| Dead Horse Ranch State Park – Game and Fish biologists surveyed the lake at Dead Horse Ranch State Park on April 25 and found several good-sized largemouth bass as well as channel catfish, bluegill and green sunfish. Try using small plastic jigs, plastic worms, or small spinnerbaits near deeper cover. Catfish were last stocked May 31. The catfish bite has been fair in the evening. 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. While the crappie numbers are up a little, most are small. Look for the crappie fishing to be good late this year or next year. Mingus Lake – Trout are scheduled to be stocked this week. Several years ago, someone illegally stocked yellow bullhead into Mingus. These fish compete directly with the trout and keep growth rates very low. If you witness anyone moving fish like bass, bluegill, catfish and stocking them, please report it to our Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-800-352-0700. Illegal stockings cost YOU money. Oak Creek – Access to Oak Creek is open. Check the regulations before heading out, as the following change was made. Starting Jan 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. Pine Flat, Cave Springs, and Manzanita Campgrounds are now open. Stream flow was 29.8 cubic feet per second (cfs) on 6/7/2023. Anglers were finding success on spinners and flies over the weekend. Hellgrammite, zebra midge, caddisfly, and mayfly patterns are a good bet. |
| 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 18 cfs on 6/6/2023. Average base flow is about 15 to 17 cfs for West Clear Creek. 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 4.62 cfs on 5/31/2023. Average base flow was about 4-7 cfs for Wet Beaver Creek. Information provided by the Arizona Game & Fish Department. |
