Hello anglers,


If all you want is a shot at trophy bass, consider Apache Lake in central Arizona. The lake was stocked with trout the week of Dec. 30 and will be stocked once again beginning Monday, Feb. 3.

Think lazy. As a general rule, wintertime fishing means going to a slower-than-normal presentation -- jig with longer pauses, retrieve spinners with ease, strip flies with patience. Wintertime fish tend to be lethargic, and aren't always as willing to chase down a bait, lure or fly. Yeah, they can be lazy.

Present in front of their jaws if possible. Fish deep, where water is typically warmest, before trying other areas of the water column. At the desert impoundments, many of the heftier largemouth bass are particularly deep. With this weekend's chillier weather, expect that to be the case the entire week. Go for a crankbait bite for a hour before light, then throw that trusty dropshot.

Sounds like the striper action can still be pretty good at Lake Powell. Wayne Gustaveson went to Warm Creek on Jan. 27 and dropped spoons in 65 feet of water for 2 hours of non-stop action (most were fat 17-20 inch yearlings, he said.)

Trout time. Beginning Monday, Feb. 3, we're scheduled to stock rainbow trout in the following areas - the Verde Valley (Dead Horse Lakes); Prescott (Fain Lake, Lynx Lake and Watson Lake); Phoenix/Mesa (Apache Lake); Tucson/Safford (Cluff Pond, Dankworth Pond, Graham County Pond, and Pena Blanca Lake); and finally, Parker Canyon Lake (La Paz.)

Finally received a good crappie report from Bartlett Lake. Anglers been slaying the crappie on the upper end of Bartlett past the no wake buoys. Try a 1/16 or 1/8-ounce jig with a 2-inch curly tail grub. John Deere green, green and black, and white have been good colors. Remember that as of Jan. 1, some regulations changed and crappie daily bag limits are no longer unlimited. An angler can keep 15 crappie daily.