Trophy Fishing in Arizona
By Gregg Munck
If you were to make some random phone
calls around the United States and Canada regarding trophy fishing
hot spots in Arizona, what type of response would you expect to receive?
Many folks would chuckle, then question...fishing in a desert? And then blurt out stuff
like, rattlesnakes, cacti, road runners, Grand Canyon and gila monsters.
Monsters, you got that right...monsters of the finned variety.
Fool Hollow Lake: The
production of Fool Hollow Lake Recreation area began in 1990 through
a partnership with Arizona State Parks, Arizona Game and Fish, the
United States Forest Service and the City of Show Low. The State Park
officially opened in 1994 and is open all year-round. The best way
to enjoy the park is to camp there. The park caters to both recreational
vehicles (RV) and tent campers. There are 92 RV sites and 31 tent sites.
The park is in the heart of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest with
majestic 100-foot Ponderosa pine trees throughout the 850 acre facility.
For more information about this wonderful State Park, just visit their
website: www.pr.state.az.us.
Fool Hollow Lake happens to be my favorite trophy fishing spot in
Arizona. Fool Hollow Lake is north of the town of Show Low, which is
nestled in the White Mountains of Arizona at an elevation of 6,330
feet. This area does experience four seasons and they are usually fairly
mild. The Show Low area receives the majority of its moisture during
the months of January and February. Occasionally during our summer
months we will receive a decent amount of moisture that is brought
on by the monsoons.
In past years, Fool Hollow Lake would freeze or
partially freeze over for a couple of months. This process would often
begin in late December or early January. But in recent years, our climate
has shifted and our winters have become quite a bit drier and warmer.
During this season, Fool Hollow started to ice up in mid December but
by the end of the month, a warming trend melted all of the ice. The
150-acre lake does allow gasoline engines and the maximum horsepower
is 10, or the lake can be easily navigated with a trolling motor. The
lake offers numerous types of structure. If you enjoy fishing timber,
there are plenty of lay downs, and standing timber. You will also find
many rock ledges. There are many flats and humps, and don't pass
up the riprap on the dam. Many trophy fish settle in the weed beds
for protection, and it also offers the veteran fish outstanding opportunities
to ambush their prey.
The lake is home to a wide variety of fish including: smallmouth bass,
northern-strained largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, brown and
rainbow trout, crappie, channel catfish, carp, bluegill, and green
sunfish. Fool Hollow has plenty of high protein creatures to keep all
these species of fish full and thriving. While fishing, you will always
see crawfish and bluegill all over the lake. You will also see an enormous
amount of rainbow trout on your electronics.
An important thing to consider while choosing a trophy lake is the
forage. Make sure that the lake has a lot of high protein forage which
is needed to grow and sustain trophy fish.
The Arizona Game & Fish Department (AGFD) does a tremendous job
of stocking many lakes, reservoirs, streams, and rivers throughout
the Grand Canyon State. The only species that the AGFD stocks in Fool
Hollow is rainbow trout. They usually stock twice a month through the
summer months and often in the fall. All of the Show Low area lakes
including Fool Hollow will receive more fish when the AGFD has a surplus
of trout and the water conditions are favorable. I always thank them
for feeding my bass and walleyes so they will reach and maintain "TOAD" status.
For additional information regarding Arizona's fishing regulations,
etc., check out the AGFD website: www.azgfd.com.
State Records Swimming in Fool Hollow Lake
The Smallmouth Record: A few years ago,
I was targeting smallmouth bass during the early pre-spawn period.
I recall that the surface temperatures were in the mid forties so I
decided to begin working the main lake points with a suspending jerkbait.
After thoroughly working a couple of points with no bites or any activity,
I decided to tie on a quarter ounce weedless June bug colored jig.
I added a black plastic worm as a trailer to give the offering a little
more action. After working the jig slow and steady through a submerged
rock pile, I noticed my line begin to MOVE. I lowered my rod tip quickly
and took up any extra slack so I could get a solid hook set. I took
a couple quick measurements and realized that I had a monster sized
smallie. She had a length of twenty-one inches and a huge girth of
fifteen inches. I needed to take a photo, so I put the fish in my live
well and gave her a short ride to the boat launch area. Next, I spotted
the park manager and he gladly took photographs for me. Then, he helped
me release the smallmouth.
This smallmouth ended up being Arizona's state record for the
catch-and-release category, and still holds that distinction. ( The
AGFD'S catch-and-release category is determined by measuring
the length of the fish only.) If you weigh any fish on a scale, the
AGFD feels that it is stressful, and any fish that an angler puts on
a scale will be judged in the kept fish category.
The Walleye
Record: During a summer walleye night run in June of
2004, the water temperatures were pushing into the high seventies
already. I began fishing with a suspending husky jerk (HJ10) rapala
which will reach a depth of four to six feet. With the warmer water
temperatures that we were experiencing, I thought that the walleyes
would be more aggressive and willing to rise up and hit my suspending
jerk bait. After working a few promising areas with no response,
I decided to tie on a Yozurri deep diving jerk bait in the blue/silver
color pattern and began re-working my promising spots. The deep diving
lure enabled me to make contact with the rocky covered bottom. The
walleye slammed the lure on the seventh or eighth cast after the
lure made contact with the rocks. Once I took a couple of quick photos,
I measured the walleye's length at thirty-three inches long
and then I released the fish in great shape. The massive eye still
holds the Arizona state record for the catch and release category.
More Fool Hollow Lake Trophies: Here is a
list of additional trophy fish that I personally caught and released
in Fool Hollow Lake.
1.) 5 pound 8 ounce smallmouth bass.
2.) 5 pound. 14 ounce smallmouth
bass. Both of the smallmouth bass received an In-Fisherman master angler
award for region 3 ( Region 3 is eleven western states ).
3.) 10 pound
11 ounce northern strain largemouth bass.
4.) 11 pound 5 ounce northern
strain largemouth bass.
5.) 6 pound 2.56 ounce smallmouth bass. This
smallie and the two largemouth bass mentioned above were all featured
in Bassmasters magazine. ( Lunker Club.)
6.) 29.5 inch winter walleye
caught & released 12/11/2005. (I
received a Big Fish of the Year award for 2005 from the AGFD. They
also round down to the nearest inch.)
The above catches have all received
some type of publicity. The photos were published in various news papers,
magazines, and websites throughout Canada and the United States. I
have caught and released many other trophy fish in Fool Hollow Lake,
and so have a couple of my fishing buddies. Just because all those
trophy fish didn't make it into
the limelight and become a little famous, that is okay, because all
I need is a photograph of the catch to treasure the memory forever.
Fool Hollow Lake is also one of the lakes that the White Mountain
Bass Club has on their schedule for tournaments. The bass club has
been around for 18 plus years, and the lake has taken the extra pressure
in stride. A 7.58 pound largemouth bass is the largest ever caught
and certified during an official tournament.
Conclusion: Gregg Munck is a nationally
recognized multi species trophy fisherman who has four Arizona State
Records to his credit. Gregg lives in the White Mountains of Arizona
near the town of Show Low with his wife and son.
Gregg's new sponsor: The Dimestore Fishermen.com
"Fish with the fire inside"
Gregg Munck
http://www.munckstrophyfishing.com
Gregg Munck Bio
