During this holiday season, stockings and leftovers have not been restricted to living room mantles or overflowing refrigerators.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department continues to stock local fishing areas with winter trout, and updated its 2018 spring first-come, first-served leftover permit listing.
As opposed to last winter, which saw freezing temperatures and snowfall beginning in early December, this year’s weather has been more inviting.
With schools out for winter break, locals need not travel far to embrace the outdoors and even put food on the table.
Winter Trout Stocking
Two Verde Valley and four Prescott fishing areas have been stocked with winter trout on an at least biweekly basis.
Since the week of Nov. 20, Dead Horse Lakes and the Verde River [from Clarkdale to Camp Verde] have been stocked with trout on an alternating basis.
They will be continually restocked at that rate until the end of February, save a brief hiatus the last week of January. In the week beginning on Feb. 26, Beaver Creek, the same stretch of the Verde River and West Clear Creek will be stocked.
The only area of the Verde Valley to go without any trout stocking during the winter and early spring months will be Mingus Lake.
All four fishing areas in the Prescott region have been and will be intermittently stocked with trout: Fain Lake, Goldwater Lake, Lynx Lake and Watson Lake.
Leftover first-come hunting permits
On Dec. 22 the Arizona Game and Fish Department updated its list of 2018 spring first-come, first-served permit-tags for javelina throughout Arizona’s six hunting regions.
Locally, there are 25 general javelina and 39 handgun, archery and muzzleloader javelina tags located in unit 19B, near Chino Valley and Prescott, in Region III.
In the entire state, there are 608 permits leftover for general javelina and 25 for youth only.
For handgun, archery and muzzleloader javelina permits, 781 remain, while 678 are left for archery only.
The majority of the leftover tags are for units located in the southeast part of the state, in Region V.
Applications are being accepted in person at any Arizona Game and Fish Department office, or can be mailed to the office at 5000 W. Carefree Highway Phoenix, AZ 85086 with attention to Draw/First Come.
Successful tag applications will not be posted online, but rather the tags will be mailed out and arrive in 10 to 15 business days.
Proper hunting and fishing licenses are required. More information about necessary licenses and fees can be found at azgfd.gov/hunting and azgfd.gov/fishing.
