Outdoor Writer Report post Posted October 15, 2020 Fishing Report Buy a license October 2020 Arizona Game and Fish Department Commission approves amendments to fishing regulations at its Sept. 25 meeting The Arizona Game and Fish Commission voted to approve the proposed amendments to Commission Order 40 (sport fishing bag and possession limits, special regulations, and specific closures) for calendar years 2021 and 2022 at its Sept. 25 meeting in Greer, Ariz. The proposed changes went through a public comment period in August. A webcast on Aug. 6 discussed the changes (starts about 35 seconds into the video). Silver Creek catch-and-release season began Oct. 1 On Oct. 1, Silver Creek switched to its catch-and-release season regulations until March 31. During this time, only artificial flies/lures and barbless hooks are allowed. The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) stocks super catchable rainbow trout annually into Silver Creek. These fish are larger than normal and are expected to remain in the creek until April 1, when catch-and-keep season returns. A valid fishing license is required for all anglers age 10 and older. See information on licenses at https://www.azgfd.com/License/. “After Silver Creek opens to catch and release only, fishing should be great," said Ryan Follmuth, AZGFD’s aquatic wildlife program manager for the Pinetop region. "Silver Creek presents anglers with the very real possibility to catch their largest trout of the year, or even their life, every time they fish this water.” Silver Creek Hatchery is located about 5 miles east of Show Low on Highway 60. The hatchery is not currently open to the public, but the creek remains accessible to anglers without restrictions. AZGFD encourages anglers to continue practicing social distancing and spread out along the shoreline while fishing. Tips Desert areas will continue to be hot for the next few days, with highs near 100, finally dropping to the low 90s next week. In the high country, expect pleasant days and chilly nights. Central Arizona Biologists conducted their annual flathead catfish electrofishing survey the week of Sept. 13. At Bartlett Lake, 112 flathead catfish were caught in a one-day survey. The flatheads ranged from 3 inches to 41 inches in length. The largest weighed in at just over 37 pounds. At Lake Pleasant, 183 flathead catfish were caught in the one-day survey. The flatheads ranged from 3 inches to 48 inches in length. The largest weighed in at just over 48.5 pounds. All the catfish were collected, weighed, measured, tagged, and released unharmed. By tagging flathead catfish, we learn about how fast they are growing in our Arizona Lakes. Getting reports of good largemouth bass and striper fishing at Roosevelt, Saguaro, Bartlett and Pleasant. As surface water temperatures continue to fall and daytime and nighttime air temperatures drop, both the topwater bite and night bite should produce good fishing. North Central Arizona Kinnikinick Lake Brown trout were recently stocked here. This is a great area to enjoy the fall “cast and blast” squirrel and/or duck hunting along with fishing. Small spinners and spoons retrieved slowly seem to be working best. Oak Creek Oak Creek was recently stocked with Gila trout. People are catching them on flies and spinners. Be aware there is a section of catch-and-release single point barbless regulations on Oak Creek. Kaibab and Dogtown lakes These lakes near Williams are continuing to produce trout when fishing with PowerBait and spinners. Western Arizona/Lower Colorado River Colorado River - Below Davis Dam The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will resume rainbow trout stocking in October and continue stocking through March. Lake Havasu Twenty-nine teams participated in a tournament on Lake Havasu over two days on Sept. 25-26. The largest bass caught was 5.65 pounds. Over those two days, anglers caught 142 largemouth bass and 89 smallmouth bass. Lake Powell See this week's Lake Powell Fishing Report from Wayne Gustaveson. ________________________________ Fall Fishing Forecast Be sure to see our Fall Fishing Forecast for the different regions in Arizona. Angler reports For each edition of the Fishing Report, we'll select some photos and reports submitted by members of the angling public either through the Fish AZ Facebook Group, or through the bfishing@azgfd.gov email address. If you'd like your photo/report considered for publication here, please indicate the species, place, date, name (we only publish first name and last initial), and any other information you'd like to provide. For more photos (including new photos each day), visit the Fish AZ Facebook Group. Holden G. of Mesa with a nice largemouth caught out of the Salt River last week. Efran C. caught and released this catfish at Surprise Lake two weeks ago. Bruce S. shows the 5-pound smallmouth bass he caught at Roosevelt Lake on Sept. 19. Strategic planning and a keen eye to find the best fishing spot resulted in an awesome day of fishing for Rich G. Rolf A. displays his catch while on his first trip to Patagonia Lake. Robert J. shared on the FishAZ Facebook group a post from White Mountain Apache Tribe Chairwoman Lee-Gatewood. She gave a shout-out to this young man named Ira, who caught an almost 7-pounder. Eddie V. cooked and shredded the rainbow trout he caught Sept. 19. To enhance its flavor, he made a dipping sauce consisting of sour cream, shallots, fresh rosemary and freshly-squeezed lemon juice. Yum, Eddie, we're coming over! Lance L. says of his wife Dawn at Ashurst Lake: "I swear....she's the best. She outfished me again. I'm just glad I have a wife that enjoys the outdoors as much as me!" Waters recently stocked Waters stocked last week (Oct. 5-9) with rainbow trout: North Central waters – Lynx Lake, Fain Lake, Mingus Lake, Goldwater Lake, Frances Short Pond, Oak Creek, Green Valley Lake (Community water in Payson). Cataract Lake and Dogtown Reservoir were stocked with brown trout. Mogollon Rim - Tonto Creek. White Mountains – Patterson Pond (St. Johns), Silver Creek. Waters stocked the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 2 Central waters - Oak Creek (Gila trout). Southeastern waters - Riggs Flat Lake (rainbow trout). Community Fishing Program waters (channel catfish): Phoenix area - Alvord Lake, Chaparral Lake, Cortez Lake, Desert Breeze Lake, Desert West Lake, Encanto Lake, Evelyn Hallman Pond, Festival Fields Pond, Gilbert Regional Park, Kiwanis Lake, Mansel Carter Oasis Lake, Pacana Pond, Paloma Lake, Papago Ponds (1, 2 and 3), Pioneer Lake, Red Mountain Lake, Rio Vista Pond, Riverview Lake, Steel Indian School Park, Surprise Lake, Veteran’s Oasis Lake. Tucson area - Silverbell Park, Kennedy Lake, Sauharita Lake, Lakeside Lake. Prescott area – Yavapai Lakes. Casa Grande area - Dave White Regional Park Pond. Payson area - Green Valley Lake (rainbow trout only). Yuma area - Council Avenue Pond, Fortuna Pond, Pacific Avenue Athletic Complex (PAAC) Pond, Yuma West Wetlands Pond. Many community waters will be stocked this week (Oct. 12-16) as well. The "Fish Lady" recipe videos: Video #1 - Trout with white wine This video was the first in our series of "Fish Lady" recipe videos. This one is for baked trout with white wine. Ingredients are: 2 trout fillets 1/4-1/3 cup white wine 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp thyme 1 whole garlic clove Directions: Coat the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. Place the trout fillets in the dish and add just enough wine to cover the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the fillets with salt, pepper and thyme. Add the garlic clove. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 20 minutes or until flaky. View the video. Save time, buy your license online Need your fishing license or hunt/fish combo license? It’s easy to do online. Simply visit https://www.azgfd.com/license/ to view the license options and fees, then select “Buy a License Online” (or directly visit https://license.azgfd.com/). Remember, your purchase of a fishing or hunt/fish combo license helps conserve all species of fish and wildlife and provides funding that goes back into fishing opportunities. 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
