Western Outdoor Times - Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!

Tip Of The Week

Alamo Lake has possibly the best crappie fishing in the state right now. Bartlett is also noteworthy.

Mark Knapp from Alamo Lake State Park said these "specks" are fishing up by the north end of the buoy line. Anglers are using a road runner with a white jig head and minnow trailer.

The fish are in approximately 25 to 30 feet of water.

The Reel Deal

Bass fishing in the desert regions could pick up in the next weeks, maybe a few days after the recent cold front has run away and some expected weather with steady high temperatures in the 70s and even low-80s roll through.

The top early birds for bassin' that can have rapidly warming water temperatures are Alamo, Havasu, and Martinez.

Another top pick for bucketmouths will be Saguaro. Although it is a little deeper than Alamo Lake and not quite the solar bowl, Saguaro can heat up as well - in more ways than one.

Trout and yellow bass are options if the largemouth bass are finicky. It's also the early bird for channel catfish that like to feed on shad. Plus, Saguaro is just downright gorgeous.

Considering Canyon? If you want decent catch rates, avoid it. If you want one or two wall-hangers, you might want to go exercise your swim baits.

Some anglers' favorite fishing/camping spot is Apache Lake. The smallmouth are still on the comeback, while the largemouth bass and yellow bass populations are superb. You might even catch a delectable walleye or two.

The early walleye bite should be coming up at Lake Powell. Stay tuned for updates.

Winter trout stockings still abound. Check our stocking schedules.

Don't forget we have the International Sportsmen's Exposition coming up Feb. 19-22. Game and Fish will once again have a significant presence at this huge outdoor exposition at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.