-inch range, but hopefully they will be catchable size for the fishing in the spring. 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. FAIN LAKE —Fain lake was stocked rainbow trout the week of March 24 and is scheduled to be stocked again this week, the week of April 14. The fishing should be very good following the stocking. Use spinners or bright colored Power Bait. Shore fishing area may be limited, as sediment deposits have resulted from the rains. Fain lake was stocked with brook trout on Feb. 25. Prescott Valley Parks and Recreation held the annual Gold Fever Days at Fain Lake in mid October, were nearly all of the kids that participated in the fishing clinic caught fish. Five-inch brook trout were stocked in Sept. 24 and rainbows. GOLDWATER LAKE — Trout were stocked April 7 and are scheduled to be stocked again next week, April 21. The fishing has been hit-or-miss. While there is no shortage of fish, most people report catching only one or two. Try using KastMasters. If that does not work, you may try worms or Power Bait. Early in the morning and in the evening the bite may be a little better. Some days the fishing seems to be better than other days as well. Bluegills were stocked Feb 25. Game and Fish biologists weighed a 22-pound channel catfish that was caught out of Goldwater late in March. Game and Fish Biologists surveyed Goldwater during the middle of May last year 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. |
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Looking to take my 4 year old fishing. Any word on the conditions at Granite Basin Lake? Have been there two weekends in April with the water flowing over the spillway. Moss starting to develop but no sign of sunfish. Any word of if/when it will be stocked?