Stay Home And Fish Arizona

PHOENIX – Key access roads in the mountains opened on April 17, allowing anglers and other outdoor recreational users entry to Woods Canyon Lake along the Mogollon Rim and Big Lake in the White Mountains.

Arizona Game and Fish Department officials said most high country lakes are now ice-free and all but a few are accessible. “This is a superb time to fish the high country for those larger, hard-fighting hold-over trout,” said Rory Aikens, the department’s fishing report editor.

Aikens added that anglers should not necessarily expect high catch rates because the colder water temperatures right after ice out can mean trout can be a little lethargic. Another factor can be lake and stream turbidity from runoff.

“Thanks to well-above normal snowpack, the vast majority of our lakes have filled and spilled this year. With rising gas prices, this is a perfect year to stay at home and fish Arizona for your vacation,” Aikens advises.

Aikens said the spring-and-summer trout-stocking program is well underway. For the latest stocking details and other fishing information, visit the department’s new fishing report blog at http://www.azgfd.net/fish/.