Arizona Lake Fishing

What is Pitching?

Pitching is a bass fishing technique anglers use to guide their bait to a desired location. It works best when you need to get your bait into a small opening near heavy cover, under low-hanging limbs, and/or around boat docks. The best anglers, the ones who always catch the big ones, are all proficient pitchers.

Pitching is ideal for:

1. Off-color or muddy water
2. Targets between 10 and 30 feet away
3. Target provides a quiet lure entry into the water

Pitching for Bass You’ll need:

• 25 pound test 100% fluorocarbon line
• 7′ 6″ heavy rod with plenty of backbone to wrestle the biggies

What to Pitch

A jig. But nearly any single-hook bait can be pitched. Rig it into a Texas rig.

How to Pitch for bass

1. With your rig on the line, face the target.
2. Depress the line release and let out enough line so the bait is even with the first guide.
3. Put the bait in your off-hand at about waist level.
4. Lower the rod tip toward the target and put a little tension on the line.
5. In one smooth, quick motion, swing the rod tip toward the target and upward. Letting go of the bait.
6. As the bait moves under the rod tip, release the line and continue raising the rod tip and control the spool with your thumb.
7. Stop the line just before it enters the water.

Photo: Marabou Jig

Bellow you’ll find a how to step-by-step guide for tying a classic marabou jig. These are excellent jigs for fishing in freshwater around Arizona. Marabou jigs are especially good at catching trout, shad and crappie.

Small marabou jigs are great for catching crappie because the smaller jig will stay in the strike zone longer, where a larger jig can be used while trolling. Last week’s article I talk about using a Ford Fender for trolling. At the end of the Fender you want to add a lure. This would be a perfect use of a marabou jig.

How to Tie a Classic Marabou Jig

You will need:

• heavy duty thread and bobbin
• fly tying vise
• fly head cement
• zap a gap CA
• sharp x-acto knife
• jig heads
• marabou

Tying a Classic Marabou Jig

1. Add a small drop of zap a gap behind the head of the jig.
2. Wrap your thread over the zap a gap and down the shank of the jig (about 1/8″)
3. Now spin the hook up side down and bring the thread as close to the head as possible.
4. Take a piece of Marabou, pinch the end of the quill with your fingertip and run it down the feather to the tip.
5. While the feather is still pinched, lay it down onto the shank of the jig.
6. Leave a tag near the head so that you can pull the feather later in the process. Wrap the feather with 3 semi-tight wraps close to the head of the jig. You’re too tight if you can not pull the feather. You need to unwrap and do it again.
7. Pull the tag until the tip of the feather is about 1/2″ from the bed of the hook.
8. Now that your feather is in place, you’ll want to add several tight wraps to hold the feather in place.
9. Trim off the tag with your X-acto knife.
10. Rotate the jig back into normal position.
11. Add several more tight wraps.
12. At 1/8″ from the back of the jig head, start your finishing wraps and wrap towards the head.
13. Tie your knot and add a layer of head cement.

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.

Worms, earthworms, night crawlers are the tried-and-true fish bait that you can’t go fishing without. If your an avid angler, you’re probably in need of worms constantly. Bellow we’ll describe how to locate and catch your own worms straight from your yard.

Harvesting Earthworms from Your Yard

There are several ways to collect worms from flooding your yard with the hose, waiting till after it rains to even using laundry detergent (this is not recommended, detergent can be harsh on grass and other plants). Bellow we list some popular techniques and tips used for gathering worms. Most you’ve probably heard of or even tried yourself but maybe there will be one or two new ones you might want to try as well.

• Water your lawn or wait till it rains After a good soaking, your lawn will be popping with worms. Look under leaves, rocks and other debris they might hide under.
• Enclose a small area of your yard off with a box. This only needs to be a few feet wide. Stick something flat in the ground on 4 sides to seal it off so the worms can’t escape. With the left half of the box soak it with water. Leave the right side dry. This is the side you will dig up to find your worms.
• Use old coffee grounds. Dump the grounds in one place in your yard and wet it down. Then at night go out and gather your worms.
• Use a 6 Volt battery With a metal rod, wire and a 6 volt battery you can give the worms a mild shock to get then to come up to the surface. With one end of the wire tie it to the top of the metal rod. With the other, tie it to the battery. Stick the bottom of the metal rod into the ground and wait for you worms to come up. This works best at night. This technique does have problems and has been known to damage the worm’s nervous system which eventually kills the worm.

Tips to Catching Worms

• Best time to hunt for worms is at night. Especially after it rains. Go out with a flashlight, be very quiet and pluck them from your yard.
• Use a red light Worms can’t see red light so you won’t scare them back into the ground when your hunting them at night.
• Pull them from the ground gently The worm will typically be half in and half out of the ground. To get them to release from the soil just give them a gentle pull and they should come out.

Once you have all the worms you want or need, it’s a good time to start a worm farm.

Dead Horse Ranch State Park

Dead Horse Ranch State Park is on 423 acres of land, includes the Verde River and 80 miles of fishing opportunity.  Located near Cottonwood, Arizona on highway 260.

The Dead Horse Ranch lagoons are pooled bodies of water created by the Verde River and are regularly stocked by the AZ game & fish.

Fishing Dead Horse Ranch State Park

Fishing continues to be good and is a wonderful spot for family day and a picnic. Rainbow trout, sunfish (bluegill and crappie), Channel Catfish and Largemouth bass are all available to be caught.The lagoons have been recently stocked with over 3,000 rainbows.

Results are best for spinner and fly fishing. Spin anglers use powerbait, worms or small spinners. Fly anglers love to fish the Verde River and the state park.

Pay attention to bag limits

The bag limits at Dead Horse Ranch are different than other state parks. So keep them in mind when fishing.

• 4 catfish
• 4 trout
• 2 largemouth bass with a 13 inch minimum length
• 10 sunfish

It’s a good idea to always tie on a split ring, swivel or clip in front of your lure. This will help improve the action of the lure and lessen the time it takes to change out lures. It also works best for any lure that needs to move at the end of your line such as crank baits, spinner baits and top waters.

If you’re like me, I’m sure you’re wondering which one is better for certain situations. I’ve had experiences where I almost lost a catch or a lure because the clip came open. But we continue to use that clip or split ring because we like the convenience of the quick switch of the lure that a clip or split ring allows.

Which one is best for what?

Use Swivels:

• On flukes or other soft jerk baits
• On rigs like the Carolina rig
• Use on a light line – 10 pounds or less
• Do not use on baits. Try a loop knot instead

Use Snaps:

• On a light line – 10 pounds or less – with crankbaits
• On spoons with a light line
• When you need more movement
• When you need to change out lures fast
• Use on baits

Use a Split Ring:

• On all topwater plugs
• On all crankbaits
• On all spoons
• Use on baits

Whatever your choice, use a method that works for you and that won’t lose a fish! Also keep a little bag of each in your tackle box just in case you need them.

Lake Mead water levels have held strong through the summer and the water elevation is around 1100 feet.

Night fishing for stripers seems to be the best option right now. Anglers are using artificial lights and are catching as many stripers as they want to clean, most ranging in the 12-18 inches.

The lights are also helping anglers catch catfish, use anchovies.

For best results: Get out on the lake in the evening with some artificial lights.

Fresh water has been flowing into the Papago Ponds recently which is keeping the fish lively. But catfish are really the only species biting right now.

For best results: Try a worm on a hook with a clear bobber about 3 feet above the bait.

Woods Canyon Lake offers boating, camping, fishing, hiking and more. The lake is 7,600 feet above sea level and is open May 1 to September 30. It may open earlier or later depending on the weather.

Facilities available:

• group campsites that can accommodate up to 70 people
• tents, trailers and motorhomes up to 32 feet are permitted
• group campfire grills and 9 picnic tables
• vault toilets and garbage facilities
• drinking water
• boat ramp and launch
• RV sanitary sation
• gravel roads
• campground hosts located at Aspen and Spillway campgrounds

Woods Canyon Lake is a scenic 52 acre lake surrounded by Pondersona Pines, Oak, Aspen and Douglas Fir.There is an interpretative nature trail at the north end of the lake as well as a hiking trail that will take you all the way around the lake. (red dashed paths on map bellow)

Other Information:

• gas, phone and groceries are available 10 miles east at Forest Lake
• groceries and boat rentals are available at Woods Canyon store
• nearest full service community is Payson, AZ, 35 miles west via highway 260
• reservations are required for camping, RVs, and group areas

Call 1-877-444-6777 for reservations.

zooplankton – Animals (mostly microscopic) that drift freely in the water column.