Arizona Lake Fishing

Using a drop shot can be tricky at times especially when you don’t know when or where to use it. But a drop shot can be one of the most effective rigs in your tackle box when used properly. Here in Arizona, our fishing lakes can be pure rock bed, making using a drop shot rig a little difficult but we have some tips for this as well.

Once you learn the ways of rigging a drop shot, you’ve won half the battle.

Where to Use a Drop Shot Rig Fishing Arizona Lakes

• Drop shot works best in deep water where the fish are suspended just off the bottom. Look for deep points, beds, and humps with a smooth surface work best.
• You can also work a drop shot in shallow rockpiles, around docks and artificial habitats, so popular in our Arizona lakes.
• Also try weedy areas. Just be sure to rig your line with a weedless hook.
• The key is to focus on where you think fish will be holding.

When to Use a Drop Shot Rig Fishing Arizona Lakes

• The drop shot works best when bass are suspended because you can vary the length of the leader and put your bait right in front of them.
• The best times of year for suspended bass is during the fall and spring spawn.
• If the bass seem spooky from a lot of fishing action, give them a drop shot. This may cause interest with a different approach.

How to Use a Drop Shot Rig Fishing Arizona Lakes

• Use a slow presentation. The longer you can keep that bait in front of them the more likely they are to strike.
• Use the drop shot in deeper water. This allows you to drop the bait right in front of them.
• Give the bait a little wiggle action. Just give your rod tip a little shake. This is more effective than any other rig.
• When using in shallow water, keep your rod tip high to bring the bait further off the bottom. The higher the angle, the more distance between the bait and the bottom.

Have you been looking for an up-to-date fishing report for Arizona freshwater lakes? or trying to figure out where the hot spots are before your big fishing trip?

Follow the Arizona Fishing Report, posting just enough to keep you going and catching fish in all of Arizona’s freshwater fishing lakes.

Arizona Fishing Report is posted at the bottom of the home page or in the sidebar of all the articles on Arizona Lake Fishing.com.

We hope you find this listing helpful and keeps you in the fish.

Photo: Alamo Lake, Arizona

Mark Your Calendars for February 28, 2009

AZ game & fish is organizing the annual Alamo Lake clean up from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on February 28.

Photo: Alamo lake, Arizona campground

Fees are Waived for Participants

AZ State Parks will waive camping and boat launch fees for those who registrar to help in the annual Alamo Lake clean up. Participants will be staying in the Cholla Campground and using the Cholla Launch Ramp.

For more information:

For more information, contact Wildlife Manager Stewart Kohnke at (928- 684-3763 or (928) 342-0091.

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.

Chevelon Lake is an adventure for the true angler and outdoors men. There is a a steep hike to get to the lake which is a nice challenge for the average hiker. Chevelon Lake is not a put-in lake and is best accessed with a float tube or other portable water craft.

Chevelon Lake is a peaceful, beautiful lake that has some of the best brown trout fishing in the state. No noise pollution from motorized boats (open to electric trolling motors or 10 hp gas motors only) is a welcome change to any angler that just loves to hear the sounds of nature and enjoy the environment.

Chevelon Lake was last stocked with 20,000 undersized rainbows in September, making them around catchable size right about now but will be best in a few months and into the spring. Brown trout will spawn this month and will be biting.

Chevelon Lake is an artificial bait and lure lake – no live bait can be used. Try brown streamers, black or green wooly buggers, Yeager buggers, muddler minnows, and semi-seal leeches.

For spin anglers try lures like Z-rays, Super Dupers, spinners and Rapalas.

Fly anglers use wooly worms, wooly buggers and peacock ladies.

Lake Powell has risen 45 feet this year providing an optimal habitat for all it’s aquatic life. Food is abundant, shelter is easily found and the angler is left a little frustrated. This season the fish are fat and happy and are less likely to strike a bait when their stomachs are full.

If you’re lucky to find a striper boil, you will probably leave for the day with you full catch in hand. However, most of us aren’t quite as lucky. But not all is lost and Lake Powell is still one of the best freshwater fishing lakes in Arizona.

Lake Powell fishing tips

• Trolling is working great for anglers down around the inflows where abundant shad are hanging out.
• You can also get out to the Hite or San Juan and use a diving lure down to about 20 feet.
• Early morning use surface lures around shad schools. During the day try drop shots at about 25 feet.
• If you’re shad looking lure is not working, try a bright colored lure like a fire tiger crankbait. This might trigger the striper into striking out of frustration.

We can expect 2009 fishing season to be excellent as the fish continue to eat to their fill and live relatively safe in all the new shelter created by the rising waters.

Is it winter yet? Whether it is or not the mild weather is always great fishing for largemouth bass and catfish. Alamo Lake is a great bass, crappie and catfish lake.

AZ game and fish did their fall fish survey and have found near record populations of largemouth bass in Alamo Lake. The majority of the bass are slot size or larger.

There is a new species in Alamo Lake that is becoming more popular to fish, redear sunfish. These fish can get up to 2 pounds and 1 pounders are in Alamo Lake now.

Another species anglers are eager to learn about are the channel catfish that inhabit Alamo Lake. if you’re interested in catching a channel cat try the upper end of the lake where some of them are hitting the 7-8 pound weight.

Catfish are a great way to introduce young anglers to the sport as the cats in Alamo Lake are ready biters. Try hot dogs and stink baits for these fish.

Chevelon Lake is a hike-in lake with a steep slope to the shore. Where sturdy hiking boots. Shore fishing is limited. Chevelon Lake is best experienced with a float tube, an inflatable, or a canoe. The lake is open to electric trolling motors or 10 hp. gas motors but there is no boat launch.

The fishing is fair considering there is no live bait allowed; artificial lures and flies only. Any catch between 10 and 14 inches must be released and the bag limit is 6 trout.

For best results: Catch the big browns by getting out over near the dam. The browns like this area because it’s deep and there is a rock shelf they hide under. Throw on a gold or black lure and reel it in slow.

At Lake Havasu the average day time water temp is between 86-92 degrees right now.

The striper bite is good to fair but they are only small to medium sizes. They will bite on anchovies, squid and mackerel at around 30 – 50 feet deep. Chumming is recommended because the striper schools are broken up due to the low number of shad this year.

Smallmouth bass have been hitting big time with a 1/4 – 3/8 ounce brown jigs, or hula grubs. Try around the rocky points in the main basin south to Standard Wash.

Catfish are also biting. They prefer anchovy this summer and they are most active at night. It’s recommended to go out to Topock Gorge where the sizes have been around 4 – 12 pounds.

For best results: Go for the smallmouth bass. Get out early in the morning and troll with chrome/blue Rat_L-Trap, pointers, or chug bugs. Spin casting is also working well if you don’t like the troll method.

Catfish are an exciting catch and this year they are quite large in local desert lakes.

Catfish and carp are under-utilized resources which means that not many people fish for them, yet they are abundant.

The best part about fishing for carp and catfish, you don’t need all that expensive tackle. All you need are some hooks, slip sinkers, and maybe some hot dogs, corn, chicken liver or prepared stink baits.

The urban lakes are also stocked with catfish.