Arizona Lake Fishing

Tricking a zoom worm will work well right now as the spawn dies down. The bass will begin to come off their beds and will be more aggressive and hit this rig even better. This rig will work in both ponds and lakes.

What is a Zoom Worm?

A zoom worm is a straight worm about 7 inches long and they come in several colors like chartreuse, yellow, white and in natural colors as well.

Rigging your zoom worm

You rig your zoom worm with no weight and you fish it almost like a topwater lure. You can tie the hook directly to the line or put it on a swivel about 6 inches above the hook. The swivel will help keep your line from twisting as you retrieve.

Tricking your zoom worm

As you retrieve your zoom worm, you want to twitch them. This will cause the worm to jump back and forth.

One technique that I’ve found most effective is to twitch them just under the surface. Then pause and let the worm sink.

Best Bass Lakes in Arizona for 2009

1. Alamo Lake – This is the HOME of largemouth bass in Arizona and recent surveys show a large population of largemouth bass for the 2009 season.
2. Bartlett Lake – A great lake for bass fishing, Bartlett Lake is a 2,800 acre lake just north of Phoenix.
3. Lake Mead – An excellent bass fishing lake located near the border for Arizona and Nevada. Lake Mead boasts a whopping 160,000 acres of fishing waters.
4. Martinez Lake – more for the shore angler, Martinez Lake is only 600 acres but is worth the trip near Yuma, Arizona.
5. Lake Pleasant- a 10,000 acre lake also close to metropolitan Phoenix, great bass lake.

Largemouth bass is the most popular sport fish in America. And for good reason. They have a decent fight, require at least a little skill to catch and are great on the dinner plate.

Arizona lakes hold a unique opportunity for the avid bass angler and that’s the sheer number of bass that inhabit Arizona lakes. Whether it’s shore fishing or in a boat, Arizona has a lake to offer up to everyone.

Top 5 Arizona Lakes for Catching Largemouth Bass

1. Alamo Lake – This is the HOME of largemouth bass in Arizona and recent surveys show a large population of largemouth bass for the 2009 season.
2. Bartlett Lake – A great lake for bass fishing, Bartlett Lake is a 2,800 acre lake just north of Phoenix.
3. Lake Mead – An excellent bass fishing lake located near the border for Arizona and Nevada. Lake Mead boasts a whopping 160,000 acres of fishing waters.
4. Martinez Lake – more for the shore angler, Martinez Lake is only 600 acres but is worth the trip near Yuma, Arizona.
5. Lake Pleasant- a 10,000 acre lake also close to metropolitan Phoenix, great bass lake.

Fishing at Lake Pleasant is relatively good. Striped bass and largemouth bass are all biting as well as some white bass. Fishign tends to be best in the morning form 6am to noon.

Striped Bass are Biting

Even though we are a few months away from the striper spawn, with the high flowing Agua Fria River poring into the lake providing fresh nutrients and oxygen, the stirpers are biting nicely. The bite is hanging on from around 7 am to 10 – 10:30 am. Use anchovy chunks and chum about every 5-10 minutes.

Some Laregemouth Bass are available too

The largemouth bite is good from about 9am to noon. Use a topwater like a Zappa Puppy or a Texas rigged worms (Oxblood). Try the North Coves with jerk baits and shallow cranks.

Ya, I get that you probably think of carp as dirty bottom feeders, that aren’t worthy of your fly rod. But put aside those thoughts for a moment and you will be in for a pleasant surprise.

Carp are one of the most exciting fish to catch especially on a fly rod. Often called “freshwater bonefish,” carp are most often found cruising the shallows or sipping at the surface. This allows anglers to sight fish them but are forced to make precise and delicate presentations if they plan on landing one. This fish will truly test your ability as a fly angler and your gear.

Arizona is home to several species of carp, including, common carp, grass carp, big mouth buffalo and several other varieties of goldfish and koi. Depending on the season, it’s best to get in a boat and head to the big water of Lake Pleasant or head out on foot around some of smaller ponds around Phoenix.

Lake Pleasant (about 30 miles north of Phoenix) is one the of the best lakes to fish in Arizona especially catching carp on the fly.

I understand that there are purists out there that make fly fishing into a semi-religion and fishing for any warm bodied fish be it carp, bass, or any fish other than trout is not worthy of your fly rod. They are knee deep in Lees Ferry every spring and summer. There are also those of use who love fly fishing but don’t have the access to the world renowned Lees Ferry and find ourselves expanding our horizons. And that leads us to fly fishing for carp in a bass boat at Lake Pleasant.

If you’re willing to try something new, you won’t regret it. Carp can be found in just about any body of water in Arizona from a golf course pond, and urban lake or the city canal.

It’s all about the presentation
Carp are as spooky as any bonefish cruising the flats and as selective as any small stream trout. It will take some practice and finesse to present your fly without them scurrying for cover. Even an unwanted false cast or light slaps on the water will results in a quick departure.

Selecting the right fly
There are flies out there designed just for carp. But if your lucky enough to get one to strike, tomorrow they most likely won’t go for the same one. So keep several flies around and see what they like. My most successful fly has been one that imitated a piece of the algae they like so much.

The thrill of sight casting
There are few words to describe the feeling of seeing the giant hanging in the water, carefully placing your fly in the exact location and watching as he takes it in and off you go – the best fight you will have! Hang on and enjoy the ride. He will turn and smack the water with his tail and it’s on! You’re in for a long and steady buzzing on your drag as he pulls the line out of your real and a good strong fight to get him into the boat. That’s if you’re lucky enough to land him. It takes the grace, power and patience it takes to land a fish like that without braking your line.

Lake Pleasant is currently 75% full with large concentrations of shad along the shore. These large numbers of shad make for great bass fishing whether it’s along the shore with the largemouth or in open water with the stripers.

Look for boils. There will be a lot of them but they don’t last long and are unpredictable so be ready to strike at any moment.

Anglers are catching stripers around 4 pounds down lake. The stripers in the coves are hungrier and more aggressive but a little smaller. Use anchovies and shad.

Hit the drop shot for those largemouth bass. They are feisty but small. No use working the cranks.

Lake Pleasant is 75% full, at just over 1600 feet in elevation.

Mornings are best before 9am. There is some fish activity but the shad boils don’t last too long and after 9am, the shad boils drying up. Some anglers are seeing the activity taper as early as 7am.

Striped bass, white bass and largemouth bass are all biting now in varying numbers. Most are being caught in the north coves of the lake, as well as Scorpion Point.

For best results: Get there early; before dawn. Try topwater lures for the stripers and whities. Specifically, the Diawa diving topwater lure works really well in the northern coves.

Water elevation is 1,692 feet, which is 89-percent full.

Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, white bass, striped bass and crappie are all biting at Lake Pleasant. Morning bite lasting until around 10:30 a.m. and evening picking up around 6 p.m.

For largemouth use drop shot and a shad looking swim bait.

For small mouth use minnows.

For striped bass use frozen anchovies with a little or no weight.

Best results: Go to the middle coves and look for schools of bait fish. Use Texas-rigged worms and brush hogs. The biggs (18 – 19 inch) are hitting on top water Spooks along the brush line.

Water elevation is 1,648 ft which is 46% full

Fishing is off this week due to temperature changes but is expected to pick up when the water temp stabilizes.

Weather is also a key factor. High pressure is usually when fish are bitting.

Water elevation is at 1,640 ft (43-percent full)

Catfish are biting at Lake Pleasant. Reports are saying there are good boils at first light and then tapering off rapidly as the sun rises. Others say they have had good action all morning. It may depend on location.

Try using poppers, stick baits, jerkbaits at dawn. Then move to spinners or curly tails especially for stripers and whites.

After the surface action wanes, try drop shots, Texas-rigged plastics, or Carolia-rigged plastics.

Stay in the northern portion near the “fingers” until late morning.

Summer fishing at Lake Pleasant can get hot with average temps in triple digits. The heat pushes the fish into deeper water and are best accessed by boat.

For best odds at catching largemouth bass, try night fishing in the coves. Use watermelon colored plastic lizards or worms at 20 to 40 feet deep. If night fishing isn’t your idea of fun try top water lures in the very early mornings or late evenings.

The white bass and striped bass have moved to deeper water but you can get at them in the coves as well with a boat. Live shad seem to work the best but live minnows, small deep diving crank baits or trolling spinners have also worked well.

During these hot summer months the catfish are most active at night and are also in the coves. Small mackerel seem to work best.