In the Arizona creeks, the Game and Fish Division is reporting that if you are going for the brown trout, they generally like brownish wooly buggers and minnow streamers.
For rainbows use a variety of nymphs, pheasant tail, hares ears and prince nymphs.
Don’t hesitate to give hoppers and ants a try and if all else fails, throw a caddisfly.
Night crawlers with little or no weight can work, cast slightly upstream and let the current carry the worm downstream, mending your line to keep contact with the bait so you can set the hook if a trout gobbles it up.
The following is the stream stocking report for the Arizona creeks:
- Tonto Creek, has been stocked with rainbow trout;
- Christopher Creek, has been stocked with rainbow trout;
- Haigler Creek, has been stocked with rainbow trout;
- East Verde River, has been stocked with rainbow trout;
- Canyon Creek, has been stocked. Also has some larger holdover trout. There are two sections of the creek, and one requires catch-and-release-only with barbless hooks and artificial baits only, so pay attention to the signs.
