From Parker Canyon Lake, angler Rod H. sent us this fishing report: The recent monsoon rains have done well to bring the lake back to full pool after being several meters down. Enough time has passed for the fish to get really comfortable in the newly flooded areas. The break in the monsoon patterns has really got things active. All the bugs hitting the water have gotten the topwater action going strong. Even the subsurface action holding near the new flooded structure is great, too. Using a kayak to quietly cast to all the structures was very productive in producing catch-and-releases in the high double digits. Sunfish and other species are extremely active and aggressive.

I kept things simple by using a 2-inch curly tailed grub on a 1/32-ounce jig tossed via a five-foot ultra lite rod on four-pound mono. Just working the shore lines and associated flooded structures produced so many caught fish. Just love this time of year! Using ultra lite gear is an invitation to drama. I was quite a sight struggling with a fishing rod in one hand while paddling the yak using the other and doing what I could to avoid crashing into the brush or the shore when being hauled about by strong fish. 

A nearby angler was able to witness my hot mess drama of getting hauled into the tree branches while keeping tension on the barbless jig and eventually encouraging the bass back out to deeper clear water and eventually getting it to the net. That same friendly angler provided a scale measurement at 5.2 pounds for this hefty Parker Canyon Lake bass (photo at right below). After a few photos the bass was returned to the tree to continue thriving for another day.