Bluegill bite is on

[Jcubed]

Went up to Saguaro lake twice in the last two weeks. In all probably caught 70-80 bluegill all on light tackle. The fish were really fun to catch and I even took the girlfriend the second day and introduced her to the our sport. After getting really frustrated because all she was catching were bushes she finally started getting the hang of setting the hook and landed a lot of fish. It was a great time.

 

If anyone has any kids, it would be a great time to take them out to the lake for some bluegill.

 

 

~Jcubed

 

Also caught about twenty or so striped bass about 7-8" long. I didn't know that these fish were in Saguaro but I was catching them. Hopefully they're not too hard on the fish population there.

 

 

[KGAINES]

Might have been a yellow bass.

I don't think they have stripers in there yet, but I could be wrong. Sounds like you had a blast, the small bluegill are great catfish bait.

[Jcubed]

I'm pretty sure they weren't yellow bass. I was really suprised about it too so I asked some of the other guys fishing in the boats and they said that G&F introduced them a while back. I didn't really understand why G&F would do that but they were definitely small stripers. The fish had a greyish silver color with the black lines...but then again...I could be wrong

 

Jcubed

 

KGAINES I would really like to learn how to fish for catfish. I'm not a very accomplished warm water fisher as I'm usually out after trout but Saguaro lake is close and finances don't really let me head up north all that often anymore. What sort of tackle/set ups do you use for catfish? What's the best time and approach for them?

 

Thanks for any help in advance.

[KGAINES]

Haven't fished Saguaro, but I am sure there are a few here that will help out. What I can tell you that we do is take your baitfish and hook it through the back but toward the tail so that it will swim around while submerged, from dark until light we put them on the bottom, in a lake you can use egg sinkers, but you can use whatever sinkers you need to put the bait on the bottom. Then it pretty much becomes a waiting game, if you are on a boat make sure your pole is secured. If you are on the river I like spots with deep pools where there isn't a lot of current, bends, big rocks, especially close to cliffs, and get the bait out there and wait. There are usually a few of us and we try several baits live and dead to see what might be working, if you like to keep relatively busy put a pole out there with live bait and another with chicken liver, if the channel cats are biting I have had great luck with that, shrimp works, better if it has been out in the sun for a while, stink baits, worms, but for the flatheads, my preference is a baitfish, waterdogs, and worms work as well.

 

I wonder if AZGFD did stock the stripers or were they illegally stocked, I don't think they are connected to the CAP anywhere. Kind of like the reports of smallies in Pleasant, could be the CAP or illegal stocking.

[DUG]

My son is doing an internship with G&F and Saguaro is full of Yellow Bass. They did some electro fishing last week and one spot near the dam was full of Yellow Bass. They are in Canyon also.

[Birddog]

+1 bluegill on the botom. I like to leave the bail open and when the line starts to go out I let em have it! loads of fun

 

sometimes if I can't make it out to a big lake I just hit something in town with hotdogs on the bottom.

[Basser15]

Those are yellow bass in Saguaro

[Coues Sniper]

Those are yellow bass in Saguaro

+1

[longshooter]

There yellow bass. All the lakes in the salt river chain ( Roosevelt, Apache, Canyon and Saguaro) Have good populations of yellow bass and no stripers. The only inland waters that have stripers is Lake Pleasant.

[Jcubed]

Well, you learn something new everyday and in this case I learned a few new things.

 

Thanks for the tips on the catfish set ups. I'm going to have to go out and get some bigger hooks and some larger weighs to try fishing for them.

 

As for the yellow bass, now I know what they look like. Next time I go out I'll bring my camera so that I can post a picture.

 

Thanks again for all the input guys.

 

Jcubed

[Coues Archer]

Wow. good job catching all those fish.

[catfish]

bllue gills are good if no other fish are there i prefer catfish or bass