North Central Region
May 16th, 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: CATARACT LAKE — Campground is open. Lake is open for walk in fishing. Some fish being caught on flys and worms. Stocked Last Week. CITY RESERVOIR — Road is open. Lake is full. Stocked Last Week. DOGTOWN LAKE —. Campground area is open. No Report Some browns are being caught on lures. Stocked Last Week. JD DAM — Road is open. RUSSEL TANK - Has been stocked SANTA FE — Lake is full. Anglers are catching trout and yellow perch. Stocked Last Week. WHITEHORSE LAKE — No report from anglers. Campground area is open. Lake is open for walk in fishing. Lake is full. Stocked Last Week. Scheduled to be stocked.
UPPER LAKE MARY — This is still a northern pike hot spot. The lake is full. Some anglers have reported catching huge northern pike on frozen anchovies fished with little or no weight on steel leaders. Where:Ashurst Lake FRANCIS SHORT POND – Has been recently stocked. Fishing was fair to good for trout on flies or Power Bait. Catfish are being caught on night crawlers. Please remove all pike caught to save stocked trout for the anglers!!! MARSHALL LAKE — Stocked last week with rainbow trout. OAK CREEK — Stocked weekly. Fishing is slow for browns, but okay for rainbows. Where:Oak Creek, Don Hoel’s cabins Where:Oak Creek WEST CLEAR CREEK — Recently stocked. No report. 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 – Trout fishing success has slowed since the last seasonal fish stockings April 1. The best bait has been kernels of canned corn with a split-shot sinker, fished about 3 feet under a bobber. Power Bait fished on the bottom with an egg sinker is also catching a few trout. Largemouth bass fishing is fair. Try using small plastic jigs, plastic worms, or small spinnerbaits near deeper cover. VERDE RIVER (throughout Verde Valley) – Trout fishing success is waning since the last seasonal fish stockings occurred March 17th. A few rainbows are still being taken near Riverfront Park in Cottonwood on night crawlers and dry flies. Largemouth bass fishing is fair. Best bet is throughout the Camp Verde reach using small plastic jigs and in-line spinners. Channel catfish action is starting to pick up in the Verde Valley. Most success on catfish is by using night crawlers and chicken liver after dusk. 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 with rainbow trout May 12. While some were doing very well others were not. Try to fish were the water is clearer. Use spinners or bright colored power bait. 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 were stocked Oct. 12 & 15. GOLDWATER LAKE — Trout were stocked last week and are scheduled to be stocked again on the May 18. One angler reported catching a 13- and 14-inch trout in two hours of fishing. While there is no shortage of fish, most people report catching only one or two fish. Fishing should really pick up following the stocking this week. 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 at Goldwater 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. On March 29, 2007, there were 400 pounds of bluegill stocked. These fish were hand-sized and should be easily caught. Try using worms or mealworms on a bobber. Small spinners may work as well. 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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