Outdoor Writer Report post Posted December 10, 2020 Fishing Report Buy a license December 2020 Arizona Game and Fish Department Community Fishing Program waters to receive some rainbow and albino trout from Canyon Creek Hatchery AZGFD’s Canyon Creek Hatchery will provide some trout for the department's Community Fishing Program waters this winter. The current drought conditions have caused reduced spring water flows at the hatchery, making it difficult to maintain the quality water flow needed to support the large number of fish in its raceways. Utilizing some of the fish for winter stockings in community waters will reduce numbers of trout at the hatchery and help ensure the fish there have adequate water to grow and thrive. The first of these stockings occurred on Nov. 25 when the department stocked trout from the hatchery into all three lakes in Green Valley Park in Payson. Altogether, about 350 pounds of rainbow trout and 350 pounds of albino rainbow trout were stocked. The rainbows averaged about 11 to 12 inches in length, while many of the albinos were in the 14-inch range. “The albino rainbow trout are being stocked to provide anglers with a rare opportunity to catch an unusual fish,” said Geoffrey Rabinovich, statewide hatchery program manager for AZGFD. “Albino rainbows are easily spotted by predators, so they rarely occur in the wild in Arizona. However, they do grow well in a hatchery environment and are fun for anglers to catch.” Stockings of some fish from Canyon Creek Hatchery will begin in Phoenix and Tucson Community Fishing Program waters in December. Rabinovich said these stockings will not impact the hatchery’s normal spring and summer stockings into state waters, as the money that is normally spent for out-of-state contractors for the Community Fishing Program in winter will now be used to help the hatchery maintain its normal schedule of trout production this summer. Restrictions take effect in some areas as bald eagle breeding season returns Arizona’s bald eagles are back and they will soon be working on the next generation of eagles at breeding sites statewide. To assist with the state’s continued bald eagle population growth, the Arizona Game and Fish Department encourages anglers and other outdoor recreationists to do their part by not disturbing the state’s 92 eagle breeding areas. To protect breeding attempts, some portions of public land and water areas will be temporarily closed to help these majestic animals and ensure even more young eagles take to the skies this spring. Some closures took effect Dec. 1, others (such as a portion of the Lower Agua Fria Arm of Lake Pleasant), will go into effect Dec. 15. “Arizona’s bald eagles will be hard at work preparing their nests for what we hope will be a productive breeding season,” said Kenneth “Tuk” Jacobson, AZGFD bald eagle management coordinator. “The birds nest, forage and roost at rivers and lakes that are also popular recreation spots. That’s why we must be vigilant to help protect the birds and ensure their populations statewide continue to flourish. That success wouldn’t be possible without the cooperation of outdoor recreationists who respect the closures during the breeding season.” View the list of closures. Angler video: Winged "camp robber" steals angler's fish Fred M. posted this video to the Fish AZ Facebook Group. He had decided to keep a nice-sized rainbow trout he'd caught to make sashimi. He flipped his catch on shore and went to retie his hook. In a moment, a redtail hawk swooped down and took his fish. (And no, Fred wasn't cited for intentionally feeding wildlife). View the video clip. Angler video: Release of brown trout Rye W. posted this video footage to the Fish AZ Facebook group showing his release of a nice brown trout he caught. View the video clip. Tips This week's warm weather will give way to cooler temperatures later in the week, with a chance of precipitation on Thursday and Friday in some parts of the state, particularly in the high country. Water temperatures are falling as overnight lows in desert regions are forecast to be in the 40s. If you’re bass fishing in desert impoundments, a good strategy might be throwing crankbaits during mornings, and closer to midday switching to smaller plastic baits (Roboworms or baby brush hogs) on Texas rigs or dropshots in 15-25 feet of water. At Roper Lake (near Safford), reports are that that trout fishing was very good last week, with many anglers catching their six-fish limits. Garlic-flavored dough baits fished on the bottom and small inline spinners were both working well. Bass fishing was slow. but this is the time of year outsized fish are typically caught on trout imitation baits. Some of the big Roper Lake largemouths are actively feeding on stocked rainbow trout. Try working an imitation lure parallel to the tules to draw a big fish from its ambush spot. Bluegills and sunfish are still being caught on nightcrawlers fished under a bobber. Catfishing has been slow. (Report courtesy of Ranger Micheal DeLeon of Arizona State Parks). At Lake Havasu, reports are that stripers have been chasing shad around the north Windsor basin in the early morning and late afternoon hours. Look for seagulls diving on the schools of shad coming to the surface. Other good locations this week are the Chalk Cliffs, Mesquite Bay 2, and the mouth of the river. Largemouth bass are hitting white- or chartreuse-colored spinnerbaits and shad-colored Rat-L-Traps on breezy days. Smallmouth anglers have been successful using deep-diving, shad-colored crankbaits around rocks in 8-15 feet of water or gravel/rock shorelines where the smallmouth are chasing baitfish. (Report courtesy of John Galbraith of Bass Tackle Master via Arizona State Parks). For Lake Powell, you can see Wayne Gustaveson's report on the results of gill netting surveys done the first two weeks of November. Remember to see our fishing forecast for different regions of the state. The new winter forecast is anticipated to be available soon. 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. Morgan R. got her first big catfish, caught out of one of AZGFD's Community Fishing Program waters. Now, that's life! Roosevelt Lake, sunny skies, pleasant temps and some bass. You're making us a bit jealous, Bruce S. Joy and happiness -- that’s what we see in this picture, posted by Nathaniel D. Although Nathaniel’s nephew’s line broke and his fish got away, this young man’s expression is what fishing is all about. Tony S. had a great day fishing with his grandson last week. Regardless the size of the catch, the memories are priceless! Taz L. got this nice trout at Kennedy Lake in Tucson. Used cheese-colored worm,1/32 jig head with bobber. Catfish from the San Francisco River in Clifton, Ariz. Great job, Debbie! Another great day at Fain Lake for Eddie S. and his wife. Eddie says this was his only catch; his wife out-fished him today. Jim G. got this big pike at Ashhurst Lake southeast of Flagstaff. Waters recently stocked with rainbow trout: Week of 11/30 to 12/4/2020 Southeastern waters: Roper Lake, Dankworth Pond, Patagonia Lake. North Central waters – Watson Lake, Fain Lake, Dead Horse Lake, Lynx Lake. Community Fishing Program waters: Phoenix area - Alvord Lake, Bonsall Pond, Chaparral Lake, Copper Sky Lake, Cortez Lake, Desert Breeze Lake, Desert West Lake, Encanto Lake, Evelyn Hallman Pond, Festival Fields Pond, Friendship Pond, 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, Roadrunner Pond, 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 Lakes. Yuma area - Council Avenue Pond, Fortuna Pond, Pacific Avenue Athletic Complex (PAAC) Pond, Redondo Lake, Yuma West Wetlands Pond. Week of 11/23 to 11/27/2020 Southeastern waters: Parker Canyon Lake. North Central waters: Goldwater Lake, Verde River (middle). New AZGFD video: Stocking Gila trout at West Fork of Oak Creek Last month we showed a short video of Gila trout, one of the state's native trout species, being stocked into the East Verde River. This month we are posting a new video showing the Arizona Game and Fish Department stocking Gila trout at the West Fork of Oak Creek. Lakes where Gila trout have been stocked in the Prescott area include Lynx Lake, Watson Lake and Goldwater Lake. View the video. 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
