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Gear Up for Adventure at the Arizona Boat, RV, Off-Road, & Outdoor Expo!

February 18, 2026

BOATING

Gear Up for Adventure at the Arizona Boat, RV, Off-Road, & Outdoor Expo!

Is the wilderness calling your name? Whether you dream of conquering rocky desert trails, cruising the open water, or hitting the highway in the ultimate home-on-wheels, the event of the year is officially here

Jim Allen 02/18/2026

Fishing Events

Help a kid fish, Bass Pro Mesa

Happy summer, anglers!
If you would like to get a head start on your community service for the next fishing season. Bass Pro is asking for help with their kids’ fishing events.

Jim Allen 05/30/2025

Fishing Events

Gone Fishing

Fishing is one of the most popular outdoor activities in Arizona; both tournaments and fun family angling events are available almost every month of the year.

Arizona Game And Fish Department 10/26/2022

Fishing Events

Bass Junkyz

Bass Junkyz is not just a bass fishing tournament event, it is a community of anglers coming together for a sport they love. We invite family and friends to attend every event.

Carol Allen 10/14/2022

Fishing Events

Arizona Fishing

Do you know someone who would like to learn more about fishing in Arizona but doesn’t know where to start? Or are you an angler with some experience who would like to further hone your skills?

Arizona Boating And Watersports 03/26/2022

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Fishing

Pros and cons of fishing in Arizona

Arizona will take one of the leading places in the competition for the most suitable states for fishing. Everything necessary for this activity is on its territory, from many reservoirs to a vast variety of fish. Arizona has many other

Tom Murphy 06/12/2024

AZ Lakes AZ Pros Matt Shura At Canyon Lake

Fishing

AZ Lakes AZ Pros Matt Shura At Canyon Lake

Crankbaits are sometimes called “idiot baits” because people have the idea that there is nothing to them but casting and winding.

Jim Allen 10/06/2022

Fishing Editorial & Opinion

AZGFD Stocks Tiger Bass

Anglers received a treat for the future when the Arizona Game and Fish Department stocked 15,000 tiger bass into Roosevelt Lake on June 14. Tiger bass are from Alabama and are a cross between an aggressive northern largemouth bass and

Arizona Game And Fish Department 08/19/2022

Fishing

AZGFD 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.

Arizona Game And Fish Department 07/25/2022

AZ Lakes/AZ Pros: Marty Lawrence at Bartlett Lake

Fishing

AZ Lakes/AZ Pros: Marty Lawrence at Bartlett Lake

Yamamoto Pro MartyLawrence fishes a lot of night tournaments in the summer, and summer in Arizona means monsoon storms. These storms usually do roll in at night and if you’re out on the water, it can mean that jigs and

Margie Anderson 08/18/2021

AZ Lakes, AZ Pros - Vanderkooi At Lake Pleasant

Fishing Editorial & Opinion

AZ Lakes, AZ Pros – Vanderkooi At Lake Pleasant

I’ll never forget the year the All Star Super Team Championship at Lake Pleasant was won with a Carolina rig, and Rob VanderKooi and Lynton Leslie also took second place using the rig. Both before and since that tournament, many

Margie Anderson 06/09/2021

BOATING

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Working With Partners to Sustain Lake Access Through 2026

Page, Ariz. — Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is preparing for projected low water levels at Lake Powell in 2026. In collaboration with concessioners and state partners, park staff are committed to sustaining visitor access and high-quality services throughout the upcoming season.

Jim Allen 02/28/2026

Fishing

Arizona Hunting, Fishing Licenses

License dealers will no longer sell traditional paper licenses, but many will offer an online purchase option; customers can also buy directly online at https://license.azgfd.com/ or at AZGFD offices.

Arizona Game And Fish Department 01/04/2022

Fishing

AZGFD Discontinues Community Fishing Licenses

The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has announced it will no longer offer Community Fishing licenses for sale beginning Jan. 1, 2022.

Arizona Game And Fish Department 12/27/2021

Fishing

Arizona Fish Stocking June 2021

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has made available for public review a draft Environmental Assessment (dEA) of Arizona’s sport fish stocking program.

Arizona Game And Fish Department 06/09/2021

Fishing

Lake Powell Report

Lake Powell water elevation is 3563 and still going down. Inflow to the lake is 8,000-acre feet while outflow exceeded 22,000-acre feet. The lake is low and still declining which calls for an abundance of caution while navigating any canyon outside of the main channel.

Wayne Gustaveson 05/12/2021

Fishing

AZGFD Report

AZGFD staff recently went out to Alamo Lake to conduct some sampling for a graduate project with the University of Arizona. Different methodologies of fish sampling were conducted to assess which technique was most favorable with regard to fish density and populations.

Arizona Game And Fish Department 05/12/2021

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Fishing

Redear Sunfish

Lake Havasu has developed a reputation for producing large redear sunfish, and that reputation was recently reaffirmed when Zac Mickle caught a 5.07-pound, 16-1/4-inch eye-popper.

Arizona Boating And Watersports 07/25/2022

Fishing

Top Spots To Canoe And Kayak

Blessed with 128 lakes and 5 major rivers, Arizona beckons outdoor enthusiasts to hike, raft, ski and fish year-round. In Arizona, you’ll find ample opportunities to get out on the water—from the lakes of the Mogollon Rim to the Colorado

Arizona Boating And Watersports 08/18/2021

Fishing

Arizona Top Winter Fishing Destinations

Arizona is home to 128 lakes and five major rivers. With cooler weather comes some unique opportunities for anglers who are looking to cast a line during the winter months.

Arizona Game And Fish Department 03/18/2021

Fishing

Martinez Lake

Winter is the perfect time of year to visit the lower Colorado River lakes because the weather is fantastic. Martinez Lake is typical of the southern Colorado River Lakes: reedy and shallow, it still holds plenty of fish of all

Margie Anderson 11/25/2020

Fishing

Arizona Fishing Regulation Ammendments

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.

Arizona Game And Fish Department 11/16/2020

Fishing

Lees Ferry Fishing Report March 2020

Hard to believe, but Lees Ferry Anglers is celebrating its 30th anniversary. We certainly appreciate — and thank — our loyal customers who have made this all possible!

Jim Allen 03/03/2020

Ben Koller Knows Stripers At Pleasant Even if you have to brave the desert heat to fish, it pays to get out on your nearest lake this time of year. Warmer water means active fish, and active fish eat more. Even on the desert lakes, don’t make the mistake of thinking that you have to use finesse baits in deep water to be successful – there are always some shallow fish to be had, especially early in the morning and just before dark. Fly Rods Ben Koller of www.thehookupoutfitters.com likes to go after all kinds of fish with a fly rod. The stripers at Lake Pleasant willingly gobble up flies, and so do largemouth bass. Crappie and bluegills will also take a fly, and some people even use them for carp. Koller isn’t a purist, so first thing in the morning he’ll usually throw a topwater lure and see if he can get some action. A Zara Spook is just about everybody’s favorite topwater at Pleasant, and Ben is no exception. Sometimes he doesn’t even have to leave the ramp before he starts getting the big stripers to come up. Stripers Are Saltwater By Nature Ben says that in the summer a lot of fish stay in the thermocline, which is always at 30 feet at Pleasant in the summer. But early and late they come up shallow. “Stripers are saltwater fish by nature,” says Koller, “so they are designed to roam and that makes them hard to pattern.” The only places that will consistently hold stripers are areas with lots of bait fish. Once a striper hits about six or seven pounds it turns into a rogue, loner fish. Smaller stripers tend to school, and when you get into a school of feeding stripers you’ll likely catch a bunch that are all about the same size. If Ben is guiding two fly fishermen he’ll stand up front and throw a Spook to tease the stripers into coming up for the flies. Koller recommends a nine weight rod (Orvis makes a really good one) for big surface flies, and he uses weight-forward floating line with a 10-foot leader of 16- to 20-pound mono. If they stop eating on top, he switches to a six weight and 200 grain sinking line. This line sinks about five inches per second, so he can count his flies down pretty easily. Also Largemouth The stripers at Pleasant have been pushing sunfish into the brush, so Ben likes bluegill imitations. If they are after fry he uses smaller streamers. Ben also catches largemouth bass on flies. “Traditionally, fly rods are nine feet long,” he says, “but the fly rod manufacturers have discovered that they have a huge market of bass fishermen out there. Most bass tournaments don’t allow rods longer than eight feet, so there are starting to be a lot of 8-foot fly rods available now.” One of the things he likes about stripers and whites on a fly rod is how fast you can flip the lure from place to place. “When they are busting all around you, you can lift it and put it on the other side of the boat immediately. You don’t have to reel in and re-cast like you do with a regular rod and reel.” He’s found that with the stripers, the faster you can retrieve it the better they like it. He strips line just as fast as he can, giving it five or six good strips, then pausing for a second. “Also, any time you’re throwing a streamer, tie it on with a loop knot. That gives the lure a whole lot more action. They’re not like a crankbait with a bill – they don’t have any built-in action,” he explains. Eating Stripers Stripers make great fish tacos. Here’s how — • Cut the striper fillets into strips and dip them in eggs and milk with a dash of hot sauce added. Roll the dipped strips in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, and crushed red peppers. Fry them up and put them in a tortilla (hard or soft) with shredded cabbage. • Ben makes a dynamite fish taco sauce with mayo, plain yogurt, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, and some sweet pickle relish. He says you can use ranch dressing if you’d rather. • Another of Ben’s suggestions is to brush fillets with AJ’s Arizona Zing marinade (available at AJ’s food stores) before grilling them.

Fishing

AZ Lakes, AZ Pros – Ben Koller At Pleasant

Even if you have to brave the desert heat to fish, it pays to get out on your nearest lake this time of year. Warmer water means active fish, and active fish eat more.

Margie Anderson 05/14/2021

Fishing

Arizona Lakes, Arizona Pros – Marc Townsend

The first time we fished with Marc must have been nearly thirty years ago! Arizona Lakes, Arizona Pros – Marc Townsend has been fishing Arizona lakes almost all his life, starting when he was just a kid going out with his dad.

Margie Anderson 04/04/2018

Fishing

Arizona Lakes, Arizona Pros – Larry Mantle

Arizona Lakes, Arizona Pros – Larry Mantle has been a fixture on Arizona’s lakes for years, and he’s one of the most respected anglers out there.

Margie Anderson 04/01/2018

Fishing

AZ Lakes AZ Pros Wes McCracken

Back in the day, Wes McCracken was one of the best anglers on the All Star Bass trail. The key to his success: he knew that you have to be versatile to catch fish consistently. “Every lake is different, and every year it’s different, too,” says McCracken.

Margie Anderson 01/15/2018

Fishing

AZ Lakes AZ Pros Dan Marzano John Anderson At Patagonia

Patagonia Lake is a small reservoir about an hour south of Tucson. Formed by damming Sonoita Creek, this beautiful little lake offers good crappie, catfish, and bass fishing in Southern Arizona.

Margie Anderson 12/01/2017

Fishing

AZ Lakes, AZ Pros: Art Chamberlin / Leroy Price

Two of the acknowledged masters of crappie trolling in Arizona are Art Chamberlin and LeRoy Price. Both men fish for crappie and bass on Roosevelt Lake, and they spend so much time on the water that they can follow the fish around day by day.

John Anderson 11/21/2017