I’d like to share with you the following missive from one of our anglers. Please keep in mind that thanks to our winter stocking program, you can create family memories like the ones below throughout our temperate winter fishing season. Dreams of trout dancing on the end of the line might even be more alluring than dancing sugar plum fairies.

Hi Rory,
Like you and your family, Me and mine also traveled up north this weekend to ride the Polar Express to the North Pole. We stayed at a cabin outside Flagstaff on Lake Mary road instead of actually hanging out locally in Williams. After reading the last few of your reports, we decided to try Kinnickinick Lake since it was just down the way, and the road was amazingly still open due to the uncharacteristically mild weather conditions so far this winter.

What a great decision!  The reports from your blog were spot on. We fished from the bank, only about 10 or 20 feet off the shore. Using worms and corn 3 to 4 feet under a bobber did the trick. I had a decent 12- to 13-inch rainbow on my second cast, and even more encouraging was my 4-year-old son caught his first ever fish not long afterwards.  We ended the day with 22 fish! There were three adults and four kids fishing, and several of the kids caught their limits in our short four and a half hours of fishing (two of them not only caught their first fish, but caught their limit!).

Not only was the fishing great, but I was on the verge of getting a sunburn. I don’t think we could have asked for a nicer day! The surface was like glass most of the day (except for the ripples caused by all the bites we were getting), and the only other thing we saw at the lake all day was a Bald Eagle who supervised our catch.

I don’t fish as much as I would like because of keeping busy at work and with all of the kids’ activities, but when I do, your reports are the key to our decisions. They are awesome and always very insightful and informative!!!!!  Thank you!  You probably don’t realize, but you can word a sentence a certain way which can determine how we plan our entire day, or even our complete trip!  Keep it up!
Thanks!!!
Chris Motley

If you are looking for places to take your family to catch some memories, try the Lower Salt River near Phoenix for rainbow trout. With a low pressure system expected in the state this weekend, fishing should be pretty good, especially when the barometer is dropping. It’s also a great place to dunk worms in the current or for learning how to fly fish.

Both Canyon and Saguaro lakes have been liberally stocked with trout. I would try corn at those lakes – they also have catfish and carp.

Tempe Town Lake is another good bet for the family. Some anglers there this past weekend did extremely well.

If you are looking for a pine-tree lined expedition for rainbows, try Goldwater Lake or Lynx Lake near Prescott, and maybe drop by the famous town square and lighted courthouse to experience the friendly feeling of a small town Christmas (although Prescott isn’t all that small any more).

Two my family’s favorite winter fishing holes are Beaver Creek and West Clear Creek in the Verde Valley. You don’t have to hike to catch fish, but doing so adds a little sense of adventure to the outing. We have transplanted Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep to the Clear Creek area, so take along your binoculars.

Don’t forget Dead Horse Ranch State Park. Once again this year, trout anglers are often scoring limits in pretty short time frames. Tuzigoot National Monument is close by and you can also hop aboard the scenic Verde Canyon Railroad.

Fishing for trout along the fast runs, deep pools and delightful waterfalls in the spectacular Oak Creek Canyon can make even the most ardent Grinch smile this time of year.

Don’t forget all the urban lakes – they are also stocked with trout.

For the warmwater lakes, it sounds like stripers are still doing okay at Lake Pleasant and anglers are catching nice mixed bags of fish at Saguaro, including black bass, yellow bass and even channel catfish. After a couple of years on the mend, this picturesque lake is making up for lost time.

It sounds like at least one angler hit the bass jack pot at Havasu, including some nice smallmouth bass.

With the Mearns’ quail being so good this year, a fishing trip to Patagonia Lake in southern Arizona might be just the place for a superb cast-n-blast expedition. It’s a decent bass lake and we stock trout there in winter.

If you go down that way, stop by the Willcox Playa. Last year a record 36,000 sandhill cranes wintered in this amazingly flat ancient lake bed. The Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area is by far the best viewing spot.

By the way, please visit the U.S. Forest Service’s Web site and view the well done video on “Defending Favorite Places” and how you can help stop the silent invasion of invasive species such as the quagga mussel, buffelgrass and more. You are the key to helping protect our diverse aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

http://www.fs.fed.us/invasivespecies/prevention/defending.shtml

Also, for all of you outdoor recreationists who are out to see the night sky, you might want to look for the tumbling tool bag inadvertently released from the International Space Station. Check the Simple Satellite Tracker for viewing times: http://spaceweather.com/flybys.

Also, check out the full moon on Friday night — it will be the largest of the year because this celestrial body will be its closest to Earth.

Go experience some holiday memories. Maybe I’ll see you out there.