Walleye fishing has declined, but trophy fish are still present. The smelt population within the lake is abundant, and these are eagerly sought by ice fishermen. Large brown trout are present, but generally are hard to catch due to the abundant forage. Largemouth bass are present in the weedy areas.
Table of Contents
Where is the best fishing in Lake Pleasant?
Upstream drainages, including Castle Creek, Humbug Creek and Cole’s Wash as well as Jackass and Honeymoon coves on the east side of the lake have become anglers’ favorite fishing sites. The fish, which include some sixteen species, ranging from Florida-strain largemouth bass to crappie, have proliferated and grown.
Is Lake Pleasant good for fishing?
One of the best fishing lakes near Phoenix, Lake Pleasant is less than an hour from Arizona’s largest city. It’s also one of the top fishing lakes in the whole state for a wide variety of fish species.
How do you catch rainbow trout through ice?

What is the biggest fish in Lake Pleasant?
Phillip Smith caught this 50-inch (estimated 60-70 pound) catfish from Lake Pleasant on June 13. PHOENIX โ The way some anglers look at Arizona as a fishing destination has begun to change since April when “Flathead” Ed Wilcoxson landed the heaviest recorded fish in the state’s history.
Can you eat fish out of Lake Pleasant?
You can still eat these fish, but the state is advising a weekly cap on how muchโ- 2.4 ounces or less per week for adults. That goes for largemouth bass in Apache Lake, striped bass in Lake Pleasant and flathead catfish in Bartlett Lake.
What is the deepest point of Lake Pleasant?
Lake Pleasant is a power boater’s dream. You’re in for a blast. Its pristine waters cover over 10,000 acres of water surface with 116 miles of shoreline. The average depth is 70- feet and the deepest point of 260 feet is at the dam. The best part.
Can you eat fish from Arizona canals?
SRP defers to the state on health-related topics regarding fish consumption, as the state has regulatory control over fishing. But since the fish are not allowed to be taken once caught, they shouldn’t be eaten and should be released back into the water.
How do you catch fish in Lake Pleasant?
Some of the effective baits for this area include: topwater baits, soft plastic swimbaits, umbrella rigs, lipless crankbaits, large flutter spoons, and underspin jigs work great in this spot. Most effective way to fish this spot: Boat, kayak, float tube. Shore fishing is also really good.
What is the water temperature at Lake Pleasant?
Work all depths from 6 inches off the bottom to a few feet below the ice. Trout will tend to suspend in depths that run parallel to the shallow ledge depth. So if the water is only 4 feet deep where the ledge quickly drops off, the fish may be suspended at 4 feet over deeper water.
What depth do trout feed at ice fishing?
Ice Fishing Techniques Some anglers prefer to still-fish bait (maggots, earthworms, frozen krill, or pieces of cooked shrimp) or synthetic/artificial baits (like Power Bait or Gulp). Place a small sinker or split shot on the line 30 centimetres above a baited hook.
What’s the best bait for ice fishing trout?
Locating rainbow trout under the ice Areas between 5 feet deep and 10 feet deep are generally best, but every lake is different. Ideally, the transition from the flat to deep water will be steep. If this occurs in 10 to 20 feet of water, so much the better. Rainbow trout will cruise these edges in search of food.
What depth do you ice fish for trout?
Shad are the primary forage for stripers in Lake Pleasant, and these baitfish typically school in protected shallows overnight. Try spoons and swimbaits in 20 to 30 feet at night, and then move out to 30 or 40 feet at first light.
What was the biggest fish ever caught in Arizona?
Angler’s 76.52-pound flathead is an Arizona record and the heaviest fish ever caught in the state. An angler and guide nicknamed “Flathead Ed” lived up to his moniker and then some Friday by catching a 76.52-pound flathead catfish, which is an Arizona record and the heaviest fish of any species ever landed in the state …
How do you catch striped bass in Lake Pleasant?
Trimethylamine in humans is excreted through sweat in addition to urine and feces. People have different amounts of the enzyme that breaks down TMA so there’s a variance in the noticeable effect of fishy breath and sweat after consuming fish. A very few people lack the enzyme entirely.
Can eating too much fish make you smell like fish?
Mercury concentrations in walleye fillets ranged from 0.11 to 0.44 parts per million (ppm). These concentrations do not exceed the current Federal standard (1.0 ppm of mercury) designed to protect the health of people who eat small amounts of fish.
Is walleye high in mercury?
The limit is 10 trout; the limit is 6 bass, minimum size 13 inches; the limit is 10 catfish in any combination; the limit is 25 sunfish or crappie in any combination.
How many catfish can you keep in Arizona?
It’s just one of many items that he said are still at the bottom, which include a poker table, chairs, four prop skeletons sitting in the chairs, a waterproof deck of cards, Christmas trees and a Volkswagen.
What’s at the bottom of Lake Pleasant?
A Jason Voorhees statue in Arizona didn’t have the same happy ending. Scuba diver Zachary Nagy placed a Voorhees statue of his own in Arizona’s Lake Pleasant. He built the statue himself and placed it in the lake in May 2018.
What is the deepest lake in United States?
At 1,943 feet (592 meters), Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and one of the deepest in the world. The depths were first explored thoroughly in 1886 by a party from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Is there a Jason Voorhees statue in Lake Pleasant?
A valid Arizona license is required for taking wildlife (including fish) in Arizona. The licensee shall carry the license when participating in hunting or fishing or other forms of take. Take means pursuing, shooting, hunting, fishing, trapping, killing, capturing, snaring, or netting wildlife.
Do you need a fishing license for catch and release in Arizona?
There are all sorts of fish in the canals, including carp, buffalo fish, catfish, bass, trout and who knows what else. The canals are open for fishing provided you have a valid state fishing license, but one fish is off limits. That’s the white amur, a carp-like fish that SRP imports to eat weeds that clog the canals.
Do all canals in AZ have fish?
When consuming fish from the All-American Canal, women ages 18-49 and children ages 1-17 may safely eat a maximum of four total servings per week of sunfish species, or two servings per week of black bass species, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, or Common Carp.
Can you eat catfish from a canal?
Main entrance: May 1 to October 31 – 5 am to 9 pm daily / November 1 to April 30 – 6 am to 8 pm daily / Please visit the Park Updates page for North Entrance information.
What are the hours for Lake Pleasant?
The main entrance to Lake Pleasant Regional Park closes at 8 pm. All park visitors, excluding those with camping reservations, must exit the park by this time. Boat-in campers may leave the park between the hours of 8 pm and 5 am, but will not be able to return/arrive during that time.