Outdoor Writer Report post Posted November 29, 2019 FISHING REPORT Nov. 29, 2019 Arizona Game and Fish Department TIP OF THE WEEK It's winter trout time. With some calm and stable weather, it should be crappie time, too. Fishing for trout in Community waters can be some of the best fishing in the state this time of the year. See the schedule -- "core" waters are scheduled to be stocked again next week. With this week's storm, expect more skim ice -- and unsafe ice -- to continue forming on high elevation lakes (8,000-plus feet). Consider all ice at this time to be unsafe and not yet ready for ice fishing. Don't forget: Silver Creek is a spring creek that comes out of the ground at a constant temperature and does not freeze during the winter. Catch-and-release fishing for big rainbow trout with artificial lure and flies, with single-point barbless hooks, will continue through the winter. Late fall/early winter fishing is just starting in desert regions. More and more, expect bass to be scattered in many desert lakes, moving into warmer and deeper water. Wintertime bass fishing can mean fishing is hot one day, slow the next. Cover a lot of water and try numerous presentations. On calm nights, night fishing for stripers can be productive at places like Pleasant and Havasu. Don't forget to check out our new Fish & Boat AZ map to plan your next hook-and-line adventure. Avondale’s Festival Fields Park celebrates grand re-opening Saturday The public is invited to the grand re-opening celebration of Avondale’s Festival Fields Park on Saturday, Nov. 30, from 4 to 7 p.m. at 101 E. Lower Buckeye Rd in Avondale. The lake is our newest Community Fishing Program water. This free event is being held in partnership with Haydon Construction and the City of Avondale to unveil the massive renovation and 30-acre expansion of the existing park. New features include a fishing lake that has been stocked with rainbow trout, splash park, skate park, pump track, play courts, ball fields, multi-use fields, restrooms, picnic shelters, dog park, and custom designed play structures. Read more. Catch of the Week Send your fishing reports and photos to BFishing@azgfd.gov -- one will be selected for Catch of the Week Chaparral Lake (Scottsdale) Jared S. caught and released this nice largemouth bass at Chaparral on a top-water lure at sunset. What's been stocked ("Catchable" sizes only; water temp in parenthesis if available) Rainbow trout: Mesa Riverview (Monday), "core" Community waters (last week). Upcoming Family Fishing Event Saturday, Dec. 7 -- Youth Fishing Festival, 8 a.m.-noon, Discovery Ponds (Game and Fish booth will be located between the two ponds), 2214 E. Pecos Rd. Gilbert This family event is co-sponsored by the Town of Gilbert and the Arizona Game and Fish Department. AZGFD Sport Fishing Education Program staff and volunteer instructors will be on hand to provide loaner rods for the first 100 participants who don’t have their own rod, as well as bait, fishing information and instruction. Come on out and bring the whole family. The event is open to all ages. For more information please contact the Sport Fishing Education Program at (623) 236-7240. Attention future participants of the Youth Fishing Festival 2019: Fishing licenses will be required to attend/participate in this year’s event and will be checked throughout the morning. Thank you, anglers! Arizona fishing opportunities wouldn’t be possible without the Sport Fish Restoration Program. It was created through the Dingell-Johnson Act of 1950 (Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act) and the Wallop-Breaux amendments of 1984. Through a federal excise tax paid by manufacturers on fishing gear and motorboat fuels, it provides grant funds for fishery conservation, boating access, and aquatic education. Save time, buy online Grab a license online (that helps conserve all species of wildlife, not to mention provides funding that goes back into fishing opportunities) and go "Fish AZ". SEE MORE REPORTS Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
