ARIZONA FISHING REPORT – March 21, 2024
March and April are traditionally known for producing some of the best fishing due to pre spawn and spawning fish patterns.
ARIZONA LAKE FISHING RATINGS
LAKE PLEASANT
Lake Pleasant is rated GOOD.
Stripper’s are hitting shad / jerk baits / A Rigs, Bass are shallow currently chasing baitfish and poppers. You can also try baitfish imitations. Don’t forget senkos, drop shots and skirted jigs for the bass. The crappie the bite has started to improve with anglers having the best success on 2 inch grubs bounced off the bottom.
BARTLETT LAKE
Bartlett Lake is rated GOOD.
Dropshot and Texas rigs are and have been catching fish. The best bite seems to be later in the day when the water has warmed a bit, the bait fish are drawn into the shallow water in the late afternoons and the bass and other gamefish follow them. Remember bass can be caught around boulders and in brush lines on senko and spinnerbaits. Crappie can be found in and around the Yellow Cliffs and can best caught with 1/16oz jigs and 2″ Kalins slow trolling can work well . Catfish are becoming active. In the days and weeks to come they will be lurking the shallows in search food.
ROOSEVELT LAKE
Roosevelt Lake is rated EXCELLENT.
Target bass in shallow water around submerged brush and transitions using topwater baits, spinnerbaits and Texas rigged soft plastic such as craws and senkos. For crappie try using minnows and small jigs in 10-15 ft of water.
APACHE LAKE
Apache Lake is rated FAIR
Crank-baits, Jerkbaits, Buzz Baits, Drop Shots, 4 Inch Texas Rigged Worms, and Texas Rigged craws for bass. Crappie fishing can be good around brush in water into up to15 feet. When you’re fishing for crappie use minnows or small 1/16 oz. jigs with 2″ curly tail grubs around trees to achieve the best results
SAGUARO LAKE
Saguaro Lake rated FAIR / Algae issue noted.
Try using square bill crank-baits, spinnerbaits and Texas rigged soft plastics in and around shallow structure in the early morning and as the sun rises higher in the sky start fishing deeper water moving out into15-20 ft or more as the daytime temperatures continue to warm up.
CANYON LAKE
Canyon Lake rated FAIR / Algae issue noted.
Canyon Lake in Arizona offers a variety of game fish including: largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow bass, rainbow trout. This time of the year we recommend starting out mid-lake brush or hydrilla and start out with your favorite plastics, and throw top waters by the grass in watermelon and sungill colors. Don’t forget that drop shots can be effective as well with a 4-6 inch robo worms. Top water baits such as buzz baits, spooks and Pop-Rs can and will also produce fish. If you decide to fish for trout try Power Bait, spinners, spoons, and worms on sliding rigs.
ALAMO LAKE
Alamo Lake is rated FAIR/GOOD. (Will continue to improve as the weather continues to warm up)
On this lake it is best to fish structures with Senko worms 4.5 to 7 inch (Wacky Rig) Drop shot , chatter baits and spinner baits, Keitech swim baits. For Crappie try Kalin’s grubs, and Crappie Magnets or white / chartreuse minnow and grubs, minnows and light jigs especially early in the day to achieve the best results.