Elk in town at dawn
Arizona’s high country offers excellent trout fishing, but also experiences significant angler pressure.
In addition, during the summer weed growth and algae blooms can be a problem. With this in mind, we decided to focus our trip on lakes above 8500 feet in elevation.
The White Mountains also have abundant wildlife that can be viewed from the road. During our trip we spotted Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, herds of elk, Mule deer, and a Mountain Lion.
When we arrived at our destination, the first step was to try different fly patterns, retrieves and time of day until we started getting hits.
The fish were far from shore in deeper water and surprisingly wanted a fast retrieve (strip / strip / drag / pause for two seconds / repeat).
In addition, time of day proved to be a key factor. We caught all our fish between 6:30 AM and 10:30 AM. There was no bite in the evening.
It also helped to have wind chop on the water and cloudy skies. Fishing right before a thunderstorm was also productive.
By far the best fly patterns were the Metalhead custom trout fly, that I previously used in Idaho, as well as a new Arizona custom trout fly.
After we figured everything out (broke the code) it was possible to consistently catch trout that were between 15 and 19 inches in length.
My Father is using a spinning rod and fly to catch large trout far from shore.
The first lake had Apache trout, which are native to Northern Arizona, and are only found in high mountain lakes and streams that maintain cold water temperatures all during the summer.
Apache Trout 15 inches
The other lakes had Rainbow trout and the larger fish were holdovers from previous years.
Rainbow Trout 17.5 Inches
Rainbow Trout 19 Inches
Overall, this was a great trip to a beautiful part of the country. If you have an opportunity, I encourage you to visit the White Mountains in Northern Arizona.
Our trip was a success because we initially targeted the best water (high elevation lakes), tried different flies at each location to identify what was working, moved frequently to find the fish, and determined the best time to be on the water. This is known as “breaking the code” and you must do this to have a successful fly-fishing trip.
The Bear River Tackle flies used on this trip are hand crafted in the united States by experienced fly tiers with premium materials.
They are different from ALL other fishing flies, and we select only be best patterns by evaluating them on fishing trips before they are offered to you.
If you would like to try these custom streamer patterns, they are available through the website by placing an order in the Shop Tab using the “Your Design Base-Level” option.
The standard fly patterns in the Shop Tab will also outperform other flies and consistently catch more trophy fish.
All of us at Bear River Tackle are dedicated to helping you (novice or advanced), have an outstanding fly-fishing experience.
We do this by providing knowledge, fly fishing information and exceptional streamer flies!
Glenn Personey
Founder and CEO
Bear River Tackle
Comments