TROUT
SEASON WRAP-UP, CATFISH COMING
ON MARCH 25
The final winter trout stockings
in the Phoenix and Tucson area
Urban lakes will take place
the week of March 8-13. Urban
lake water temperatures are
rising into the 60’s signaling
the annual stocking changeover
from winter trout to spring
catfish. This week’s trout
delivery will be the ninth one
of the season, concluding a
very successful stocking season.
A real bonus this year was the
larger sizes of the stocked
trout that are a result of an
excellent growing season at
our Colorado vendor’s
hatcheries. Trout are stocked
into lakes at rates of 50 to
80 fish per lake surface acre.
For Payson’s Green Valley
Lakes, trout stockings will
continue every two weeks for
another two months until the
middle of May.
All lakes and ponds in the
Phoenix and Tucson areas will
be stocked with 15-20 inch channel
catfish on Thursday, March 25.
Beginning with the spring season
kick-off stocking, catfish will
be stocked eight times through
early July at rates averaging
from 40 to 60 fish per acre.
Nearly 14,000 pounds of Arkansas
farm-raised catfish will be
delivered and stocked into 20
Urban Fishing Program lakes
every two weeks by Mr. Fish,
our outstanding fish contractor.
BLUEGILL STOCKINGS
SCHEDULED WEEK OF MARCH 15-20
Twice each year, the Department
stocks 5-8 inch bluegill into
all Urban Fishing Program waters
to replenish this popular sport
fish and offer some great fishing
opportunity for young anglers.
A delivery of bluegill is scheduled
the week of March 15-20. Over
18,000 of the feisty, hard biting
sunfish will be stocked at rates
of 90-150 fish per acre across
20 waters. Daily bag limits
for sunfish (includes bluegill
and redear sunfish) are 10 per
day at Urban Lakes or 5 per
day at Urban Ponds. Best baits
for bluegill are meal worms
or worms fished 2-4 feet under
a small bobber.
URBAN FISHING REPORT
March offers the best time of
the year to fish your nearby
park lakes for trout, sunfish,
bass and catfish. Good fishing
for trout will continue through
March as all lakes receive their
final stockings the week of
March 8-13. Fish stockings at
Tucson’s Lakeside Lake
will resume with a large load
of trout. Most trout are falling
for Power Bait fished on the
bottom. Other good baits include
worms, corn and salmon eggs.
The cool morning hours are the
best times to target the trout.
As waters warm up, try fishing
for largemouth bass that are
now moving closer to shore as
they prepare to spawn and search
for food. Regulations require
that all bass under 13 inches
must be released unharmed immediately.
Bluegill are being stocked the
week of March 15-20 in all lakes
to bolster populations of these
popular and fun to catch sunfish
species. Try worms, meal worms
or cheese fished under a small
bobber. Reports keep coming
in of anglers catching catfish,
even though it has been nearly
four months since the last cats
were stocked. Speaking of catfish,
the catfish stocking season
starts on Thursday, March 25
at all Phoenix and Tucson area
Urban waters. Excellent trout
fishing conditions can be found
at Payson’s Green Valley
lakes. Best bets for these pine
country trout are Power Bait,
corn and worms. Some success
has been found by anglers using
spinners, small spoons and nymph
and wet fly patterns.
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