Proposed changes to fishing regulations

[Outdoor Writer]

GAME AND FISH NEWS       July 27, 2020 Arizona Game and Fish Department   Arizona Game and Fish Department proposes changes to fishing regulations for 2021 and 2022     PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is proposing amendments to Commission Order 40 (sport fishing bag and possession Limits, special regulations, and specific closures) for calendar years 2021 and  2022. The public is invited to review and comment on the proposed changes.   AZGFD will host a Facebook Live presentation on Aug. 6 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the proposed changes.    Comments or suggestions can be submitted until 5 p.m., Aug. 28, either by: Email to fishregscomments@azgfd.gov Or, by mail to: Arizona Game and Fish Department Attn: Fisheries Branch, c/o Andy Clark 5000 W. Carefree Highway Phoenix, AZ 85086   The amendments are scheduled to be presented to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission at its Sept. 25-26 meeting.    In summary, the proposed amendments are: Change regulations on the East Fork Little Colorado River upstream of Colter Dam to include a seasonal angling closure. Open Lee Valley Creek to angling. Change angling regulations on Burro Creek to include a seasonal angling closure. Change angling regulations on Thompson Creek to include a seasonal angling closure. Change angling regulations on the Upper West Fork Black River to include a seasonal angling closure. Open Grapevine Creek to angling including a seasonal angling closure. Open Dude Creek to angling including a seasonal angling closure. Create seasonal harvest, and bait restriction regulations on River Reservoir. Create seasonal harvest, and bait restriction regulations on Little Colorado River (Greer) upstream of River Reservoir to the confluence of the East and West Forks Little Colorado River. Change the statewide daily bag limit for trout to 4. Restore the statewide daily bag limit for trout at CC Cragin Reservoir, Knoll Lake, and Nelson Reservoir.  See the full proposed amendments.

[Big Tub]

That is quite a change in the bag limit on trout and then big changes to Nelson.  

 

[Outdoor Writer]

10 minutes ago, Big Tub said:

That is quite a change in the bag limit on trout and then big changes to Nelson.  

Put-&-take is probably getting too expensive. 😎 Didn't they also cut the limit to six a few years back? 

[muledeerarea33?]

Going to be drawing tags for fishing season before long.

[jdown]

I would be ok with the trout limit to 4 if they stock only 15"+ trout and at the same numbers, but if they cut the stocking numbers by 33% and continue to start stocking at 9"... not a fan. 

[jim]

19 minutes ago, jdown said:

I would be ok with the trout limit to 4 if they stock only 15"+ trout and at the same numbers, but if they cut the stocking numbers by 33% and continue to start stocking at 9"... not a fan. 

They are going to stock at 12 inch's is what was wrote in their breakdown of each rule change. 

[jdown]

Gotcha. That's not too bad then. 

[missedagain]

I much rather the creeks go to catch and release only than to close them to fishing seasonally 

[CatfishKev]

On 7/27/2020 at 1:58 PM, jim said:

They are going to stock at 12 inch's is what was wrote in their breakdown of each rule change. 

What size do they stock at now?

[Outdoor Writer]

5 minutes ago, CatfishKev said:

What size do they stock at now?

Unless it had changed, most stocked put-&-take rainbows were 8" to 9".

[biglakejake]

big changes the last 5 years or so.  seemed to start w the pinetop creel census guy Richard asking all anglers if they prefer bigger trout or more 10" ones.

show low and fool hollow never get anything less than 13" now-often 15"+, and other white mtn lakes are getting bigger trout also.   the big predator fish in show low, fool hoolow and rainbow had a lot to do with it.  i can not speak of the rim or flagstaff area waters.

lee 

[Outdoor Writer]

26 minutes ago, biglakejake said:

big changes the last 5 years or so.  seemed to start w the pinetop creel census guy Richard asking all anglers if they prefer bigger trout or more 10" ones.

show low and fool hollow never get anything less than 13" now-often 15"+, and other white mtn lakes are getting bigger trout also.   the big predator fish in show low, fool hoolow and rainbow had a lot to do with it.  i can not speak of the rim or flagstaff area waters.

lee 

Been a long time since I went after trout in AZ. I can't remember if it was Lee's Ferry or when I tubed the Greer lakes when I went to visit a friend there. The last time I fished anywhere in eastern AZ was on the trip where I mentioned fishing Wink's place. My buddy and I spent a week in the WMs, fishing both the reservation and state fisheries. Other than catching some very nice Apache trout and browns at Xmas Tree, the best fishing was Mexican Hay Lake. That year, it had water and some really hard-fighting 'bows in it. We slaughtered them (C&R) with wooly boogers. See below:

MEXICAN HAY RAINBOW

XMAS TREE APACHE TROUT

XMAS TREE BROWN TROUT

 

[trphyhntr]

OW those are the biggest Arizona trout I’ve ever seen 

[Outdoor Writer]

11 minutes ago, trphyhntr said:

OW those are the biggest Arizona trout I’ve ever seen 

Every fish we caught in Mexican Hay was that big. It was real weedy and the fish fought like tarpon, often coming clear out of the water. Oh, as you can see, it was raining. We caught a slew of big Apaches, too.  Here's a couple more from Xmas Tree.:

 

[Outdoor Writer]

Here's my buddy Joe Reynolds with another of the football rainbows at Mexican Hay.

Apache