We just released our top-5 family camping and fishing spots for August. See the list. This is a great way for those in desert regions to escape the heat, find cooler temperatures, and catch trout. Tiger trout have been stocked in Woods Canyon and Willow Springs this week, and the Mogollon Rim creeks are a great bet. See the stocking schedule here, and in the section below.

Monsoons will help cool waters and keep trout fishing in northern Arizona a good bet. Remember we’re still around a couple weeks behind the typical fishing pattern for this year. The top-water bite has just recently picked up at many of our desert impoundments. Night fishing is still a solid option, especially for catfish, but many anglers are saying it’s not quite to the point where feeding activity patterns of warmwater fish have increased significantly during the cooler nighttime hours.

Bass fishing should be good in general this weekend, but once water temperatures hit around 90-plus degrees, they tend to move into cooler, deeper water and become lethargic feeders. That’s when it’s time for particularly light gear. Top picks for largemouth bass are Bartlett Lake, Lake Havasu, Roosevelt Lake, Alamo Lake, Lake Powell, and Saguaro Lake.

Access opens to Apache Lake

Access to Apache Lake will be from the Roosevelt Dam side only (SR 188 to SR 88). Due to flash flood concerns, access from the Tortilla Flat side will remain closed. Crab Tree Wash and Davis Wash will remain closed but Burnt Corral and 3 Mile Wash are open. Apache Lake Marina and Resort officially re-opened July 29.