Arizona waterways stocked with 20,000 trout and catfish

If your idea of Memorial Day weekend fun is time spent fishing, you’re in luck.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is thinking the same thing.

Just in time for the long weekend, the department has stocked Arizona waters with an additional 20,000 trout and catfish.

Andy Clark, the department’s statewide sport fish supervisor, said last winter’s snow and rain, and resulting higher lake levels, were partly responsible for the increase.

“We had a wetter than normal winter, especially in the Flagstaff area, that created a need for more fish, for trout specifically,” Clark said. “When we got that, we thought we would get the word out that there were fishing opportunities.”

Where the catfish and trout are

If you’re looking for catfish, head for the nearest water that is part of the Game and Fish department’s Community Fishing Program. There are 39 community fishing waters in the state and 25 of those are in the Phoenix area.

Catfish also have been stocked in City Reservoir near Williams and Frances Short Pond in Flagstaff.

If you’re up for the challenge of trout, head north.

Woods Canyon and Willow Springs lakes on the Mogollon Rim, Kaibab Lake near Williams and Ashurst Lake southeast of Flagstaff received trout last week. This week, Lynx and Goldwater lakes in Prescott are getting more of those fish.

The fishing fun won’t end with the holiday.

Since abundant winter rain and snow have deepened many of the state’s lakes, more fish will be added through June. By the end of the month the department will stock about 250,000 fish.

With the weather warming up, different types of fish will be included.

“Once we get into June or so, the water temperature gets a little marginal for trout,” Clark said. “A lot of locations get catfish once we can’t stock trout so there are still opportunities for fishing.”

Bass and sunfish also will be included in the warm-weather mix.

Get a license

To get involved you’ll need a fishing license.

Adults can buy a Community Fishing Program license for $24 per year. Or, they can fish any Arizona water with a general fishing license ($37 a year for Arizona residents, $55 for non-residents), a combo hunt and fish license ($57/$160) or a short-term hunt and fish license ($15 per day).

Kids ages 10-17 can get a youth combo hunt and fish license for $5 per year. Kids under 10 don’t need a license.

Details (including stocking schedules): www.azgfd.gov/fishing.