Hey, don’t forget that invasive quagga mussels have been found at Lake Pleasant. Plus, we have golden algae in Saguaro, Canyon and Apache. Toss in some whirling disease at Lees Ferry and giant Salvinia along the lower Colorado River near Yuma, and you have plenty of dire reasons to clean, drain and dry your boat (and fishing equipment) after every outing to every water, every time.

Don’t spread the bad stuff.

The hot spot right now is lonely – Lees Ferry. The wild trout at the Ferry are in the spawn. Few anglers have been taking advantage of this superb angling opportunity. This is the first time in three years that the rainbows have spawned in their normal winter pattern. Fishing the spawn along the picturesque Marble Canyon Gorge can be a major life-enhancing angling adventure.

With a weather front expected this weekend, I don’t have high hopes for the crappie fishing. For some reason, crappies are often fair-weather creatures during winter. That doesn’t mean you can’t catch them, just that the bite might not be as good. However, those days of scattered clouds can be terrific at times, so Saturday could be a decent bet, that is, if you believe the weather guy.

However, if you go to Roosevelt, which is the top crappie lake so far, and the weather turns off the crappie, bring along your spider jigs etc. for the smallmouth bass. Try working the central part of the lake in the rocky areas, especially points, islands and reefs. Even though crappies are attack via sight, scent can help attract them, especially any crayfish scent.

It sounds like the typical winter fishing at Pleasant – great if you can find the right location and apparently a lot of anglers are doing just that. Check out the tips for winter fishing stripers at Lake Powell, and then use that knowledge at Pleasant. When you find active stripers, white bass or largemouth, you should do well. Try the northern coves: Castle Creek, Coles, Humbug and the Agua Fria. Don’t forget about the closure for nesting bald eagles on the Agua Fria arm.

By the way, Pleasant received a nice influx of water and nutrients during early December via runoff down the Agua Fria River. This might be a pretty good year for this fishery on the northern edge of Phoenix. Be sure to get your 2008 fishing license.

Looking forward to next week, the Urban Program lakes are being stocked with incentive trout the week of Jan. 7-12, including plenty of extra 1-3 pound trout with each lake delivery.  Once every year, super-sized rainbow trout are ordered from our fish vendors.  Mixed in with the usual 10-13 inchers will be some trout in the 13-20 inch range. It’s a hoot to haul in a super-sized rainbow from these small urban waters.

A fun place to fish this time of year is Willow Beach for trout, and for giant stripers that feed on the trout. There is also a good chance of seeing desert bighorn sheep – you might even see some new little lambs bouncing around the cliffs.

Good luck. Maybe I’ll see you out there.