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The Arizona Game and Fish Department recently announced that the spring catfish stocking season that includes eight deliveries of fish every other week will end the week of June 28-July 3. Every stocking, 14,000 pounds of 14-20 inch channel catfish, are delivered from Arkansas to Arizona’s 20 “Urban Fishing Program” waters in the Phoenix and Tucson areas.
Coming from fish ponds in Arkansas, the fish farms drive a total of over 50,000 miles on their large rigs to truck catfish into Arizona’s park lakes during the spring stocking season.
Warming lake temperatures and air temperatures make it impractical to haul live fish into Arizona’s Urban Lakes and Ponds during the heat of the summer. Consequently, the state stops scheduling fish stockings for July, August, and the first half of September.
Catfish stockings resume again in mid-September when lake and air temperatures cool enough to safely transport fish across the hot desert and into the Urban waters. Anglers can still fish for catfish, bass and bluegill at Urban waters throughout the summer, but the action is generally slower.
 Arizona’s Game and Fish Department recently reported that fishing for catfish continues to be good to excellent during any week where they have stocked channel cats in local impoundments, but it continues to be fair after that. The warmer air and lake temperatures have made the catfish action best during low light or nighttime conditions. Anglers are using stink baits, shrimp or worms fished on the bottom and doing well. The state is indicating that the next catfish stocking is taking place this week – from June 14-19 at all Phoenix and Tucson area Urban waters.
Recent catfish deliveries to Alvord Lake and Water Ranch Lake were cancelled, but lake management actions have improved conditions at the lake, and they can now allow stockings to resume. The extra fish were stocked into nearby Urban lakes making for some exceptional fishing at Desert West, Cortez, Encanto, Kiwanis and Red Mountain.
On other fronts, the state department is reporting that the sunfish continue to bite well on small worms fished under a bobber.
An 8.7 pound, 29-inch channel catfish was recently caught at Kiwanis Lake in Tempe. That’s a nice catfish by anyone’s standards.
At Green Valley lakes (Payson) most of the trout have been caught, according to the Division, but anglers are enjoying great action on bluegill, crappie and bass. Try small jigs and worms fished under a bobber at Green Valley.
There’s plenty of great fishing available. Go enjoy it as we enter the summer months.
West Virginia’s Division of Natural Resources stocked over 6,700 catchable-size channel catfish into 23 lakes during mid-May, according to Frank Jezioro, DNR Director. “The goal of this stocking program is to provide fishing opportunities at some of our more accessible lakes for folks to enjoy. Results of previous introductions indicate that stocked channel catfish are caught throughout the summer and that families and young anglers comprise a substantial number of those fishing for catfish,” said Jezioro.
Lakes that the DNR stocked include: Anawalt Lake (McDowell County), Barboursville Lake (Cabell County), Berwind Lake (McDowell County), Cedar Creek State Park Lake (Gilmer County), Chief Logan State Park Lake (Logan County), Conaway Run Lake (Tyler County), Coopers Rock Lake (Monongalia County), French Creek Pond (Upshur County), Handley Pond (Pocahontas County), Hurricane Lake (Putnam County), Krodel Lake (Mason County), Laurel Lake (Mingo County), Little Beaver State Park Lake (Raleigh County), Mason Lake (Monongalia County), Mountwood Lake (Wood County), North Bend State Park Pond (Ritchie County), Parker Hollow Lake (Hardy County), Pendleton Lake at Blackwater Falls State Park (Tucker County), Pipestem State Park Lake (Summers County), Tomlinson Run Lake (Hancock County), Wallback Lake (Clay County), Watoga State Park Lake (Pocahontas County), and Wirt County Pond (Wirt County).
Tagged channel catfish were stocked into Coopers Rock Lake, Mason Lake, and Mountwood Lake to assess angler participation and catch rates. If you catch a tagged fish, the DNR asks that you return the tag or tag number along with information on the date of capture, if the fish was kept or released, and the name and address of the angler to WVDNR, 2311 Ohio Ave, Parkersburg, WV 26101. Anglers also can call in the information (304-420-4550) or provide the information via e-mail (fishtags@wvdnr.gov).
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