Dead Horse Ranch State Park – Catfish were last stocked the week of May 31. The catfish bite has been fair in the evening. Game and Fish Biologists surveyed Dead Horse Lake on April 25 of this year and found several good-size largemouth bass as well as channel catfish, bluegill and green sunfish. Try using small plastic jigs, plastic worms, or small spinnerbaits near deeper cover. Bluegills are very abundant, but most are small. This is a great opportunity to teach kids how to fish. Try using a #12 hook with a small piece of worm under a bobber and you should have success.
Mingus Lake – The seasonal gate across the access road is open. Trout were last stocked the week of June 19. Someone illegally stocked yellow bullhead into Mingus several years ago. These fish compete directly with the trout and keep growth rates very low. If you witness anyone, anywhere, moving fish like bass, bluegill, catfish and stocking them, please report it to our Operation Game Thief Hotline. Illegal stockings cost YOU money!
Oak Creek – Check the regulations before heading out, as the following change has been made to the regulations. Starting January 1, 2023, the catch-and-release section on Oak Creek has been expanded to include Oak Creek from the Highway 89A bridge at Slide Rock State Park upstream to the Sterling Springs Fish Hatchery property boundary including the West Fork Oak Creek. This section will be catch and release only for trout, artificial fly and lure only, barbless hooks only. Stream flow 28.6 cubic feet per seconds (cfs) on 7/5/2023. Anglers are finding success on spinners and flies. Hellgrammite, zebra midge, elk hair caddis, hoppers, and mayfly patterns are a good bet. Rainbow trout will be stocked this week.
West Clear Creek – Smallmouth bass are unlimited harvest in West Clear Creek. Roundtail chub are often caught in sections of West Clear Creek; please release them unharmed. The limit is 4 trout. West Clear Creek streamflow was at 15.1 cfs and stream temperature was 71.6-76.82 F on 7/5/2023.
Wet Beaver Creek/Beaver Creek – Bass are unlimited harvest in Wet Beaver and Beaver creeks. There is the potential to catch a native sucker or roundtail chub; please release them unharmed. The limit is 4 trout. Stream flow was 8.59 cfs on 7/5/2023. Average base flow is about 4-7 cfs for Wet Beaver Creek.
| Information provided by the Arizona Game & Fish Department. |
