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:
KAIBAB LAKE — Campground area is closed.  Fishing was fair over the weekend.

Where:Kaibab lake
When:10/12/08
Caught:4 trout
Technique:3 on spinners and 1 on Power Bait
Comments:landed one every 10 minutes. inline spinners. and red pb.
Name:bj

CATARACT LAKE — Campgrounds are closed.  Must walk in to fish. Fishing was good over the weekend.  Stocked last week.   Stocked with catfish.

Where: Cataract Lake
When: 10/23/08
Caught: 4 rainbows
Technique: Bobber, live grasshoppers, salmon eggs
Comments: Fished from 12:30 to 06:00. Every time I plopped a grasshopper in the water they would take it. From 4:30 to 6:00 I switched to salmon eggs. Again the bobber would go a bobbin. It was just a matter of hooking them. The two other groups of people that were there caught their limit.
Name: Chris Nyhart

CITY RESERVOIR — Stocked with catfish.

DOGTOWN LAKE — Campground area is Closed. Lots of folks are catching crayfish.   Some browns are being caught on lures.

Where:Dogtown lake
When:10/12/08
Caught:9 trout
Technique:Power Bait any color
Comments:We landed 1 every 15 minutes; it was a good time. Try next to boat ramp.
Name:bj
JD DAM — Road is open.

RUSSEL TANK – Has been stocked

SANTA FE — Lake is full.  Anglers are catching trout and yellow perch.  Stocked with catfish

WHITEHORSE LAKE — No report from anglers.  Campgrounds are closed.  Must walk in to fish.

FLAGSTAFF LAKES:

LOWER LAKE MARY — A fish kill has occurred.  There may not be any fish left.

UPPER LAKE MARY — The lake is full.  Some Pike are being caught on anchovies.

ASHURST LAKE —  The lake is full, the road is open.

Where:Ashurst
When:11/02/08
Caught:Trout
Technique:Bobber with worm 5 feet from the bank
Comments:Between the two of us we caught 9 in two hours. Went back on Monday and caught 9 more.
Name:Andy
FRANCIS SHORT POND – Scheduled to be stocked this week.

KINNIKINICK LAKE — Road Open.  Some large brown trout and one large Rainbow were stocked in the lake.

MARSHALL LAKE —  Road Open.

LONG LAKE — Anglers are catching trout up to four pounds, along with some pike. Lake is open.  Water level is good.  Lake has been stocked.

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

BEAVER CREEK — Scheduled for stocking this week with 900 rainbow trout. Fishing should be good.

WEST CLEAR CREEK — Stocked last week with rainbow trout.

STONEMAN LAKE — NO FISH.

Verde Valley

OAK CREEK — Stocked with 1,350 trout (including incentive size fish) and the water temperature ranged from 47 to 58 F degrees. Fishing is good for rainbows and poor for browns.

DEAD HORSE STATE PARK – Fishing in general has been fair to good.  Trout are scheduled this week (Nov.17th).  There were 3,033 rainbow trout were split between the lower and middle lagoons on Nov. 4.  Look for the fishing to be good following the stocking.  Try using Power Bait or small spinners.

Catfish were last stocked on Sept. 17 in both the middle and lower lagoons.  Try using small plastic jigs, plastic worms, or small spinnerbaits near deeper cover for bass.  The catfish bite has been good in the evening.   Some angler’s are having limited success in the day.
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) – Stockings are scheduled for this week.  Rainbow Trout were stocked two weeks ago. There were 2,400 rainbows stocked into our four sites, which are: Tuzigoot Bridge; just down from the Dead Horse Bridge or “Jacks”; Bignotti Beach or the Thousand Trails site; and the bridge out of Camp Verde (General Crook Trail).   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

FAIN LAKE — Trout were stocked on Nov. 4; 1,000 rainbow trout went in without a hitch. Anglers targeting trout were successful. Trout fishing is best immediately following the stocking.  Power Bait is usually the hot ticket.  The next stockings are scheduled for the week of Dec. 1.

Catfish and sunfish were stocked the week of June 23.  Anglers are still having some limited success catching some of those catfish, but it is fairly slow.  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.

GOLDWATER LAKE — There were 1,350 trout plus incentive-size fished stocked around the boat launch.  So some 1-2 pounders could be waiting for you at Goldwater.

Catfish and bass were stocked the week of Sept. 15.  Trout seem to be biting pretty good, as well as some of the catfish and bass.  You may want to try using KastMasters.  If that does not work, try worms or Power Bait.

Night crawlers are the ticket for the catfish, the trick is to float the night crawler off the bottom a little so the crayfish don’t get it.  You can either inflate your night crawler or you can use marshmallows.  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 on Sept. 16, 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. 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 — Rainbow trout were stocked Nov. 4.  Sub-catchable brook trout were stocked on Sept. 24.  The trout fishing picked up a little following the last stocking.  Salmon colored Power Bait was working for some.  Trout were seen cruising near the surface and jumping, so you may want to fish under a bobber or with spinners near the surface.  Most anglers are having success on worms.  Some anglers were having luck in about 18-feet of water near the spillway at the dam using night crawlers.

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.

MINGUS LAKE – Mingus was stocked the week of Oct. 20.  This was the last scheduled stocking until spring.  Fishing has been good following the stocking.  The best bait has been orange or pink Power Bait, fished on the bottom with a treble hook and an egg sinker. Fishermen using night crawlers grass hoppers and flies have also reported doing well.

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 – NO NEW REPORTS: Bass, Bluegill and catfish are common in this lake. One angler reported seeing several 5lb catfish recently.  Another angler reported catching 3-8 nice bass per evening on green or chartreuse “wooly buggers.”  As the water begins to cool this will slow, so get them while you can.  Crappies are found in low numbers. Bullheads are easily caught using a small piece of worm.

Game and Fish Biologists surveyed Watson on Sept. 17 and found the bass,  sunfish, and bullhead to be plentiful.  Crappies are 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 – NO NEW REPORTS: Bass, bluegill, and bullhead are plentiful.  Most of the bluegills are on the small side, but the bullheads 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.