Rory's tips
By Rory Aikens
Arizona Game & Fish
With temperatures soaring to 116 F this weekend in the deserts, a weekend getaway to the high mountains is almost irresistible to once again experience fragrant cool breezes wafting through the pines while trout are rising to the occasion.
Enjoying a mountain thunder shower might just refresh your over-heated point of view.
Gov. Jan Brewer was at Big Lake catching some great memories of her own this week, to the smiling delight of an appreciative crowd.
Big Lake is the hot summer day leader at almost 9,000 feet in elevation and 530 surface acres. I heard that the fishing was a little slow over the weekend, but all the anglers were just grateful to be there. Gov. Brewer is visiting Wednesday for the Grand Re-Opening of Big Lake following the Wallow Fire, which didn't touch the lake.
Here's some information just in from our Tonto Creek Hatchery -- we are stocking two pound trout in the Tonto Creek today (Friday) for the weekend. What's more, we'll stock around 1,500 2-plus-pound trout into Tonto, Haigler, and the East Verde River (near Payson) this coming week just before Labor Day weekend. You heard it first right here!
Woods Canyon Lake is one of the most popular, despite its small size (or maybe because of it). For catching stocker rainbows, it’s tough to beat.
Willow Springs Lake will serve you up a smorgasbord of angling opportunities from trout to bass, with crappie thrown in for a little spice. So will Fool Hollow Lake and Show Low Lake as well, but they both have an added attraction – walleye.
One of my favorites is often ignored – Kinnickinick Lake near Flagstaff. This spring fed lake is often old reliable in summer, but it is best fished from float tube, canoe or kayak this time of year.
Speaking of old reliable, that's Ashurst Lake. Ashurst may not be the pretties high country escape, but it can be one of the more productive ones. It also has some pike catch (please catch and keep all you can to help this fishery).
By the way, for streams, this week we are stocking Tonto Creek, Haigler Creek, the East Verde River and Silver Creek. Last week we were unable to stock either the Little Colorado in Greer (too muddy) or Sheep's Crossing on the Little Colorado (it was closed off while were searching for a lost hiker).
Dropping down to the desert impoundments, there is a new moon this weekend on Sunday night; get out those submersible lights and go enjoy our warm but waning desert nights.
Right now, we are in a bit of a transition. Warmwater fish are probably still more active at night, but they are getting more active each day as the nights get longer, and the days get shorter.
Pretty soon, you'll see a preponderance of fish being more active during the daytime, although nighttime fishing will still be viable through the end of the fall season (and sometimes during winter as well).
I am hearing increasing reports of good topwater action at places like Pleasant, Havasu, Roosevelt and Mead, but the action is not necessarily consistently good each day – sometimes it can be hit-or- miss. That can certainly be expected this time of year during this transition period. You can, however, expect the action to get better and better as we move into early fall fishing conditions.
One of my favorite places to fish in late summer and early fall is Lake Powell; sounds like the bite is currently best in the upper end from Hall's Crossing to Hite. It may take a little extra road time to get there, but once on the water, you won't have to travel far to find good action on the upper end of the lake. Just depends on where you want to save your gas money -- on the road or on the water.
It was just about a year ago that I had a superb fishing trip to the Parker Strip for smallmouth bass on curly-tailed jigs and topwater finesse baits. A couple dozen smallies burning off line while you fight them in the fast current will make you smile at the memory for years to come.
Go fill your creel full of summer memories. Maybe I'll see you out there.
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