First I want to point out that the tentative trout stocking schedule has been posted on our Web site at www.azgfd.gov.  Keep in mind that road conditions, especially snow drifts, may result in some of the waters not being stocked as scheduled, so check the weekly reports.

However, down in the lower elevations the Palo Verde trees are starting to bloom, which is a seasonal signpost the post-spawn topwater action is underway for largemouth bass in the central Arizona lakes. Or in this case, the spawn, post-spawn and pre-spawn period all wrapped up in one. It’s time to chuck a stick bait and walk-the-dog.

Right now, it is possible to find some aggressive post-spawn bass, spawning bass, pre-spawn bass and bass still holding deep in their winter pattern. If you can’t catch one cadre of bass, switch techniques and try for one of more of the others.

Windy weather has blown away the success of many anglers, but there are those who make the wind work for them, especially when the barometer is dipping and bass appetites are rising. Yes, weather disturbances can drive bass off beds and out of the shallows. But pre-spawn and post-spawn bass (some spawners as well) can be aggressively feeding the wind-borne or really currently-borne smorgasbord. But don’t expect them to necessarily be shallow. Try the 15-foot range but be prepared to fish down to 30 or 40 feet if necessary (one angler said he hit the jackpot at 45 feet).

Major outside points, and those secondary points just inside the coves can be the spots, although the edge of the large flats or the submerged creek and river channels (fish highways) might be worth a try as well. The fish will orient to ambush prey in the current, but the fish may not necessarily be in the current themselves. They will likely be sitting on the lee side of a bush, tree, rock or other structure. They might be sitting on the lee side of a windy point, island or reef. Cast upwind/up-current from a likely holding spot and let your offering float and flutter down to the bass.

Also, when it is windy you might break out the trusty spinnerbaits and pluck on a trailer to help slow them down and get them down. Slow-rolling a spinnerbait along the bottom while you bass boat is bucking waves on a windy point might be a back-aching idea, but it could pay off with some nice fish.

By the way, if any of you have some other wind-savvy fishing tips, send them to me and I’ll share them. It’s that time of year. We all need a little extra help.

But don’t necessarily expect the fish to bite well once we return to those nice warm sunny days following a weather disturbance blasting through the state. On many of those bluebird days, it may seem like the fish have lockjaw this time of year. So slow down your presentation, but possibly use a bait with a little more built-in action, such as a curly tail jig or worm, or a nice flutter-down bait like a Senko.

Now let’s talk crappie. I got a report from one of our retired biologists who noted that the crappie he caught at Alamo had empty egg sacs. That’s a pretty good indication that the spawn is either over, or about over, at Alamo. Alamo is typically an early spawning lake, but I suspect that Roosevelt, Bartlett and the other crappie domains will be close on its heels.

With a partial waxing moon this week, this might be the time to break out the submersible crappie lights and start holding some nighttime hook-an-line vigils for the speckled beauties.

For the trout scene, some of the high country lakes are starting to become accessible but some of our highest ones, such as Big Lake, Crescent Lake, Woods Canyon Lake, Knoll Lake and Bear Canyon Lake, are still inaccessible. Once again this year, we had that almost foreign term called snow pack. It’s great to be able to say that term in a positive sense two years in a row.
But Blue Ridge, Willow Springs, Kaibab, Dogtown, Black Canyon, Chevelon (via Winslow or Heber), Kaibab, Greer lakes and Long Lake are all accessible now. The trout fishing hot spot is Lower Lake Mary near Flagstaff. The long-shot for larger trout is Long Lake. Willow Springs might just fill your creel with smiles. An outside bet is Luna Lake near the New Mexico border. The Greer lakes might also be a gamble, but a pretty one this time of year.

As a side note, it was great meeting so many of you at the fish demo tank at our Expo last weekend. It was amazing – the bass in the demo tank hit the whole weekend. We had superb presenters providing terrific information for Arizona anglers to catch more fish. Kudos to Fisherman’s Choice and the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation for helping out. In fact, it was so successful that we are talking about doing a monthly bass fishing workshops at our Game and Fish HQ.

The idea is to provide workshops for those who already have the basic skill sets so that they can continue to evolve as anglers and move to the next level. We’ll tap the pros, the knowledgeable tournament anglers and our biologists for their words of wisdom and coaching. And as most teaching situations go, we’ll all learn from each other as well. So stay tuned. I would like to do these the first Thursday of every month.

How about this — the Kids Fishing Pond at our Expo drew about 2,200 kids, which set a record for the folks who provide this marvelous fishing tank to various outdoor shows across the nation — pretty remarkable. It was a ball (now we are all trying to recover).

Also, we are doing an artificial habitat project this weekend at Pena Blanca, which was drained this winter for an extensive sediment removal project. If all goes well, I’ll try to get down there for it and then share some pictures with you this come week.

Go catch some memories, maybe I’ll see you out there.