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The season of the angler is underway in Arizona

By Rory Aikens

With most jet skis and ski boats resting contentedly in garages and backyards until late spring, Arizona’s magnificent desert impoundments have evolved into angler dominated domains.
The timing could not be better -- autumn and winter provide anglers plenty of diverse and enticing fishing options.

Lake Pleasant
Lake Pleasant provided some of the best autumn and winter striper fishing around. There is no reason to expect anything less again the next several months. Last winter, Pleasant once again experienced tremendous runoff and nutrient loading, with corresponding good sport-fish and shad spawns.
Keep in mind that those willing to brave the chilly nights can sometimes fill their live wells with marauding striped bass patrolling along the deep submerged river and creek channels in the northern coves. Don’t forget, there is no limit at Pleasant on striped bass – you can catch and keep all the fun you desire.

Think frozen anchovies. Employ chumming – day or night.

Bartlett Lake
On any given day, Bartlett can provide some of the best bass and crappie action in the state. It’s high lake level for almost a year resulted in yet another strong age class of sport-fish and forage fish.
This long, narrow lake snaking along the Mazatal Wilderness is a popular fishing destination for those who like to camp along the shoreline.

Roosevelt Lake
“Rosey” should once again be the fall and winter top fishing contender for both bass and crappie, with plenty of smallmouth bass opportunities to provide added diversity. For the first time since the dam was raised in 1995, this legendary lake filled and spilled last. Its productivity remains off the charts. It has another strong age-class of sport-fish coming up through the ranks. In fact, getting through the dinks can prove an interesting challenge.
The very submerged upper Sonoran desert habitat that makes Roosevelt so productive can also make it a challenge to fish, especially on those winter days when sport-fish are holding tight to cover. For some, this means breaking out the heavy timber to fish the heavy timber – medium heavy to heavy bait-casting outfits or flippin’ sticks. Pigs and jigs can be just the thing to work heavy cover in winter. You might also want to bust spinnerbaits through the heavy cover in search of a reaction bite.
Yet for many, this is also the time to get to know the scenic canyon-bound lakes adorning the Salt River. Apache, Canyon and Saguaro are still on the comeback trail for their bouts with golden algae many years ago. They will provide you a plethora of good winter fishing opportunities in scenic landscapes that will make you pause to inhale the beauty.

Apache Lake
Apache has not yet reclaimed its throne as the bronzeback king, but the largemouth bass have taken advantage of the open opportunity and their population has taken off. The yellow bass also make this a fun winter fishery – try quarter-ounce gold KastMasters and gold Rooster Tails.

Apache is tucked into a narrow band of civilization between the imposing Superstition Wilderness and the rugged 3-bar Wildlife Area. It’s a remote territory well suited for desert bighorns, cougars, big mule deer and flushing quail. Getting there over the treacherous Apache Trail is an adventure in itself, especially when traversing Fish Creek Hill. The Fish Creek waterfall is one of the tallest in Arizona and can be spectacular during wet times or runoff.

Canyon Lake
Last winter and spring, Canyon Lake was an enigma, even for its cadre of lunker aficionados looking to land a new state record largemouth bass. However, Canyon started making a comeback in late spring and summer. It’s back on track.

The winter rainbow trout stockings commence in November here, so be sure to buy plenty of tackle box stock in swim baits – it’s an investment if hawg futures.

Saguaro Lake
Saguaro Lake is also on the comeback. This past year, it provided fortunate anglers some of the most diverse fishing for any of our interior lakes. Anglers have been catching lots of 1-pound black bass and huge stringers of hard-fighting yellow bass. It’s fun. Give it a try.

When snow levels drop, be sure to take along your camera – the snow-capped four peaks reflected in the water looks like a scene from Switzerland.

Alamo Lake
Don’t forget Alamo Lake west of Wickenburg. It also received runoff and nutrients multiple times last winter and again in the late spring. It’s set to provide great bass fishing this fall and potentially good crappie fishing this winter – depending on weather.
Storms and runoff are great for lakes and the aquatic ecosystems in general, but they can wreck havoc with sport-fish activities levels and lessen creels.
Alamo is a big bowl in the desert sitting at the bottom of a bowl-like basin – a model solar cooker. This means Alamo can be the first to have bass stage for the spawn (sometimes in February), but its morphology also makes it susceptible to windy cold weather, which can be exacerbated by cold runoff. But this lake can be the winter crappie king. Ask legions of snowbirds – snow escaping Canadians love this lake.

Lake Havasu
Havasu is another prime water recreation spot also evolving from a busy water recreationist playground into the land of the winter angler.

Although Havasu is renowned for its largemouth bass and striper fishing, smallmouth bass are now generating lots of knowing smiles as well. Don’t ignore the man-made channel of running beneath the famous London Bridge – this can be a warmer winter sanctuary for sport fish. With all the Christmas decorations on the jolly old England buildings, you almost expect Santa to come through on a bass boat. If you are looking for a great spot to refine your drop-shot techniques, this might be it.

Parker Strip
Just downriver, the Parker Strip area has a long-standing reputation as a smallmouth bass fishery, especially in the swifter water just below Parker Dam.

Keep in mind that the water level is lowered periodically during winter, so check prospective flow levels.
Arizona’s Everglades
Next in the lower Colorado River winter fishing trilogy is the Imperial Division of the river near Yuma – especially Martinez Lake where you can sometimes skip Gidzits under docks for hiding bass.

This whole region is often referred to as “Arizona’s Everglades,” and a winter fishing adventure is a great way to experience why.

Waterfowl and wading birds abound. You can often be treated to Vs of geese flying over, or noisy flocks of sandhill cranes while fishing for lunker bass lurking along the tulle edges.

Some of the backwaters, such as the California cuts, are an adventure to explore for bass – don’t get lost. It’s a different cattail world out there where muskrats and Yuma clapper rails hide.

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