Fishing Near Phoenix: Where to Drop a Line

Phoenix is not a fishing city in the way the Pacific Northwest is. But the network of reservoirs, stocked urban lakes, and managed river systems within an hour of the metro offers genuine angling variety for those willing to look. The Salt River below Saguaro Lake is the most productive trout fishery near Phoenix. Arizona Game and Fish stocks rainbow trout in the tailwater section between Stewart Mountain Dam and Saguaro Lake regularly through the winter months. Saguaro Lake itself offers largemouth and smallmouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, and sunfish throughout the year. Rental boats are available at the marina. Tempe Town Lake — a managed impoundment on the Salt River — is stocked regularly and accessible from paved pathways year-round. Channel catfish to several pounds and bass up to three pounds are realistic targets. Desert fishing requires heat management. Early morning and late afternoon are the productive windows from May through September.